- Chrysteen Braun
- Cozy Mystery
- Demographic Orientation/Rural
- Demographic Orientation/Small Town
- Domestic Life
- Family & Relationships
- Family Life
- Family Life Fiction
- Family Saga Fiction
- Female friendship
- Fiction
- Friendship
- Friendship Fiction
- Kris Clink
- Marble Creek Press
- Marriage & Divorce
- Military
- Mystery
- Paperback
- PUB202104
- PUB202105
- PUB202109
- PUB202211
- Rachel Hanna
- Romance
- Sex & Gender/Feminine
- She Writes Press
- Small Town & Rural
- Small Town & Rural Fiction
- Small Town Fiction
- Sparkpress
- Suzanne Simonetti
- The Guest Book Trilogy
- Topical/Coming of Age
- Topical/Family
- Topical/Friendship
- Women
- Women’s Domestic Life Fiction
- Women’s Friendship Fiction
10 products
Better with Friends
Life is hard, but friends make it better.
Jackie Turner has never felt so invisible. As a top performer, the forty-eight-year-old is shocked when she's passed over for a promotion at work. Has she become irrelevant? It's a bitter pill, but she vows to keep her disappointment to herself as she travels back home to Minnesota for her thirty-year high school reunion. She deserves this unspoiled time to reconnect with her oldest and dearest friends.
Their special friendship kicked off at summer camp when five young girls bonded over butterflies, a troubling accusation, and a simple craft project. They dubbed themselves the Kaleidoscope Girls, and not even their turbulent high school years could tear them apart.
They promised to stay close, but life can thwart even the best of intentions.
Decades later, Jackie realizes she needs her lifelong friends now more than ever. Who better to turn to for advice on navigating the highs and lows of midlife? Her career feels stale, her nest is empty, and her father is fighting a battle he can't win. She needs a fresh start, and together with the rest of the Kaleidoscope Girls, Jackie will hit the road and experience what it feels like to have fun again.
Experience the magic of female friendships in Better with Friends, the first book in The Kaleidoscope Girls women's fiction series. Let Kimberly Diede, best-selling author of the popular Whispering Pines series, give you a glimpse into the early years and bring you along as the next chapters unfold for these five amazing women. Their future journeys will be even richer, thanks to old friends.
Let the Kaleidoscope Girls remind you that the best is yet to come.
Celia's Gifts
Before becoming a wealthy matriarch and the proud owner of Whispering Pines, Celia Middleton faced the challenge of a lifetime-saving her family. Kimberly Diede's heartwarming series, Gift of Whispering Pines, began with this amazing woman's legacy. Now it's time to discover the secrets behind her success.
Intent on escaping the far-off echoes of World War II, Celia tags along to her friend's small lake resort, Whispering Pines. She'll soon realize the quaint family getaway is the perfect place to spend the hot, humid days of a Minnesota summer. One glorious month of sun-drenched days and starlit nights will never be enough.
The tranquil environment is a balm for Celia's anxious heart. Troubles back home fade away. Here, she can be herself, even if she doesn't quite fit in. Her friends are focused on nabbing the perfect husband, but Celia has other plans. Her own father left them destitute, and she's vowed to never wind up like her poor mother.
Celia's steely resolve softens as she twirls across a crowded dance floor in the arms of a man she barely knows. She's intrigued-tempted, even. But when tragedy shatters the serenity she's found at Whispering Pines, she faces an agonizing decision.
Can Celia hold tight to her vision and battle through crushing discrimination to build the career and financial independence she so desperately seeks? Even if she manages to protect her family, how can she save Whispering Pines, too?
Travel back to an earlier era in Celia's Gifts where Kimberly Diede introduces you to a loyal, ambitious young Celia in this sixth book in her uplifting series. Immerse yourself in the making of an incredible woman. Will societal expectations and unthinkable loss destroy Celia, or will she emerge stronger than ever?
Celia's Legacy
Celia Middleton sacrificed nearly everything to become the wealthy matriarch of her family and the proud owner of Whispering Pines. After everything she's been through, does she have the strength to hold on to it all?
Celia overcame rampant discrimination by proving herself, time and again, to build the unique life she envisioned. Now retirement will bring her the freedom to finally relax and have fun at Whispering Pines again . . . unless haunting memories threaten that dream, too.
Old friends know best, so when Ruby suggests it's time for Celia to walk away from Whispering Pines, she's afraid the woman might be right. She used to fantasize about seeing the world. Should she let the resort go and travel instead, while she's still young enough to enjoy it?
