Books published by Blackstone Publishing

The main event is manslaughter.Someone wanted to overthrow the government of San Sebastian, a country whose tiny army, nonaligned status, and location on the deadly curve of Central America made it ripe for subversion. The first try was an attempted hit on its president on a crowded street in Washington. The second was an invasion from the sea.Both times the Black Berets were there to keep the worst from happening. But how long could five men and one boy hold out against an army of the world's most skilled assassins? An army with limitless resources--and the patience to keep on killing?

In Sons of Valor III: War Machine, Chunk and Whitney are forced into a deadly match of wits with a terrorist mastermind and a terrifying weapon unlike anything they've ever encountered.After a shootout in Dubai left Hamza al-Saud dead and elevated brilliant aeronautical engineer Qasim Nadar to hero status in England, everyone assumes the terrorist threat from al Qadar has been eliminated. Everyone except JSOC counterterrorism analyst Whitney Watts. But when she decides to help MI6 penetrate Nadar's secret network, Watts gets a little too close to the truth and finds herself in a deadly situation not even her teammates from Tier One can save her from.As Lieutenant Commander Keith "Chunk" Redman and the rest of Tier One fan out across London in search of Watts, Nadar prepares to unleash his most dangerous weapon yet--an advanced drone with artificial intelligence and stealth technology. To stop a horrifying attack on London, Chunk and his Navy SEAL brethren must seek help from an unexpected ally and find a way to stop a war machine that was designed to be unstoppable.

Against a deadly alliance of Japanese smarts and KGB savagery, they were striking back--with everything they had!In the arms race against Russia, the United States has eked ahead with their superior advancements in computer technology. All that changes when Russia recruits some of Japan's finest scientific minds to build their greatest weapon yet: a supercomputer capable of annihilating the US's formidable Star Wars defense system.Destined for the land of the Samurai, the Black Berets know just how much is riding on this latest mission. If Russia succeeds in its quest for world domination, the future of the warriors' countrymen--and their loved ones--is bleak indeed.

National hero, military genius--too bad the Black Berets had him marked for death ...To the average citizen, the Lion of Salvador was a national hero, a military general of such renown that his accolades spanned two continents. To those in the know, however, the man was the cruelest of drug lords, a savage despot building an unstoppable empire that ranged from the Central American jungle to the bustling streets of New York.Enter the five-man special ops team known for taking down the worst of enemies around the world. The Black Berets have been tagged to put an end to the Lion's reign of terror. But how do you kill a man the world lauds as an untouchable hero?

In Mesa County, Nevada, the tide of history was about to change. A tiny tribe of Indigenous Americans had just beaten the white man in his own court--and won title to some of the richest land in America. But some people were poor losers. And if they couldn't hold onto the land ... they'd simply eliminate its rightful owners.With a handful of poorly armed Native Americans facing a lynch mob led by the county sheriff and backed by corporate millions, Mesa County might be the setting for another Wounded Knee. Until the Black Berets get in on the action and show how professionals handle a massacre.

A new installment in best-selling author Ann Hood's Gracie Belle imprint, actress Marianne Leone's (The Sopranos, etc.) memoir explores how a bereaved couple and a pack of rescue dogs rediscovered joy

Pinnacle: The Lost Paradise of Rasta provides a crucial and highly informed new perspective on the Rastafari subculture that Bob Marley would later help to spread across the globe. The volume includes photographs and original documents related to Pinnacle.

"Legendary hip-hop artist Chuck D has been touring the world for four decades, since his band Public Enemy put out their first album in 1987. Chuck is frequently asked how he still manages to put on such high-energy performances so many years later. His response is simple: he practices Pilates, a form of exercise and body conditioning that has become increasingly popular over the last decade. In this volume, Chuck and his Pilates guru, Kathy Lopez, present the "RAPilates" program of more than thirty mat-based exercises for people of all ages and experiences. The exercises are beautifully illustrated in the inimitable style that Chuck has demonstrated in his previous books of visual art, including STEWdio and Summer of Hamn. Like those two books, RAPilates is published on Chuck's Enemy Books imprint, which is hosted by Akashic Books." --Back cover.

