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THE ORACLE AT FIRESIDE LAKE Mallory has been reading tarot and casting spells inside her metaphysical store for years. 2025, however, brought more than its fair share of romance and intrigue as the moon waxed and waned above Fireside Lake, Minnesota. Can Mallory overcome the year’s challenges, both normal and paranormal, and keep herself, her family, her friends, and Oracle Shoppe afloat? Find out in another cozy tale of occult romance and suspense from Colleen McManus Hein. LEARN MORE TOPICS OF CONVERSATION The real-life inspiration behind The Oracle at Fireside Lake and how a small-town sewing shop in Ely, Minnesota sparked Mallory's world Colleen's lifelong fascination with tarot, the supernatural, and how she weaves real readings and simmer pot rituals into the story Using holidays, seasons, and moon cycles as a writing framework to structure each chapter and beat the blank page Drawing from real relationships with friends, mothers, daughters, and grandmothers to bring authenticity to the characters The joys and struggles of indie authorship, from Goodreads reviews to writing as a creative escape from everyday life ABOUT THE AUTHOR Colleen McManus Hein lives and writes in Illinois. She has published in Poetry Cram, Highland Park Poetry, East on Central, The Sports Scribe, The Packingtown Review, and Inkwell. She self-publishes novels, short stories, and poetry collections through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. When not reading, crocheting, or walking her dog, you might find her turning tarot cards or holding a seance by candlelight. Learn more and connect with Colleen on her Author page at Amazon.com.  

RUG: HOW TO MOVE WHAT YOU'RE TRIPPING OVER AND LEAD WITH H.E.A.R.T. What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn't your team, your competition, or even the economy? What if it’s the invisible rug you keep tripping over?We all have rugs. Outdated habits trip us up. Silent expectations catch us off guard. Limiting beliefs go unquestioned for years. These hidden barriers sabotage our progress in life and leadership until disruption finally forces us to confront them.RUG reveals how to uncover the patterns holding you back. You'll discover how to move beyond mere survival and lead with clarity, courage, and purpose.This book centers around the H.E.A.R.T. Powered Leadership™ framework: Humanize, Empower, Ascend, Reimagine, Transform. It offers both deeply personal insights and practical guidance for leading with empathy, resilience, and vision. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION The "Rug" Concept — What it means to keep stepping over hidden problems, avoided conversations, and outdated systems in leadership and in life, and why leaders resist moving them The HEART Framework — A five-step approach to leading through disruption: Humanize, Empower, Ascend, Reimagine, and Transform, and how it applies to both personal growth and organizational change Reimagining vs. Defaulting to the Familiar — Why reimagining is the hardest step for most leaders, and how the "10-star experience" exercise helps teams think beyond their comfort zones When Leaders Get Out of Their Own Way — What shifts when leaders stop white-knuckling every decision, and how empowering others to lead creates faster movement, smarter risks, and a stronger culture Creating Psychological Safety and Taking Micro Moves — How leaders can make it safe for people to tell the truth, and the small, practical actions that create real traction without overwhelming the team LEARN MORE AT: https://rugthebook.com/ and https://orgsource.com/  ABOUT THE AUTHORS SHERRY WHITAKER BUDZIAK is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and visionary strategist who helps organizations 10X their productivity by aligning people, process, technology, and purpose. As the founder and CEO of .orgSource, Sherry has spent two decades guiding more than 350 organizations to reimagine how they work, integrating human potential with the power of AI to unlock growth, innovation, and impact. Recently honored with the Valparaiso University Alumni Achievement Award and Association Trends Award, Sherry is celebrated for her rare ability to translate bold strategy into measurable results. She’s led digital transformations long before it was a buzzword—launching one of the first association websites, navigating Y2K, leading teams through the dot-com era, and shaping the future of online engagement. Her expertise blends deep technological insight with a human-centered approach that empowers teams to thrive in the age of intelligent automation. A trailblazer in the association and nonprofit world, Sherry co-founded .orgCommunity, a dynamic network that connects leaders, inspires collaboration, and accelerates innovation across the sector. Her influence extends beyond consulting—she’s a frequent keynote speaker, podcast host, and thought leader whose message inspires leaders to lead with both head and heart. Sherry is the co-author of RUG: Move What You’re Tripping Over and Lead with HEART, where she shares her transformative H.E.A.R.T. Powered Leadership® Method—Humanize, Empower, Ascend, Reimagine, Transform—helping leaders turn disruption into growth and courage into strategy. She also co-authored the acclaimed Association 4.0® book series, which redefined what it means to lead in an era of rapid change. With over 30 years at the intersection of technology and leadership, Sherry’s mission is clear: to help organizations move faster, think smarter, and lead with heart in a world where AI and humanity must rise together.   KEVIN G. ORDONEZ has been dedicated to serving the association community as a vendor part

