A contemporary thread and another thread about an ancient system prevalent in Indian Hindu temples. Colonial India is covered as well.

    In an act of desperation, one of them murdered him, releasing them all from his control, but not from the guilt and shame they buried deep within. Through the Open Door, a sequel to Kitchen Canary, meets the characters seven years later. The killer recounts the abuse inflicted by Charles Brennan and describes the final acts of cruelty that led to his murder. When the doors of freedom opened, each of the victims followed their own path. Rose Brennan is a shrewd business women, who imports high end art and furnishings for the wealthy occupying Back Bay. She is the matriarch of the 'family,' her children and the victims of her late husband's cruelty. Rose's son, Charles, moved to Europe in search of exotic imports for his mother's business. Margaret, sullen and irascible, cannot find her place in the world.. Virginia, the child conceived by an Irish domestic and Charles Brennan, is approaching adolescence, and wants to know about her birth story. The Irish domestics are established with husbands and families. The Irish have a foothold in politics, with a plan to elect the first Irish Catholic mayor of Boston. Moira and Paddy McMahon's marriage, built on a foundation of secrets and lies, crumbles when Paddy finds the lure of politics greater than his love of family. Moira seeks the counsel of a new pastor, while Paddy comforts himself with whiskey, gambling and women. Boston's wealthy are moving to the new Back Bay. Katie O'Neil's husband, Sean, is at the center of the building boom. He offers a job to Etta's son. Matthew finds the logging camp in Maine a dreary and cold place to work. He's frozen out by the white Irish, rejecting him for his race. It takes all his strength to prevail as a negro in a white world. The freed slaves, Etta and William , continue to work for Mrs. Brennan. William, now married, observes their lives from afar, while Etta immerses herself and her sons, Matthew and Luke in the 'family.' Her sense of security is shattered when she learns Luke's actions could jeopardize her home and livlihood. Through the Open Door describes the effects of the abuse of power on its victims as they continue their lives. Through the experiences of its characters, it pays homage to the courageous men and women who left their homelands to assure a better life for their families, and provides the reader with an understanding of the rejection, humiliation and ultimate bravery of freed negroes as they assimilated into an unwelcoming white culture. Through the Open Door celebrates the accomplishments of the children of immigrants, and serves as a reminder that throughout the generations, joy, acceptance, heartbreak and loss are a part of every family's story. About the Author Joanne C. Parsons wrote her debut novel, Kitchen Canary, the year after she retired from a career in eldercare. Recently widowed, she found writing a creative escape from her grief. Kitchen Canary, a historical fiction novel, is based on her grandfather's birth story. He was conceived when the master of the house violated the Irish domestic. Joanne is now remarried and lives on a pond on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. She and her husband, Jim, have a bevy of grown children and grandchildren who enjoy spending time with Grammy and Auggie. Through the Open Door was written at the request of the readers of Kitchen Canary, who loved the characters as much as Joanne loved creating them.

     In stories deeply rooted in 1940s Appalachia, June chronicles the years between meeting the irrepressible PeeDee and losing her. She struggles to understand her mother's indifference, her father's divided love, her grandmother's sudden death, her grandfather's being institutionalized. Three years later, PeeDee, riding the rails west, brings a final gift and the truth about Cade's murder. In this world forever gone, June survives and triumphs through the grace of family and friendship. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Celia H. Miles, a native of Jackson County in western North Carolina, now lives in Asheville. She attended Brevard College and Berea College and has graduate degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). She taught at Brevard College and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. A long-time instructor of English, she now spends her time writing, photographing old mills and stone circles, and traveling. She has co-authored a college textbook, has published romance novels, historical and contemporary novels, along with stories and poems in various markets, and co-edited three women’s writing anthologies. Some of this material has been published in modified form in the following: “The Big Sycamore” in Cricket (October 2000) “Selling the Grit” in Yesterday’s Magazette (July-October 1998) “Backsliding” in Victoria Press (2000) “Going to the Dentist” in Victoria Press (1999)

    Her only wish is to go home, but in order to do so, she has to find the one light on Brown Mountain that transported her back in time from 1969 to 1859. When Lizzie’s one opportunity is thwarted, she remains trapped in the antebellum South, a time she’s come to loathe, but that’s not the only reason she’s anxious to return home. The Civil War looms ever closer and she is frantic to leave before the deadliest and bloodiest conflict in American history descends on Brown Mountain. Lizzie spends her days helping the Collins sisters doctor the people on Brown Mountain and in the little town of Morganton, North Carolina. While learning about the natural healing methods the sisters’ use, she teaches them the more modern medicine she learned in medical school. But it’s the nights that keep Lizzie going, searching the mountain with her best friend Abbie to find the one light that can take her home and engaging in secret meetings with Josh Hampton, a plantation owner’s son, risking her life as she helps him lead slaves to freedom. As time goes by, Lizzie begins to care deeply for Josh, enough that she questions what she will do if the opportunity to go back to her time ever presents itself. Will she step into the light or will she choose to stay with Josh? She fears that when the time comes, she will only have a split second to make that decision and can only pray it will be the right one.

    Our canine companions often enter our lives in unexpected, magical ways, and almost always when we need it most. Ludo, a strong Alpha male German shepherd with a larger-than-life personality and Melody a young high-spirited woman need each other more than they know. An unbreakable bond that can only be formed by one meeting their true canine soulmate is forged as the two battle the best and worst life has to give them. Will the relationship between the two be enough to help them rise to the top, or will they find themselves lost in life’s darkness walking in a vicious circle? A.J. Arentz’s You’re Welcome is a brilliant, heartwarming, inspiring, and hilarious miracle tale inspired by a true story. If you believe in life after death and enjoyed books like A Dog’s Purpose, One Good Dog, and Marley and Me then you will surely love You’re Welcome. Refill your soul with hope and gratitude now by picking up a copy today! P.S. Everyone needs a canine soulmate!

