“Honey, you’ve been very ill and they’ve had to amputate…” His voice cracked. I searched his face, looking for some kind of clue to tell me why I sensed so much pain from him and in me. “…Your hands and feet.” Cyndi tried to grasp the new reality that flesh-eating disease had changed her life forever. Her recent memories of being a successful business manager and new mom seemed oceans away. It just couldn’t be true. I tried to speak, but no words came. Please God—let this be a dream. A sinking, overwhelming feeling crashed down on me as my eyes became heavier and heavier. Darkness threatened to overtake me. As she grappled with the challenges of an unknown future, Cyndi was left with a question: Why had God allowed this to happen to her? And furthermore, could she ever be whole again?
A love story that began in the 1700's between an orphaned Shoshone brave and the Chief's daughter has ties to each generation of a family named "Beloit." Jump to the future, to the 1970's as Trey Beloit comes back home to Green River, Wyoming to be with his grandfather, Big Bill Beloit, as he lays in a coma. Trey discovers more about Big Bill in a few days than he had known about him his whole life. Visions of and conversations with the spirit of the Shoshone brave shows the connection Trey, himself, has with the past. Mix in a beautiful part Shoshone nurse who was tending to Big Bill, and the makings of a love story in modern time shows itself. Unfulfilled love from the 1700's and new love in the 1970's. Will destiny be satisfied?
A New York Times Notable Book! "Over the moon with a metaphysical spin. Heart-tugging...it is struggling to understand the physical realities of life and the nature of what makes us human....Nicely unpredictable...Extraordinary." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times When Maxon met Sunny, he was seven years, four months, and eighteen-days old. Or, he was 2693 rotations of the earth old. Maxon was different. Sunny was different. They were different together. Now, twenty years later, they are married, and Sunny wants, more than anything, to be "normal." She's got the housewife thing down perfectly, but Maxon, a genius engineer, is on a NASA mission to the moon, programming robots for a new colony. Once they were two outcasts who found unlikely love in each other: a wondrous, strange relationship formed from urgent desire for connection. But now they're parents to an autistic son. And Sunny is pregnant again. And her mother is dying in the hospital. Their marriage is on the brink of imploding, and they're at each other's throats with blame and fear. What exactly has gone wrong? Sunny wishes Maxon would turn the rocket around and come straight-the-hell home. When an accident in space puts the mission in peril, everything Sunny and Maxon have built hangs in the balance. Dark secrets, long-forgotten murders, and a blond wig all come tumbling to the light. And nothing will ever be the same.... A debut of singular power and intelligence, Shine Shine Shine is a unique love story, an adventure between worlds, and a stunning novel of love, death, and what it means to be human. Shine Shine Shine is a New York Times Notable Book of 2012.
It's time you stepped into the light of God's role for you Actors aren't the only ones who play characters. Many of us do, much of the time. We walk into a room, figure out who we're supposed to be in this context, slip into character, and say the lines we know we should say. We become someone else. Maybe we tell ourselves it's some version of us, but deep down we know this inauthentic character is not what God wants for our lives--and it's not what we want either. With fascinating personal stories and sharp insight into human nature, former actor Allison Allen calls you to drop the brave act and step into the role of a lifetime--being your real self in Christ, no matter what the critics might say. She gives you permission to talk about, rather than around, the things you feel, freeing you to step out of the shadows and into the light of God's true calling. "The life-giving content on these pages has the power to fill your sails with holy wind and literally change the trajectory of your story!"--Lisa Harper, bestselling author and Bible teacher "In this book, Allison shares stories of conquering fear, pain, and rejection that uniquely paved the way toward growth, joy, and wisdom. She teaches us to rise above it all and experience God's beautiful light. You will most definitely be inspired."--Scott Hamilton, Olympic figure skating champion; sports commentator; inspirational speaker; cancer survivor "Through Allison's beautifully transparent story, you and I are encouraged to step out of the shadows of fear and self-doubt and, in Jesus's name, shine!"--Sheila Walsh, bestselling author of In the Middle of the Mess; co-host of LIFE Today
During the time I was dealing with my mother and her reactions to Mike’s apparent abuse of me no one ever knew I had been victimized again, several times. The boyfriends at the time of my aunt Camille and Kim had been told of my abuse and apparently thought it was a good idea to try also. A part of me blamed my aunts for telling my secrets. I never spoke to anyone of these secrets out of fear of loosing more family. I know you’re probably reading this wondering why I didn’t tell anyone, well if you read the rest of this book I would think you could understand. I didn’t want to mess up anyone else’s home or happiness. I mean these were my aunts, the very people who were helping me through it all at the time. I didn’t think holding on to those secrets affected my life much but in the summer of 2010 I decided to release this burden. I told Camille of what her boyfriend had done to me crying through my entire confession. I begged her not to be mad at me and prayed this secret wouldn’t affect our relationship; after all we have become really close over the years. Camille couldn’t believe what I was saying although she wasn’t in denial, she had lots of questions and she began to cry also. She wanted to know if any of her other boyfriends had tried anything with me or to me and I told her no. Telling her the role her boyfriend played was like lifting a forty pound weight off my shoulders. Until this day I have not yet told Kim of what her boyfriend had done. He is actually responsible for taking my virginity. I figure it took me more that twenty years to tell Camille and although I will tell Kim, it’ll just take me more time to do so.