Every choice comes with a cost.
Celia will have to fight to keep her heart open through the hurt and loss that comes with aging. She may grow old alone, but she refuses to be lonely. She's learned valuable lessons along the way, and her family needs her hard-earned wisdom more than ever. Can she help her precious nieces and nephew-Renee, Jess, Ethan, and Val-avoid the regrets that tarnish her golden years?
Celia's Legacy, the seventh book in Kimberly Diede's uplifting Gift of Whispering Pines family saga will take you along on Celia's final journey as she battles to protect what she worked so hard to build so it can serve generations to come.
What more could a woman want?
Five Golden Friends
Can these forever friends recapture their zest for life together?
Annie Pierce knows the best part of turning fifty will be raising a glass in a toast with her oldest friends. As long as there is water, wine, and warmth, plus time to reminisce and reconnect, everyone should be happy. Fun with friends is a great way to escape life for a while. And Annie needs the escape. Will a week in Arizona be enough to quell her growing trepidation?
She'd expected to enjoy her empty nest, but the house is too quiet and regrets are piling up over decisions made long ago. The rift within her blended family feels like a chasm. Her husband is pulling away, her ex is back, and loyalties are in question. Frustrations at work aren't helping. A favorite student is making stupid choices and putting lives at risk. As she awaits her first grandchild, Annie would give anything to bring her family back together.
How can this soon-to-be grandma muster the energy to save both her family and her students? She'll need the support of her best friends if she's going to move forward through these paralyzing midlife struggles.
She used to be fearless. Now she's frozen.
Can Annie begin to thaw under the Arizona sun with a little help from her friends?
Enjoy a fun-filled girls' trip with this welcoming group in Five Golden Friends, book three of The Kaleidoscope Girls women's friendship series by Kimberly Diede. Life is a compilation of yesterday's choices, but hard-earned wisdom plus a little courage can lead to new pathways and fewer regrets.
Gift of Friends
There is no greater gift than friendship.
For the first time in fifty years, Lynette Howe's financial struggles are behind her. Her wildly prosperous online boutique is now someone else's headache. It wasn't hard to bid farewell to the fast-paced lifestyle of New York City, but designing her new life in the quiet town she left decades ago isn't working.
Men used to find her intriguing-mysterious, even-when her role as a stylish CEO demanded most of her time. Women's desire to emulate her only helped fuel her success. But now? Now she spends her days poking around the small town of Ruby Shores, talking to a cat.
She isn't the only one struggling. Her mother, Donna, remains by her side, but sometimes it feels like their roles have reversed. Even though they've accomplished great things together, both women harbor unspoken dreams. Will their codependency lead to regrets?
Lynette welcomes the distraction of her annual girls' trip with her four best friends. This year's destination isn't a plane ride away. Instead, they'll go back to the peaceful solitude of Whispering Pines. It'll feel like summer camp all over again . . . except for adults. She could use some girlish giggles, along with coffee on the dock at sunrise or wine around a sunset campfire.
But unexpected guests bring turmoil to the resort. When long-hidden secrets come to light and unsettling news arrives from New York, not even the tranquility of Whispering Pines or the reassuring presence of her girlfriends can stop Lynette from questioning every decision she's made during the past two years.
Slip away with this uplifting group to the restful Minnesota lake resort of Whispering Pines in Gift of Friends by Kimberly Diede. You're sure to catch their laughter floating on a warm lakeside breeze in this fourth book of the Kaleidoscope Girls women's fiction series.
Hopeful expectations, mixed with delicious surprises and shocking truths, will have you cheering on both daughter and mother in this colorful celebration of female friendships.
Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy
About the Author
Clink, Kris: - Kris Clink writes about relatable characters who rely on humor and tenderness to navigate their complicated relationships. Set in middle America, her novels are laced with love, heartbreak, and just enough snarky humor to rock the boat.
Sunshine and Friends
Sunshine and friendship help chase away the shadows.
Packing is the last thing Kit Robinson needs to cross off the to-do list before her long-anticipated girls' trip. She can't wait to enjoy an icy cocktail under a hot Hawaiian sun with old friends, where they'll toast the keeping of a thirty-year promise.
