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292 products

The Story of Sassy Sweetwater: Southern Fiction for Women
After thirteen years on the run, Violet McLaughlin returns to Carter's Crossing, South Carolina, in 1962, with her young daughter, Sassy. The Crossing is right outside of Beaufort and the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement will forever leave its scars on the young and impressionable girl.
As Sassy stands before the imposing white farmhouse for the first time, with no knowledge of her history but that the McLaughlin's are her kin, Sassy begins a journey that will tear her apart before it heals her.
Growing up among secrets that will forever damage her relationship with her mother, she attempts to make sense of her past. But will her passion for art and her love for Thomas Tierney be enough to sustain her future?
Will the journey she must take to discover the truth be worth it?

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
First there was gold. Then oil. Then technology.
Now - who controls the world's rare earths controls the future.
It was supposed to be a simple corporate job. Check out the company, make sure the client was protected and take home a big paycheck. But with Boozy McBain and Boston O'Daniel nothing is ever as it seems. As their investigation draws them deeper into a world of corporate and geopolitical intrigue, they learn that their client's company may hold the key to the competition for power over the world's most vital resources - a battle for global control of rare earth minerals, critical to the future of everything modern society demands, from the green energy revolution to next generation weapons and consumer technologies. To protect the client they must navigate a mysterious array of government agencies and corporations, and go up against a man who is determined to possess the sources of the new wealth of the 21st century, from Africa to Asia to America - and perhaps the stars. A man of relentless ambition with a reputation for heartlessness in his quest to wrest control of the rare earth monopoly from China and build the empire of the future at any cost. The deeper the detectives dig the more enemies they make, from corporate boardrooms and black tie galas to the hopeless despair of the Congo, and the more personal the search becomes for each, driven by the seductive call of wealth, glamour and exotic danger.
About the Author
Masters, Riley: - Riley Masters is a writer and financial professional. The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of is the second in a series dedicated to those who uncover financial fraud and pursue those who prey on investors or the trusting and naive. Masters previously worked in the intelligence business covertly collecting information, and has degrees in Economics and International Finance. The author was trained in financial analysis, investments and risk management at one of the few private partnerships left on Wall Street that still taught old school techniques of judging companies and character. Masters has worked in the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Middle East as a financial, economic and management consultant, but spends most of his time in Boston and on Haven Beach.

The Summer Sisters
*** Now a USA Today bestseller ***
Set against the backdrop of the golden sands and crystal clear waters of Cabarita Beach three sisters inherit an inn and discover a mystery about their grandmother's past that changes everything they thought they knew of their family...
Bindi Summer, the hard-working manager at The Waratah Inn is tired, feeling low, and wondering where her life is headed. Then, she is blind-sided by a shock revelation and the sudden arrival of her ex-boyfriend, who shows up at the inn, questioning his decision to leave her almost two years earlier.
When Josh Owens, an old high school crush, shows up out of the blue, all Bindi wants is to hunker down and ride out the storm, but Josh won't be put off so easily.
In the midst of her chaotic life, it's Bindi's turn to read the journals Nan wrote years earlier, discovered by her sister Kate in an old wooden box. The mystery of what happened to Charlie Jackson continues to unravel as his letters to Edie follow his journey from a teenager in love, to a pilot for the RAAF and beyond.
In this dramatic conclusion to the heartwarming saga, the three Summer sisters will finally learn the truth they've longed to uncover about their past, and why Nan kept so many secrets from them all these years.
A heartwarming journey from brokenness to wholeness for fans of Carolyn Brown, Lauren K. Denton, Rhys Bowen and Danielle Steele.

The Summer Society
From the best-selling author of the Birch Harbor saga, comes a spellbinding story of friendship, secrets, and the pact that started it all.
Thirty years ago, Beatrice and Sophia Russo and their two best friends swore to reunite every summer in Gull's Landing. Now Sophia is gone and Beatrice is on the verge of losing their family beach house. Determined to protect her sister's memory and their girlhood oath, Beatrice turns to the two others for help. But saving the house means facing old secrets...
Diane's nest is empty but her weekly planner is full. Still, she needs more than Bunco nights and Taco Tuesdays to be happy.
Sue is cracking under the heat of a dysfunctional marriage. When she learns the truth about her husband, a summer with old friends could change everything.
The three women are at a crossroads: leave the past behind them or conquer their ghosts with heart and laughter on the boardwalk of Gull's Landing. With a beachfront setting and flashbacks to their teenage years, The Summer Society is a moving and witty story about love, loss, and everlasting friendship.

The Vermeer Deception: An Art Mystery
An art historian finds - then loses - a portrait by Johannes Vermeer in this thrilling art mystery set in Munich, Heidelberg, and Amsterdam.
When Zelda Richardson investigates a new lead about a missing portrait by Johannes Vermeer, no one expects her to actually find the painting in a retired art dealer's home in Munich, Germany. Not her parents visiting from America; her boss, private detective Vincent de Graaf; or the rightful owner of the Nazi-looted artwork.
However, Zelda's jubilation turns to horror when she arrives to pick up the portrait and finds the art dealer dead and several frames smoldering in his fireplace.
Was the Vermeer a fake and its 'discovery' a cruel joke played on a Nazi victim? The Munich police, Zelda's family, and Vincent certainly think so.
Yet the art dealer's best friend believes he was murdered and the real Vermeer stolen by an underground network of art looters, one established during World War II and still active today. The problem is, no one believes him - except Zelda.
Zelda soon finds herself in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with immoral art collectors, corrupt dealers, and an all-to-real killer who wants her to stop searching.
Can Zelda uncover the truth about the Vermeer before she is painted out of the picture permanently?
The Vermeer Deception is Book 4 in the Zelda Richardson Mystery Series. The novels in this series can be read in any order.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a revised edition of the originally published novel. (Updated August 2022)
About the Author
Alderson, Jennifer S.: - Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip. Jennifer's love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning Zelda Richardson Mystery series, her Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and her standalone stories.