A Shining Space: A Daughter’s Life is the biography of Sarah Eugenie Fabian, who died suddenly at the age of five, after a fortunate and happy life. It is also the story of a mother’s conversion from ignorance and indifference about babies to astonished love and admiration – and the postponement of a career for a period of full-time parenthood. “I started almost at once to write about her, in the hope that something of the miracle of love and life that she had been for us could be saved from oblivion and shared with others. ” Based on memories recorded whilst the essence of her vibrant self was still vividly present, the story has a unique immediacy, along with the atmosphere, scope and narrative pace of a novel. A Shining Space: A Daughter’s Life will appeal in general to fans of biographies, and will resonate with both young and beareaved parents.
In beautiful Brunswick Bay Harbor, Maine, couples find true love where they least expect it. A charming and heartfelt collection of small-town romances! Shattered Diamonds: Josie’s lifelong Olympic dreams are destroyed. Alex’s wife is missing and the accusing looks tear him apart as he attempts to raise his daughter on his own. Can two lost souls save each other? Shining Pearls: Single father Alex moved on from heartbreak in the only way he knew how. Josie trusted him. When secrets from the past resurface, will they find a way to heal, or has their path to happiness been crushed beyond repair? Shimmering Emeralds: Levi’s a little bit country. Meg’s a whole lot of rock and roll. Can these two opposites meet in the middle or will their past mistakes rob them of their second chance at romance? Shadowed Rubies: Dr. Danica Waters is lost in the woods, Brunswick Bay Harbor’s infamous kidnapper just found her, and her apartment is on fire with her sweet dog, Bruiser, inside. Will sexy firefighter Max be able to save her day? Shocking Sapphires: Molly Malone is carrying an abandoned baby across the road when famous movie star Grant Chandler comes speeding through town. When these three collide, all of their lives will be changed forever. Shaded Amethysts: Avery Biggs is convinced her life can’t get any worse, but a child falling through the ice will more than double her trouble when two gorgeous and eligible bachelors vie for her attention. When tragedies bring the residents of coastal Brunswick Bay Harbor together in ways they never could have imagined, will these intriguing characters find their happily-ever-after endings, or will their secrets destroy them? Meet them now and find out.
