The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown is a satirical look behind the scenes of Model Muse, a fictional reality model competition show, and global phenomenon. This twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, blackmail, mystery, and revenge is seen through the eyes of our moral compass Pablo Michaels-the heart of production in the helter-skelter world of Model Muse. As "The Fixer," Pablo is the man everyone turns to in a crisis and through his eyes we experience first-hand, a behind the scenes look of the backstage shenanigans of the fashion/reality TV world. Struggling to hold the fledgling production together, Pablo juggles his duties to his "BFF," the ruthless and vulnerable antihero Keisha Kash, his Supermodel boss while trying to hold on to his own soul. With Model Muse becoming a mega TV franchise, Keisha receives a mysterious threatening note which begins the unraveling of the truth about his Supermodel boss. This revelation shatters Pablo's rose-colored glasses and becomes his worst nightmare, nearly destroying his faith in humanity. Will he succumb to the dog-eat-dog world of the entertainment industry and become like his boss, stopping at nothing to achieve his desires? Or, will he find a way to navigate the world of betrayal and duplicity that surrounds him, and remain true to himself?

Welcome to the world of Five Runes. This series of short stories are told episodically much like a television series. What you are looking at is the prologue.In the world of Palurin, there is an ancient temple to a nearly forgotten god. A small group of adventurers are on their way there to see what they can find. First, they must make it through woods so dense there is no sunlight. Of course, tWelcome to the world of Five Runes. This series of short stories are told episodically much like a television series. What you are looking at is the prologue and it acts much like the pilot.In the world of Palurin, there is an ancient temple to a nearly forgotten god in the middle of a huge wooded area void of life. A small group of adventurers are on their way there to see what they can find. First, they must make it through woods so dense there is no sunlight. Of course, they also must survive each other's company.This is the prologue of the Five Runes series with the next chapter being available in August 2013.

A major demon lord of Hell having lost the only woman he had ever loved to the side of the angels resolved to get her back, to that end he needed something dangerous enough to keep the humans so busy that they would not realise that he had helped the most powerful Satanist ever to recover her memory. He enticed a cannibalistic alien race to Earth and they soon got Rob Hinds` attention.The major demon Lord Asbaritch had only loved one woman in the eons that he had served Lord Lucifer, now he had lost her because of Rob Hinds and his friend David Pritchard, but the demon wanted her back. To this end he enticed a far off alien race to come to Earth, they were called the Harvesters by the worlds who had been visited by them. The reason for the name was that they ate the brains and drunk the blood of the inhabitants of these worlds, but always leaving behind enough breeding stock to ensure that they could gather a harvest when the population had recovered. Earth seemed to be just another such world, so a reconnaissance craft was despatched to check it out.One person could stop Lord Asbaritch from achieving his aim, that person was Rob Hinds, a government agent who was having an easier time for a change, the only problems were of the terrorist variety, not the Satanic kind which had plagued his recent years. Rob and his wife now had two very young children, and everything seemed idyllic, and then the Harvesters arrived, and while Rob and the authorities of England were busy attempting to catch them, Lord Asbaritch was busy visiting his beloved in her dreams as he attempted to kick start her lost memory and entice her back to her old life as a Satanist

Colombia's Pacific coast, where everyday life entails warding off the brutal forces of nature. In this constant struggle, nothing is taken for granted. Damaris lives with her fisherman husband in a shack on a bluff overlooking the sea. Childless and at that age "when women dry up," as her uncle puts it, she is eager to adopt an orphaned puppy. But this act may bring more than just affection into her home. The Bitch is written in a prose as terse as the villagers, with storms―both meteorological and emotional―lurking around each corner. Beauty and dread live side by side in this poignant exploration of the many meanings of motherhood and love.