THE BOOK OF LOST INNOCENCE Nine dark, unforgettable tales of magic, love, honour, sacrifice and the blood-soaked cost of a happy ending. A queen of the damned will burn the world to find true love. A scarred woman trades her soul for fleeting beauty. A young woman scales a forbidden hill to slay her fears. A loyal warrior risks everything when he falls for the Emperor’s bride. And five more haunting journeys where innocence is not just lost...it’s torn away. If you love dark fantasy with a heart of tragedy—where fairy tales twist into nightmares and the choices we make define who (or what) we become—this collection is for you. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION The inspiration behind The Book of Lost Innocence and its blend of dark fairy tales, folklore, and myth, all tied together by tragic endings. What “lost innocence” means across the collection, and how the stories strip away naïveté to reveal harsher truths about the world. Human nature at its messiest: morally complicated villains, blurred lines between good and bad, and the danger of believing you are doing the right thing. Why myth and folklore can hit differently than straight horror, especially when readers can pull meaning and parable from the darkness. Glenn Taylor’s creative process, from revisiting older stories and shaping them into a collection to balancing prose, screenwriting, and future projects. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in Mississauga, I am a writer, creator, and novelist. Best known for co-writing 40 Acres with R.T. Thorne, a post-apocalyptic film set in a future where food is scarce, and a family has to defend their homestead from an organized militia. The film premiered at TIFF 2024 and was widely praised by critics, including The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Playback. I've been writing and creating for most of my life. I started in animation and comics, but then shifted to my second love—design. I became a creative director and a business owner. But I never let go of my first love of creating and writing. I published my first book, The Book of Lost Innocence, the same year my film 40 Acres premiered in theatres.  The book has won a few awards, including the Independent Press Award and Reader Views in four categories (Short Story collections/Anthologies, Regional Winner, The Autocrit Emerging Writer Award and The Inside Scoop Live Award for Most Innovative Short Story Collection), and 40 Acres has won many awards as well as being nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Original Screenplay.  I love almost every genre, but my favourite is science fiction and fantasy. I don't think I can stop creating or writing. It's a function of my being and something I cannot excise even if I wanted to. So, I might as well embrace it and continue to make incredible, entertaining things for people to enjoy.  CONNECT WITH GLENN TAYLOR Website: https://www.andthenwhathappened.net/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glenntaylor/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glenn.taylor.3591267/Get the book: https://amzn.to/4sLAkaV 

JR VERSUS STINKY DUMPING GROUND Twelve-year-old JR is convinced the toxic dump next door killed his sister—and no one will listen.If JR fails, the danger won’t stop with his family—it could destroy the entire neighborhood.The adults say he is wrong. They say keep quiet. They say let them handle it. But JR has watched them do nothing for years. So, he is taking matters into his own hands. With help from his friends, a school project that becomes an investigation, and a heart that refuses to give up, JR sets out on a mission to expose the truth.Fueled by courage, determination, and a heart that refuses to give up, JR sets out on a mission that seems impossible: “Stinky Dumping Ground has got to go!”But can one kid really take on something so big? Can kids make a difference and get environmental justice?JR Versus Stinky Dumping Ground is about community activism inspired by kids. An enjoyable read for adults. A must-read for kids. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION More than an environmental mystery. A funny, sharp 12-year-old takes on an illegal dump in Brooklyn, but the real story is about grief, family, and finding your voice. Rooted in personal loss. Rawle lost his younger sister at age 12, the same age as JR. That experience shaped the book's emotional core. Community matters. Inspired by a Spike Lee vibe, the Brooklyn neighborhood is full of characters who argue, support, and show up for each other when it counts. No perfect victories. JR doesn't get everything he wants, and that's intentional. The book respects young readers enough to keep the ending honest. A series with a twist. Future books will feature different kids with the initials J.R. in different communities, each tackling environmental issues. Three more drafts are already in progress. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ellis Brown grew up surrounded by stories, the kind his uncles told with flair and detail, the kind that stick with you. Now he tells his own. A debut novelist and children's book author, Brown writes across genres with a consistent thread: characters navigating big stakes, real-world issues, and the complicated question of who the heroes really are. By day, Brown works as a Business Advisor at the Pace University Small Business Development Center, where he has spent two decades helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality, not unlike what he does on the page. Learn more about R. Ellis Brown and his work - Connect with him at:  Website: www.rellisbrown.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r.ellis.brown/ Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/rellisbrown.bsky.social 

Bring One Home: A Memoir of Boyhood, Basketball, and Hometown Spirit In the 1960s, the biggest dream for many young boys across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was to play for their high school basketball team. In the small town of Bessemer, this meant one thing: wearing the blue and gold of the Speedboys. The two obstacles standing in every young Bessemer boy's way were bitter winters of endless snow and a padlock on the doors to the only good gym in town. One day, when a young inexperienced coach is hired to lead the team, the Speedboys' usual aspirations of winning championships suddenly become far humbler: they merely want to win a single game. Mired in an epic losing streak, the team's declining fortunes come to mirror those of the town itself. Iron ore mines are shuttered. Jobs are lost. And the Speedboys' losses start piling up. What transpires is nothing less than a test of the town's soul and the character of its people. Bring One Home is an irresistible trip back to the days when kids played basketball on snow-covered driveways, drank chocolate malts at the Tip Top Cafe, and folks got their news in the local barbershop. Told from the viewpoint of a young, anxious boy striving to fulfill the expectations set forth by the adults in his life, this is an underdog story as heartwarming as it is at times heartbreaking. Filled with historical insights and laugh-out-loud moments, Bring One Home is a tribute to the author's beloved hometown and their undeniable determination to win. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION: About Bring One Home and the inspiration behind the book How the decline of the iron ore mining industry and a historic 42-game basketball losing streak became the unexpected backbone of one powerful story The eerie connection between the new basketball coach's first pep rally and the assassination of President Kennedy What it was really like to grow up in a small town where the rivalries were fierce and losing brought the community closer together How eight years of research uncovered the surprising root cause of the losing streak How proceeds from the book have been donated back to Bessemer schools, local libraries, and senior meals in the community A beautiful reminder to support your local library, where his own love of reading began with Green Eggs and Ham ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thomas L. Pelissero grew up in Bessemer, a small town nestled in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Drawing on his roots, he shared the spirit and history of his hometown in his debut book, “Bring One Home: A Memoir of Boyhood, Basketball and Hometown Spirit.” As a natural storyteller with a flair for humor, Thomas delights friends and family with vivid tales from his youth and the community that shaped him. His book has won a bronze medal in the North American Book Awards, named a Finalist in the Best Book Awards, and his memoir was placed into the Congressional Record in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 21, 2026 and is on the shelf in the Library of Congress. He has donated his net proceeds from sales of his book “Bring One Home” to support literacy in libraries and schools in Michigan and Wisconsin. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of St. Thomas and an MBA from Concordia University, both located in St. Paul, Minnesota. He dedicated 18 years to the broadcasting industry, where he made a notable impact. Thomas’s work with popular artists in the 1980s was recognized with two Gold Records and one Platinum Record. In 1991, Thomas transitioned to a corporate marketing in St. Paul until his retirement in 2017. That same year, he founded the Erwin Township Historical Society, serving as its President. Under his leadership, the Society was recognized in 2025 by the Michigan Historical Society as the Best Local Historical Society in the state. Thomas is married to Joy, and together they have five children and twelve grandchildren. The couple shares a love for outdoor adventures, hiking, biking, and fis