But when a terrifying tornado sends Kit racing through a dark night, her time in the sun is in jeopardy. Surprises await her back home. Has Kit's estranged mother returned? If that dreadful woman is back, chaos isn't far behind. Kit's fiancé does his best to persuade her to stick with her original travel plans, but her grandmother needs her. Shouldn't she stay?
Then Kit stumbles across yet another secret and the wash of pain overshadows everything. How could the person she trusts more than anyone else in the world lie to her about something so important?
Overwhelmed, Kit needs to escape the lies. Her lifelong friends know how deep her scars run and they'll understand why these latest bombshells are rocking Kit's carefully orchestrated world.
Her friends will know what to do.
Escape to the lush vistas of Hawaii in Sunshine and Friends, book two of The Kaleidoscope Girls women's friendship series by Kimberly Diede. Life leaves scars. Will a wounded Kit retreat behind old walls, or can her best friends convince her that keeping an open heart is worth the risk?
Grab your copy of Sunshine and Friends today, because everyone deserves a trip to the tropics and a reminder of the power of forgiveness.
The Girls in Cabin Number Three
"...a book that readers will not be able to put down. With themes of love, family, friendship, new beginnings, and the complexity of life, readers will get hooked from the very beginning." —San Francisco Book Review
In book two of the Guest Book Trilogy, eighty-one-year-old Annie Parker recounts taking on, against the wishes of her new love Noah, an out-of-town design project that leads her down a path that is more than she bargained for.
Back in Lake Arrowhead, California, a long-awaited mystery is buried in Cabin Number Three. Annie meets Carrie Davis who wants to update her childhood home on the lake and feels a tie to Annie's cabins. Apparently, Carrie's parents stayed here during the Roaring '20s when Bugsy Siegel ran an underground speakeasy and distillery. Unconvinced, Annie decides to investigate and finds their names in the old guest books-Elizabeth Davis and Thomas Meyer. As exciting as that sounds, it's only the start of a winding tale that Carrie and the new man in her life uncover. The pair unravel a family history filled with gangsters, working girls, and a surprising twist to a family tree.
The Girls in Cabin Number Three combines women's fiction with romance, cozy noir mystery, and suspense-all wrapped up in the majestic environs of this lovely lakeside haven.
More Reviews:
"...rife with charming characters, a gorgeous mountain setting, and meticulous research..." —IndieReader
"[The Girls in Cabin Number Three]'s complex, interesting characters, and engrossing historical and geographical settings make it a must-read." —Readers' Favorite
"Personal drama and historical tidbits combine nicely for a quick and entertaining read." —Kirkus
"Braun's a top-notch storyteller; The Girls in Cabin Number Three is well plotted with clearly defined and relatable characters. Her research is exemplary." —Kate Osborn, formerly with the Mountain News, Lake Arrowhead
"Annie meets Carrie Davis, a new guest who slowly begins to unravel secrets from her own family's past in the second part of The Guestbook Trilogy: The Girls in Cabin Number Three...with plenty of intrigue in an idyllic mountain locale." —Susan Denley, former Associate Features Editor, Los Angeles Times
Author Bio:
When it comes to California, mountain retreats, and home renovation, Chrysteen Braun doesn’t just write about it, she’s lived it. The California-native grew up in Long Beach where she recalls writing her first novel at the young age of 12. Moving to Hollywood, she worked at Capital Records where, at just 18, was tasked with ordering all the Beatles’s Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album covers. Shortly thereafter, she joined her family’s home remodeling and design business, which she subsequently owned and operated with her husband, Larry. Fast forward almost fifty years and today that business has passed on to her daughter to continue the family tradition. Meanwhile, Chrysteen has returned to her roots of writing, finding adventure in her characters’ tangle of relationships, mystery and intrigue. The mountains, where she and her husband have a second home, are the inspiration for much of her writing, including The Guestbook Trilogy book series.
Today, Chrysteen lives in Coto de Caza, with her husband and two Siamese cats and divides her time between writing articles on home decor and design, writing fiction and operating a decor boutique in Lake Arrowhead, California, aptly named, At the Cabin.
The Sound of Wings
About the Author
Simonetti, Suzanne: - Suzanne Simonetti grew up in the New York suburbs just outside of the city. After earning a BS in marketing, she spent several years writing press releases, until she left her corporate job to focus on her passion for crafting fiction. She lives on Cape May Harbor with her husband. When not on her paddle board or yoga mat, she can be found at the beach trailing the shoreline for seashells, scribbling in her notebook, and channeling dolphins for meaningful conversation.