Anna Quindlen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, has an unmatched eye for the essential relationships in our lives—the powerful bonds between mothers and children, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers. This eBook bundle pairs two of Quindlen’s most acclaimed novels—Rise and Shine and Every Last One. With her mesmerizing prose and deeply felt storytelling, Anna Quindlen “captures both the beauty and the breathtaking fragility of family life” (People). EVERY LAST ONE “Spellbinding.”—The New York Times Book Review Mary Beth Latham has built her life around her family, around caring for her three teenage children and preserving the rituals of their daily life. When one of her sons becomes depressed, Mary Beth focuses on him, only to be blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterward is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible lines of hope and healing that connect one human being to another. RISE AND SHINE “Superb . . . The book seduces.”—Chicago Tribune It’s an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice’s perfect life hits a wall. The host of Rise and Shine, the country’s highest-rated morning television talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break—but not before she does something that, in an instant, marks the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget. A social worker in the Bronx, Bridget has always looked up to Meghan while living in her long shadow. What follows is a story about how the Fitzmaurice sisters adapt, survive, and manage to bring the whole teeming city of New York to heel by dint of their smart mouths, quick wits, and powerful connection that even the worst tragedy cannot shatter. More praise for Anna Quindlen “Packs an emotional punch . . . Quindlen succeeds at conveying the transience of everyday worries and the never-ending boundaries of a mother’s love.”—The Washington Post, on Every Last One “[Quindlen] welcomes us into her fictional world with open arms. . . . We fall into this novel as if it were an easy chair, comforted by a writer who knows her craft.”—Los Angeles Times, on Every Last One “Anna Quindlen’s writing is like knitting: prose that wraps the reader in the warmth and familiarity of domestic life. . . . Then, as in her novels Black and Blue and One True Thing, Quindlen starts to pull at the world she has knitted, and lets it unravel across the pages.”—The Seattle Times, on Every Last One “Stands on its own as a writerly achievement, [Quindlen’s] best so far . . . Sentence by sentence Ms. Quindlen is the soul of brevity.”—The New York Times, on Rise and Shine “The dialogue sparkles, the insights are right on . . . and the characters are appealing. . . . [It] has humor, heartbreak and drama. . . . [A] pleasure read.”—The Charlotte Observer, on Rise and Shine “New friends await readers . . . characters you will delight in getting to know and miss once you’ve finished the book.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on Rise and Shine
A deal made to be broken Everything about Alex McKnight was hard—hard body, hard heart and damn hard to ignore. Yet architect Ellie Hart couldn't deny her immediate attraction to the dark-haired, handsome contractor assigned to complete the Mercy Medical Center with her. Ellie traveled with her own emotional baggage and there was no way she was going to fall so fast for a man like Alex. But when she actually did fall fast—by tripping and injuring her foot—Alex came to the rescue by offering her a place to stay while she recovered. Then Alex suggested the unthinkable: a no-strings-attached, passion-unleashed affair…at least until their project was finished and Ellie could walk again. But as restless days became tender, sleepless nights, could Ellie keep her heart safe? And more, could Alex?
Pumpkins' Glow: 200+ Eerie Tales for Halloween offers a variegated mosaic of chills and thrills, drawn from a sweeping array of literary styles that span the gamut from gothic horror to supernatural mystery, featuring an illustrious lineup of authors whose works have captivated readers for generations. This anthology encapsulates the essence of Halloween through its exploration of themes such as the duality of human nature, the supernatural realm, and the thin veil between the living and the dead. Standout pieces in this collection delve into haunted landscapes, ghostly apparitions, and eerie legends, each story a testament to the power of the genre to both entertain and unsettle its audience. The diversity within this volume not only showcases the rich literary context of these tales but also highlights their perennial significance across cultures and epochs. The contributing authors and editors to Pumpkins' Glow: 200+ Eerie Tales for Halloween are a veritable who's who of literary giants, ranging from the masterful gothic horror of Mary Shelley to the macabre mysteries of Edgar Allan Poe, and the hauntingly philosophical tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Together, these voices represent a broad spectrum of historical, cultural, and literary movements, from the dark romanticism of the 19th century to the psychological horror and speculative fiction of the early 20th century. The anthology aligns these varied voices in a collective exploration of the darker aspects of human nature and the inexplicable elements of the supernatural world, enriching the readers understanding of Halloween's thematic landscape through a multifaceted lens. Pumpkins' Glow: 200+ Eerie Tales for Halloween is a must-read for aficionados of the horror and supernatural genre, offering an unparalleled opportunity to immerse oneself in the rich tapestry of Halloween storytelling. This collection serves not only as an educational journey through the evolution of horror literature but also as a source of endless fascination and insight, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the nuances of fear and the supernatural. Readers are invited to explore this comprehensive anthology, which promises to enlighten and entertain through its celebration of one of literatures most enduring genres.
