New Releases by Nancy Allen

Biloxi’s best criminal defense attorney has never lost a case. Then his client’s beautiful wife is murdered, and America’s #1 lawyer suddenly becomes its #1 suspect. Stafford Lee Penney is a small-town lawyer with a big-time reputation for winning every case he tries. In his sharp suits and polished Oxford shoes, Penney is Biloxi, Mississippi’s #1 Lawyer and top local celebrity. Just as Penney notches his latest courtroom victory, his wife is scandalously killed. He spirals into a legal and personal losing streak, damaging his reputation and ruining his career. That’s when Penney makes a bold decision. He stops trading on his power-lawyer identity and creates a new one: lawyer lifeguard. Moonlighting at the beach, showing up to court in flip-flops, mentoring a law student, the new Penney is at first unrecognizable. It’s said that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. But when Penney is accused of murder, the #1 Lawyer will find a way to triumph.

Former NYC prosecutor Kate Stone has found herself on the wrong side of the law since leaving the district attorney's office. She returns to confront her former boss, D.A. Frank Rubenstein, and discover all he knows about the corruption in NYC law enforcement and the legal system, where rich men are using dark money to gain advantages. She must decide whether the ends justify the means when she accepts Rubenstein's help and the help of his ragtag team of vigilantes to bring down the corrupt men her policeman father was investigating before his mysterious death. And she will finally clear her father's name.

WHEN HEAVEN SEEMS FAR AWAY IT IS OKAY TO GRIEVE OUT LOUDHas grief taken anyone's life upside down? Has unexpected numbness silenced your voice leaving a fear of not being heard? Does anyone feel alone and isolated? Grief brings haunting isolation at the lowest point of life. After the devastating words of the loss of her son, Nancy's dreamland turned into a heart-wrenching nightmare. The unknown emotions of grief and loss covered her in shadows of darkness. A mother's heart had the choice to choose between the gripping shadows of loss or a path of abundant life! A Mother's Grief Turned Upside Down was written for anyone who is grieving. Nancy R. Allen opens her heart of shattered dreams to share her warrior spirit, unveiling her agonizing, raw, candid journey of grief. Undoubtedly not without a fight! Through powerful words of encouragement, weaving biblical principles together, Nancy gives insights on death and grieving, to encourage others to share their loss and stories when heaven seems far away. WIN THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE:? It is okay to grieve out loud!? How grieving hearts can plow through layers of grief!? What choices we make can change our lives and even change the world! ? Surrender our broken hearts to God in exchange for our holy calling!What heart-wrenching loss or shattered dream caused your world to turn upside down? This is a fight for and of your life!

Kate Stone swore an oath to uphold the law. But is it time to take justice into her own hands? THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE… Assistant DA Kate Stone has just suffered the biggest loss of her career. She’d worked so hard to prosecute a serial assaulter of women, and it was a case she should have won. But a corrupt judge allowed Max James to walk free. When he confronts her outside the courthouse, she punches James, and he goes down hard. After the footage is plastered across every TV screen, Kate’s boss demands that she either attend anger management meetings or give up the job she lives for. CAN BE DIFFERENT FROM THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH. Begrudgingly, Kate attends her first meeting. Inside is a group of people all failed by the justice system. Their mission: to do everything in their power to help right wrongs, even if outside the law. Unsure who to trust among this unlikely team of renegades, Kate begins to dig into Max James’s secret life and her explosive discoveries will lead to a stunning new twist in the case. And turn her into the prime suspect.

As an employee, you've often thought to yourself, "What would happen if I ventured out on my own?" Maybe you've allowed yourself to dream about starting a business and being in charge of your own destiny. But the idea sometimes leaves you feeling uncertain and insecure. You're not sure how to do this by yourself. With this book, you don't have to. The Decision to Start offers 25 tips to help make your journey easier.

From James Patterson, the world's #1 bestselling author: a young lawyer takes on the judge who is destroying her hometown—and ends up in jail herself. In picture-perfect Erva, Alabama, the most serious crimes are misdemeanors. Speeding tickets. Shoplifting. Contempt of court. Then why is the jail so crowded? And why are so few prisoners released? There’s only one place to learn the truth behind these incriminating secrets. Sometimes the best education a lawyer can get is a short stretch of hard time.

