They are stories about the woods, houses hidden in the gaps between mountains. Behind them, the skeletons of old and powerful machines rust into the slate and leaves. Water red with iron leeches from the empty mines and pools near a stone foundation. The boy there plays in the bones because he is a child and this will be his childhood. He watches while winter comes falling slowly down over the road. Sometimes he remembers a girl, her hair and the perfume she wore. These are stories about her and where she might have gone. He waits for sleep because in the next story he will leave. The boy watches an airplane blink red past his window. From here, you can't hear its violence.

     Having put an embittered past behind him, Marc builds a successful landscaping business with clientele from the affluent suburbs of Chicago and starts to appreciate the finer things in life—and he's found the perfect woman to share in it. But when his alcoholic sister and her two young sons enter into the picture, Marc falls victim to their helplessness and temporarily puts his own life aside. When his despondent father is added to the mix, it doesn’t take long for Marc to completely lose sight of his own dreams—and his girlfriend. Does Marc save his relatives from their ill-fated lives, or save himself from entering into a life of self-sacrifice and missed opportunities? Painful soul-searching and late-night talks with the captivating tenant downstairs guide him to an unexpected decision and discovery of his true purpose in life.

    This free Kindle book features interviews, essays, excerpts, and other fun extras about the year’s top 20 titles: Donna Tartt talks about her eating habits while writing The Goldfinch; Khaled Hosseini’s publicist discusses what it’s like to be on a national tour with him; David Finkel discusses the emotional impact following the 2-16 infantry battalion in Thank You for Your Service; and much more.

    One snowy night, exhausted parents Evelyn and Gabe Mitchell have just put their colicky four month old baby, Abigail, to sleep in the nursery of their farmhouse. Afraid their large mixed breed dog, Girl, will wake the baby, they unsuccessfully try to coax her out from under the crib where she has slept since the baby was born. Girl refuses to budge, because Girl senses what nobody else knows: something is catastrophically wrong. Told in lean, luminous prose, and inspired by a real life rescue, Miracle on Wolf Hollow Lane is a riveting story about one dog’s power of fortitude and gritty determination to live, to beat the odds, to return home, and maybe, just maybe, save the family from impending tragedy.OTHER BEST SELLING AND AWARD-WINNING BOOKS BY BLAKE O'CONNOR:Trust MeUnspoken Bond

    Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, is tormented by the thought that maybe his aunt is lying to him about how his mother died. To find the truth he has to overcome his fears: the local bully, the large dark shapes that he imagines in the middle of the dock at night, and the thought that maybe his brother is right, he's just a warped kid who thinks too much. Will he find the courage to stand and fight? Q&A with Lawton Paul Q: What sparked this novel? A: Two things. One: I wanted my kids to know where I came from. The very southern setting—North Florida on the St. Johns river, is where I grew up. And I wanted to give them a feel for that time and place. Watching the sunrise on a stinky crab boat in the St. Johns—what could be better? And the second thing: When I'm not writing, I'm teaching kids. I see a lot of young people who have such promise but for some reason or another, give up right before they're about to make headway. I see my own kids struggling at certain points in their lives. And one thought keeps coming back: don't give up. So I wanted Jesse (main character in Seagull) to really have some heavy issues to navigate through: the death of his mother, Johnny the bully, and of course, the girl, Hailey. You'll have to read the book (savvy marketing ploy alert!) to find out how it all turned out for Jesse. Q: Why should readers give this novel a try? A: If I've done my job well, you'll enjoy the ride and maybe even get that little happy-glow feeling at the end like you just watched Rocky again, or someone said your hair looks nice, or you got an “A” on a pre-calc test. (Another genius bit of marketing there.) Q: What kind of book is Seagull? A: It's a coming of age southern novel with a young main character that should appeal to fiction readers of all ages. Younger readers will sympathize with our teen heroes Jesse and Matty and adult readers will be taken back to earlier days. My style has a literary feel, but the story is plot-driven and suspenseful, especially at the end. And even has a hint of romance. Thanks for giving Seagull a try. Please let me know what you thought of it. —Lawton Paul

    Through his lucid and captivating writing, he brings to the fore how there is always something more than what meets the eye. The Grandmaster & other short stories is a selection of fictional tales that provide a glimpse of life’s different facets and oddities. It is these experiences that make our journey interesting, colourful and ends where you least expected it to.  Explore these fast-paced tales, with a twist that will keep you turning pages till you reach the end…

    As William Spencer celebrates his birthday each year on December 25--first as a child in rural America in the 1930s, and then as a World War II veteran, husband, and father--he learns that, no matter what his circumstances, happiness is an attitude, not a condition. But as a solitary old man living in a one-bedroom apartment, William Spencer expects this Christmas birthday to be his last. His holiday is one of solitude and reflection, dominated by the echoes of the past and by a single, simple wish. When an unexpected turn of events reminds William of a lesson learned many years ago, he's faced with a choice. Can he find the strength to imagine a new future?

    It chronicles the time preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ. The second volume, The Word at War takes place between the opening of the second and third seals described in the The Book of Revelation. Iran (the Persian Ram) has conquered the Middle East and the world is in a state of war not seen since World War II. Soon the antichrist will rise to rule the world, for a short time. Ford discovers more connections between the Books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, and more. Samantha experiences heart breaking loss and tragedy. The world has become a deadly place and will only get worse before it gets better. Check out The Road to Revelation - The Beginning for the beginning of the story.

