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Mistake Proofing for Lean Healthcare (Lean Tools for Healthcare Series)
by Samuel Carlson Maura MayThe principles of mistake proofing, long used to eliminate errors and defects across a range of industries, are now being applied in healthcare organizations around the world to help ensure patient safety, improve services, and eliminate waste.Mistake Proofing for Lean Healthcare is based on the definitive mistake-proofing philosophy and system developed by Shigeo Shingo. This reader-friendly book introduces the main concepts and benefits of mistake proofing in healthcare and highlights common reasons that errors and defects occur. It also explains how to catch errors before they become defects, using the concept of source inspection, so you can ensure quality before a process is performed instead of afterward. When systematically used, the mistake-proofing approach explained in this book will help you:Create safer, more reliable, and more effective healthcare services for both patients and staffEstablish a culture in which mistakes and the conditions that cause them are readily surfaced so they can be correctedLay the foundation for processes that flow smoothly, without disruptionEliminate rework, waste, and the need for extra resources and suppliesPresenting real-world healthcare examples, the book shows different types of mistake-proofing devices and methods (poka-yoke) that provide feedback quickly and automatically to prevent errors and defects.The book is part of the Lean Healthcare Series and is designed for individual or group learning. Each chapter includes reflection questions to facilitate understanding and stimulate discussion and action.
Mister Monkey: A Novel
by Francine Prose“Tender and artful . . . a gently spiritual celebration of life.” —New York Times Book ReviewAcclaimed New York Times bestselling author Francine Prose weaves an ingenious, darkly humorous, and brilliantly observant story that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters affiliated with an off-off-off-off Broadway children’s musicalMister Monkey—a screwball children’s musical about a playfully larcenous pet chimpanzee—is the kind of family favorite that survives far past its prime. Margot, who plays the chimp’s lawyer, knows the production is dreadful and bemoans the failure of her acting career. She’s settled into the drudgery of playing a humiliating part—until the day she receives a mysterious letter from an anonymous admirer . . . and later, in the middle of a performance, has a shocking encounter with Adam, the twelve-year-old who plays the title role.Francine Prose’s effervescent comedy is told from the viewpoints of wildly unreliable, seemingly disparate characters whose lives become deeply connected as the madcap narrative unfolds. There is Adam, whose looming adolescence informs his interpretation of his role; Edward, a young audience member who is candidly unimpressed with the play; Ray, the author of the novel on which the musical is based, who witnesses one of the most awkward first dates in literature; and even the eponymous Mister Monkey, the Monkey God himself.With her trademark wit and verve, Prose delves into humanity’s most profound mysteries: art, ambition, childhood, aging, and love. Startling and captivating, Mister Monkey is a breathtaking novel from a writer at the height of her craft.
Mood, Aspect, Modality Revisited: New Answers to Old Questions
by Joanna Błaszczak, Anastasia Giannakidou, Dorota Klimek-Jankowska, Krzysztof MigdalskiOver the past several decades, linguistic theorizing of tense, aspect, and mood (TAM), along with a strongly growing body of crosslinguistic studies, has revealed complexity in the data that challenges traditional distinctions and treatments of these categories. Mood, Aspect, Modality Revisited argues that it’s time to revisit our conventional assumptions and reconsider our foundational questions: What exactly is a linguistic category? What kinds of categories do labels such as “subjunctive,” “imperative,” “future,” and “modality” truly refer to? In short, how categorical are categories? Current literature assumes a straightforward link between grammatical category and semantic function, and descriptions of well-studied languages have cultivated a sense of predictability in patterns over time. As the editors and contributors of Mood, Aspect, Modality Revisited prove, however, this predictability and stability vanish in the study of lesser-known patterns and languages. The ten provocative essays gathered here present fascinating cutting-edge research demonstrating that the traditional grammatical distinctions are ultimately fluid—and perhaps even illusory. Developing groundbreaking and highly original theories, the contributors in this volume seek to unravel more general, fundamental principles of TAM that can help us better understand the nature of linguistic representations.
More: How to Move from Activity for God to Intimacy with God
by Greg L. HawkinsGod has everything waiting for you! We start out with hearts brimming with hope and excitement. And that energy carries us for awhile, maybe even years. But one day we suddenly find ourselves like the man in the Good Samaritan story: half-dead, going through the dreaded motions hoping no one around us notices.It&’s not that we&’ve stopped loving God, but it&’s just that things have happened along the way that have caused us to settle for a small life, one defined primarily by activity for God. We look around and sigh: It wasn&’t supposed to be this way. Author Greg Hawkins knows that reality firsthand. He also knows there is something beyond that reality if we have the courage to step out and hope once more. Far from giving us simply more stuff to do, Greg shares the necessary and doable shifts in our thought and language that lead to true intimacy with God. It wasn&’t supposed to be this way.
