Twenty-one years old and Annette Roberta Randall is searching, looking for herself. The perception and sensitivity she relied on to bolster her through an isolated childhood have disappeared and with them her sense of self. Nettie also seeks the truth, information about her dysfunctional family and the mysteries that whisper to her in their eccentric family home. She receives glimpses in the alcohol induced monologues of her mother, Delores Cecelia, “DeCe”. However, DeCe lost herself long before Nettie was born, and she buried her secrets so deep, even the spirits haunting her cannot unlock her soul. Pup, Nettie’s peculiar uncle, may have witnessed the most recent chaos, but he cannot communicate what he knows for sure. Nettie’s struggles are apparent to her extended family and neighbors, but only she can resolve to overcome the pull of the notorius Kirkland family and Berclaire mansion. The secrets fester and DeCe clings to them like the neglected ivy tendrils on the shadowed side of the mansion. Slowly, the truth will unfold, but will it be enough to free Nettie, or the undoing of her mother, DeCe? Nettie believed it was possible her grandfather, Old Nate, was responsible for the hauntings at the Berclaire mansion, but the more she learns of her great grandmother, Roberta, she decides he might have been a victim, also. DeCe had been taking pills and drinking alcohol from before the time she was a teenager, attempting to numb herself to her dysfunctional family. Nettie could only guess at a history during her drunken orations about DeCe's childhood. Nettie knows she is the seventh child born to DeCe, the others gone before Nettie was born. Some would filter back into her life, but would they help her learn more about her identity, or bring more pain?

    Peaks & valleys Rain & rainbows Oys & JoysSometimes, when you reach the back side of middle age, the past and the secrets it harbors collides with the present. And the crossroads between choosing action or forever facing regret becomes a defining moment. Meet the Oys & Joys—Lizzie, Grace, Sassie and Ruby—baby boomers tied together with the strength, love and trust of their steel-laced friendships. Primed to revitalize lost dreams, shed useless baggage and check items off their Bubble Bath Bucket Lists, they aren't prepared for the decades old betrayal they uncover and the heartbreaking consequences that put their friendships to the ultimate test. Four women, four friends of the heart and soul, who define their moment by revisiting their past to embrace their future.

    Recovering from a head injury and getting back on her feet takes all of Kate’s energy, but toddler Sam has left a hole in her heart – a hole that isn’t healed by the knowledge that Sam is being cared for by Kate’s mother. Estranged from her parents since she was eighteen, Kate soon discovers they took Sam home to Cornwall months ago, convinced Kate would never wake up ...By the time Kate is well enough to reclaim her son she is frantic with worry. Why hasn’t her mother brought Sam to see her? Why haven’t they replied to any of her letters? And why will no one talk to her about the circumstances around her injuries?

    I don’t usually tell that last bit to strangers, but I say it in my head all the time. It’s one of the many mantras that have helped me to get to where I am today. And believe me when I say that I’ve come a long way. Besides, if you’re a woman and you happen to have ever struggled with issues of self-esteem, we’re probably gonna be fast friends anyway, so I won’t hold anything (much) back.Oh, and Zara wasn’t the name I was born with—but you’ll find out more about that in the book.I don’t know about you, but my own struggle with my weight has held me back a bit in life. And my self-esteem took a real nose dive after my fiancé dumped me—via text, no less. (I know, right? Jerk!…but I don’t usually dwell on things in the past, so let’s just move right along from that, shall we?) So, I’m still a work-in-progress for sure, but I’m really starting to figure it all out—how to be more of who I’m meant to be every day—including the bumps, the lumps, and my bruised ego along the way.Oh and I love my sisterhood (more about that later) - the women who join me in believing that we are all capable of being strong, amazing, warrior princesses—just the way we are right now. ***FUN FACT: “Becoming Zara” is a standalone novella, but if you’re following the character of Samantha Bradford as she crosses off the items of her bucket list (the Single Wide Female Series), this is the book that Samantha publishes to complete her bucket list item #18 (Publish a Book).Note: You can download #1 Learn Pole Dancing of that series for free.

    That's when the realization hit: I'm young, I'm rich (thanks to a hefty inheritance), and I'm boring. Not "needs a little zip" boring, either. More like "mustard stain on a Sears tweed couch" drab. French's in a squeeze bottle, that's me. But suddenly I have Grey Poupon aspirations! Things are gonna change-starting now... Building a better mantrap... First things first: Exercise. Carrot juice. Straight hair. Whiter teeth. Clothes that fit (I have breasts? Who knew?) But wait-there's more. Life's kicked me around a bit, and I've been nursing my wounds for too long. I'm finally ready to take a chance on love with the perfect guy. He's handsome. He's smart. He's reliable. He's my CPA. Problem is, I'm clueless about winning him over. It's time to call in an expert. It's time to call in The Dog. Down, boy. Mike "The Dog" Dougherty is a man's man. A guy's guy. Okay, he's a chauvinist pig, and his sty is "The Dog House," a testosterone-charged column in Maximum for Him magazine. On one hand, I abhor all he stands for. On the other hand, who better to coach me? So here I am. Learning the complex unspoken language of the American male (Talk, bad. Sex, good.); trying exciting new things (Stripping lessons are empowering. Really.); falling for Mike. Uh oh. But the Mike I'm getting to know is different from The Dog. And the Mona I'm becoming isn't quite who I expected, either. This whole makeover scheme is getting crazier by the minute. But "crazy" beats "boring"...right? Jennifer Coburn is an award-winning journalist who has written for magazines and newspapers in the United States, Canada and Australia. She lives in San Diego with her husband, William and their daughter, Katie. Jennifer desperately wishes she had Mona's unlimited cash, beachfront estate and singing voice. When she's not living vicariously through chick-lit characters, Jennifer runs a public relations business which serves non-profit organizations and small businesses in southern California. She is also the coordinator of the Del Cerro Soccer Moms League and coach of the real-life Kickin' Chicks, the best seven-year-old girls to ever tear up suburban soccer fields.