In the game of chess, the strongest piece—the Queen—is often referred to as "bitch," and being female has been long considered a major disadvantage.Chess Bitch, written by the 2004 U.S. Woman’s Chess Champion, is an eye-opening account of how today’s young female chess players are successfully knocking down the doors to this traditionally male game, infiltrating the male-owned sporting subculture of international chess, and giving the phrase "play like a girl" a whole new meaning.Through interviews with and observation of the young globetrotting women chess players who challenge male domination, Chess Bitch shines a harsh light on the game’s gender bias. Shahade begins by profiling the lives of great women players from history, starting with Vera Menchik, who defeated male professionals with incredible frequency and became the first woman’s World Champion in 1927. She then investigates the women’s chess dynasties in Georgia and China. She interviews the famous Polgar sisters, who refused to play in separate women's tournaments. She details her own chess adventures—traveling to tournaments from Reykjavik to Istanbul. And Shahade introduces us to such lesser-known chess personalities as the flamboyant Zambian player Linda Nangwale and the transgendered Texan Angela Alston and the European female chess players who hop from one country to another, playing chess by day and partying long into the night. For those who think of chess as two people sitting quietly across a table, Shahade paints a colorful world that most chess fans never knew existed.

If you’re going to step on people on your way to the top, you might as well do it in stilettos . . . . . . Or so she’s been told. Lucy Butler, former wallflower, lands her dream job working for her idol, world-famous fashion photographer Stefano Lepres. But in a world where getting doused in coffee for not getting the order right is the new normal, she isn’t getting any closer to her ideal of being behind the camera herself.Then a superstar actress generously takes Lucy under her wing and teaches her the ways of the rich and famous—treating her to racks of designer clothes and introducing her to a life of private planes and penthouse suites. Soon Lucy is dating a rock star, attending the hottest Hollywood parties, and dressing the part.Lost in the luxury, she loses sight of the things that once mattered most. It’s going to take a hard blow from the high life to send Lucy back to the real life she always wanted.From an industry insider—and featuring wardrobes personally selected by celebrity stylist Robert Verdi—this is a novel that will keep you guessing and introduce you to a world you know exists; you’ve just never seen it unretouched.From BooklistLucy Butler, armed with her new BFA in photography, moves to L.A. for an internship with world-renowned photographer Stefano Lepres. She finds an apartment with her best friend and a requisite gay roommate, discovers designer clothes, and befriends the most famous actress in the world, Isabella Blackstone. She also develops a coke habit, alienates her normal-person best friend, hangs out with a socialite who doesn’t really care about her, and makes out with a rock star who also doesn’t care. Don’t worry, she learns who her true friends are. And she kicks the drugs pretty handily. In this pointless coming-of-age story, where the supposedly innocent heroine gets her final revenge with a petty and opportunistic act, it appears that Lucy learned her lessons well, after all. Her consistently stupid decisions will be stressful to any reader with common sense, and the Narnia allusion in the title doesn’t play out. But if you want a book where an alleged frump name-drops Marc Jacobs and Jimmy Choo, you’re in luck. Be forewarned: she throws a Hermes scarf into the sea at the end. --Susan Maguire About the AuthorAllie Kingsley began her career in Hollywood working with the boldest names in fashion and entertainment. She continues to write and produce in both businesses. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles.

After his drinking buddy, a priest named Jesus, is shot dead, Doc sets out to find his killer. He soon begins to suspect that the murder is connected to a money laundering scheme suspiciously similar to one perpetrated by Doc himself, back when he was a banker with a coke habit. The killer, already facing "The Big Bitch" or life in prison, has nothing to lose. Book 1 of a new mystery series.

SUMMARY: Precious Cummings is more ruthless than ever in Part 3 of the Bitch series. In The Bitch Is Back, Precious is relishing in every hood queen s dream life. She has her king, Supreme, and her princess, their daughter Aaliyah. With an estate in Beverly Hills, a fleet of luxurious cars and endless cash flow, the drama Precious experienced in the gritty streets of New York is a distant memory ... or so she thought. Without warning, Precious worst nightmare becomes a reality. Pretty Boy Mike, the man who brutally raped Precious and who plotted to have her husband Supreme killed, has escaped from prison. With her life in danger, Precious resorts to what she knows best murder and mayhem to defend herself and the people she loves. Hell hath no fury than a gangsta chick out to protect what she cherishes the most her family. Brace yourself as Precious again wreaks havoc from West to East Coast battling her most treacherous enemy yet.