The Visitor
Book 1 - Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans
Book 2 - The Denim Blue Sea
Book 3 - Beach Blues
Book 4 - Beach Breeze
Book 5 - The Beach Inn
Book 6 - Beach Bliss
Book 7 - Castaway Cottage
Book 8 - Night Beach
Book 9 - Little Beach Bungalow
Book 10 - Every Summer
Book 11 - Salt Air Secrets
Book 12 - Stony Point Summer
Book 13 - The Beachgoers
Book 14 - Shore Road
Book 15 - The Wait
Book 16 - The Goodbye
Book 17 - The Barlows
Book 18 - The Visitor
Book 19 - Stairway to the Sea
And more Seaside Saga Books

The Waratah Inn
Wrested back to Cabarita Beach by her grandmother's sudden death, Kate Summer discovers a mystery buried in the past that changes everything.
Kate returns home to the sleepy hamlet of Cabarita Beach and the run-down Waratah Inn for her grandmother's funeral. She spent many happy childhood years at the inn, but all she wants to do now is sell the dilapidated boutique inn and head back to the city and her busy, professional life. But she and her two estranged sisters discover they've inherited the inn together. To sell, they need all three sisters to agree to the sale.
Soon, her carefully constructed life begins to unravel and Kate decides to stay in Cabarita Beach to renovate the elegant, old building. Despite her misgivings about reviving the crumbling structure, she quickly becomes consumed with crown moulding, history and an attractive horse wrangler she can't seem to ignore.
When she discovers a clue to a mystery from the past in her grandmother's things, she'll be drawn down a path that raises more questions than answers. Piece-by-piece she and her sisters will uncover the secret former life of their beloved grandmother. A life of love, intrigue, and loss. A life they never knew she had.
An opportunity to sell the Inn pushes them to make a choice: commit to the Waratah Inn and family, or walk away from the Inn and each other, back to their separate and isolated lives.

The Wiregrass
“Webber has crafted a summer setting that is both magical and dangerous in this profound coming-of-age story. I laughed out loud. I held my breath. I anxiously pressed on for 'just one more page' (page after page, after page) and I cried. She has touched me on many levels in this, her first novel. It’s ending has haunted me for days since finishing it. It is a book I'll not soon forget. For this reviewer, The Wiregrass was reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer, and Of Mice and Men, yet all the while it was its very own unique story written with a large measure of tenderness and grace. What a privilege to have the opportunity to read this book that is surely destined to become a best-seller!” ―Story Circle Book Reviews
“There are deep southern traditions at work here, of memory, courage, sweetness, and sadness. This is a brave book at the same time it's complex and gentle, and the way it honors a sense of time and place is truly remarkable.” ―David L. Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of Scorched Earth and The Empty Quarter
Reminiscent of the stories and styles of Harper Lee, Sue Monk Kidd, and Jan Karon, Pam Webber's The Wiregrass is an extraordinary tale about a magical time in an ordinary place full of lovable and unlovable characters. Infused with laughter, tears, love, loss, and hope, the story follows fourteen-year-old cousins Nettie, J.D. Eric, and Sam as they navigate the summer of their discontent, struggle with the physical and emotional turbulence of puberty and disappearing childhood, feel the excitement of first love, and run for their lives after they uncover an evil secret hidden in the shadows of the small town they love. Their story promises to stay with you a lifetime.
Author Bio:
Pam Webber is a nationally certified nurse practitioner and award-winning university-level nursing educator. She has published numerous articles and co-authored four editions of a nursing textbook. Pam resides in Virginia's Northern Shenandoah Valley with her husband. The Wiregrass is her first novel.
Independently published with She Writes Press

The Wright Collection

Thirty and a Half Excuses: Rose Gardner Mystery

Thirty-One and a Half Regrets: Rose Gardner Mystery

Thirty-Two and a Half Complications: Rose Gardner Mystery #5

Three Little Things: Return to Lighthouse Point
Sometimes a wish is only heard by the heart...
Widow, Ruby Hallet, has almost adjusted to living life on her own. She has her knitting friends in The Yarn Society-they call themselves The Yarnies. Her son, Ben, drops in often to see her-and he's dating that darling woman, Charlotte. And she has her beloved dog, Mischief. What more could she need?
David Quinn has not adjusted to his new life. He misses everything about his old life and he's come to Belle island to escape.
When Ruby and David meet on the beach and slowly become friends, they both begin to think they just might have a chance for a new life. Ben disagrees-loudly and often. The last thing his mother needs is a man in her life. Especially one who is just on the island for a short visit.
But when David finds out the one thing Ruby doesn't need might be exactly what he has to offer, their happiness is in jeopardy. Even the unwavering support of the Yarnies can't change the cold hard facts.
As The Yarnies work on the winter festival, a surprise visit and a wish made at Lighthouse Point might change everything. Because wishes really do come true when you toss a shell into the sea at Lighthouse Point and make a wish.
Don't they?
A feel-good read in this spin-off series from Lighthouse Point. Continue reading about best friends, Sara, Charlotte, and Robin as well as the familiar townspeople of Belle Island.
Either series can be read first, so jump right in
This is book three in the Charming Inn series:
One Simple Wish - Book One
Two of a Kind - Book Two
Three Simple Things - Book Three
Four Short Weeks - Book Four
Five Years or So - Book Five
Six Hours Away - Book Six
The Lighthouse Point Series:
Wish Upon a Shell - Book One
Wedding on the Beach - Book Two
Love at the Lighthouse - Book Three
Cottage Near the Point - Book Four
Return to the Island - Book Five
Bungalow by the Bay - Book Six

True Blend
About the Author
Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She lives with her family in Connecticut. To learn more about the author and her books, visit Joannedemaio.com.