Morgue: A Life in Death
by Ron Franscell Vincent Di MaioIn this clear-eyed, gritty, and enthralling narrative, Dr. Vincent Di Maio and veteran crime writer Ron Franscell guide us behind the morgue doors to tell a fascinating life story through the cases that have made DiMaio famous--from the exhumation of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald to the complex issues in the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Beginning with his street-smart Italian origins in Brooklyn, the book spans 40 years of work and more than 9,000 autopsies, and Di Maio's eventual rise into the pantheon of forensic scientists. One of the country's most methodical and intuitive criminal pathologists will dissect himself, maintaining a nearly continuous flow of suspenseful stories, revealing anecdotes, and enough macabre insider details to rivet the most fervent crime fans.
Moses Mendelssohn's Living Script: Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism
by Elias SacksMoses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) is often described as the founder of modern Jewish thought and as a leading philosopher of the late Enlightenment. One of Mendelssohn's main concerns was how to conceive of the relationship between Judaism, philosophy, and the civic life of a modern state. Elias Sacks explores Mendelssohn's landmark account of Jewish practice—Judaism's "living script," to use his famous phrase—to present a broader reading of Mendelssohn's writings and extend inquiry into conversations about modernity and religion. By studying Mendelssohn's thought in these dimensions, Sacks suggests that he shows a deep concern with history. Sacks affords a view of a foundational moment in Jewish modernity and forwards new ways of thinking about ritual practice, the development of traditions, and the role of religion in society.
Music of Azerbaijan: From Mugham to Opera (Ethnomusicology Multimedia)
by Aida HuseynovaThis book traces the development of Azerbaijani art music from its origins in the Eastern, modal, improvisational tradition known as mugham through its fusion with Western classical, jazz, and world art music. Aida Huseynova places the fascinating and little-known history of music in Azerbaijan against the vivid backdrop of cultural life under Soviet influence, which paradoxically both encouraged and repressed the evolution of national musics and post-Soviet independence. Inspired by their neighbors to the East and West, Azerbaijani musicians enjoyed a period of remarkable creativity, composing and performing the first opera and the first ballet in the Muslim East, establishing the region's first Opera and Ballet Theater and Conservatory of Music, and discovering ways to merge the modal lyricism of mugham with the rhythmic dynamics of jazz. Drawing on previously unstudied archives, letters, and documents as well as her experience as an Azerbaijani musician and educator, Huseynova shows how Azerbaijani musical development was not a product of Soviet cultural policies but rather grew from and reflected deep and complex cultural processes.
My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies)
by Cynthia Hand Brodi Ashton Jodi MeadowsSoon to be a series on Prime Video!New York Times Bestseller * Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Book of the Year * Bustle Best Young Adult Book of the Year * YALSA Best Fiction for Young AdultsThis comical, fantastical, romantical, New York Times bestselling, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey is “an uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind YA fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.Like that could go wrong.And don't miss the authors' next fun read, My Plain Jane!
Mz N: A Poem-in-episodes
by Maureen N. McLaneThe acclaimed poet, memoirist, and essayist Maureen N. McLane here charts a new path into vital genre-bending territories. Not a novel, not a memoir, not a lyric, Mz N: the serial: A Poem-in-Episodes offers something else—“life . . . a continual allegory” (to invoke Keats): a life intense, episodic, female, sexual, philosophical, romantic, analytic. Tracking the growth of one poet’s mind, switchbacking its way through American English, Mz N toggles between story and song. This is a poetry both “furious / & alive.”Alive to the lash of love, the longueurs of adolescence, the limits of identity, Mz N: the serial: A Poem-in-Episodes is a bravura experiment in life-writing—an assaying, a testing, a transforming, an honoring of the tentative and the torqued. What is it to be contemporary, to be “one / among other ones” in a “cracking world”? How does a body vibrate into being? How is a mind made out of other minds? Seizing the queer realities of any life, Mz N explores how one is surprised, seduced, and struck into speech, thought, song, silence. “Then, what is life?” cried Shelley. So too Mz N.
