Douglas Smith

FINALIST FOR THE AURORA AWARD-Best CollectionWe all have things we hide away inside--secrets, fears, aspects of ourselves we keep locked away. Or try to. In that respect, the characters we meet in Impossibilia are like any of us. They have things inside them too. Only their things are a little... different. A dead wife that won't leave. A wolf. The secret to being the luckiest man alive. Impossibilia was the first collection of short fiction from multi-award-winning author Douglas Smith and includes the following novelettes: "Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh" (Aurora Award Finalist) "Spirit Dance" (Aurora Award WINNER) "Going Down to Lucky Town" (Aurora Award Finalist) In "Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh," remote viewing drives a search through the past for lost masterpieces. An ex-CIA agent, haunted by the presence of his dead wife, falls in love with a beautiful remote viewer with her own secret. But can viewing the past change the present? Cree legends, a love triangle, a covert government agency, and shape shifters collide in the award-winning "Spirit Dance," described in Challenging Destiny as "...a vivid and wonderfully written tale about Native Canadian spirits, in the vein of Thomas King." In "Going Down to Lucky Town," an itinerant gambler chases a streak of luck across the country, while trying to win back the love of his daughter. The secret he finds forces him into an ultimate gamble for the highest stakes of all: his daughter's life. And through all the stories, these characters share one more thing beyond what they hold inside. In the decisions they face, in the choices they make, they do what they do out of love. Lost love, found love, the love of a child. But love. So maybe they aren't that different from us after all...

A shapeshifter hero battles ancient spirits, a covert government agency, and his own dark past in a race to solve a murder that could mean the end of the world.The debut novel from the multi-award winning author that Library Journal describes as "one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction.""I can't remember the last time I read a book that spoke to me, so eloquently, and so deeply, on so many levels. ... I'll be rereading it in the future because it's that sort of book. Richly layered and deeply resonant. An old friend, from the first time you read it." -Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winnerThe Heroka walk among us. Unseen, unknown. Shapeshifters. Human in appearance but with power over their animal totems.Gwyn Blaidd is a Heroka of the wolf totem. Once he led his people in a deadly war against the Tainchel, the shadowy agency that hunts his kind. Now he lives alone in his wilderness home, wolves his only companions.But when an Ojibwe girl is brutally killed in Gwyn's old hometown, suspicion falls on his former lover. To save her, Gwyn must return, to battle not only the Tainchel, but even darker forces: ancient spirits fighting to enter our world...And rule it.Cree and Ojibwe legends mix with current day environmental conflict in this fast-paced urban fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to its explosive conclusion.

The riveting and harrowing story of the Russian nobility caught in the upheaval of the Revolution Winner of the Pushkin House Russian Book PrizeNamed a Best Book of the Year by The Kansas City Star and SalonEpic in scope, precise in detail, and heartbreaking in its human drama, Former People is the first book to recount the history of the aristocracy caught up in the maelstrom of the Bolshevik Revolution and the creation of Stalin's Russia. It is the story of how a centuries-old elite, famous for its glittering wealth, its service to the tsar and empire, and its promotion of the arts and culture, was dispossessed and destroyed along with the rest of old Russia. Chronicling the fate of two great aristocratic families--the Sheremetevs and the Golitsyns--it reveals how even in the darkest depths of the terror, daily life went on. Told with sensitivity and nuance by acclaimed historian Douglas Smith, Former People is the dramatic portrait of two of Russia's most powerful aristocratic families and a sweeping account of their homeland in violent transition.

Epic in scope, intimate in detail, heartbreaking in its human drama, this is the first book to recount the history of the nobility caught up the maelstrom of the Bolshevik Revolution and the creation of Stalin’s Russia. Former People is a book filled with chilling tales of looted palaces, burning estates, of desperate flights from marauding thugs and Red Army soldiers, of imprisonment, exile, and execution. It is the story of how a centuries’-old elite famous for its glittering wealth, its service to the Tsar and Empire, was dispossessed and destroyed along with the rest of old Russia. Drawing on the private archives of two great families – the Sheremetovs and the Golitsyns – Former People is also a story of survival, of how many of the tsarist ruling class, so-called 'former people' and 'class enemies,' abandoned, displaced, and repressed, overcame the loss of their world and struggled to find a place for themselves and their families in the new, hostile world of the Soviet Union. It reveals how even at the darkest depths of the terror, daily life went on—men and women fell in love, children were born and educated, friends gathered, simple pleasures were cherished. Ultimately, Former People is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Written by an award-winning writer and the leader of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, this definitive book recounts the years since the wolves' return to Yellowstone.

