My Mom Marni

Two Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Officers entered the room. They introduced themselves and then the first thing they asked each of us was the most shocking question we could ever imagine. "DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR MOTHER IS CAPABLE OF MURDER?" In just a short time we all realized that the answer was irrelevant. The Task Force had already decided that our mom, Marni Yang, a hard-working single mother of three, was their target and they would do whatever it took to make her appear guilty, but first, they had to turn us against our mother. "You better start telling us what we want to hear!" screamed the officer at teenager Andrew Yang. "One of you is going down, it's either going to be you or your mother! Your mother doesn't love you! No mother would put their kid in this position. So start talking, or you will go to prison for the rest of your life." "I'm not going to admit to something I didn't do!" Andrew protested. "I also kept insisting that my mom was just as innocent as me. She was home with me the morning this murder took place," but that was not what the police wanted to hear. "It took the police seventeen months to pinned this murder on my mother," says Emily Yang "And they did it by dividing all of us and destroying our family." "I was the closest one to my mother," Brandon Yang states "I saw how the harassment, wore my mother down. We were a family under siege. The police never gave us a moment to recover from one attack before they launched another attack on us." Deceived into believing that her son would be put in prison for the rest of his life, Marni Yang confessed to a murder she didn't commit. She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Most people would be surprised to learn that false confessions are the leading cause of wrongful convictions. "My Mom Marni" is a shocking tale of injustice in America. This true story is compelling, gripping and heart-breaking. In the end, you will be challenged to wrestle with the question: could this happen to me? Yes, it could because none of us are immune to abusive and coercive interrogation techniques, false confessions, and wrongful convictions. "My Mom Marni" is yet another wakeup call to the American public about the horrors of the justice "system" which miscarries far more often than it should. This begs the question: "WHY?" The answer, which three underage children and their loving mother learned the hard way, is: Lacking the proper investigative talent to solve a crime, junk science, and subterfuge are used to concoct a case against a scapegoat.

This is no Cinderella story - finally there's a fairytale where the stepmother is the hero!My Fairy Stepmother turns the Cinderella myth on it's head, with a caring stepmother who helps her stepdaughter find courage she never knew she had. Amelia's stepmother Maribel has a special secret. When Amelia has trouble sleeping, will her stepmother's secret be able to help? Children of blended families will be drawn in by the colorful hand-crafted illustrations, and the tale of magic and empowerment that follows. They'll identify with Amelia's character as she travels between two households, and faces challenges that only stepchildren face. And parents will love the positive portrayal of a stepmother who helps her stepdaughter with these challenges.

Marni pulls. Pulls her hair, that is. Unable to deal with the mounting stress at home, in school, and with friends, Marni's compulsion to pluck out her eyebrows, eyelashes . . . even the hair from the top of her head, helped her to quiet her mind and escape the pressures of the world around her. Marni first began pulling the summer just before entering high school, and she was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, by the time she discovered that her habit was an actual disorder—trichotillomania or "trich"—it was way too late. "When I stared at the mirror and tried to recognize the girl without eyebrows, eyelashes, and bangs as myself and failed, I knew something had gone horribly wrong." Because Truth Is More Fascinating Than Fiction

The author of Awkward presents a holiday tale of one teenage girl who is about to go way out of her comfort zone—and into the arms of a rockstar . . . Spending Christmas vacation on a cruise with her two cousins from hell isn’t Holly Dayton’s idea of a good time. And when in a moment of seasick-fueled desperation she lurches into an open suite—she’s greeted with an eyeful of pepper spray. The culprit? A gorgeous guy calling himself Nick. But when Holly goes to make her exit, she gets the shock of her life: a corridor crammed with screaming teenage fans. Because Nick just happens to be Dominic Wyatt, drummer for ReadySet—one of the hottest bands in America. Suddenly rumors are swirling, and Holly’s face is captured on countless phones and plastered all over the Internet. But the band can’t risk a scandal destroying their family-friendly image, so Dominic convinces Holly to be his fake girlfriend—just for two weeks. How bad could it be to be fauxmantically involved with one of the cutest rockstars on the planet? Holly’s about to find out . . . Praise for Marni Bates and Decked with Holly “Fans of Meg Cabot will find Marni’s voice equally charming and endearing.” —Julie Kagawa, New York Times–bestselling author “This book may have the funniest ‘meet cute’ episode I have ever read. I was literally crying from laughing so hard . . . This book is a riot.” —Rhapsody in Books Weblog “A book that gives all warm and fuzzy feels . . . Those looking for a humorous and light read that is tinged with romance, then Decked with Holly will not disappoint.” —Word Revel