From the bestselling author of High Maintenance and Going Down comes a witty, heartfelt comic novel about marriage, motherhood, and discovering that the life you have is exactly the one you want.What's a fabulous New York City girl supposed to do when she finds herself fantasizing about the Grim Reaper more than she fantasizes about her husband? When she can't help but give him the finger on the set of Sesame Street? And when she doesn't exactly hope for a safe landing when he goes away on business?No, ex-hedge fund manager and new mom Isolde Brilliant hasn't got the seven year itch—taking care of her baby and husband and having a growing suspicion that she's living life in captivity has turned her into a seven year bitch.That's New York author Jennifer Belle's deliciously provocative phrase for the boredom, anger, and hurt that can creep into even the best of marriages—and affect even the most saintly of wives. In th...

An anthology of bark-out-loud original essays about dogs from some of today's most popular writers.Critically acclaimed memoirist Wade Rouse has gathered some of America's best known humorists- authors, comedians, and actors-to offer biting commentary on what it means to share a life, and a heart, with a dog. From battling for bed space to trying to transform a pampered NYC pup into a Texas rawhide, and from helping a shelter rescue navigate through her new life to interpreting dog run dynamics (and politics), being a canine companion has challenges as tough as any agility course, but laughter is just a tail-wag away. This collection features uncanny insight and witty prose from...• Jen Lancaster• Rita Mae Brown• Laurie Notaro• Jane Green• Beth Harbison• W. Bruce Cameron• and many others, including a Foreword by Chelsea Handler's dog, Chunk

DJ Ritz Harper used every trick in the book to become a media darling in Drama Is Her Middle Name, shock-jock Wendy Williams's exposé of a life she knows better than anyone. Playing a clever trick of her own, Williams left her heroine on the brink of death at the end of the novel. Now the second installment of the chronicles reveals what Williams's readers are dying to know: Is the Bitch Dead, or What?The drive-by shooting that brought her down forces Ritz to look back on her climb to the top and the people she loved, lost, used, and abused along the way. There's the brief dalliance with Tracee, her best friend, and the romance with a man with some secrets of his own; the loss of her beloved Aunt M; and the recent appearance of the father who abandoned her and is now demanding a financial payoff and fifteen minutes of fame. At the heart of it all is Ritz's need to figure out where the real-life Ritz ends and the radio bitch begins.For the huge...