Narratives from the Sephardic Atlantic: Blood and Faith (Sephardi and Mizrahi Studies)
by Ronnie PerelisIdentity, family, and community unite three autobiographical texts by New World crypto-Jews, or descendants of Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity in 17th-century Iberia and Spanish America. Ronnie Perelis presents the fascinating stories of three men who were caught within the matrix of inquisitorial persecution, expanding global trade, and the network of crypto-Jewish activity. Each text, reflects the unique experiences of the author and illuminates their shared, deeply rooted attachment to Iberian culture, their Atlantic peregrinations, and their hunger for spiritual enlightenment. Through these writings, Perelis focuses on the social history of transatlantic travel, the economies of trade that linked Europe to the Americas, and the physical and spiritual journeys that injected broader religious and cultural concerns into this complex historical moment.
Natural Fiber Composites (Composite Materials)
by R.D.S.G. CampilhoThis book brings value to anyone working with or designing natural fiber composite structures. It helps readers understand the value these materials can add to projects, how to choose the best materials and treatments, how to safely design and fabricate products made of natural fiber composites, and how to test them for safety. It covers the characterization of natural fibers, matrices and respective composites, and how to enhance their performance and processing as well as testing and degradation issues.
Nujeen: One Girl's Incredible Journey from War-Torn Syria in a Wheelchair
by Christina Lamb Nujeen MustafaPrize-winning journalist and the co-author of smash New York Times bestseller I Am Malala, Christina Lamb, now tells the inspiring true story of another remarkable young hero: Nujeen Mustafa, a teenager born with cerebral palsy, whose harrowing journey from war-ravaged Syria to Germany in a wheelchair is a breathtaking tale of fortitude, grit, and hope that lends a face to the greatest humanitarian issue of our time, the Syrian refugee crisis.For millions around the globe, sixteen-year-old Nujeen Mustafa embodies the best of the human spirit. Confined to a wheelchair because of her cerebral palsy and denied formal schooling in Syria because of her illness, Nujeen taught herself English by watching American soap operas. When her small town became the epicenter of the brutal fight between ISIS militants and US-backed Kurdish troops in 2014, she and her family were forced to flee.Despite her physical limitations, Nujeen embarked on the arduous trek to safety and a new life. The grueling sixteen-month odyssey by foot, boat, and bus took her across Turkey and the Mediterranean to Greece, through Macedonia to Serbia and Hungary, and finally, to Germany. Yet, in spite of the tremendous physical hardship she endured, Nujeen's extraordinary optimism never wavered. Refusing to give in to despair or see herself as a passive victim, she kept her head high. As she told a BBC reporter, "You should fight to get what you want in this world."Nujeen's positivity and resolve infuses this unforgettable story of one young woman determined to make a better life for herself. Told by acclaimed British foreign correspondent Christina Lamb, Nujeen is a unique and powerful memoir that gives voice to the Syrian refugee crisis, helping us to understand that the world must change—and offering the inspiration to make that change reality.
The Occupational Therapist’s Workbook for Ensuring Clinical Competence
by Marie Morreale Debbie AminiThe Occupational Therapist’s Workbook for Ensuring Clinical Competence is designed to help occupational therapy students and new practitioners demonstrate the practical problem-solving and real-life clinical reasoning skills essential for fieldwork and clinical practice. This user-friendly resource helps the reader apply occupational therapy concepts, improve narrative and pragmatic reasoning skills, and measure attainment of knowledge and skills needed for successful transition to fieldwork and entry-level practice.Inside The Occupational Therapist’s Workbook for Ensuring Clinical Competence, a wide variety of client conditions, situations, and intervention options are presented for different practice areas. Knowledge and skills are assessed for fundamental aspects of occupational therapy such as: professionalism, ethical decision-making, evidence-based practice, evaluation and intervention planning, occupation-based interventions, effective communication, supervision, role delineation, activity analysis, cultural competence, interprofessional collaboration, group process, emerging practice areas, department management, safety, documentation, billing and reimbursement, and more.Marie Morreale and Debbie Amini have incorporated numerous worksheets, learning activities, and worksheet answers in an easy-to-read format. The variety of assessment methods and learning activities used throughout the text stem from the authors' combined decades of teaching experience and include: case studies; vignettes; multiple choice, matching and true/false questions; fill in the blanks; experiential activities and more. Topics are broken down into smaller units and explained step-by-step to allow for easy independent study.Thoroughly explained answers are provided so that readers can check their responses with suggested best practice.These worksheets and learning activities are also useful as role-playing exercises, studying in small groups, and can aid in preparing for fieldwork or the national certification exam.Included with the text are online supplemental materials for faculty use in the classroom.The Occupational Therapist’s Workbook for Ensuring Clinical Competence is the go-to text for occupational therapy students and faculty, as well as new occupational therapy practitioners who require the practical problem-solving skills and the clinical decision-making skills essential for fieldwork and clinical practice.
