Thousands settled in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a city where the skies were always black, the steel mills were always roaring, and life was bleak and harsh. One of them, Ewa Piekos, an orphan girl of 15 from Poland, wants simply to be loved and to feel like she is not alone. On the voyage to America, Ewa’s beloved sister dies, throwing her into an emotional tailspin. It’s only after arriving at Ellis Island that Ewa learns the real reason she was brought to the Land of Golden Opportunity. This secret is almost as crushing to her as the moment her sister died. From the time she arrives at Ellis Island, Ewa's life is never an easy one. It is filled with heartache and loss. But her life in America enables her to plant roots which eventually grow with the family she establishes there.

    It is one part the account of a refugee family who barely survived explosions and hunger while seeking safety during World War II, and includes vivid descriptions of the hardships Mike, his siblings, and parents endured. It is another part the story of an immigrant family who came to the United States (by way of Argentina) after the war and with great ingenuity and industry worked their way up to levels of success that had been unimaginable during the darkest days of war. Finally, it is also the chronicle of a loyal and valiant soldier who sought to pay back his debts to the United States for defeating fascism and communism through distinguished service in the U.S. Air Force's intelligence operations. In sum, it is a riches-to-rags-to-riches story that testifies both to the resilience of one man and to the ideals of the nation that inspired him.

    As Conroy's writings have been rooted in autobiography more often than not, his readers have come to know and appreciate much about the once-secret dark familial history that has shaped Conroy's life and work. Conversations with the Conroys opens further the discussion of the Conroy family through five revealing interviews conducted in 2014–15 with Pat Conroy and four of his six siblings: brothers Mike, Jim, and Tim and sister Kathy. In confessional and often comic dialogs, the Conroys openly discuss the perils of being raised by their larger-than-life parents, USMC fighter pilot Col. Don Conroy (the Great Santini) and southern belle Peggy Conroy (née Peek); the complexities of having their history of abuse made public by Pat's books; the tragic death of their youngest brother, Tom; the chasm between them and their sister Carol Ann; and the healing, redemptive embrace they have come to find over time in one another. With good humor and often-striking candor, these interviews capture the Conroys as authentic and indeed proud South Carolinians, not always at ease with their place in literary lore, but nonetheless deeply supportive of Pat in his life and writing. Edited and introduced by the Palmetto State's pre-eminent historian, Walter Edgar, Conversations with the Conroys includes the first publications of Pat Conroy's interview with Edgar as the keynote address of the 2014 One Book, One Columbia citywide "big read" program, the unprecedented interview with the Conroy siblings for SCETV Radio's Walter Edgar's Journal, the resulting live Conroy Family Roundtable held at the 2014 South Carolina Book Festival, and a recent interview in Charleston following Pat Conroy's induction into the Citadel's Athletics Hall of Fame. This collection is augmented with an afterword from National Book Award–winning poet Nikky Finney and nearly fifty photographs, many from the Pat Conroy Archive in the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries, and published here for the first time. Through the resulting treasure trove of text and images, this volume is as much a keepsake for Conroy's legion of devoted fans as it is a wealth of insider information to broaden the understanding of readers and researchers alike of the idiosyncratic world of Pat Conroy and his family.

    As she uncovers layers of grime on what could prove to be a lost Flemish masterpiece, Rachel finds that layers of her own soul—layers that she would rather have kept hidden—are being stripped away.Imbued with historical and artistic detail, Unveiling will appeal to readers of A.S. Byatt’s Possession and Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Beautifully written, it brings the venerable city of Rome vividly to life and illuminates the power of art, imagination, and beauty to speak directly to the heart.

    After witnessing the death and destruction caused by the Civil War, Colonel Blake Wallace is eager to leave his once precious Southern homeland for the pristine shores of Brazil and the prospect of a new utopian community. Widow Eliza Crawford seeks passage on Wallace’s ship harboring a dirty secret—and a blossoming hope for a fresh start. But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

    The saga is set on Cumberland Island during plantation-era Georgia and centers around a remarkable woman known as Elisabeth Bernardey. Zabette, as she is called, was born the illegitimate daughter of a planter and a slave and was raised as the planter's daughter, so she finds herself neither completely free nor totally in bondage. Plum Orchard chronicles her journey through the Antebellum South as she strives to live in two worlds while belonging totally to neither. This epic tale spans a large portion of the nineteenth century and is a narrative that explores both the darkness that was slavery and the light that lives within the human heart.