Are you curious about lesbian relationships? We are hearing more about LBGQ relationships and issues. With the approval of same-sex marriage, many people have become curious about what same-sex relationships are. They may just want to understand them better or they may be considering trying one out. This book explores the lives of women who at first did not consider a same-sex relationship. Somewhere along the way they started to acknowledge their bisexual/lesbian tendencies. Now they are willing to share their stories for the purpose of revealing what a romantic relationship is like with a woman partner. This can be a vehicle for helping others understand how previously heterosexual/bisexual women made a change to same-sex relationship(s). The stories will also highlight how these women's relationships are working and how their same-sex relationships differ from their previous heterosexual experiences.

Have you ever eaten a bug? How about a caterpillar or a tarantula? Believe it or not, kids in other parts of the world eat these tasty treats every day. Learn all about different countries and the sometimes unusual and creepy things people eat. Get out your spoon and fork and get ready to learn about what everyone eats! This title will allow students to identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. • Multicultural • Text based questions • World map • Bold keywords with picture glossary

Students Will Learn The Election Process From Beginning To End With This Wonderful Title. From What A Candidate Is, To Where And When People Vote, And How And Why The Election Process Is So Important In Our Country.

Do you think everyone’s home is like yours? Well, guess again. People around the world have many unusual types of homes: from treehouses, caves, igloos, and even mud houses with grass growing on top! Travel the globe to learn all about the interesting types of houses kids just like you call home. This title will allow students, with prompting and support, to ask and answer questions about key details in a text. • Text based questions • Bold keywords with picture glossary • Multicultural • World map

"A gripping story with dramatic twists, and a memorable heroine." —James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author McCown County assistant prosecutor Elsie Arnold is prepping an assault case when a girl is found beaten and bloodied at a roadside no-tell motel. Elsie tries to convince the teen to reveal who attacked her, but Mandy is too scared—and stubborn—to cooperate... and then she disappears. Elsie's positive a predator is targeting the Ozark hills, yet the authorities refuse to believe their small town could be plagued by sex trafficking. Then middle school student Desiree Wickham goes missing, but only Elsie suspects it could be connected to Mandy's assault. As she digs deeper into the events leading up to Desiree's disappearance, she stumbles upon an alarming discovery: local girls are falling prey to a dubious online modeling agency, and never seen again. Elsie shares her concerns with Detective Ashlock and the FBI, but they shut her out. She takes matters into her own hands and lands an interview with the head of the modeling agency. But when she meets him face-to-face, she discovers the fate of Desiree and Mandy... and becomes his newest captive. Elsie's desperate to free the girls—and save herself—before the unspeakable happens. And she's in for the fight of her life.

This book spotlights members of The Women's Business Development Council (WBDC), a regional partner of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

More Southern Christmas spirit than you can handle! Cyndi Lou finds herself in a quite a fix when her beau, Billy Ray, tries to secure her affection with an assortment of Christmas gifts. This sounds like a pretty good deal for Cyndi Lou and her Memaw, but when the gifts go on for twelve days straight and include such Christmas "treasures" as razorback hogs, live catfish, and a dozen possums, it's hard for Cyndi Lou to really get into the Christmas spirit. What with all of the armadillos and those Nascar racers taking up residence in the double-wide, is it any wonder the sheriff has to put Memaw in the sanitarium? This enchantingly fractured version of the well-known rhyme for adults will truly "bless your heart!"

"The Elsie Arnold series deserves to run and run."— Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls and The Killer Next Door In rural McCown County, Missouri, a young pregnant woman is found beaten to death in a trailer park. The only witness to the murder is Ivy, her six-year-old daughter, who points to her mom's boyfriend—father of the unborn child. County prosecutor Madeleine Thompson promises the community justice, and in the Ozarks, that can only mean one thing: a death sentence. When Madeleine's first choice for co-counsel declines to try a death penalty case, she is forced to turn to assistant prosecutor Elsie Arnold. Elsie is reluctant to join forces with her frosty boss, but the road to conviction seems smooth—until unexpected facts about the victim arise, and the testimony of the lone eyewitness Ivy becomes increasingly crucial. Against Elsie's advice, Madeleine brings in the state attorney general's office to assist them, while cutthroat trial attorney Claire O'Hara joins the defense. Elsie will not let the power of prosecution—of seeking justice—be wrested from her without a fight. She wants to win the case, and to avenge the death of the mother and her unborn child. But as the trial nears, Elsie begins to harbor doubts about the death penalty itself. Meanwhile, the child Ivy is in greater danger than anyone knows. "Unflinching and gritty." — Library Journal