Occupational Therapy Assessments for Older Adults: 100 Instruments for Measuring Occupational Performance
by Kevin BortnickThe role of measurement and the benefits of outcome measures are defined as important tools used to document change in one or more constructs over time, help to describe a client’s condition, formulate a prognosis, as well as to evaluate the effects of occupational therapy intervention.Occupational Therapy Assessments for Older Adults: 100 Instruments for Measuring Occupational Performance presents over 100 outcome measures in the form of vignettes that encompass a brief description of each instrument, a review of its psychometric properties, its advantages and disadvantages, administration procedures, permissions to use, author contact information, as well as where and how to procure the instrument. Occupational Therapy Assessments for Older Adults by Dr. Kevin Bortnick narrows down the list of possible choices for the occupational therapy student or clinician to only those with an amount of peer review, bibliographic citations, as well as acceptance within the profession. The text also includes research-based information with text citations and has over 100 tables, diagrams, and figures. Included in the review of each outcome measure: Description: A brief record of the measure. Psychometrics: A review of the level of research evidence that either supports or does not support the instrument, including such items as inter-rater, intra-rater, and test-retest reliabilities, as well as internal consistencies and construct validities among others. Advantages: Synopsis of the benefits of using the measure over others including its unique attributes. Disadvantages: A summary of its faults. For example, the amount of research evidence may be limited or the measure may be expensive. Administration: Information regarding how to administer, score, and interpret results. Permissions: How and where to procure the instrument, such as websites where it may be purchased or journal articles or publications that may contain the scale. Summary: A brief summation of important information. Occupational Therapy Assessments for Older Adults: 100 Instruments for Measuring Occupational Performance encourages occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistants to expand their thinking about the use of appropriate outcome measures with older adult populations. Using the appropriate outcome measure based on evidence can aid in the promotion of health, well-being, and participation of clients.
Occupational Therapy Interventions: Function and Occupations
by Catherine Meriano Donna LatellaOccupational Therapy Interventions: Functions and Occupations, Second Edition is a unique and comprehensive text intended to provide the essential information required for occupational therapy practice in the physical approach to the intervention process. This practical and user-friendly text offers an entry-level approach to bridging the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Occupational Therapy Practice Framework,Third Edition with everyday practice, specifically concerning interventions.Dr. Catherine Meriano and Dr. Donna Latella focus each chapter of the text on an area of occupation, evidence-based practice, current intervention options, as well as a specific hands-on approach to grading interventions. Although the focus of the text is the intervention process, Occupational Therapy Interventions: Function and Occupations, Second Edition also includes a detailed “Evaluation Grid” which offers a unique approach to choosing occupational therapy evaluations.New in the Second Edition: New evidence-based articles have been added to each of the chapters Some new rewritten and expanded chapters Updated references throughout Includes sample exam questions with each chapter Updated key concepts and incorporated new documents such as: AOTA’s Occupational Therapy Practice Framework,Third Edition AOTA’s Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics AOTA’s Guidelines for Supervision, Roles, and Responsibilities During the Delivery of Occupational Therapy Services Included with the text are online supplemental materials for faculty use in the classroom.With the incorporation of new evidence-based concepts, updates to reflect the AOTA’s newest documents, and new hands-on approaches to interventions, Occupational Therapy Interventions: Functions and Occupations, Second Edition should be by the side of every occupational therapy student and entry-level practitioner.
Ohio Government and Politics
by Paul A. Sracic William C. BinningOhio Government and Politics provides a thorough, highly readable overview of the history, processes, and institutions of the state’s government and politics. In a country increasingly divided into blue and red states, Ohio is "purple" – one of the few states that is not dominated by a single political party. Covering the crucial strategies of both the republicans and democrats as they vie for power in Ohio, this new title demonstrates the "nationalizing" of Ohio politics. However, contemporary issues specific to Ohio politics are not neglected; coverage of important issues such charter reform in Cuyahoga County and the controversies over the regulation of "fracking" is included.
