Showing results by narrator "Xe Sands" in All Categories

Nicole Hennessy's life revolves around her Zen practice at the Boston Zendo, seeking spiritual solace in the tenets of Buddhism. After a decade of grueling spiritual practice under her master's tutelage, living on a shoestring as a shop clerk, Nicole has become sexually and emotionally entangled with her mentor. To break free, she must retrace her entire life's journey - from her strict Irish Catholic upbringing to her drug-fueled year as a teenage runaway. Even as she reinvents herself in New York City, her master's intoxicating voice pursues her, whispering dangerously in her ear.

When Mimi finds out her favorite words - simple words, like apricot, blackberry, buttercup - are disappearing from the English language, she elects her granddaughter Brook as their Keeper. And did you know? The only way to save words is to know them.

Chicago obstetrician Mackenzie “Mac” Huntress set her standards for men very high early on. It’s been over twenty years since she fell for a fictional movie heartthrob, and Mac’s content to wait for the real version to come along; it’s her nagging mother who’s not happy with the timeline. So Mac falls back on her lifelong Mom-surviving skill - lying. The latest fabrication: a handsome neurologist named Michael. But when Mac’s little sister announces her engagement, Mac is expected to introduce her elusive “plus-one” at the wedding.

Finding Mrs. Warnecke tells the inspiring story of Cindi Rigsbee, a three-time Teacher of the Year, and Barbara Warnecke, the first-grade teacher who had a profound and lasting impact on Cindi's life. Cindi, an insecure child who craved positive attention, started her first-grade year with a teacher who was emotionally abusive and played favorites in the classroom. Two months into the school year, her principal came into the classroom and announced that half the students were being moved to another classroom.

The Voucher Promise examines the Housing Choice Voucher Program, colloquially known as "Section 8", and how it shapes the lives of families living in a Baltimore neighborhood called Park Heights. Eva Rosen tells stories about the daily lives of homeowners, voucher holders, renters who receive no housing assistance, and the landlords who provide housing.

Cassidy Morgan's life has always followed a carefully laid track: top education, fulfilling career, and marriage to the love of her life. The next logical step was starting a family. But when a late-term miscarriage threatens to derail everything she's worked so hard for, she finds herself questioning her identity, particularly what it means to be a mother. Unable to move past her guilt and shame, she realizes there's more to fix than a broken heart.

Dani, Meg, and Charlotte have bonded over babies, barbeques, and backyards, but when they escape for a girls' weekend away, they can't bring themselves to return to lives that don't seem to fit anymore. All three of these women thought they would be different. None of them thought they'd be facing down 40 and still wondering when life starts. What they do when they realize where they're headed is both inspiring and wildly entertaining.

Famed Broadway producer Milo Short steps out of his Upper West Side brownstone on one exceptionally hot morning, he's not expecting to see the impossible: a woman from his life 60 years ago, winking at him on a New York sidewalk. The sight causes him to suffer a stroke. And when he comes to, the renowned lyricist discovers he has lost the ability to communicate. Milo believes he must unravel his complicated history with Vivian Adair in order to win back his words

We all have that one older funny family member. You know the one, he tells stories from his experiences and usually has people rolling their eyes. William Stokes is that person! He presents a delightful collection of memories that are truly life lessons even today! Stokes, through his memories and wit, provides opportunities to learn through laughter, sharing of memories and love.

Mark and Maggie's annual drive east to visit family has gotten off to a rocky start. By the time they're on the road, it's late, a storm is brewing, and they are no longer speaking to one another. Adding to the stress, Maggie - recently mugged at gunpoint - is lately not herself, and Mark is at a loss about what to make of the stranger he calls his wife.

As a child, Susan Silverman was surrounded by a loving family; although her parents weren't happily married, they were devoted to their kids. In a vibrant, funny, imminently relatable voice (think Anne Lamott meets Katrina Kenison), Silverman tells of a family's evolution - from her parents' devastating loss of their infant son to raising bright and wildly unique daughters. It's also the creation story of her own family - raising her own bright and wildly unique daughters and taking a journey to adopt two boys from Ethiopia.

Intrigue and betrayal await in the latest installment of Bookburners, the urban fantasy episodic series that's taken the Internet by storm. Open Season is declared on the Black Archives with every demon in the world wanting the Codex Umbra for their own. Security tightens and the team prepares for inevitable assault never suspecting the sleeper cell already in their midst.

Nothing is what it seems in the shocking penultimate installment of Bookburners, the urban fantasy episodic series from Serial Box. With time running out and the Hand growing stronger inside Sal, the only hope is to banish the demon back to his hellish domain. But to do that, Team Three needs The Book of the Hand, which is back in the Vatican. Now, thanks to a timely offer from Aaron, Sal and the rest of the team stake their freedom on a desperate throw of the dice by venturing into the lion's den....

An epic smackdown ensues as Sal and Team Three match wits and magic with Mr. Norse in the latest thrilling adventure in everyone's favorite online urban fantasy episodic series. The stage is set for Mr. Norse's grand move in possessing "The Norton Anthology of Evil?", aka the Codex Umbra. The team's plans include infiltrating a yacht party, sneaking into a secret compound, and generally trying to stop an evil billionaire from gaining control of a compendium of demons.

Questions are answered and new mysteries introduced as season one of Bookburners, the urban fantasy episodic series from Serial Box, comes to its thrilling conclusion. With The Book of the Hand in their possession at last, Team Three can finally kick the Hand out of Sal's body. The only problem is, if she wants to save Perry, too, she'll have to bring him back from the Hand's dark dimension. That's a tall order, even with the help of Aaron - whatever he is.

After Sal, possessed by the Hand, turns on her friends and teammates, Team Three has to decide whether she is a victim or a target. As Father Menchu tries to buy time, Teams One and Two gear up for the kind of action usually filed under "extreme prejudice". And the Hand, with the dark power of the Codex Umbra at his command, begins to assemble an army.

From spin class to a Matrix marathon to saving Rome in the nick of time, it's all in a day off for Grace and Sal in urban fantasy's new hit episodic series. It's Grace's one-day-off-a-year, and nothing will stop her from enjoying every last second of it: not Sal's troubling sleepwalking, not the mysterious tour guide, Aaron, and not even the magical artifact spreading a time-slowing bubble across Rome. The team's troubles may never stop - but sometimes, you have to make time for a spin class.

After being sent on a wild goose chase in the latest game of cat and mouse with the mysterious Mr. Norse, the team decides they need to get ahead of their competition in the hunt for the Codex Umbra. With no other options, they turn to old friends and even older magic: specifically, the Oracle of Delphi. Sal grows suspicious of her own sleeping habits, and Asanti enjoys some field time; but everyone learns the deadly dangers of playing with prophecy.

Sal Brooks, newest member of Team Three of the Societas Librium Occultorum, is settling in to her job and apartment in Rome. In this episode, we meet the rest of the team and get a tour of the Black Archives (pro tip: don't touch anything) before being whisked off on Sal's first mission: investigate a magical disturbance in the heart of Madrid, Spain. There they find a breathing apartment door, little girls being held hostage, and some furniture that is far too alive for good taste. First days on the job are never easy....

The team saves on flight costs as the newest mystery happens around the corner. A tip from a local antiquarian doesn't make it to the team in time, and they are left with a once-bookstore-now-rubble pile, a missing magical tome, and very few clues beyond a helpful tour guide (one might even say too helpful). Tracking the missing book to a luxury yacht, the team gets less of the high-end boating experience and more of the demon-on-the-loose nightmare.