Trusting the Currents
“…an uplifting story about the spiritual journey of self-discovery, faith, forgiveness, and inspires readers to rise above the insecurities and obstacles in their lives and face the fear of darkness and uncertainty head on. The writing style is powerful, expressive, exquisite and descriptive. All the characters are memorable and will remain in readers' heart for a long time. This timeless story of love, courage and spiritual transformation is definitely worth reading and also owning in one's personal collection.” —Readers' Favorite
Some moments change everything you become.
The life of author Lynnda Pollio, a busy New Yorker, abruptly changes when she unexpectedly hears the mystical, elderly voice of Addie Mae Aubrey, a Southern, African American woman. Her first words, “It’s not what happened to me that matters,” begin a spirited remembering of Addie Mae’s turbulent teenage years in the late 1930s South—and learned wisdom she asks Lynnda to share.
Together, these two women from different times and places embark on an uncommon journey through deep waters of love, faith, and courage. The sudden arrival of beautiful, mysterious cousin Jenny and her shadowy stepfather, Uncle Joe, a promise made to a caring teacher, unfathomable loss, and rising trust in the "Invisibles" not only transform Addie Mae's budding life, but leads to the author's own spiritual awakening.
Trusting the Currents represents a new literary genre of conscious storytelling, engaging high spiritual frequencies that resonate with the reader's heart, guiding them deep into their own truth and transformation.
Awards:
2021 International Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner in Inspirational Fiction
2016 Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards Red Ribbon Winner in Fiction
2015 IPPY Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction
2015 National Indie Excellence Awards Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction
2015 International Book Awards Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction
2015 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal in Inspirational Fiction
2015 USA Book News Best Book Awards Gold Medal in Visionary Fiction
2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Inspirational Fiction
2015 Los Angeles Book Festival Honorable Mention in Spirituality
2015 Writer's Digest Book Awards Honorable Mention in Inspiration Winner
2015 B.R.A.G Medallion Winner
2014 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal Winner in Fiction
More Reviews:
“Religion, culture, and family blend together seamlessly in this haunting and refreshing story.” —BookLife
“This is a powerful story that is an offering, a revival, benediction, altar, and a powerful calling for the return of all long-obscured matriarchs. All praises for Trusting the Currents…enlightening, and highly evolved.” —Jaki Shelton Green, Poet, NC Piedmont Laureate
“In the wisdom tradition of The Alchemist and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Trusting the Currents is destined to become a classic, a timeless story written with a knowing luminosity.” —Nicola Graydon Harris, Journalist, Co-Author of The Ancestral Continuum
“[Pollio’s] saga holds surprising power, at times approaching the grandeur of The Color Purple and Beloved with the insights of a delightful wise-child narrator. Gorgeous imagining of a touching, memorable guiding spirit.” —Kirkus
“Trusting the Currents is a wonderful surprise—a beautifully written novel that hits all the right notes.” —Writer's Digest Judge's Commentary
Author Bio:
Lynnda Pollio has been on an unusual life path. She led a corporate existence as a successful advertising executive in New York City then followed a calling to Sedona, Arizona where she immersed herself in various healing modalities, spiritual disciplines, and levels of consciousness. Lynnda has a life-long commitment to elevating human consciousness through helping others discover the answers that lie within the heart. She was the world’s first Chief Consciousness Officer, integrating the “human technologies” of wisdom, intuition, compassion, forgiveness, empathy and gratitude into Fortune 100 business practices. Currently, Lynnda is an Empathic Consultant, helping people and businesses energetically navigate the patterns and blocks holding them in a limited space. She supports those going through profound change in their lives and ready to seek the truth within them.

Turning Season
Autumn's reds and golds make tiny Prosper picture-perfect, but under the surface lies a startling truth: Not everything is what it seems. Melinda throws herself into plans for the rural community's first-ever fall festival, and all the seasonal tasks around her small farm. But her sun-dappled days are disrupted when little Prosper is suddenly thrust into the spotlight. An unexpected windfall gives new life to a long-held hope, and a surprising discovery puts everyone on edge. And as the mayor's race heats up, Melinda discovers small-town politics can be worse than anything that goes bump in the night. As the leaves change color and drift away, Melinda's personal life is also evolving. Her new relationship appears to be a happy one, but will different perspectives and shifting priorities cloud its future? Seventh in a series

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes
“It all started when I saw myself dead.”
For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.
Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next-door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking but won’t help with number fifteen—do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty of secrets of his own.
Somebody thinks Rose has something they want, and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.
Awards:
Winner of The Beacon – 2010 Unpublished Division, Mainstream Category
WINNER of the 2012 Write Touch Readers' Award for Mainstream with Romantic Elements
Reviews:
"Though much of the book is light-hearted and occasionally outright hilarious, the author sneaks in a few home truths along the way that will hit you where it counts, like how even someone's best intentions can box you in." —Everybody Needs a Little Romance
"This was one of those books that I kept telling myself one more page, then I need to put it down. Instead I found myself tearing through the book instead, needing to know the outcome." —Just Jump Book Reviews
Author Bio:
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became nomadic, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons: Rose Gardner Mystery Book Two
As the trial progresses, she realizes an ominous vision she had in the men's restroom proves the defendant is innocent. And there's not a cotton-picking thing she can do about it.
Or is there?
As if things weren't bad enough, Rose's older sister Violet is going through a mid-life crisis. Violet insists that Rose stop seeing her sexy new boyfriend, Arkansas state detective Joe Simmons, and date other men. Rose is done letting people boss her around, but she can't commit to Joe either. Still, Rose isn't about to let the best thing in her life slip away.

Two Coins: A Biographical Novel
“A powerful story with a vivid setting, compelling plot, and multifaceted characters." —2019 Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books
“5 Stars! Two Coins, with its overtones to women's rights, is nothing less than a stellar and ageless novel." —2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards Semi-Finalist
During the Great Scandal of British Calcutta in 1883, newspapers were flying off the shelves in Calcutta, Edinburgh, and London. The Reverend William Hastie had charged Mary Pigot, lady superintendent of the Scottish Female Mission in Calcutta, with mismanagement and immorality. The headlines were damning. But Miss Pigot isn't taking the reverend's accusations sitting down. She decides to fight back!
After ten years of hard work growing the mission, raising funds and educating women, Miss Pigot's career is in ruins as a result of the scandal. With nothing to lose, she takes her case to the Calcutta High Court and sues Hastie for malicious libel. A woman publicly suing a man! It's just the type of scandal that sells lots of newspapers.
Based on actual events, Two Coins takes readers into Justice William Norris' steamy courtroom in the middle of monsoon season as the scandal engulfs the entire missionary community—destroying almost everyone involved. Will Miss Pigot prevail?
More Reviews:
"Two Coins portrays a nearly forgotten event in time where a determined woman fought the oppressive powers that be. Risking reputation in a time when that was all a woman had, Mary Pigot’s story is illustrative of staying the course to the bitter end." —San Francisco Book Review
“Sandra Wagner-Wright does a masterful job bringing the scene to life. Well-researched and colorful, readers step back in time and experience the trials and tribulations alongside her well-developed characters…a forgotten tale of power, corruption, and women’s rights based on a true story. Readers will be shocked and delighted.” —Seattle Book Review
"I don’t know that I could have enjoyed this book more, and I feel I learned a great deal. A work of historical fiction that is both entertaining and informative is a rare treat, and this is not one that should be passed by. Five Stars." —Manhattan Book Review
"Wagner-Wright's extensive research allows her to stay remarkably true to history while her creativity brings an outstanding story of courage and fortitude to life. A powerful story with a vivid setting, compelling plot, and multifaceted characters." —Kirkus Reviews
Author Bio:
Sandra Wagner-Wright taught women's & global history at the University of Hawai`i. Rama's Labyrinth is her first work of historical fiction. When not writing, Sandra enjoys travel & practicing yoga. Sandra writes a weekly blog on history, travel & the idiosyncrasies of life.