Ohio Government and Politics
by Paul A. Sracic William C. BinningOhio Government and Politics provides a thorough, highly readable overview of the history, processes, and institutions of the state’s government and politics. In a country increasingly divided into blue and red states, Ohio is "purple" – one of the few states that is not dominated by a single political party. Covering the crucial strategies of both the republicans and democrats as they vie for power in Ohio, this new title demonstrates the "nationalizing" of Ohio politics. However, contemporary issues specific to Ohio politics are not neglected; coverage of important issues such charter reform in Cuyahoga County and the controversies over the regulation of "fracking" is included.
Online Counselor Education: A Guide for Students
by Carl J. Sheperis R. J. DavisOnline Counselor Education: A Guide for Students is an all-new guide for online students in counselor education programs. Students in online environments face a number of challenges that could put them at a disadvantage unless they have a resource to help guide them through some of the confusing aspects of an online environment. Such challenges include the lack of understanding surrounding graduate school performance expectations, balancing graduate school and life, the inability to connect with community members and local field agencies, and various other aspects unique to an online environment. This text will help students through these challenges and act as an invaluable resource.
Online Counselor Education: A Guide for Students
by Carl J. Sheperis R. J. DavisOnline Counselor Education: A Guide for Students is an all-new guide for online students in counselor education programs. Students in online environments face a number of challenges that could put them at a disadvantage unless they have a resource to help guide them through some of the confusing aspects of an online environment. Such challenges include the lack of understanding surrounding graduate school performance expectations, balancing graduate school and life, the inability to connect with community members and local field agencies, and various other aspects unique to an online environment. This text will help students through these challenges and act as an invaluable resource.
Ordered Regression Models: Parallel, Partial, and Non-Parallel Alternatives (Chapman & Hall/CRC Statistics in the Social and Behavioral Sciences)
by Jun Xu Andrew S. FullertonOrdered Regression Models: Parallel, Partial, and Non-Parallel Alternatives presents regression models for ordinal outcomes, which are variables that have ordered categories but unknown spacing between the categories. The book provides comprehensive coverage of the three major classes of ordered regression models (cumulative, stage, and adjacent) as well as variations based on the application of the parallel regression assumption.The authors first introduce the three "parallel" ordered regression models before covering unconstrained partial, constrained partial, and nonparallel models. They then review existing tests for the parallel regression assumption, propose new variations of several tests, and discuss important practical concerns related to tests of the parallel regression assumption. The book also describes extensions of ordered regression models, including heterogeneous choice models, multilevel ordered models, and the Bayesian approach to ordered regression models. Some chapters include brief examples using Stata and R.This book offers a conceptual framework for understanding ordered regression models based on the probability of interest and the application of the parallel regression assumption. It demonstrates the usefulness of numerous modeling alternatives, showing you how to select the most appropriate model given the type of ordinal outcome and restrictiveness of the parallel assumption for each variable.Web ResourceMore detailed examples are available on a supplementary website. The site also contains JAGS, R, and Stata codes to estimate the models along with syntax to reproduce the results.
Organizational and Process Reengineering: Approaches for Health Care Transformation
by Jean Ann Larson FACHE FHIMSS DSHSWinner of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society‘s (HIMSS) 2015 Book of the Year AwardGiven the on-going changes and challenges faced by today‘s health care organizations, Organizational and Process Reengineering Approaches for Health Care Transformation provides a practical, leader-led and team-based approach for reengineering o
Organized Crime: Analyzing Illegal Activities, Criminal Structures, and Extra-legal Governance (The\cross-border Crime Colloquium Ser. #11)
by Klaus von Lampe2016 Outstanding Publication Award (The International Association for the Study of Organized Crime) Organized Crime: Analyzing Illegal Activities, Criminal Structures, and Extra-legal Governance provides a systematic overview of the processes and structures commonly labeled "organized crime," drawing on the pertinent empirical and theoretical literature primarily from North America, Europe, and Australia. The main emphasis is placed on a comprehensive classificatory scheme that highlights underlying patterns and dynamics, rather than particular historical manifestations of organized crime. Esteemed author Klaus von Lampe strategically breaks the book down into three key dimensions: (1) illegal activities, (2) patterns of interpersonal relations that are directly or indirectly supporting these illegal activities, and (3) overarching illegal power structures that regulate and control these illegal activities and also extend their influence into the legal spheres of society. Within this framework, numerous case studies and topical issues from a variety of countries illustrate meaningful application of the conceptual and theoretical discussion.