    

    levels a small town in Kansas and rips apart the commercial airliner flying overhead. The wife and child of Oliver Wells are among the thousands reported dead. Authorities blame the tragedy on an accident at a fertilizer plant not up to code. A year later, still grappling with his depression, Oliver is accosted by a mysterious stranger who offers another answer: A FARMER CAUSED THE EXPLOSION. AN EXPLOSION BORN OF THOUGHT. A THOUGHT SO PERFECT AND DIVINE IT'S SAID TO MIRROR WHAT GOD THOUGHT TO CONCEIVE THE UNIVERSE. Thrust into a hidden world of conspirators and luminaries who would do anything to attain the farmer's knowledge, Oliver finds himself in a race to confront the man who killed his family. To do so, he must test the limits of his sanity... AND UNLOCK THE POWER OF THE GOD THOUGHT FOR HIMSELF."

    . .we do not forget." It is the year 2000, and with the new millennium has come the fresh promise of peace in the Middle East.But when a pair of IDF reservists are brutally lynched in the West Bank town of Ramallah--the graphic imagery of their final moments broadcast around the Western world. . .all hopes of peace are shattered.As Israel mourns her dead and America attempts to salvage the peace process, the Mossad is tasked with finding and bringing to justice those responsible for the butchery, activating a Kidon team led by a young assassin known only as Ariel. . .The "Lion of God."But as the hunt narrows, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems. And vengeance far from the only agenda in play. . .The Lion of God Trilogy represents an expansion of Stephen England's best-selling Shadow Warriors universe, and this volume includes all three previously-published individual episodes now compiled into a single volume.

    . . Eight-year-old, Vern Harpole, wakes up on the front porch of a bakery he's never seen before. The frightened boy is discovered by the kind baker who returns him to the hotel where he'd been staying with his mother and young sister, only to learn they've left and have no intention of returning. With no trace of where they’ve gone or by what means they’re traveling, a search is impossible. Even the authorities have little help to offer. Being childless, the baker and his wife decide to give Vern a home. Initially, they see him as a means of cheap labor. But over time, a bond of love grows between them, and they find joy as a family. Yet Vern can't dismiss the hurtful feelings of abandonment, as well as many unanswered questions about his mother. Margaret Jordan has recently immigrated from Ireland to America. Like Vern, she's troubled by painful reminders of traumatic experiences that have irrevocably altered her life. She settles in Kansas City, where she finds employment at a local restaurant. When she and Vern cross paths, he immediately recognizes her pain and wants to help her, but it will take more than kindness to break through the protective walls she's built around herself. Determination pushes him to be persistent, needing to believe that love can be something more than forsaken.

     Greg: A naive gold-digger. A world-weary miner. Will a tragic twist of fate become a rich vein of love? California, 1848. Greg Settler’s golden ambitions have hit stony ground. Forced to rely on his neighbor Hugo and Hugo’s feisty daughter for mining help, he’s had about enough of the woman’s condescending attitude. But when his neighbor’s dying words demand Greg take care of his headstrong daughter, he’s not sure his fortunes have improved… Mercy Watkins believed in her father’s dreams. Now burdened with a man who doesn’t know the first thing about mining, her world collapses further when Greg is accused of murder. With the hanging hours away, Mercy’s only solution to save her former neighbor may be marriage. Juan: He’s a Mexican loner. She’s an unwed mom. Can two outcasts turn misfortune into love’s destiny? Oregon, 1830. Sonia Wist’s luck never came through. Now widowed, broke, and a young mom, she’s too ashamed to stay in town. Stumbling into an empty cabin, Sonia’s all out of hope until a horse wrangler finally gives her the break she’s waited for… Juan Settler has always suffered the pain of prejudice. So when the Mexican horse wrangler discovers a pretty woman and her son hiding out, her wounded eyes go straight to his heart. Welcoming her to his family, he wonders if he’s finally found a place to fit in. Scarlett: A snobby bride. A down-to-earth groom. Can they shape their mail-order marriage into long-lasting love? Oregon, 1831. Scarlett Settler knows she’ll never live down being left at the altar. Quietly agreeing to become mail-order bride, she waits to be pampered by servants and chefs. But when she discovers her husband is a lowly blacksmith without a housekeeper in sight, she wonders if her golden dreams have turned to pig iron. Dillon Stahl can’t wait to show off the house he built for his new wife. But when the haughty, opinionated woman belittles his work and their home, he worries he’s in over his head. Straining to look beyond her frustration, he starts to see the true woman he’d like to get to know for a lifetime.

