ArcaMax

"Shy Creatures" is one of those rarities in literary fiction, a quiet celebration of the complex human interactions that form lasting genuine friendships and heartfelt relationships that are retained in golden memories. Award-winning British novelist Clare Chambers has written nine novels including Learning to Swim which won the 1999 Romantic ...Read more

In Laurie L. Dove’s "Mask of the Deer Woman," Carrie Starr has hit rock bottom. A former Chicago police officer, she lost her job after her daughter was murdered and she emptied her gun into the back of the fleeing man she held responsible. Now, drinking and toking just to get through the day, she’s started the only job she could find, as ...Read more

The first time I spoke with author Humberto “Bear” Garcez, he was telling me about his new book based on very detailed recollections of one of his own dreams. That book is the recently released "The Blue in Your Eyes," a most unusual and intriguing novel that, just like dreams themselves, blends elements of reality with imagination and ...Read more

Ebony Smith-Thomas was juggling the demands of a hungry 2-month-old boy while keeping her 11-year-old son and two teenage nieces entertained when her air conditioning went out.

The humidity of a St. Louis evening in May was too much to bear, so she packed up the kids and drove from the south side of town to her mom's house on the north.

All ...Read more

TikTok went dark in the United States for a little while, but is now back online here thanks to a stay of execution from President Donald Trump. The newly inaugurated president seems to be working toward some sort of a deal to help TikTok comply with federal rules prohibiting foreign agents from owning and controlling social media platforms in ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Watching the big game at the bar? Run out of booze for your barbecue?

You might be tempted to pop into the nearest pub or liquor store with your kids in tow.

Is that actually legal in California?

“Are kids allowed in bars, or is it only in those that serve food?” one Reddit user asked Sacramento residents in 2023.

...Read more

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, filed a bill Thursday to block all federal funds from being allocated to the reproductive health care organization Planned Parenthood.

Dubbed the “Defund Planned Parenthood Act,” the bill would simply require that “no federal funds may be made available to Planned Parenthood Federation of ...Read more

The giddy texts and videos came rolling in from my bundled-up sister in New Orleans on a historic day in the Big Easy.

“It’s snowing, it’s snowing, it’s snowing,” she whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief, as she stood on her front porch in a rarely worn winter hat and scarf.

In fact, it snowed on Tuesday in record amounts across ...Read more

CHICAGO — Citing a “financial shortfall,” Planned Parenthood of Illinois announced Wednesday – on the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade – that it will be closing four clinics across the state, including one on Chicago’s South Side.

The health center shutdowns come as Illinois is already grappling with a surge in patients traveling ...Read more

'BRAVE THE DARK'

Rated PG-13 for domestic violence/bloody images, suicide, some strong language, teen drinking, drug material and smoking.

What it’s about: Based on the true story of a troubled teen and the drama teacher who took him in.

The kid attractor factor: While it may have some appeal for teens, this is more of a dark adult drama.

...Read more

Often called the “winter blues,” the period in January after all the holiday festivities are over is hard for a lot of people to get through. For young children, the added confusion of the sharp change in their emotions make for an especially fraught season.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Jody Baumstein, a Strong4Life licensed ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- One morning last May, 16-year-old Abdul Anderson stood slouched against a wall at Cove Secure, a juvenile institution on the grounds of central Pennsylvania’s Torrance State Hospital. He was scheduled to be in class, but was stuck in a dayroom in a state of profound boredom.

The next moment, his head smashed into the wall ...Read more

Q. My fiancé has a 2-year-old son and due to alternate work schedules, the child spends the days with my fiance and then nights with his mother. His ex-wife uses his mother as the main babysitter, even asking grandma to watch the child at her house because she is now attending law school and won’t be home until after bedtime. Is it wrong of ...Read more

I say that I am married to a collector because pack rat sounds unkind. My husband comes from a long line of collectors.

When they closed out the farmhouse his father lived in all his life, the lead auctioneer kicked off the three-ring, two-day auction under the main tent bellowing, "Ladies and gentlemen! The same family has lived in this house ...Read more

Every morning at 8 a.m., Honey German calls her husband, Nuni.

He goes to work much earlier than her, so they've made a routine of touching base once Honey wakes up.

It's such a habit that when Nuni didn't get a call from Honey one July morning, he knew it was a red flag.

Nuni tried ringing her once. Twice. Three times. Four. Each call went ...Read more

Christopher Michael‘s "Tomb of the Black Pharaoh" is a gripping tale that blends cosmic horror, historical intrigue, and psychological suspense, centering on a protagonist whose curiosity propels him into the dangerous realm of forbidden knowledge.

Beginning with the discovery of ancient relics in a dusty attic, his journey quickly spirals ...Read more

If in another life author Richard A. Danzig decided to become a standup comic, well, he could probably do a lot worse, given his spot-on talent for writing funny monologues for his comedian character Verne Slater in the recently released legal thriller, "Punch Line."

Despite what the book’s title might infer, "Punch Line" is anything but a ...Read more