Two of a Kind: Return to Lighthouse Point
Sometimes all you need is to believe in yourself...
Charlotte finds herself living back on Belle Island, struggling to make a living in her now floundering art career. She moves in with her life-long friend, Robin, and attempts to find her love of painting again and prove to her family that she's a successful artist. A bonus would be if she could make a bit of money from it so she could pay the bills...
Ben works nonstop running the marina he took over when his father suddenly passed away. That, along with keeping an eye on his mother and restoring his father's old boat keep him impossibly busy.
But then Charlotte comes back to town and he can't quite keep his mind on business...
Though Charlotte is convinced that Ben still has a crush on her beautiful, captivating sister. What man doesn't? Eva, the golden daughter, draws everyone's attention when she enters the room.
Charlotte has a chance to prove to everyone she can reinvent herself and have a successful art career-even if her family thinks her new style of nostalgic painting isn't really considered art. And Ben's push to make his mother a bit more independent backfires on him.
But wishes made at Lighthouse Point have a way of coming true-sometimes in surprisingly unexpected ways.
Continue on with the stories of Charlotte, Sara, Robin, and their friends and family in this spin-off series of Lighthouse Point.
This is book two in the Charming Inn series:
One Simple Wish - Book One
Two of a Kind - Book Two
Three Simple Things - Book Three
Four Short Weeks - Book Four
Five Years or So - Book Five
Six Hours Away - Book Six
The Lighthouse Point Series:
Wish Upon a Shell - Book One
Wedding on the Beach - Book Two
Love at the Lighthouse - Book Three
Cottage Near the Point - Book Four
Return to the Island - Book Five
Bungalow by the Bay - Book Six