    Deany Brady tells the story of her colorful childhood in the 1930s and 40s with freshness, humor, wit, and intelligence. She is a master storyteller, following in the vigorous oral tradition of her parents and her grandmother, who told vivid family stories all through her childhood. Following the arc of her young life, Brady beautifully captures her own growth from a daydreaming child, creating mansions out of moss and sticks, and gazing at the famous people in the newspapers covering the walls, to a girl in love with language and writing, whose greatest happiness is to read all of Gone with the Wind to her mother by the wash stream one magical summer. Unusual in her Appalachian community, the young Deany yearns not only to complete her high school education but to find a way to better her own life and that of her family’s, by moving to the big city of Atlanta and hoping to gain a college education. Even as Deany’s life grows more intricate and challenging, and even as she makes her own mistakes in her urge to escape the constraints of Appalachia, she holds onto her dream of a life filled with knowledge, happiness and beauty.An Appalachian Childhood is the first half of a two-part memoir. It covers Deany Brady’s first twenty-two years. The second half, Higher than Yonder Mountain, is forthcoming. This second volume follows her grown-up life’s arc from Georgia to Miami Beach, to Park Avenue in New York, and ultimately to her life as a writer in California.

    Though gradually it becomes apparent that there is a method to the maniac's madness, the victims are linked, they knew one another, and Tunny knows he must get to the truth before others die at the hands of the brutal killer. But why is he on the rampage what drives him to commit such atrocities? As the investigation progresses each new twist throws up more questions than answers. Though there is one thing that Tunny is sure of, the truth is buried somewhere amongst the carnage, and he will have to delve deep to get to the truth and when he does the devastation is beyond anything he could have anticipated let alone prepared for

    Contents:Sullivan's IslandPlantationIsle of Palms

    With the help of an eccentric aunt, Angela begins a new life, and embarks on a remarkable journey of self-discovery that takes her from the rural South to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. But her promising future as a pop star is threatened by the jealously and betrayal of her friends-and the shocking secret that is about to be revealed by the ghost of a mysterious little girl. Haunting and thought-provoking, A Lone Palm Stands is more than just the story of one life: it's a unique commentary on love, family, and our spiritual nature It's also a testimony to the resiliency of the people of South Carolina and their proven ability to survive 'come hell or highwater.'

    . .On a hot, humid July morning, sixteen-year-old Cissy Pickering calmly and deliberately shoots her father in the back.To their Mississippi community, the death of well-regarded attorney Richard Pickering is a fascinating scandal. To Cissy's distraught mother, Caroline, it's an unforgivable crime. But in Cissy's troubled mind, it was the only way she knew to save her younger sisters, the two people she loves most in the world.Janelle Clayton, the family's matriarch, has kept her distance from her daughter, Caroline--a fact she now regrets--yet she hopes to do right by her granddaughter, whom she believes implicitly. When Cissy is remanded to the Greater Mississippi State Hospital, new revelations drive her to retreat from reality. It will fall to Janelle to become Cissy's advocate and rescuer. And over the course of an unlikely road trip, Janelle and Cissy will confront the truths they've hidden from the world and themselves--finding courage, resilience, and a bond tender and tough enough to transform them both."Mikulencak tackles the complex ramifications of abuse, from unwanted notoriety to complex questions of who is responsible, with grace and empathy. . . . Forgiveness Road is haunting and poignant." --Booklist

    It is the story of Skeeter, a young boy growing up in a family poor in material goods but rich in the appreciation of their natural surroundings. The river they live on is the source of life—and death.

    Orgasms? Yeah, I give those. Fairytales? Never wanted to live those Because I'm simply not that chick Hearts? Yeah, I broke some Love? These niggas can't get none Commitment? I'm probably the wrong one But you can stop by and lick this clit If a freak is what you're looking for Be prepared when you step through my door On the bed, couch, or kitchen floor I can give you what you need I prefer my kisses down low We can do this fast or we can take it slow Either way, I think it's best I let you know When it's over, please, get up and leave My name is Melody Bledsoe and I got some freaky things to tell you. You ready? Probably not!

    With a conked out ’72 Beetle, and a newly broken heart courtesy of her cheating ex-fiancée, Libby Green finds herself fleeing to tiny Spoonbend, Georgia to claim a cottage willed to her family years ago. Libby must learn the ins and outs of life in the small town south—where the iced tea is sweet, the drawl is slow, the men are sexy, and southern belles aren’t always charming. After embarrassing herself in hopes of assimilating (who knew people actually still called northerners Yankees?) and catching the eye of more than one gallant good ol’ boy, Libby inadvertently uncovers a dark secret that will challenge the very fabric of Spoonbend society.

    Or do they? Here's to finding love at any age... A crossover story between the Comfort Crossing series and the Lighthouse Point series.

    I could barely put the book down until its equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming ending. A wonderful, smart and funny book - I know readers will absolutely love it' Louise Fein, bestselling author of People Like UsThe Willows have been through a lot. Louise has devoted her life to caring for her disabled youngest daughter. Pete works abroad, almost never seeing his loved ones. And their eldest, Eliza, is burdened by all the secrets she's trying to keep from her overloaded family.Meanwhile, Patience observes the world while trapped in her own body. She laughs, she cries, she has opinions and knows what she wants. But those who love her most - and make every decision about her life - will never know.Or will they? When the Willows are offered the opportunity for Patience to take part in a new gene therapy trial to cure her Rett syndrome, they face an impossible dilemma. Are the very real risks worth the chance of the reward, no matter how small?'An extraordinary novel about love and hope and family and what happens in the space between the words. I adored it' Kirsten Hesketh, author of Another Us