Joe Ingle’s Too Close to the Flame is a heartbreakingly beautiful account of over four decades serving as a spiritual counselor, guide, and friend to the men and women on Death Row. “I had been working with the condemned since 1975—but never before had an execution affected me with this much power and confusion.” Throughout his forty-five years visiting death rows across the American South, Joe Ingle has learned, loved, and suffered intensely. In Too Close to the Flame, Ingle describes how the events of 2018–2020 finally exposed the deep wounds inflicted on his psyche by nearly half a century of enduring the state-sanctioned murder of friend after friend. As an advocate for the men and women condemned to death by an unjust legal system that routinely victimizes the marginalized, Ingle has often found himself waiting through the darkest hours as the spiritual advisor and sole companion of those on deathwatch—the brief period of isolation that precedes an execution. In vivid detail and startling candor, Ingle describes every moment with the expertise of a scholar and the affection of a brother. Through Ingle’s eyes, we are invited into the inner sanctum during desperate attempts at clemency, intimate final hours, and the mourning that follows a night on deathwatch. Part psychological memoir, part history of Southern state killing since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, Too Close to the Flame is above all a catalogue of love—a gallery of relationships that could only be forged between people staring death in the face together. It is an account of the price of radical Christian love, a record of service to the least among us, and a testament to the full humanity of those whom the powers that be would seek to dehumanize and exterminate.

Where does a Demon go when she gets deported from Hell? Kentucky. Eden, Kentucky to be more specific-where nothing is exactly as it seems. My name is Dixie. I'm a Demon-a lousy Demon. I'm a twenty-one year old virgin and I have a battery operated boyfriend. My magic is iffy at best and downright dangerous at worst. Leaving Hell to represent my race is not high on my list of things to do. Hell was exact. Hell was simple. All I want to do is get to home base with the hotter than Hades Demon of my dreams and work on my dark side so Satan, my dad, will get off my ass. Instead I end up in Kentucky looking for the Balance of Chaos, avoiding pole dancing classes with Mother Nature and finding out my invisible friend is a silver skinned destructive weather pattern. And if that isn't craptastic enough, the damn Sword of Death is missing again and who ever has it wants the King of the Underworld dead. Seriously. With new powers emerging daily, keeping my Demon side, horniness and general disgust under wraps doesn't make it any easier to fit in with the humans. Thankfully my priorities are in line: get laid...save world...try not to blow up kitchen appliances...and get laid again. I was ready to rumble. All I want to do is go back to Hell, but with the balance of good and evil in my hands, I'm stuck in the garden of Eden. Oh well, what the Hell. Someone has to save the world before there's no world left to save. Might as well be me.

Five nuclear bombs are in the hands of an unidentified madman somewhere in the Sahara. Or so the Black Berets have been led to believe.When a bloody raid in Libya turns up nothing but a camp of terrorists who know nothing about any bombs, the elite American fighters find themselves ordered to Portugal to follow up a new lead. Once there, they learn every undercover agent from every country working in Portugal has been taken out of play, leaving the door wide open for staging an apocalyptic attack. If the Black Berets fail to locate the bombs and take out the merciless cabal that stole them, it could mean the end of the world as they know it. For these five warriors, the stakes have never been higher.

What if you could harness the many invaluable lessons you learned as a college or professional athlete and apply them to your professional and personal life? In After the Game, Jay Dixon, a former D1 athlete and founder of SuccessCoach.com, combines athletic insights with data-supported mindset elements to show you how.Crafted in the tradition of wisdom-rich business fables to vividly bring the characters and narrative to life, After the Game combines a page-turning fictional narrative with a wealth of real-life lessons and insights designed to inform, advise, and inspire budding entrepreneurs and future CEOs. You’ll discover: research that proves athletes are perfectly suited to own and lead businesses ten mindset elements that are crucial to your success at work and in life seven hands-on lessons that will accelerate your journey from idea to ownership a proven playbook to become a CEO eleven years faster than typical routes how self-awareness and emotional intelligence are vital on your path to CEO how to build a successful independent enterprise and achieve substantial personal growth . . . and much more. With billions of dollars’ worth of small businesses set to be sold or passed down as baby boomers move into their retirement years, opportunities abound for savvy entrepreneurs to learn to acquire, lead, and sell those businesses—and no demographic is more poised and prepared to do so than former athletes. This is your time. Don’t stand on the sidelines another minute. Get up, get ready, and get back in the action. A glorious new future awaits.

"Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness--these four fundamental human values are the key to unlocking great unity and humanity. In It's Time to Give a FECK, Chaz Ebert takes the reader through a heartfelt journey of how the four FECK Principles have prevailed through the most adverse circumstances and united strangers in the name of love. Read on to discover the stories and science as to how the elevation of our personal humanity is key to keeping humanity as a whole united."--

Jason and Haley Bilotti’s Sink or Sit will inspire and challenge readers to get out of their comfort zones and step into God’s call, to stop sitting in place but to be willing to take risks, even if that means sinking while doing it.It’s probably happened to you. You felt that nudge, an urge, from deep inside you, calling you out of your comfort zone. Calling to you to take a risk. You have felt that call from God, asking you to step out of the boat, to do something significant. Jason and Haley Bilotti each felt it—for years. But as they began to have children and their obligations with Chick-fil-A grew, they didn’t see a way to answer the call of their hearts: to serve God through missions. When the opportunity presented itself for them to take separate missions trips, they learned just how creative God truly is. They began leading separate teams to Niger, in western Africa, and to serve the neediest of all, the children. Through their work with Schools for Niger, Africa, an organization the Bilottis and their business associates started, they found inroads to countless communities throughout Niger. Their work also led them to meet their future son, Rachid, a child they first sponsored and later adopted. Jason and Haley tell their touching story using alternating perspectives, while also bringing in their grown children to help tell it from their own points of view. In reading this book, you will sense their passion for serving the lost and forgotten, and you will feel the love they have for the people God has brought their way. The Bilottis’ story, Sink or Sit, will both inspire and empower you to take your own leap. To get out of that boat. To trust that sinking is better than sitting.

In Awaken Your Potential, leadership coach Chad Reyes becomes a type of virtual mentor to help people fulfill their maximum potential, to become leaders, and then to turn around and help others fulfill their own potential.Today’s institutions are facing a serious, global crisis that threatens to destroy how we work, live, serve, and play. No, it’s not a health or financial crisis; it’s a leadership crisis. Organizations around the world are lacking effective, competent leaders who know how to make a significant personal investment in both their organization and the people within it. More importantly, this generation of leaders isn’t awakening the untapped potential within their teams. That is a problem—perhaps the problem—that leads us into dull, dreary workdays and wholly ineffective, unsatisfying work. It’s time to change that. In Awaken Your Potential: 10 Ways to Unlock Greatness, entrepreneur, speaker, and leadership coach Chad L. Reyes will guide you in how to Make your purpose bigger than your problem. Give more than you take from others. Separate what you do from who you are. Get a valuable return on your failures. Fulfill your maximum potential—and unlock the full potential of others. Genuine, authentic leadership that unlocks others’ potential is desperately needed in every aspect of society—from our governments to our businesses, educational institutions, civic organizations, youth groups, faith communities, and households. The world needs quality leaders. Leaders aren’t born; they’re equipped!

In America vs. Americans, Eric Wade presents American Laborism, a revolutionary new economic system, where the greatest commodity isn’t cash, it’s work.Capitalism is broken. Despite its successes, capitalism gives us the largest wealth gap in American history, failing Social Security, a weak currency, and a looming threat of AI destroying our workforce. We need a new system—one built around people rather than capital. A system that values each person’s unique contribution, ingenuity, and hard work—their labor. A system in which the greatest commodity isn’t cash; it’s work. And a system in which Americans at every level of society and government are working together. We need American Laborism, a revolutionary new system that presents a workable, low-tax form of capitalism for those who want it—and a dignified, healthy, happy, and fulfilled life for everyone else. Under American Laborism, if you’re happy with the current capitalist system, great! Carry on—but you’ll get to do it with a smaller government, fewer regulations, better-educated employees, and lower taxes. And if capitalism hasn’t worked out as well for you, you get access to unlimited free education and training, guaranteed housing and food, and a sound asset-backed currency. Everybody wins! American Laborism isn’t just a replacement for capitalism. It’s an upgrade. Every American has the right to live a life of dignity, to contribute, and to ensure that their basic needs are respected by their society. American Laborism can improve the lives of every American by bringing the least among us up . . . without bringing anyone else down. It’s time to heal our nation. It’s time for American Laborism.

Sarah Cart’s On My Way Back to You is a first-hand account of the rollercoaster world of lifesaving transplants and the unimaginable challenges Sarah faced as she struggled to manage her husband’s devastating illness and to save his life, their marriage, and her own sanity. Throughout her 42-year marriage, writer Sarah Cart has enjoyed a life of “gloriously controlled chaos,” as she and her husband, Ben, a successful entrepreneur and seasoned outdoorsman, embarked on numerous adventures with their four active sons. Then the unthinkable happened. In suspenseful and heartrending detail, Cart shares how Ben developed an incurable autoimmune condition that was manageable and under control one minute and threatened to kill him the next, landing him in the ICU as the Covid pandemic closed the world down. Thrust into the role of nurse and caregiver, Sarah joined the ranks of 39 million Americans who champion and care for an ailing loved one. In addition to confronting doubts, fears, and endless setbacks, aggravations, and red tape, she also had to consent to daunting procedures on Ben’s behalf. Too, there were the months-long Covid-era restrictions on hospital visitations and the post-surgery snafus with home healthcare personnel. Thank goodness for the heartfelt communiques with family and friends, all of which reflect the faith, fortitude, grit, and grace that sustained her. While readers will identify with Sarah’s anxieties and be moved by hers and Ben’s strength, they will also learn the questions to ask, the notes to take, the signs to never overlook, and the self-care necessary should they ever find themselves in her shoes. On My Way Back to You is a profoundly inspirational account of one couple’s medical odyssey and the patience, determination, and love that ultimately helped them find their way back to one another.