Unleash the Girls
Named a Kirkus “Best Books of 2022”
2019 Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semifinalist - Nonfiction (Memoir / Autobiography)
"…an inspiring narrative about changing the world through fearless innovation." —BookLife (Publisher's Weekly)
The 1970s saw women coming into their own, working hard to create new roles at home and in sports, culture, politics, and business. It was also the start of the “fitness revolution.” At this unique intersection of feminism and athleticism, Lisa Lindahl’s game-changing entrepreneurial journey began.
She invented the first sports bra, the “Jogbra,” in 1977. It was the right product at the right time, throwing Lisa into a high-stakes world of business and power—a world for which she was not fully prepared. Unleash the Girls is the improbable story of a young artist with a disability who used her powers of creativity to solve a vexing problem and ended up leveling the playing field for girls and women across the globe—literally, unleashing the girls.
Her invention would become a feminist icon and the company she founded would change an industry. But amid the success, Lisa continued to search for meaning and the true nature of power and beauty. This is the untold story of the invention of the sports bra and how it changed the world for girls and women...and, along the way, changed Lisa, too.
SCROLL FOR SAMPLE!
More Reviews:
"... the author's narrative is as much an inspiring business memoir as it is an absorbing chronicle of a surprisingly significant piece of sports clothing. An engrossing account of the entrepreneur—and the bra—that changed women’s sports." —Kirkus Reviews
“The sports bra was and is more than a piece of sporting equipment, it has become a symbol and a vehicle for women and girls to propel themselves forward without inhibition towards the future that they are creating. Prior to its inception, the concept of women running, jumping, lifting, competing, basically moving dynamically, caused reticence. NOW, WE RUN AND MOVE in every athletic space and then some. To say I don’t think about my sports bra anymore is to say that I am FREE to accomplish and go after anything I want. I am EMPOWERED TO EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY!” —Brandi Chastain, American retired soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold-medalist, coach, and sports broadcaster
“The introduction of the sports bra did more than improve athletic performance. It represented a revolution in ready-to-wear clothing, and for many women athletes – past, present, and future – it actually made sports possible.” —Smithsonian Museum of American History Archivist Cathy Keen
Author Bio:
Lisa Z. Lindahl is an artist, entrepreneur, and women's health advocate. She invented the sports bra in 1977, revolutionizing athletic participation for women and girls. In 2000, she patented a medical garment for use in breast cancer. She has a BS in education from the University of Vermont, a Master's of Arts in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names University in California, and is a graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies' Three Year Program of Advanced Initiations. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, where it rarely goes below freezing and one can garden year 'round.
Book Excerpt:
Preface
Sometimes a single moment captures and reveals the essence of your life’s purpose. For me, it happened one day near the end of winter in Vermont. It was not quite springtime, mud season as it’s called, a difficult time of year for souls yearning for sunshine’s warmth and the first signs of green. I was standing at the window of my studio office overlooking Lake Champlain, always a changeable, capricious view. This day, I noticed a wind was tickling the top of the lake’s slate-colored surface. But my attention was turned inward. I was wrestling with my identity, and how the title “successful businesswoman” fit into the whole of my life. I chafed under the typical introduction, “Meet Lisa, the ‘Jogbra Lady!’” Wasn’t I more than just this one achievement? Had my entrepreneurial journey made a difference in the world? Did any of it really matter?
Nature, as she always did, called me back. Outside my window the gray sky was beginning to lift and just enough midday light was filtering through to create a bright and otherworldly sparkle on the lake’s now choppy water. It silhouetted the dark tree branches lining the lake edge, highlighting the baby yellow leaf buds clinging there. A blue jay’s call pierced my silence and suddenly I was immersed—if only for a moment—in a deep sense of timeless and complete beauty.
There was my answer.
In that moment, I realized that what really mattered was beauty. Not physical beauty. Not glamour, which is so often confused with beauty in today’s culture. No, what I had experienced was much bigger: It was True Beauty—transcendent and everlasting.
Since that moment, I’ve made it my life’s work to learn the way of True Beauty and teach others how to find and use it to create greater harmony in our world.
My journey to that life-changing moment on Lake Champlain was long and circuitous. It began in a very different time and place, a time when my relationship with myself was muddled and my understanding of beauty was still nascent. I was a young, artistic woman trying to find herself. It was the early 1970s, and we were all trying to find ourselves. The “women’s liberation movement,” as it was then called, had swept across the United States. The changes were so profound that Time magazine awarded its 1975 “Man of the Year” cover to “American Women.” Only two years earlier, tennis star Billy Jean King had captivated the nation’s attention when she beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” on the tennis court. Women were coming into their own, working hard to carve out new roles for themselves at home, in sports, culture, politics and business.
The nation in general was also beginning to move. We were getting up off the couch where we’d been watching TV shows like All in the Family, Maude, M*A*S*H and Bewitched and joining the “fitness revolution.” People started jogging—en masse. It’s estimated that 25 million Americans took up running in the 1970s and 1980s, including President Jimmy Carter.
It’s at this unique intersection between feminism and athleticism that my entrepreneurial story begins. With the passage of Title IX in 1972, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program, doors were finally opening for young women not only in the classroom but also on the field. But Title IX could not erase the discomfort and self-consciousness that were insidious ingredients in keeping girls and women off those fields.
Along with the other young women of my “Baby Boomer” generation, I was trying to find my way. In my mid-twenties I had headed back to the college classroom and, as part of my self-reinvention, taken up jogging. My new love of running, though, came with a problem—my breasts bounced...a lot. It was a constant distraction and discomfort and the only thing not great about my runs. I needed a solution.
When I invented the sports bra in 1977, it completed what Title IX had started. It leveled the playing field for female athletes and athletic women. It turned out to be the one-two punch that knocked out old attitudes and restrictions. You might even say it “unleashed the girls.”
The Jogbra files, prototype, and history are now preserved at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, where archivist Cathy Keen said in 2015, “The introduction of the sports bra did more than improve athletes’ performances. It represented a revolution in ready-to-wear clothing, and for many women athletes, past, present, and future, it actually made sports possible.”
The original Jogbra company’s byline was “by women, for women.” I believe that women’s stories must be told—and when possible by the women who lived the tale. The story of the invention of the first sports bra is very much a story of women. It is also a big part of my life story. This is the improbable story of how I created the first sports bra and how it changed the world...and the course of my life.
Chapter 1: Inspired
Let’s face it, in 1977, I was an unlikely candidate to become a business success story—let alone, since I’d never been particularly athletic, change the world for women in sports. My formal business education consisted of a post-collegiate one-year program at the Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. I was an aspiring artist working in stained glass, selling my work at craft fairs. At the same time, I was also working part-time at Threshold, a rural residential treatment facility for adolescent drug abusers where my husband Al worked as a counselor. I administered tests and did secretarial stuff. I had little interest in a 9-to-5 sort of traditional career. At 28, I was working on finishing my undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington. My marriage of seven years to my husband Al was shaky, and I couldn’t drive a car due to having Epilepsy. It was quite an odd resume.
At the time, my lack of mobility felt a greater disability to me than having the occasional epileptic seizure. Without a driver’s license in our car-centric world I was very dependent on others. I could only maintain the job at Threshold because I got a ride out to its very rural location with Al. This aspect of my Epilepsy-induced dependence was probably one reason I had married so early and certainly was a factor in my decision in 1977 to take yet another job, this time as a low-level filing clerk at the UVM admissions office. It was hard on my ego and horribly boring, but unlike the job at the drug treatment facility, it was within walking distance of my house and afforded me a free academic course each semester. As an “older woman” in her late 20s (ha!), I had been intimidated by the prospect of going back to college. This job afforded me a way to try it out, then literally make it more affordable.
Sitting most of the day for my filing job, I began to put on weight. My once “drop-dead gorgeous” figure, taken for granted ever since its appearance around age 15, had become blowzy and indistinct. A friend told me what I somehow knew but had resisted: dieting alone wouldn’t shed the pounds. I would need to exercise. My friend outlined his running regime, telling me that all I had to do was run a mile-and-a-quarter three times a week and I would achieve and maintain “physical fitness.” To me, translated, that meant “skinny.” And lord knows, as a 1960s teenage girl, skinny was a beauty hallmark. Remember Twiggy? Count me in.
The UVM job also gave me access to the university’s athletic facilities. Every day on my tightly controlled, exactly 60-minutes lunch hour, I walked up to the field house to run. The indoor track there was only one-tenth of a mile, but it might as well have been a thousand miles long. That first day, I could barely make it around even once. But my competitive spirit was awakened, and I suppose vanity drove me forward as well. I was determined to shed that creeping weight. Each day, I pushed myself to go just a little further. Just…a…little…further…until the day, months later, when I finally completed the tenth consecutive lap for the first time. I was elated. I had run an entire mile! You would have thought I’d won an Olympic gold medal. I felt terrific. I had challenged myself and won!
A little background here. My mother, raised by her Victorian-era grandmother, was a firm believer that her daughters would be raised to be ladies. Always full of platitudes, with such wisdom she would intone, “Horses sweat, men perspire, ladies glow.” Athletics, let alone organized sports, were not part of her repertoire. Me? Give me a bathing suit and point me towards ocean surf. No boards please. Growing up, spending my summers on the New Jersey shore, that was my idea of being “active.” But in my mid-20s, living in landlocked Vermont, there was no ocean nearby. When I found jogging, it became my land-based equivalent of active joy.
My running never grew into a desire to compete. Rather, running reconnected me to the natural world and became, frankly, one of my first spiritual practices. It is totally ironic that this practice spawned my financial success and exposure to the grit of the business world. And in so doing, like all good spiritual practices, it also afforded me the opportunity to confront some difficult personal issues. Oh joy!
The deeper irony is that for me to start running at all was completely out of character, Mom’s “encouragement” notwithstanding. While I remember enjoying recess and dodge ball in elementary grades, by middle school at the girls’ academy I attended I was self-conscious and uncomfortable in gym classes. A 2019 study shows many girls still feel awkward in gym class, but back in the early ’60s, all I knew was that my best friend Polly and I definitely were. We hated those locker room moments! There were those “jock” girls who relished gym and understood the rules of field hockey and were eager to get out on the tennis courts. They intimidated me. It seemed to me I was somehow less for not “getting” the whole sporty thing and for being so self-conscious. When possible, I opted for Beginning Bowling as my gym class choice. I didn’t like to even glow, let alone perspire. When I look back now, I can see that my relationship with my adolescent girl’s body was fraught with an underlying threat: When would the next seizure occur? When would my body suddenly throw itself on the floor, and my consciousness disappear—embarrassing, inconvenient, and painful.
Avoiding gym classes, playing around in the summertime ocean, doing some body surfing, and climbing the occasional tree—these were my ideas of “sports activities.” Until I discovered the meditation of running. Then my world did change. My body and I became more intimate. We glowed. We sweated. We gloried. I’d found not only my sport, but my practice.