In the wake of Sassy and as an alternative to the more staid reporting of Ms., Bitch was launched in the mid-nineties as a Xerox-and-staple zine covering the landscape of popular culture from a feminist perspective. Both unabashed in its love for the guilty pleasures of consumer culture and deeply thoughtful about the way the pop landscape reflects and impacts women's lives, Bitch grew to be a popular, full-scale magazine with a readership that stretched worldwide. Today it stands as a touchstone of hip, young feminist thought, looking with both wit and irreverence at the way pop culture informs feminism--and vice versa--and encouraging readers to think critically about the messages lurking behind our favorite television shows, movies, music, books, blogs, and the like. BITCHFest offers an assortment of the most provocative essays, reporting, rants, and raves from the magazine's first ten years, along with new pieces written especially for the collection. Smart, nuanced, cranky, outrageous, and clear-eyed, the anthology covers everything from a 1996 celebration of pre-scandal Martha Stewart to a more recent critical look at the "gayby boom"; from a time line of black women on sitcoms to an analysis of fat suits as the new blackface; from an attempt to fashion a feminist vulgarity to a reclamation of female virginity. It's a recent history of feminist pop-culture critique and an arrow toward feminism's future. **From Publishers WeeklyThis often mind-stretching, occasionally predictable and generally entertaining collection of articles from Bitch magazine has something for every feminist, postfeminist and reactionary. Bitch was founded in 1996 in response to "post-feminism" by "freshly minted liberal arts graduates with crappy day jobs and a serious media jones." With refreshing depth, literacy and humor, these essays explore questions surrounding puberty, gender identity, sex, "domestic arrangements," beauty, pop culture and mainstream media, and media literacy/activism. Tammy Oler examines menarche and female puberty in horror films; Gaby Moss analyzes the media's obsession with "mean girls"; and Lisa Jervis gives a rundown of sex scenes and pride in YA lesbian novels. Leigh Shoemaker puts down Camille Paglia's contention that males are superior due to their urinary "arc of transcendence" by evoking the Virgin Mary's breasts squirting milk through the air into Jesus' mouth. Audry Bilger protests the use of "guys" as gender neutral. Conspicuously absent is any discussion of women and aging. Maybe we'll just have to wait for Bitch's 20th anniversary, when its editors will be pushing 50. (Aug. 15) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist"Whenever anyone has called me a bitch, I have taken it as a compliment," writes comedian Margaret Cho in the foreword to this anthology from the self-proclaimed Queen Bee of Grrrl Zines. Positioned as an antidote to the patronizing pages of Cosmopolitan and Vogue, Bitch revels in its power to provoke as it ponders the landscape of popular culture from a feminist perspective. In honor of the magazine's tenth anniversary, founding editors Jervis and Zeisler have amassed essays (including some specifically commissioned for the collection) on a bounty of brazen topics, from the ramifications of sexual abuse and rape to the lesbian tendencies of Japanese macaques. Its writers are no wallflowers: Leigh Shoemaker's "stand-up" discussion of female urination, for example, adds new meaning to the expression, "Looking out for #1." From transsexuality to body image to gender-bending "slash fiction" that amorously pairs the likes of Captain Kirk and Spock, there's plenty here to amuse and enlighten the target audience--and plenty to rattle the cages of card-carrying macho men and women who might find the racy rants a bit over the top. Allison BlockCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The Corporate World can be a vicious and cutthroat place. Melanie Michaels feels ready for anything when she is offered her dream job working for a major corporation in Manhattan. She is enamored by the six inch heels, designer bags and brilliant co-workers surrounding her. She works day and night to prove she deserves to be there. She loses sight of her fiancé, friends and everything that matters to belong. A few months in, a switch is flicked and she finds herself the target of some vindictive corporate bullying. Strike after strike seem to hit her for no apparent reason, other than her recent marketing success. In an effort to salvage her career, she grows close to a few and devises a strategy to reveal the internal evil plan. She finds herself, despite her best efforts, plotting and manipulating right along with the best of them until the moment of truth.

Vince Grange is a tough-assed labor negotiator in New York who's famous for being tough but fair. His nickname is Bulldog. He enjoys his work, his easy bachelor existence and his lack of ties. When his rich great aunt Marjorie dies to everyone's surprise she wills her spoiled French toy poodle to Vince. To the dog she wills the bulk of her large fortune. All Vince has to do is keep Mimi happy and healthy and when the pooch dies of old age, Vince will get the cash. Vince is not thrilled with the arrangement. Neither is Mimi, the poodle who only understands French (or pretends to). How can he keep up his bulldog reputation if he's seen walking a powderpuff on legs with a real diamond collar and pink-painted toenails! He can't do it! When the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen corrects his French -- a woman who turns out to be a nanny, he decides that what Mimi needs is the world's most gorgeous nanny. Sophie Veneau is more than happy to take on the job of escorting Mimi to the salon and preparing gourmet meals for Mimi's finicky palate. She's less happy about the wild attraction she feels to Mimi's big, sexy owner. When she and the French poodle are nearly mugged in the park, a large homeless black dog, ferocious and determined, comes to their aid. And follows them home. Soon, to Vince's horror, his one man household has increased to four. And somebody's out to hurt Sophie. In this romantic comedy about a rich dog and a poor dog, a big American man and a petite Frenchwoman, nothing is quite what it seems. Family drama, mystery, comedy and some hot, sexy nights mean that life will never be the same for this collection of opposites.

The Alpha Princess, Ryder, is back with a vengeance. Learn how things came to be the way they are in Book 1 & 2 now by taking a look back in time to earlier years in the packs history. Romance, action, suspense and betrayal, you'll find it all in here and more. Long before the love affair of Stephanie and Frost, pack Princess Ryder was scheming her way into things she was not yet ready for. Find out more about her behind the scenes strategies in the pages of this book - and how it came to be that Frost and Stephanie met in the first place.