An evidence-based guide for doctors diagnosing, testing, and treating children with PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep infections).In the early 1990s, a group of researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health began collecting data on children who had developed neuropsychiatric disorders (OCD and tics) following infections. They found evidence that antineuronal antibodies had developed in some of these children which attacked the basal ganglia region of the brain. MRI and PET scans in these children demonstrated inflammatory changes in the basal ganglia as well. In 1997, the researchers published the first article to describe this syndrome that they named PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep infections). In PANDAS, an autoimmune attack on the brain occurs following a Strep infection. PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) is a broader term that also includes cases following exposure to other infections, toxins, and even stress. Clinicians treating children with PANS and PANDAS have found that antibiotics targeted at the offending organisms, steroids, and IVIG results in marked improvement and occasionally complete remission of the neuropsychiatric symptoms. Disturbing symptoms consistent with many DSM-5 psychiatric disorders manifest in patients with PANS and PANDAS—yet we know that there is a biologic basis for the changes in these children. As a result, these disorders require us, as physicians, to view mental illness in an entirely new way. Resistance to this change in paradigm has made PANS and PANDAS difficult for clinicians to diagnose, unbearable for parents to endure, and controversial for scholars to accept. As such, there is no recognized standard of care. We have written this work in an effort to change that. This is a textbook by physicians for physicians. It was written to bring back some of the art of medicine to physicians caring for a group of children and families who really need it. PANS and PANDAS are complex disorders that demand a rich, multifaceted response with novel treatment approaches. The material in this book is assembled from the peer-reviewed medical literature, in combination with over thirty years of clinical experience caring for the sickest patients, both in and out of the hospital. Here you will find conclusive evidence for the existence and pathophysiology of PANS and PANDAS, alongside testing and treatment interventions the author has successfully used in his own practice with hundreds of children. The book concludes with rich appendices including commonly used labs, doses of medications and supplements, a sample flare protocol, extensive support for parents, sample IVIG orders, and much more. We hope this resource allows you, the physician, to help these suffering families heal.

The question was, “What am I supposed to do in life?” The answer: “Be generous.”Think about the most successful people you know—those with wealth, power, and status. Are they happy? Are they enlightened? Are they fulfilled? Maybe . . . and maybe not. Sometimes, the glitz of a social media façade hides a lonely, unfilled, and unrewarding life. Chances are, the happiest, most grateful, and most graceful people you know are the ones who have prioritized more than simple “success.” Instead, these are the women and men who have chosen a different path—an others-first perspective that prioritizes giving over self-gratification and self-promotion. And not just generosity—WISEgenerosity. In this landmark work, Chris Gabriel presents the guidebook on generosity for the modern age. Forgoing outdated and superficial assumptions about vague, undirected, merely “feel-good” giving, Chris brings laser focus to generosity that is W.I.S.E.: Well-grounded Inspired Satisfying Effective Filled with practical instruction, uplifting stories, challenging self-examination exercises, and detailed models, WISEgenerosity cuts through the confusion surrounding why to give, how to give, what to give, when to give, and where to give. Then, it takes you by the hand and walks you down a thoughtful, proven path to a purposeful and productive life—your best life—with generosity that is meaningful and effective for both the giver and the receiver. This is WISEgenerosity.

No One Can Stop Me But Me is a real-life rags-to-riches story that shows anything is possible if we just believe in ourselves. As a teenager, businesswoman Jennifer Hernandez fell into a life of rebellion—drugs, sex, gangs, fights, school dropouts, pregnancy, and stints in and out of psych hospitals. How did she turn this around, becoming an iconic mortgage loan officer and sought-after life coach? In No One Can Stop Me But Me, Jennifer takes us on an unforgettable journey, from childhood trauma and reckless adolescence to breaking through barriers she could never have dreamed of. The Chicago-born girl seemed to be living a perfect life as the daughter of balloon vendors with a traveling carnival. Jennifer spent her days whirling on carnival rides with her brother until her parents’ sudden divorce. Feeling alone and having no one to talk to, Jennifer began looking for love in all the wrong places and her life started spiraling out of control. Yet through this dark and troubling time, Jennifer was saved by motherhood and managed to pull herself together and find a way out. She is now in the top 1% of real estate lenders in the country, proof that desperation is the mother of invention, that your inner strength and focus is the true secret to success. You are the only one limiting yourself. When you stop holding yourself back, you can truly become the best version of yourself—the person you were meant to be.