Unleashed
P.S. The dog doesn't die.
P.P.S. Do not read these books if you have issues with "strong" language, sex out of wedlock, or LGBTQ+ characters.
About the Author
Emily Kimelman not only writes adventure, she lives it every day. Embodying the true meaning of wanderlust, she's written her Sydney Rye mysteries from all over the world. From the jungles of Costa Rica to the mountains of Spain, she finds inspiration for her stories in her own life. While living under communist rule in the former Soviet Union, the KGB sprinkled her with "spy dust", a radioactive concoction that made her glow and left a trail they could follow. She was two. She was destined for amazing things after that, and she continues to find adventure to inspire characters like the badass Sydney Rye. Download the first Sydney Rye Thriller, Unleashed, for FREE on all major ebook platforms and join the adventure!

Up Shute Creek: Rose Gardner Investigations #4

Waiting Season
Melinda Foster hoped to spend January relaxing by her farmhouse's fireplace while paging through the seed catalogs' promises of spring. Instead, she finds herself struggling to keep the worst of winter's threats from her door. Shoveling snow, thawing her farm's water lines, and anxiously watching over the pregnant sheep in her barn fill her shorter days and longer nights. She pushes on because Horace's offer still stands: He'll sell her the farm in the spring if she still wants to stay. But as winter tightens its grip on rural Iowa, her biggest challenges are still to come. When a series of events threatens to break her heart and shatter her hopes, will Melinda's faith be strong enough to see the season through? Fourth in a series

Walland
"In her debut novel, author Thome writes with a winning charm and peppers her prose with a quirky wit...an enjoyably readable love story." —Kirkus
Can broken hearts risk love again?
India's life has always gone according to plan. But when she decides to call off her high-profile wedding and take time off from her network television job, everything turns upside down. A tranquil resort in the moody Smoky Mountains was supposed to be a place she could hide out and lick her wounds. Instead she finds herself questioning everything she ever thought she wanted.
Wyatt is a man with scars that run deep. He's built a careful life for himself, and he has no intention of letting anyone get close to him…again.
But what happens when two people who are running away from love run right into one another? Will the intense chemistry they feel be enough to overpower their fears? Or will their time together in Tennessee end with broken hearts?
More Reviews & Awards:
Winner, National Indie Excellence Award, Romance, 11th Annual Contest
"Fans of Nicholas Sparks' books will enjoy Andrea Thome's writing. She manages to tell a classic romantic story that is interesting, vibrant, and surprising." —Windy City Reviews
"Andrea Thome. ANDREA THOME! This book is intoxicating! No amount of filtration can dilute what Andrea has created. Walland is an incredible story of fate, passion, and love reborn…Andrea Thome is immaculate in her descriptions of Walland, the people, and the opportunities hidden within chance." —NDP Book Review
"Walland is solid start to the Hesse Creek series from Andrea Thome." —Bookish Devices
Author Bio:
Andrea Thome is a former broadcast journalist and longtime wife of retired major league baseball player, Jim Thome. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two children and spends her spare time traveling and pursuing her other passion, photography. Walland is her first novel. She is currently working on the second book in the Hesse Creek series.

Wedding on the Beach
Cindy Pearson is getting her wish - the perfect wedding on Belle Island. As she dodges a steady stream of obstacles that threaten to thwart her plans, she can't quite avoid her nagging doubts about her fianc .
Jamie McFarlane has one wish - to make a success of the coastal inn he and his mother inherited. He gets his chance to boost the inn's reputation as a premier wedding destination by putting together a perfect wedding for his childhood friend, Cindy. There's only one problem - as Cindy and Jamie rekindle their relationship, he realizes his feelings run deeper than mere friendship.
If he gives Cindy the wedding of her dreams, he'll miss his one chance with her. If he stops the wedding, he'll crush her dream and lose his opportunity to save the inn.
Sometimes, the wishes a person makes don't come true - and sometimes unspoken wishes are the best wishes of all.

What Eyes Can't See
Barbara's fairytale life has hit a brick wall. Worst part, she didn't see it coming.
Barbara navigates the NYC corporate world as a confident Black lawyer, balancing sky-high career goals with heavy family expectations. But while her career thrives at 31, her engagement crumbles, leaving her heartbroken-and stuck with a non-refundable destination wedding.
Arriving at her island paradise, Barbara is swept away by Sebastian-a hazel-eyed lawyer with a snake tattoo and a mysterious past. Their connection is so deep, Barbara feels seen for the first time in her life.
For Sebastian, time stops when he's with Barbara. It doesn't matter that she's rich, and he grew up on food stamps. That her clothes are designer and his hide old gang tattoos. Even that he's white, and she's Black. None of their differences matter until he's handed the job meant for her.
Jobless and stripped of her family's wealth, Barbara digs deep to find herself and her voice. Suspecting she faced racial discrimination, Barbara challenges her boss in court. It's a decision that puts Barbara and Sebastian on opposite sides of a battle they long to fight together.
As their love and convictions are put to the test, one crucial question remains, how much are they willing to risk to find justice?
Multi-award-winning author Paulette Stout returns with a bold and spicy story of love, social justice, and belonging that'll stay with you long after the last page. It's fast-paced contemporary fiction for lovers of strong heroines with something to say about the world.

What the Heart Knows: A Milford-Haven Novel
Is the heart smarter than the head? Artist Miranda Jones begins to trust her heart enough to escape from her life of privilege and start over in Milford-Haven, the small town of undiscovered beauty on California's Central Coast. She connects with environmentalist Samantha Hugo--a brilliant PhD twenty years her senior who gave up a son years earlier; and with restaurant owner Sally O'Mally who left Arkansas to create her own dream. Each woman wrestles with her own core issues while balancing demanding careers with the attentions of interesting men. None is aware that journalist Christine Christian has just been murdered while investigating a half-built house. Though the book stands alone, it is also Book 1 in the critically acclaimed, popular series, a multi-generational saga. Based on Purl's BBC Radio drama Milford-Haven U.S.A.

