Stuck In Downward Dog

Mara Brennan realizes it's time for an identity makeover. She devises the OM List, a personal pathway to perfection inspired by her best friends, Olivia and Mitz, and her newfound love for yoga. But instead of finding the perfect job, getting the perfect body and cooking the perfect meal, Mara hilariously tries and fails at all the things she thinks will make her the sophisticated grown-up she wants to be. Navigating the dueling worlds of yoga and cosmetic surgery, gourmet dinners and Frankenberry cereal, etiquette handbooks and too-helpful loved ones.

Mara Brennan is about to unravel. Three days after 28th birthday, her boyfriend dumps her, leaving her with nothing but a basement apartment, a futon, and a pile of unpaid bills. On top of that, her job, working as a receptionist at a cosmetic surgery clinic, is a nightmare, her boss is a tyrant, and her friends have gotten ahead of her in the game of life. She realizes it’s time for an identity makeover and devises the OM List—a personal pathway to perfection inspired by her best friends, Olivia and Mitz. Mara hilariously tries and fails at all the things she thinks will make her the sophisticated grown-up she wants to be. Navigating the dueling worlds of yoga and cosmetic surgery, gourmet dinners and Frankenberry cereal, etiquette handbooks and too-helpful loved ones, this is an unforgettable comic debut about how to get unstuck when caught in a rut.

Mara Brennan is about to unravel. Three days after her 28th birthday, her boyfriend dumps her, leaving her with nothing but a basement apartment, a futon and a pile of unpaid bills. Mara realizes it's time for an identity makeover. Navigating the dueling worlds of yoga and cosmetic surgery, gourmet dinners and Frankenberry cereal, etiquette handbooks and too-helpful loved ones, Stuck in Downward Dog is Chantel Guertin's unforgettable comic debut about how to get unstuck when you're caught in a rut.

Mara Brennan realizes it's time for an identity makeover. She devises the OM List, a personal pathway to perfection inspired by her best friends, Olivia and Mitz, and her newfound love for yoga. But instead of finding the perfect job, getting the perfect body and cooking the perfect meal, Mara hilariously tries and fails at all the things she thinks will make her the sophisticated grown-up she wants to be. Navigating the dueling worlds of yoga and cosmetic surgery, gourmet dinners and Frankenberry cereal, etiquette handbooks and too-helpful loved ones.

So many men….so little help. Maladroit hitwoman Maggie Lee has never been one to ask for help. But now she’s found out that her niece, Katie, will soon be discharged from the hospital - making Maggie her guardian not just in name - and her semi-psychic friend Armani Vasquez has been kidnapped. Suddenly Maggie could really use some help. While her crazy, but lovable, aunts are ready to help out with Katie, none of the men in her life are willing (or able) to lend a hand to save Armani. With both cops and bad guys telling her not to go after Armani alone, she knows the smart thing to do would be to listen to them. But Maggie’s not the type to abandon those she loves. Even with Patrick, Maggie's murder-mentor and almost-lover, and her old friend Zeke out of the picture, Maggie’s not desperate enough to bring herself to involve crime reporter Jack Stern in her quest. Armed with only Armani’s cryptic clues, and assisted by her snarky lizard, her dumb, but extremely loyal dog, and a one-eyed cat, Maggie decides to take on whoever's taken Armani. Will the lack of human help prove to be her undoing? Or will a special guy come through for her in the end?

“What Karl Lagerfeld is to fashion, Edward Vilga is to yoga. He has poured his years of experience into this sexy, charming and well-written escapade” (Simon Doonan, author of Soccer Style). A study in love, loss, and sexual misadventures in New York City, Downward Dog tells the tale of a handsome Bad Boy who becomes a yoga instructor while trying to redeem his womanizing ways and win the forgiveness of the only woman he’s ever really loved. Down on his luck thanks to a failed nightlife venture which fell apart because of his womanizing, our hero’s stuck with massive debt and broken dreams. His only safe haven is the yoga world, and when his well-connected best buddy launches his yoga career among NYC’s elite, our working class hero becomes a guru to society’s top 1%, a wolf let loose amongst a flock of comely sheep. “Downward Dog is not only a sexy/funny page turner, it also shares the emotional journey of one Bad Boy’s transformation and romantic redemption.” —Chip Conley, New York Times–bestselling author of Peak

Rick Garvia is a writer, amateur landscaper, former professional homebuilder, traveler, yoga hack, reader, wine drinker, amateur photographer, boulder mover, dog lover, loud sneezer, spelling snob, coffee drinker, father, brother, son and a happily married regular guy facing growing older with equal amounts of frustration, amazement and aplomb. The Road Gets Longer If I Stop is a collection of short stories from his popular blog. Described as "out-of-the-box, insightful, humorous, and smart," each story digs deeper yet barely scratches the surface of a life spent trying to figure things out. The colorful short stories, insightful musings and razor sharp dialogue will capture the reader's imagination and curiosity.

USA TODAY bestselling author Trish Morey brings readers a multi-generational, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about second chances, the importance of family, and later-in-life romance. Maggie Halloran’s life is finally perfect. For recently retired Maggie Halloran, life in her renovated two-bedroom St. Ives fisherman’s cottage is picture perfect. With her daughter in London and her mother in Penzance, Maggie is free to enjoy the odd sleepover with her boyfriend, Nigel, visit galleries, or do her beloved sudoku. When Maggie’s reserved mother falls giddily in love, Maggie takes it in stride. At the wedding, Maggie’s daughter, Alice, announces she’s pregnant and needs somewhere to live. Oh, and she has a new puppy, too… Alice and Maggie have never been close, and Nigel’s allergic to dogs, but blood is thicker than your average Saturday night sleepover. Suddenly Maggie’s humouring her demanding daughter, fielding visits from her nostalgic ex-husband, and accommodating Alice’s baby daddy. And then Maggie’s mother arrives on the doorstep in tears, suitcase in hand, because she’s left her new husband. The only one keeping Maggie sane is Mitch, the builder converting the loft into another bedroom. Maggie’s three-level terrace is now home to three generations—soon to be four—and her perfectly quiet, drama-free life is gone. The question is…does she want it back?

A lively tale of one young woman’s adventure to pass her Official Princess Test, discover a means of escape from her island, and reveal her true destiny. Thirteen-year-old orphan Black Bee Bright (B. B. for short) is funny, quirky, precocious, and adventurous. But B. B. has a secret. She’s captive on an island in “the middle of very tropical nowhere” because she’s forced to hide her true identity as a royally born princess from her parents’ enemies in Raven World. B. B. must find a way to escape to “the Other World” where there are best friends and cool clothes, but she can’t escape the island until she passes her Official Princess Test and undertakes a dangerous journey alone to the East side of the island, where eight princesses must help her discover what it truly means to be a princess. 2013 NAACP Image Award Nominee 2013 Phillis Wheatley Book Award Winner