Organized Crime: Analyzing Illegal Activities, Criminal Structures, and Extra-legal Governance (The\cross-border Crime Colloquium Ser. #11)
by Klaus von Lampe2016 Outstanding Publication Award (The International Association for the Study of Organized Crime) Organized Crime: Analyzing Illegal Activities, Criminal Structures, and Extra-legal Governance provides a systematic overview of the processes and structures commonly labeled "organized crime," drawing on the pertinent empirical and theoretical literature primarily from North America, Europe, and Australia. The main emphasis is placed on a comprehensive classificatory scheme that highlights underlying patterns and dynamics, rather than particular historical manifestations of organized crime. Esteemed author Klaus von Lampe strategically breaks the book down into three key dimensions: (1) illegal activities, (2) patterns of interpersonal relations that are directly or indirectly supporting these illegal activities, and (3) overarching illegal power structures that regulate and control these illegal activities and also extend their influence into the legal spheres of society. Within this framework, numerous case studies and topical issues from a variety of countries illustrate meaningful application of the conceptual and theoretical discussion.
The Origin of Higher Taxa: Palaeobiological, Developmental, and Ecological Perspectives
by T.S. KempIn the grand sweep of evolution, the origin of radically new kinds of organisms in the fossil record is the result of a relatively simple process: natural selection marching through the ages. Or is it? Does Darwinian evolution acting over a sufficiently long period of time really offer a complete explanation, or are unusual genetic events and particular environmental and ecological circumstances also involved? With The Origin of Higher Taxa, Tom Kemp sifts through the layers of paleobiological, genetic, and ecological evidence on a quest to answer this essential, game-changing question of biology. Looking beyond the microevolutionary force of Darwinian natural selection, Kemp enters the realm of macroevolution, or evolution above the species level. From the origin of mammals to the radiation of flowering plants, these large-scale patterns—such as the rise of novel organismal design, adaptive radiations, and lineage extinctions—encompass the most significant trends and transformations in evolution. As macroevolution cannot be studied by direct observation and experiment, scientists have to rely on the outcome of evolution as evidence for the processes at work, in the form of patterns of species appearances and extinctions in a spotty fossil record, and through the nature of species extant today. Marshalling a wealth of new fossil and molecular evidence and increasingly sophisticated techniques for their study, Kemp here offers a timely and original reinterpretation of how higher taxa such as arthropods, mollusks, mammals, birds, and whales evolved—a bold new take on the history of life.
Other Worlds Than These Box Set
by J. M. SnyderEight short speculative stories of gay men celebrating love and lust in worlds vastly different from our own. Contains the stories:Escape: When a prison ship crash-lands, Delta-23 replicate Davin jumps at the chance to meet someone different. A prisoner onboard, Trace uses the crash as an opportunity to escape, but the last thing he expects is to meet a replicate eager to get up close and personal with a natural-born.Navigator's Log: Tylar Daire is the navigator on a space mission whose focus is to discover a cure for a mysterious illness killing colonists on Terra. The crew consists of the captain, a soldier for protection, a scientist to study the virus, Tylar himself, and hot-shot ace pilot Rion Z'ev. From the moment Tylar and Rion meet, sparks fly.Parking Lot Hero: It's the weekend of the Super Bowl. Vic is looking forward to a quiet Saturday with his lover, Matt. But when a trio of ruffians terrorize their landlady in the parking lot of the local grocery story, Vic finds the superhero in him called to action.Star-Crossed: On the night of his graduation from the Betelgeuse Flight Academy, Reth finally managed to corner the flamboyant Xan Anders. But what he hoped would be a tender moment that might lead to something more was interrupted when Xan slipped away. Seven months later, Reth is surprised to find all the old feelings still remain when he runs into Xan again.The Bard's Song: Taurin is the king's knight, but he has a weakness for song. When he hears of a new bard performing at Jeanty's Inn, he has to go see the half-elf flautist for himself. Quim's music is captivating, and Taurin returns to the Inn a second night. The knight's interest is evident to the bard, who invites Taurin to his room for a private performance.The Fall: Gabe fell in love with Luce the moment they met. Unfortunately, love is a forbidden emotion among angels, and their sin costs one of them his wings.VR Palace: In a future where pleasure is bought in virtual reality parlors, one man creates the perfect lover. Spun from binary code, everything he could want in a boy except real ... or is he?World Enough and Time: The world is coming to an end. Allan is pretty sure that’s the only explanation for the rain of salt that’s been falling for days, killing people in the streets and bringing Armageddon on a bit sooner than everyone expected. Then he meets Ricky.