HOLY SHIFT! Moving Your Company Forward to the Future of Work takes you on a fascinating journey to the heart of the single biggest and fastest shift in how we work and live in history. Readers and leaders at every level of an organization will discover stunningly practical ideas and actions that address the three big and thorny questions of our time: How did we get here, where do we go from here, and how do we get there?A visionary CEO with a track-record of building world-class company cultures, Dan Michelson combines a reflection of how we got to now with research on how companies are managing this moment to create a roadmap in the form of a strategic framework and pragmatic playbook. HOLY SHIFT! maps the three simple steps that you can take to create momentum to move your company forward to the future of work: STEP ONE: See the Shift – Understanding how we got to now helps us to determine where we should go from here. We’re living through a truly stunning and historical change. In other words, shift has happened. STEP TWO: Shift Your Mindset – A shift in thinking is now needed to help you turn culture into a strategy for your company. It’s time to pivot to an approach that truly brings people together. STEP THREE: Make Shift Happen – Here’s your strategic framework and playbook to help people on your team feel like they are part of the CORE and connected to your company, culture, and their co-workers. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for leaders to lead. It’s time to move forward. Welcome to HOLY SHIFT!

In Line of Sight, Robert Courser offers five keys for bridging the gap between strategy and execution so leaders and executives can grow their business.What do you do if you struggle to grow and scale your company? How do you bridge the gap between your goals and their successful execution? In this down-to-earth book, Robert Courser and Olivier Aries share actionable insights to help owners and leaders of small and medium-sized businesses get—or get back—into growth mode. With easy-to-digest examples and stories, they encourage leaders to apply simple, time-tested practices to execute better. A former chef with a knack for excellence, Courser advocates the importance of good alignment in all aspects of operations—having the right ingredients at the right time and the right place to ace the recipe of growth. Leaders who want to be firmly in control of their business will find here actionable insights at a time when uncertainty requires making constant changes and staying nimble: be clear about your strategy, be a principled leader, use relevant metrics, set a structure that enables individuals to prioritize the right tasks, and nurture your employees. In all, understand and manage the five keys for successful execution. Using simple tools and a self-assessment guide to help implement the book’s recommendations, Line of Sight will be the back-pocket companion for any executive looking to lead a healthy business.

When Business Is Love tells the story of Jan Ryde’s mission to create the world’s finest beds and to operate his fifth-generation business, Hästens, on the basis of love.Love.It isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.Despite the world being such a rich and abundant place, love is one thing that all the world is longing for, yet (as the old song goes) just can’t seem to get enough of.In When Business Is Love: The Spirit of Hästens — At Work, At Play, and Everywhere In Your Life, Jan Ryde, the fifth generation CEO of family-owned Swedish bed manufacturer Hästens, reveals the secrets to running a business and living a life rooted in love.When Business Is Love is a book about what can happen when one approaches business and life with the single intention to give everyone involved the opportunity to experience their best life. When Business Is Love shares Jan Ryde’s mission to make the world a better place by putting people first and leading with values of humility, honesty, integrity, mastery, gratitude, forgiveness, encouragement, joy, peacefulness, and — above all else: LOVE.Readers will follow Jan's personal journey from business school professor to CEO of a modest family business that he built into a global company, and learn from his successful leadership philosophy:* Why you must embrace your whole story — even the dark times.* The importance of a clearly-defined mission.* The magic of imagination and retaining one's child-like creativity.* How to step into and live in abundance through connection to the Source.* The myth of competition and how you only have to create to succeed.* The power of modeling and acting on the clues that success freely leaves for you.* The miracles that show up in your life when you invest in helping people to have their best life ever.Under Jan Ryde's management, Hästens, founded in Sweden in 1852 as a one-man saddlery, has grown into one of the world’s most beloved brands with stores from Los Angeles to London, from Istanbul to Singapore. Hästens enjoys an outstanding international reputation for creating the finest beds in the world, as evidenced by a client list that includes everyone from Hollywood royalty to actual crowned heads of state. Its luxurious, handcrafted, top-of-the-line Grand Vividus sells for as much as a million dollars.Readers following Jan Ryde's example of business as love will find themselves asking the transformative question that motivates the entire Hästens team: how good do you want to have it?