Why do some salespeople out-sell, out-earn and outlast everyone else? It is because they think, work and approach selling differently than everyone else A "must read" for every sales professional serious about making more money, Green Zone Selling is a collection of more than 50 best practices and winning approaches used by top salespeople in business today. Unlike other books on selling that are either far too elementary or full of manipulative sales tactics, Green Zone Selling takes you "beyond the basics" and presents intelligent, ethical, authentic and to-the-point advice anyone can easily understand and immediately apply. Imagine having an experienced and proven sales coach working alongside you, putting you on the fast-track to finding more leads, more clients and more sales...now Written in a fast-paced and factual style, the book wastes no time getting right to the point-and pointing you toward how to get where you want to go. Green Zone Selling explores the four critical "zones" for how you can achieve greater success: The Mind Zone How your belief system dictates what you do (and don't do) every day Why 20 percent of all salespeople make 80 percent of the money Moving your mindset to a more positive way of thinking...today The Time Zone Time is money; what that really means to commissioned salespeople How to identify and concentrate on "high yield" sales activities Five easy steps for managing your day and taking control of your time The Contact Zone Discovering and practicing the art of "sales speak" How to overcome sales call reluctance and a fear of prospecting The five most critical selling skills every salesperson needs to master The Future Zone Success is pivotal, not progressive; where do you go from here? Moving from simply making money to building real wealth How to run your business-and your career-from a plan

Why do some salespeople out-sell, out-earn, and outlast everyone else? It is because they think, work, and approach selling differently than everyone else. "Green Zone Selling" is a must-read for every sales professional serious about making more money. It is a collection of more than fifty best practices and winning approaches used by top salespeople in business today. "Green Zone Selling" takes you beyond the basics and presents intelligent, ethical, authentic, and to-the-point advice anyone can easily understand and immediately apply. Imagine having an experienced and proven sales coach working alongside you, putting you on the fast track to finding more leads, more clients, and more sales - now. Written in a fast-paced and factual style, the book wastes no time getting right to the point - and pointing you toward how to get where you want to go.

The bestselling book that thoroughly explores the remarkable benefits of teams at all levels of the organization. The authors provide dozens of real accounts and case studies that illustrate successes and failures and demonstrate what can be learned from these examples. A must-read guide for business leaders.

Of all of history's great romances, few can compare with that of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin. Their turbulent and complicated relationship shocked their contemporaries and continues to intrigue observers of Russia centuries later. Lovers, companions, and, most likely, husband and wife, Catherine and Potemkin were also close political partners, and for a time Potemkin served as Catherine's de facto co-ruler of the Russian Empire. Their letters offer an intimate glimpse into the lovers' unguarded moments, revealing both ecstatic expressions of love and candid insights on eighteenth-century politics. In February 1774, the Russian empress took Grigory Potemkin for her lover and, it is now believed, secretly married him a few months later. Particularly in the first two years of their relationship, Catherine was consumed by her passion for Potemkin. The hundreds of letters and notes she dashed off to him between assignations in the Winter Palace during this time attest to the giddy exuberance of the new love that so fully embraced her. Love and Conquest contains the most historically significant and personally revealing of these letters, only a few of which have ever before been translated into English. Beginning with Potemkin's letter to Catherine written while off fighting the Turks in 1769 and concluding with his farewell note scribbled the day before his death in 1791, the correspondence spans most of Catherine's reign. The letters are at once personal and political, private and public. Many of Catherine's love letters to Potemkin written during their stormy affair reveal the empress' passionate personality. Potemkin's letters provide rare insight into his arrogant and mercurial character, while serving to dispel the myth of Potemkin as little more than a corrupt sycophant. Love and Conquest reveals the complexity of Catherine and Potemkin's personal relationship in light of dramatic changes in matters of state, foreign relations, and military engagements. After their love cooled, Catherine and Potemkin continued to discuss and debate a wide range of state affairs in their letters, including the annexation of the Crimea, court politics, wars against the Ottoman Empire and Sweden, and the colonization of southern Russia. Together they carried out the most dramatic territorial expansion in the history of imperial Russia, transforming Catherine into a powerful world leader and creating a bond of affection that would never fully fade. Readers will find in the letters new insights on Russia's most famous empress, her passions, and her world.