Prosecutor Elsie Arnold loves her small-town home in the Ozark hills, but she's been waiting for a murder to come along and make her career. So when a body is found under a bridge, throat cut, Elsie jumps at the chance to work on the case, even if it's alongside the brash new chief assistant, Chuck Harris—and her latest flame, Detective Bob Ashlock. But when the investigation reveals that the deceased woman was driving a school bus, and the police locate the vehicle, its interior covered in blood, the occupant and only suspect is a fifteen-year-old boy. Elsie's in for more than she bargained for. Win or lose, this case will haunt her. No one has successfully prosecuted a juvenile for first-degree murder in McCown County. If she loses, it's her career on the line and a chilling homicide unresolved; if she wins, a boy's liberty will be taken from him before he reaches his sixteenth birthday.

While reading The Underground Railroad, students will learn about the network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to reach freedom. This 32-page title uses a variety of teaching components to help young readers strengthen their reading comprehension skills. The Symbols of Freedom series will allow students to explain events or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause versus effect. Each title features photographs, maps, and informational sidebars that work with a Show What You Know section to help readers build their understanding of the topic.

The Quotable is the quarterly publication of quotable writers. Each issue focuses on a theme and a quote. The theme for our Spring 2014 issue is "Luck." The issue features excellent short fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and art by emerging artists.

Eleven-year-old Grace Ann Brewer lives a normal life until her father joins the army in 1944 during World War II. When her family moves from Hazard to Ashland, Grace faces challenges entirely new to her--life without her father, fitting in at a new school and living in a new house are only a few. But a closer relationship with her grandmother, her spunky dog Spot and the letters she writes to her father overseas give her the courage she needs and the amazing strength to fight her own battles on the homefront. Author Nancy Kelly Allen tells the triumphant story of Grace's coming of age.

First in the Ozarks Mystery series featuring small-town prosecutor Elsie Arnold. "An authentic legal thriller from an exciting new voice." —Mari Hannah, award-winning author of Her Sister's Killer In the Missouri Ozarks, some things aren't talked about . . . even abuse. But prosecutor Elsie Arnold is determined to change that. When she is assigned to prosecute a high-profile incest case in which a father is accused of abusing his three young daughters, Elsie is ready to become the Ozarks' avenging angel. But as Elsie sinks her teeth into the case, everything begins to turn sour. The star witness goes missing; the girls refuse to talk about their father, who terrorizes the courtroom from the moment he enters; and Elsie begins to suspect that their tough-as-nails mother has ulterior motives. To make matters worse, Elsie receives gruesome threats from local extremists, warning her to mind her own business. While Elsie swears not to let a sex offender walk, she realizes the odds—and maybe the town—are against her, and her life begins to crumble. But amidst all of the conflict, the safety of three young girls hangs in the balance . . . "What a terrific book—strong, tough, smart and powerful. This compassionate and compelling mystery reveals the disturbing reality of one woman's quest for justice—while a bleak and sinister culture tries to bury the truth." —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today –bestselling author of One Wrong Word "A legal page-turner . . . think John Grisham meets Daniel Woodrell—as Allen touches on the racism, poverty and sexism that are as much a part of the Ozarks as its rocky terrain." — Riverfront Times (St. Louis)

Discover clever, beginner-friendly strategies for showcasing the abundance of fabrics available today--as well as the fabrics in your stash. Choose from nine quilt patterns that are each shown in three different colorways: "coordinated scrappy," "planned scrappy," and "make-do scrappy" Learn tips, tricks, and techniques including paper piecing, appliqué, alternatives for making half-square triangles, strip piecing, chain piecing, and more Create quilts that use fat eighths, fat quarters, and yardage, as well as precut strips and squares

Twelve college students share insider knowledge and advice.

One Greyhound's Journey and Tail of Two Brothers now presented in one volume. These stories are recounted from the point of view of the greyhounds and provide an in-depth and profound look into the lives of racing greyhounds before, during and after their careers. Follow "Fond A Hunk" from his puppyhood on a greyhound farm in Florida through his racing career and on to becoming a pet. In the second story, watch as he is reunited with his litter-mate Marky.

A gutsy woman's tale of marrying the Chief Mate of a mammoth containership and sailing the seas with today's modern mariners.