What We Never Say
"A deftly crafted, deeply engaging, and memorably compulsive page turner." --Midwest Book Review
No means no, except to the most powerful woman in fashion publishing. Kyle's been trying to forget her for eleven years. When the famous magazine editor reemerges for round two, Kyle's forced to confront his painful past-the one he's kept hidden from his girlfriend, Rebecca.
Complications arise when Rebecca's blog for women becomes a global sensation in the one magazine Kyle hoped to avoid. With their future at serious risk, the choice is clear.
It's time to go public with the truth about what happened. But will anyone believe him?
*This book includes delicate subject matter.
Praise for What We Never Say
"What We Never Say is a deftly crafted, deeply engaging, and memorably compulsive page turner of a novel..."
-Midwest Book Review
"With an engaging plot and the tackling of a very sensitive subject with finesse and great writing, "What We Never Say" is a great start to the Bold Journeys series."
-InD'tale Magazine
"What We Never Say by Paulette Stout is a captivating story I couldn't put down. I loved the unique plot, solid characters, and educative storyline... everyone should read this book."
-Readers' Favorite

What's Not Said
About the Author
Taylor, Valerie: - Valerie Taylor was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. She had a thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer. After her divorce, she spread her wings and relocated her career, first to Boston and then to Seattle. When she retired, she resettled in Shelton, Connecticut, to be near her two grown children and granddaughter. She's a published book reviewer with BookTrib.com; and a member of the Westport Writers' Workshop, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Women's Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator. What's Not Said is her debut novel. The sequel, What's Not True, will publish in August 2021. The next book in this trilogy is in the works. She currently resides in Shelton, CT.

When the Bough Breaks: Rose Gardner Investigations #6

When the Heart Listens: Milford-Haven Novella
Can the heart be telling us something we can't quite hear?
Landscape artist Miranda Jones thought she was on track. Yet something feels off kilter. The subjects of her work all live in nature, yet she herself lives in the city. Her rep and her family emphasize money as the benchmark of success, yet her own goals have to do with the professional challenges of excellence, adventure, and authenticity. She plans a brief trip to join plein air artists in the Carrizo Plain to paint this year's extraordinary super bloom. Yet what she experiences is a journey that opens a chapter into a new life. At least it will, if she considers what might happen . . . when the heart listens.
Read the novella of protagonist Miranda before the saga begins Though the book stands alone, it also extends the Milford-Haven Novels, the critically acclaimed, best-selling series, a multi-generational saga. Based on Purl's BBC Radio drama Milford-Haven U.S.A.
About the Author
Purl, Mara: - Mara Purl, author of the national best-selling, critically acclaimed and multiple-award-winning Milford-Haven Novels, Novellas, and Novelettes, pioneered small-town fiction for women. Mara was named Fiction Author of the Year by The Authors Show, and her series has won more than 40 book awards. Mara's beloved fictitious town has been delighting audiences since 1992, when it first appeared as Milford-Haven, U.S.A.(c)-the first American radio drama ever licensed and broadcast by the BBC. The show reached an audience of 4.5 million listeners throughout the U.K. and won the Finalist Award at the 1994 New York Festivals World's Best Radio Programs. What the Heart Knows (Book one) reached #5 on Amazon's best-seller list. Where the Heart Lives (Book Two) reached #22 on Barnes & Noble's best-seller list, #7 on Amazon's Women's Fiction list and was ranked in Kobo's top-100. Mara's novellas When Hummers Dream and When Whales Watch also each also became best-sellers. Mara's novels and stories have collectively earned more than 30 literary awards. Mara is a guest-blogger for USA Today's Happy Ever After Book Blog, National Association of Baby Boomer Women, Romance Junkies, The Lady Killers, Boomer Brief, Plaid for Women, Women Speakers Association, and has co-founded two women's speaking organizations. As an actress, Mara was Darla Cook on Days Of Our Lives, and has won awards for her theatrical appearances in Mary Shelley: In Her Own Words, as well as critical acclaim for her performances in Becoming Julia Morgan and Sea Marks. She was named one of twelve Women of the Year by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women. Mara is married to Dr. Larry Norfleet and lives in Los Angeles, and in Colorado Springs. Visit Mara's website at www.MaraPurl.com. She welcomes e-mail from her readers at MaraPurl@MaraPurl.com.

Where the Heart Lives: A Milford-Haven Novel
Is the heart a better navigator than the head? Artist Miranda Jones has followed her heart to a new home in the beautiful California coastal town of Milford-Haven, and now begins to map her emotional and professional life from a new perspective. An extensive Los Angeles research trip takes her from the Palos Verdes peninsula to the Mojave Desert, and from A Doobie Brothers Concert at the Hollywood Bowl to the Angeles Crest National Forest. Meanwhile her Milford-Haven friends have adventures of their own: Samantha Hugo plunges into a search for the son she gave up years earlier; restaurant owner Sally O'Mally suddenly encounters the highschool man she lost. Each woman wrestles with her own core issues while balancing demanding careers with the attentions of interesting men. Though the book stands alone, it is also Book 2 in the critically acclaimed, award-winning, Amazon best-selling series, a multi-generational Milford-Haven saga. Based on Purl's BBC Radio drama Milford-Haven U.S.A.

Whisper of Bones: A Cassie Quinn Mystery
A suspicious death mirrors a serial killer signature
A ghostly visitor might hold the answer
Cassie must decipher the cryptic message
Whispered in the bones of the dead
If she hopes to help solve the crime and save herself in the process
The latest installment from USA Today bestselling author L.T. Ryan & K.M. Rought in the Cassie Quinn Series. A mystery thriller with a hint of paranormal that'll keep you guessing until the last page
"A brilliant story with every twist and turn that will keep you fully engaged and enthralled from start to finish "
A dead man has investigators stumped. His death mirrors the work of a serial killer who'd dropped off the face of the earth and believed to be dead. A visit from a strange new ghost forces Cassie's involvement. Unsure the entity's purpose for haunting her, Cassie is both intrigued and terrified at its potential implications.
In a desperate race against the clock, Cassie must determine if the spirit guiding her is friend or foe. She must listen carefully to the whispers of bones if she hopes to solve the crime and, in the process, remain among the living.
A must-read for fans of Ghost Whisperer and Medium, Gregg Olsen, Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Mary Burton.