Of all of history's great romances, few can compare with that of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin. Their turbulent and complicated relationship shocked their contemporaries and continues to intrigue observers of Russia centuries later. Lovers, companions, and, most likely, husband and wife, Catherine and Potemkin were also close political partners, and for a time Potemkin served as Catherine's de facto co-ruler of the Russian Empire. Their letters offer an intimate glimpse into the lovers' unguarded moments, revealing both ecstatic expressions of love and candid insights on eighteenth-century politics. In February 1774, the Russian empress took Grigory Potemkin for her lover and, it is now believed, secretly married him a few months later. Particularly in the first two years of their relationship, Catherine was consumed by her passion for Potemkin. The hundreds of letters and notes she dashed off to him between assignations in the Winter Palace during this time attest to the giddy exuberance of the new love that so fully embraced her. Love and Conquest contains the most historically significant and personally revealing of these letters, only a few of which have ever before been translated into English. Beginning with Potemkin's letter to Catherine written while off fighting the Turks in 1769 and concluding with his farewell note scribbled the day before his death in 1791, the correspondence spans most of Catherine's reign. The letters are at once personal and political, private and public. Many of Catherine's love letters to Potemkin written during their stormy affair reveal the empress' passionate personality. Potemkin's letters provide rare insight into his arrogant and mercurial character, while serving to dispel the myth of Potemkin as little more than a corrupt sycophant. Love and Conquest reveals the complexity of Catherine and Potemkin's personal relationship in light of dramatic changes in matters of state, foreign relations, and military engagements. After their love cooled, Catherine and Potemkin continued to discuss and debate a wide range of state affairs in their letters, including the annexation of the Crimea, court politics, wars against the Ottoman Empire and Sweden, and the colonization of southern Russia. Together they carried out the most dramatic territorial expansion in the history of imperial Russia, transforming Catherine into a powerful world leader and creating a bond of affection that would never fully fade. Readers will find in the letters new insights on Russia's most famous empress, her passions, and her world.

There are thousands of mortgage loan originators in business today. Have you ever wondered why some are so much more successful than others? Why do some loan officers consistently produce high results, while others struggle just to get by? Climbing the Ladder of Success shares 19 valuable lessons that top performers have learned about achieving great results in mortgage loan originations. You'll discover new approaches for managing your time, controlling your operations, building stronger referral sources and making more money than ever before. Written by a 20-year industry professional, Climbing the Ladder of Success is straightforward and real world, providing tangible ideas to make your job easier and your results even more successful.

Company Law is essential reading for business and law students, and for those studying for professional exams. The theoretical concepts are explored and developed with the use of a variety of case examples to place the learning in context. Comprehensive pedagogy with objectives, review questions, summaries, discussion questions and a case study exercise to consolidate the learning in each chapter. The accessible and concise treatment of the issues explored makes the learning easy to follow and more pertinent to the student needs, particularly for those who are studying a one-semester course. Easy to read,with a user friendly layout, Company Law, with the use of case studies and review questions leads the reader through the various stages involved with creating and managing a private company through to dissolution. Building on the learning covered in the companion textbook Business Law, this text is a user friendly and comprehensive introduction to all aspects of company law.

Using a wealth of archival sources previously unavailable to scholars, Smith examines the forces that attracted many social and intellectual leaders of eighteenth-century Russia to Freemasonry as an instrument for change and progress. By "working the rough stone" of their inner thoughts and feelings, such men sought to become champions of moral enlightenment and to create a vision of social action that could bring about change without challenging the social and political precepts on which Russia's stability depended. By challenging a number of long-held notions about Russian society, Smith broadens our understanding of the complex history of eighteenth-century Russia. Engagingly written and richly illustrated with rare engravings of Masonic life and ritual, this volume will appeal to readers interested in Russia, Europe, the Enlightenment, and the history of Freemasonry.

Bringing the book directly in line with the amended CIM Business Law syllabus, the book provides marketing students with a thorough working knowledge of the law on contract, sale of goods, agency, as well as the legal mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes, together with coverage of other selected topics which are of importance to marketeers and business in general.

Cooking up great ideas of how things ought to be is easy. Getting things to actually change is hard, especially in large, complex organizations. The meeting about "the new vision" goes over fine, then everyone drifts back to his or her office and nothing changes. This book provides the diagnostic tools managers need to assess their particular needs for change, and then the tool kit required to implement the changes one wants to see.