    After a good night's rest, she decides to catch up with her close friends, aka, The Garden Girls at their favorite hangout, Dot's Restaurant. There's just one small problem. As Gloria pulls into the small town of Belhaven, she finds Dot's place swarming with cops and the restaurant itself taped off with crime scene tape. Someone at the restaurant has been poisoned after eating Dot's famous Chicken 'n Dumplings! Dot and her husband Ray, are devastated and now must try to clear their name. When they ask Gloria to help, she jumps right into detective-mode and is hot on the trail of another killer. The list of suspects widens as Gloria uncovers a pile of motives - some from residents in their own little town. Desperate to clear her good friends' names, she discovers the killer may be a little too close for comfort. BOOK 5: Eye Spy "Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford is having a bad day. A really bad day. Just when she thinks it couldn't possibly get any worse, it does. The sleepy little town of Belhaven has just been invaded by a swarm of federal authorities sent to investigate the local post office and it's postmaster, who just so happens to be one of Gloria's best friends, Ruth. When Ruth is put on temporary leave pending the outcome of the investigation, she asks Gloria if she can come and stay with her until the crisis is over. Gloria doesn't have the heart to turn her down. With Ruth underfoot and the uncertainty of not knowing how long the "official investigation" might take, Gloria has never been more motivated to solve a mystery! Knowing she'll need every trick up her sleeve, plus a little help from her friends and from the other Garden Girls, she'll do whatever it takes to help her friend and save her own sanity! Can she get Ruth back to work and her cozy life back to normal - or will Gloria have a new, permanent houseguest? BOOK 6: Magnolia Mansion Mysteries There's no place like home! But what if "home" happens to be the town's mysterious, rundown, mansion? At least that's what young Andrea Malone keeps asking herself ever since she bought the vacant, dilapidated house months ago. Determined to put down roots in the cozy little town of Belhaven, she gets busy managing the much-needed renovations in order to revive the old house and restore it to the grandiose mansion it once was. With the renovations nearly complete, the mysterious house begins to reveal secrets from its troubled past. On the same day that her quirky parents arrive in town for a visit, Andrea makes a shocking discovery that has her questioning if she should spend another night in the house. She calls on her friend and amateur sleuth, Gloria Rutherford, to help her get to the bottom of the mysteries that surround the mansion. The more clues Gloria uncovers, the deeper the mysteries get.

    Garrett Connolly thought he'd found a lasting love, but instead has left his home for a new start. Fellow deputies, Sage and Garrett find themselves working side by side to solve escalating vandalism aimed at the influx of affluent residents in their small northwoods town. Who is targeting the homes of new people who bring so many needed jobs and fresh cash to the struggling community? On the personal side, can Sage feel love again? Is Garrett chancing a rebound romance, a big mistake? And should fellow deputies be feeling more than friendship? Welcome back to Steadfast, Wisconsin, a town with people and mysteries you may never forget.

    Will she have the strength and the faith to do what is best for the baby and the mother, despite the fact that she is no longer able to have anymore children of her own?

    The Station books are part of a YA/NA Fantasy series that follow teenage anti-heroine, Piper Willow, after she dies and wakes up in the afterlife at a place called the Station, and is offered redemption – in the form of a job. After Piper dies, she gets two choices: enter her own personal hell, or go back to Earth and become the voice of conscience inside a boy’s head. Can she save Sloan from meeting the same fate? A tale of hope that will warm your heart.

    For Joe, a 12-year-old boy suddenly alone and 600 miles from home, it's a nightmare come true. This adventure story is a tale of a special friendship that only comes along once in a lifetime. Joe, who is white, and Peter, sixteen and a free Black, become unlikely friends and learn to depend on each other as they try to escape the desperate Confederate South. Follow these two as they trek through a war-torn countryside and witness war at its worst, up close and personal. They travel through a landscape that has been decimated by brutal battles, and they encounter people that have suffered the extreme hardships and depredation of three years of war. All the while they learn to depend on each other and grow a binding love as special as any two brothers. They will need each other more than they know-unknown to them, they are being pursued by a deranged killer. Also read John Gschwend's historical novel, Spirit In The Red Amber and his science fiction novel, Portal To The Forgotten. Scroll up, click the buy button, and enter this moving Civil War novel. johngschwend.com

    The search to learn more about her birth family drives Natalie to renovate the dilapidated chateau into a stylish bed-and-breakfast complete with wine tastings amongst beautiful vineyards. But danger awaits her around every corner of the aged home and every lush row of grapes. For twenty-five years a serial killer has left a trail of bodies in his wake. Now the Lakeview Slayer has his sights set on Natalie.  Nick Hardaway never recovered from his sister’s murder—a victim of the Slayer. When news of the killer’s latest murder breaks, Nick grows more determined to make amends for his sister’s death, and joins Natalie in her renovations of the chateau. Natalie may hold the key to capturing the Lakeview Slayer before he kills again, but first the pair must decide if their newfound love is worth dying for.

    She doesn't remember anything from her past or the circumstances that brought her there. Her family and friends surround her with love, helping her to recover and return to her life. But, for Rose, life has begun at the age of sixteen; she doesn't remember her childhood, her parents, nor David, her childhood sweetheart. The years pass. Rose lives a life no different from that of thousands of other women. The choices she makes at different junctures in her life affect her and those around her. She experiences moments of crisis and success, joy and sadness. Sixteen years after she loses her memory, her life is subjected to a surprising twist, which makes her think again about the choices she made in her life. Deja Vu is Michal Hartstein's third novel. It was preceded by Confessions of an Abandoned Wife and Hill of Secrets. Deja Vu won the Israeli Nanowrimo contest, raising these comments from the judges: "A real 'page turner, '... honest and free from self-righteousness... centered around a fascinating concept. The writer has a rare talent for telling a compelling story."