Showing results by narrator "Maria McCann" in All Categories

Claire Leccese is a romance novelist who writes happy endings for a living. Quite ironic, since she’s spent a lifetime battling demons from childhood trauma and has been anything but happy. She is plagued by self-doubt and an inability to trust people who claim to love her. Along comes Sydney Howard, a younger successful artist who rocks Claire’s world and “lit an agreeable blaze inside my belly…” However, as Sydney falls in love with the older woman, Claire’s fears overtake her and she runs away, vowing never to see Sydney again.

1955. In the sleepy seaside town of La Jolla, CA, rookie cop Jake Stirling saves the life of infamous crime writer Raymond Chandler, earning the respect of his hard-nosed captain, Wade Lennox, who served with Jake’s father, a police detective whose suicide two years earlier shocked the town and shattered Jake's family.

A case of mistaken identity plunges Jessica Watson into the dark world of terrorism. Requited by a group that calls themselves The Hand of God, she's to be used as bait to capture Abdul Jamar, a world renowned terrorist. She meets the other team members on a remote ranch in Wyoming and begins training in languages, self-defense, and weapons. Not a religious person, being around people who pray and read the bible is something new to her. They didn't seem like lunatics.

Responding to distressing, uncontrollable events without blaming ourselves or others can be difficult, yet it is necessary if we are to find interpersonal harmony and, ultimately, global peace. To master this challenge, we must cope with adversity by understanding the psychological and social reasons why we blame, practicing forgiveness, responding stoically, nurturing a gentle spirituality, and perceiving ourselves and others with empathy.