    The bleak wilderness of America’s 49th state challenges three women in different eras: Julie, a nurse, who must serve victims of a 1925 diphtheria epidemic; Beth, whose Canadian-born husband is killed in World War II; and Rita, who takes on the ultimate test of endurance, the Iditarod dog sled race. Each must surmount the obstacles in her life, and perhaps, with God’s help, find true love as well.

    It was originally published as a standalone prequel to A Rose Blooms Twice. Again, you may read this book as Part 1 of Wild Heart on the Prairie.Land of Dust & Tears is the gripping prequel to the breakthrough historical novel, A Rose Blooms Twice, and is the foundation of the acclaimed series, A Prairie Heritage. Brothers Jan (Yahn) and Karl Thoresen have left their native land of Norway and braved many perils and hardships to bring their families to America—the land of freedom and hope. Like thousands of others, Jan and his wife Elli long for the opportunity of a better life and a future for their children. After enduring an ocean crossing and the arduous journey west, they encounter a land so vast and wide that it defies mastery. Jan finds that his struggles are not only with the land, but with a restless and unmanageable heart. Will Jan find a way to overcome this wild land or will the prairie master him? Land of Dust & Tears is also published as Part 1 of Wild Heart on the Prairie, Book 2 of the series, A Prairie Heritage. Land of Dust & Tears is priced to introduce you to this beautiful saga. The author suggests that you follow your read of Land of Dust & Tears with A Rose Blooms Twice, Book 1 of A Prairie Heritage and then read Wild Heart on the Prairie, which includes both Part 1 and Part 2 of Land of Dust & Tears. Part 2 of Wild Heart on the Prairie is the conclusion of Land of Dust & Tears. A Prairie Heritage: Prequel: Land of Dust & Tears Book 1: A Rose Blooms Twice Book 2: Wild Heart on the Prairie Book 3: Joy on This Mountain Book 4: The Captive Within Book 5: Stolen Book 6: Lost Are Found, November 2014 “Vikki writes the kind of faith-filled fiction that hooks you within the first few pages, will not let you go until you have finished, and leaves you wishing for more.” —Janis Braun, Seattle, Washington “Her books are not just for 'chicks'! I was amazed how engrossed I became in the lives of Vikki's characters, and how much I could relate to their situations.” —Ed Dunne, Los Angeles “Be prepared to put life on hold. That's all I have to say!” —Rebecca H., New Jersey “You will laugh, you will cry but, most of all, you will be uplifted.” —LaTisha Holland, St. Augustine, FL

    Corinne Temple, age seventeen, has a few ridiculous challenges to face outside the river crossings, snakes, Indians, accidental gunshots and finding enough privacy to be clean along the grimy trail. When Corinne’s marriage of convenience gets less convenient she turns to some new friends in the wagon train who help her see the hope for the future. They teach her to take the time to dance and celebrate the small victories, to have faith and determination through the hardest things a person can face. Corinne’s journey takes her from the cobblestone streets of fashionable Boston to the rugged mountains of the west, across rivers and deserts, from sea to shining sea. A faithful heart gets this young woman through the hardest days on the trail, her skills and resolve show her and others how a woman can rise from circumstances and survive. Join her as she discovers her own strength and resilience in … Seeing the Elephant.(Previously released as Seeing The Elephant, revised, rewritten and professionally edited.)