Otherwise Engaged

THAYER I thought inventing a boyfriend would help get me out of trouble, but it landed me in more. My little white lie put me in the crosshairs of Bennett Bradford. Satan in a suit. He might be easy on the eyes, but he's rough on the heart. I learned that one the hard way. Suddenly, there's a gigantic rock on my left ring finger that's as fake as our relationship-but our chemistry is all too real. At least there's no risk of me falling for him... right? BENNETT Thayer Montgomery sold me out back in high school, so I cut her out and never looked back. Now my business is in peril, and I'll do whatever it takes to save it. Even if that means faking an engagement for a couple of months to repair my so-called reputation. Luckily, I know the perfect pretend fiancée. Thayer would pass anyone's background check anywhere, any time. And getting revenge? Well, that's just a bonus. She might not want to play along with the charade, but I have leverage-and she won't have a choice. * Otherwise Engaged is a steamy, enemies-to-lovers, fake engagement standalone novel with a HEA and no cliffhanger.

One does not expect to be kidnapped on a London street in broad daylight. Yet Amity Doncaster barely escapes with her life after meeting a man in a black silk mask who whispers the most vile taunts and threats into her ear. Her quick thinking, and her secret weapon, save her - for now. But the monster known in the press as the Bridegroom has left a trail of female victims in his wake, and will soon be on his feet again. He is unwholesomely obsessed by Amity's scandalous connection to Benedict Stanbridge - and Benedict refuses to let this resourceful, daring woman suffer for her romantic link to him-as tenuous as it may be. For a man and woman so skilled at disappearing, so at home in the exotic reaches of the globe, escape is always an option. But each intends to end the Bridegroom's reign of terror in the heart of the city they love, which means they must also face feelings neither of them can run away from. . . .

Can a New York City journalist exchange her subway pass for an SUV and find happiness? Can a small-town wife and mother take on the role of single city woman and discover a whole new life? Jessie Holland is in search of a hot story for Savvy magazine when her editor poses a compelling question -- can you ever really go home again? Jumping on the idea, and with her love life currently at a crossroads, Jessie plans to return to her Arizona hometown and follow the path not taken -- with a twist. Her best friend back home, Erin Delahanty, is dealing with a crumbling marriage, a teenage daughter, and the demands of running a bed & breakfast. Needing to take stock of her life, she agrees to Jessie's offer: she'll live in Manhattan for six months, while Jessie steps into Erin's shoes. But the choices and challenges they face take them by surprise...and what began as a daring magazine article will change both women forever.

In 1956, at the age of 22, Alan Bates was cast in John Osborne's controversial play, Look Back in Anger. The play changed the course of British theatre - and of Alan's life.With a sudden rush of fame, he became a member of a new circle of actors at the Royal Court- the English Stage Company. From then on, he also worked steadily in television and won international acclaim for his roles in a number of major films, from A Kind of Loving and Zorba the Greek to Women in Love.But his personal life was not always as seemingly straightforward as his career - his relationships, including that with his wife, Victoria Ward, were often turbulent. Drawing on dozens of interviews with his family, lovers, colleagues and friends - and mining a rich store of primary research - Donald Spoto chronicles Alan's achievements as a performer against the backdrop of a complicated personal life.

Otherwise Engaged is Suzanne Finnamore's wickedly funny account of an intelligent, rational woman's transformation into the harpy of anxieties that is the bride-to-be. When Michael pops the question, Eve is deliriously happy. She tells grocery clerks. She subscribes to bridal magazines. She delights in the rainbows that shower from the one-carat (okay, .81-carat) ring on her hand. For two days. As the cumulative stresses of ordering invitations, finding a dress, and organizing the Perfect Honeymoon fry Eve's nerves, the very real prospect of being with one man for the rest of her days reverberates through her consciousness like a Chinese gong. Suddenly the sight of Michael's discarded socks on the floor and his passing mentions of his former live-in French girlfriend incite doubt, argument, and public fainting. Uproarious, insightful, tender, Otherwise Engaged dashes our soap-bubble fantasies in favor of a hilariously realistic walk to the alter.

When impulsive Prudence Lee learns that Lord Mottesford has wagered that he can bring her to heel, she determines to play along and then, when he thinks he has won, disillusion him. But Lord Mottesford has some serious problems of his own, which include being trapped into an engagement and suspecting that the dowager Lady Mottesford has somehow disinherited her stepdaughter. Regency Romance novella by Sally James; originally published by My Weekly Pocket Novels

A cultivated young socialite from the south visits the Sun Valley Lodge and accidentally falls in love with a fun-loving and adventurous sous chef who lives on a shoestring budget. Trouble is, she’s already engaged, and the rapidly escalating romance imposes dire consequences to everything Lindsay Griffin holds dear, including her relationship with her mother. Set against the backdrop of America’s original ski resort, Otherwise Engaged is the story of star-crossed lovers, a tale that opens the windows to what is possible when you follow your heart.

Soon after she falls for a sad story and agrees to pose as the loving fiancee of a guy she hardly knows, Kate learns that planning a wedding - real or imagined - involves a lot more than wearing a huge diamond ring and picking out china patterns. It might just be the death of her.

Ask leaders what their biggest challenge is, and they're likely to say: "It's the people part of the job . . . the soft stuff . . . the so-called intangibles." Otherwise Engaged shines a bright light on the cause of this challenge: a fundamental misunderstanding of the true nature of intangibles, like engagement, empowerment, respect. The book focuses on the too-often overlooked first step in any such effort: How to stop doing the things that cause people to dis-engage. Once you gain a better, deeper understanding of the true nature of the intangibles, you'll discover that you already know what to do in order to be more effective in this domain. Through a story told in a light, humorous style, the author helps you discover what the problem is. You'll learn why good faith efforts to promulgate values throughout an organization can be ineffectual and, in some cases, even damaging. In the process, you'll develop a felt need to challenge the assumptions under which you've been working and to become more open to the possibility of considering a different way.

Otherwise Engaged is a biannual literature and arts journal open to submissions from all artists, writers, and photographers worldwide.