Chelsea Halloway is the most popular girl at Smith High School, but when her parents decide it's best for her to study overseas while they finalize the details of their divorce, Chelsea is sent off to Cambodia and faces the challenges of a lifetime.

I'm Mackenzie Wellesley, and I've spent my life avoiding the spotlight. But that was four million hits ago. . . Blame it on that grade school ballet recital, when I tripped and pulled the curtain down, only to reveal my father kissing my dance instructor. At Smith High, I'm doing a pretty good job of being the awkward freshman people only notice when they need help with homework. Until I send a burly football player flying with my massive backpack, and make a disastrous--not to mention unwelcome--attempt at CPR. Just when I think it's time for home schooling, the whole fiasco explodes on Youtube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, I'm the latest sensation, sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes. I even catch the eye of the most popular guy at school. That's when life gets really interesting. . .. "Fans of Meg Cabot will find Marni's voice equally charming and endearing."--Julie Kagawa, New York Times bestselling author

Presents easy-to-prepare dessert recipes for pies, puddings, tarts, cakes, and cookies, with discussions on ingredients, equipment, and food preparation.

Melanie, a perfectionist mom who views the approaching end of parenting as a type of death, can’t believe she has only one more year to live vicariously through her slacker senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah has just begun to realize that her only daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband, and the thought of her daughter leaving for college is cracking the carefully cultivated façade of her life. Will and his wife are fine—as long as he follows the instructions on the family calendar and is sure to keep secret his whole other life with Lauren, the woman he turns to for fun (and who also happens to have a daughter in the senior class). Told from the points of view of both the parents and the kids, The Goodbye Year explores high school peer pressure, what it’s like for young people to face the unknown of life after high school, and how a transition that should be the beginning of a couple’s second act together—empty nesting—might possibly be the end. "Often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, always engaging. I devoured it!" ~ Meg Mitchell, author of The Admissions

The San Diego Memoir Writers Association is honored to present the third volume of compelling true stories drawn from our annual Memoir Showcase contest. This year's winning selections address the theme of I Didn't See That One Coming. While these stories were written before the global pandemic, they offer reflections on how unseen events shape our lives. This bold and entertaining volume is filled with riveting stories such as being kidnapped at gunpoint and solving the mystery of a father you never knew, as well as lighthearted pieces about having the best sex of your life in your eighties. In the spirit of the Shaking the Tree series, this book goes there-unapologetically. You can't make this stuff up. In this edition: Elise Kim Prosser, PHD, Chili Cilch, Krisa Bruemmer, Kenny Sucher, Laura L. Engel, Elizabeth Eshoo, Nicola Ranson, Judy Reeves, Diane L. Schneider, M.D., Tina Martin, Sandi Nieto, Cindy Jenson-Elliott, Nicole Gibbs, James Roberts, Vincentia Schroeter, Kimberly Joy, Nancy Mae Johnson, Tania Pryputniewicz, Lauren Halsted, Deborah Rudell, Jennifer Gasner, Anastasia Zadeik, Marijke McCandless, Nancy G. Villalobos, Heather M. Berberet, Chloe Sparacino, Sarah Vosburgh, Allan E. Musterer, Eileen Mathena, Suzanne Spector