Whispering Pines
Welcome to Whispering Pines, a quaint resort on the serene shores in Minnesota lake country, and a heartwarming saga that beautifully weaves together the complexities of modern family life with the unexpected gifts of midlife reinvention.
Two weeks ahead of Christmas, a jarring layoff from a twenty-year career sends single mother Renee Clements back to life's crossroads. She's been here before. Reluctant but resilient, she prepares to dive into the job hunt. Or is it finally time to focus on her own dreams instead of building someone else's? While the idea is tempting, she's still responsible for raising two teenagers.
Frustrated, Renee pushes pause. She'll wait until after the holidays to make any life-altering decisions. A serendipitous trip to Fiji and a chance encounter with a handsome stranger offers a glimmer of romance, but now isn't the time to add yet another complication to her already messy world.
Could the final bequest by her dear Aunt Celia provide the answers? The opportunity to reopen Whispering Pines, a charming and historic lake resort, beckons her to a path less traveled. It's not just a potential business venture; it's a legacy passed down to her, a gift wrapped in memories and possibilities.
Torn between a longing to recreate the idyllic childhood summers she spent at her aunt's resort and facing the challenges of her current reality, Renee will have to choose. Perhaps, along the way, she'll discover more than she ever expected.
Whispering Pines, book one in Kimberly Diede's Gift of Whispering Pines series, explores the depths of motherhood, the courage required to navigate and embrace change, and the unbreakable ties of family.

Whispers from the Dead
Whispers from the Dead is the powerful and thrilling sequel to Lamb to the Slaughter in the Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets. Sheriff Serenity Adams and Daniel Bachman are once again partnered up in a criminal investigation, when they travel to a northern Amish settlement that has been riddled by arsons for the past two decades. Serenity quickly discovers that there is a lot more going on than barn burnings in the touristy community of Poplar Springs. This group of Amish has their own secrets to hide.
Serenity begins to unravel an extensive criminal underworld that threatens to destroy everything that the simple people of Poplar Springs hold dear, and once again puts her own life in jeopardy. And even though Serenity tries desperately to avoid it, things begin heating up between her and Daniel, making her wonder if true love and happiness are really within her grasp.
Author Bio:
Karen Ann Hopkins writes Amish fiction, mysteries, YA literature, paranormal, dystopian and romance for readers of all ages. She resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Whole Latte Life
About the Author
Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She lives with her family in Connecticut. To learn more about the author and her books, visit Joannedemaio.com.

Winter Road

Wish Upon a Shell
Sometimes the right person enters your life at exactly the wrong time...
For the first time in her life, struggling bakery owner Julie Farmington has something that is all hers.
She's not interested in any entanglements or anything that takes her mind off her goal-including the handsome stranger who is only in town for a month.
Forced to take time off work, Reed Newman makes a spur-of-the-moment decision and books a trip to Belle Island, Florida. A surprising choice that goes against everything in the rigid, well-planned life he fills with constant activity to keep from dealing with his pain and guilt.
As he struggles to make peace with his past-and learn to relax-he finds himself falling for the charming owner of The Sweet Shoppe. But Julie tells herself she isn't interested in a man who is just going to leave when he returns home. She's not interested in adding yet one more name to the list of people who have walked out of her life.
She's not interested. Really.
But emotions heat up. Reed's past and Julie's present collide and history threatens to repeat itself.
And neither one saw it coming...
Get this heartwarming first book in the Lighthouse Point series. Three friends-Tally, Susan, and Julie-support each other through triumphs and failures, love and loss. Fall in love with Belle Island and the friendly-or not so friendly-townsfolk on this small southern island.
Read the entire Lighthouse Point series:
Wish Upon a Shell - Book One
Wedding on the Beach - Book Two
Love at the Lighthouse - Book Three
Cottage Near the Point - Book Four
Return to the Island - Book Five
Bungalow by the Bay - Book Six

Woman UP!
“Aimee Cohen is empowering and inspiring.… Woman UP! combines your best girlfriend and an elite career expert―in a powerful, purse-sized package! Aimee’s advice is easy to follow and gets results.” —Teresa Taylor, author of The Balance Myth and former COO, Qwest Communications
What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question we are all asked as little girls, and we are encouraged to dream big. Fortunately, today, we can be ballerinas, astronauts, doctors, lawyers, executives, and presidents. But no one ever asks you “how” you’re going to get there. No one ever tells you how to overcome the self-sabotaging behaviors that get in your way, kill your confidence, and destroy your dreams. Until now.
I may not be an official card-carrying, bra-burning type of feminist, but I believe with every fiber of my being that women are powerful beyond measure, and I have dedicated my career to helping women realize and reach their full professional potential.
As a career coach for more than 20 years, I have worked with and listened to hundreds of women share their stories, their challenges, and their insecurities. I recognize that not only are there external obstacles to a woman’s success―such as women only making $0.77 on the dollar, the proverbial “glass ceiling”, and the inequities that exist in traditionally male-dominated industries―but there are also internal, self-imposed barriers to overcome. Women unknowingly and unintentionally hold themselves back by engaging in sinful, career-limiting, self-sabotaging behavior.
The truth is that, as women, we already have so much in our favor. We have the raw materials and a solid foundation composed of intuition, compassion, intelligence, and drive. However, we can also be our own worst enemies.
I’ll be the first one to admit that sinful behavior can be fun and indulgent, but it can also sabotage your career if you’re not careful. As professional women, we commit Deadly Sins every day without even knowing it―and, without realizing the damaging consequences.
Here’s some good news...despite the description Deadly Sins, none of these behaviors represent permanently debilitating or fatal conditions. Unlike personality, which we know forms by the time we celebrate our fifth birthdays, behavior is learned. And, because it is learned, it can be unlearned. Patterns of thinking can be modified. And, with practice and patience, new behaviors and beliefs can pave new paths to success.
More Reviews:
“As I was first reading Woman UP!, I decided that I would order a printed copy for every female in my organization. By the third chapter, I realized that everyone (including men!) needs to read this book.” —Suzanne Conrad, CEO, Iowa Donor Network
“Woman UP! will be mandatory reading for my 10-year-old daughter. The females in my generation need to be clear and supportive, and provide our wisdom and insights to help woman at all levels succeed. Woman UP! is a great contribution to help women move forward in whatever career they choose!” —Margo Karsten, CEO, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center
Author Bio:
Aimee Cohen is a career expert, author, and keynote speaker. She started her career as a national sales recruiter more than 20 years ago, has owned Cohen Career Consulting for 16 years, and is a contributing writer for the Denver Business Journal. She has appeared as a career expert on Denver’s Channel 7 and Channel 4 News, and has been interviewed on several radio shows. With a nearly 100% success rate, Aimee has empowered and guided hundreds of women to reach their full professional potential.

You Have to Believe Me