    That's what Harriet and Arthur Bloomsbury think, but that comforting feeling is a fiction. Hiding among the stone walls, picturesque barns, and hay bales is a horror they can't imagine. It's deadly, impossible -- maybe even paranormal. This short story isn’t your average murder mystery, because this time, the threat isn’t quite so clear. Is it the serial killers hunting you? Your own paranoia? Or the very laws of nature? The suspense is free.

    He assumes that, as usual, he’ll sleep it off, then return to the routine of golf games, broker meetings, symphony dates and nightcaps that make up his life. Then his lawyer delivers the news: Robert is responsible for an accident that has killed a young mother and orphaned her young son, John. Robert is quickly yanked from his life of privilege and sent to prison to atone for his crimes. Defiant at first, Robert believes he’s better than his fellow inmates and that unlike them, he has no room for improvement. But, as the months wear on, Robert’s fellow inmates push him to confront his actions and the choices that brought him to prison. Meanwhile, as John grows up under the care of his maternal grandmother, he must come to terms with losing his mother and decide whether he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood. Spanning three generations, Raising John tells the story of John’s bittersweet childhood, the history of the mother he never knew, and of Robert’s collapse and redemption.

    But now, five years after her husband's death, she's managed to make a simple life for herself, despite problems with her teenage daughter. However, things in the small-town community Beth thought would be a sleepy haven for her are about to get a lot more interesting.

    Her father has another family which includes a mistress and a daughter. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father's secret life, Christine heads to Magdalena, prepared to hate the people who have caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her father. But what she finds is a woman who understands her, a half sister who cherishes her, and a man who could love her if she'll let him. The longer she's around them, the more she questions which family is the real one. . . Attention Book Clubs! Included on my website is a Book Club Discussion Guide for A Family Affair. This story is filled with moral ambiguity, difficult choices, and second chances--all great topics for conversation and contemplation. Truth in Lies Series: Book One: A Family Affair Book Two: A Family Affair: Spring Book Three: A Family Affair: Summer Book Four: A Family Affair: Fall Book Five: A Family Affair: Christmas Book Six: A Family Affair: Winter (TBA) Book Seven: A Family Affair: The Promise (TBA)

    Everything you'd want when you bite into a dish: suspense, spice, and a new take on an old classic." - Bestselling author, Charlaine Harris•Like your barbeque and your sex extra spicy? Your murders saucy and done to a turn? Plunge into the fascinating and competitive world of food media culture, in this wry, witty crime story where cutting edge takes on a new meaning when celebrity chefs across America start dying.Debut author Thalia Filbert’s dark, comic send-up of serial killers, food mysteries, chick lit, and the iconic Eat Pray Love finds the sweet spot between appetizers and dessert in this rollicking trip from sea to shining sea. From color-themed dinners to Maine lobster pots, from barbeque to huckleberries, this mystery is stuffed to the gills with knives, mayhem, and laughs.Wronged by those who steal her recipes, ridicule her weight, and denigrate her talents, one chef has turned in her apron to plow new territory-- her overpowering hunger for revenge. Hooked on how tasty payback can be, soon she is bumping off famous chefs with spectacular culinary flair.Food blogger Jason Bainbridge is looking for his big break and begins to see a pattern in the killings. He forms an uneasy alliance with cool, hard-charging FBI agent Kimberly Douglas as the search heats up to catch the sexy, chef-obsessed killer. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Thalia Filbert’s lust for food, travel, and a good story is legendary. Now she’s combined it all in one scrumptious package. Her debut novel, Beat Slay Love, highlights her love of the underdog, American regional food – and that special dish best served cold: delicious revenge. She attended culinary school at a posh Napa Valley academy and did the obligatory stint in European bistro kitchens. From a Midwestern town where she learned to make delicacies like possum au vin, she escaped in the nick of time, leaving a hungry man at the altar, and never looked back. Or, it's a pseudonym for five mystery authors with over 75 novels under their belts.

    She has no idea how she will ever manage college costs. And in addition to the ongoing worry over finances, Kate has no life other than as a mother. She hasn't had a date in years, and a vacation? That's laughable. How can she afford to go anywhere? Winning the lottery turns Kate's life upside down. Suddenly she's a woman in demand, a woman who can do whatever she wants. Even her romantic life heats up. But not all these changes are wonderful, because there's a hidden (and dark) cost to her sudden wealth. WISH COME TRUE is the addictive story of one woman's journey of growth and the lessons she learns along the way.

    Now she must risk everything, including exposure of dangerous secrets, to prevent a ruthless politician from destroying all she holds dear. JOY AND ANGERUp-and-coming director Julie Bullard must get to the bottom of the sabotage at her movie's location in the Louisiana wetlands -- even if it means enlisting the aid of the handsome and mysterious Cajun known as the Swamp Rat.HOLDING THE TIGRESSJessica is haunted by the reckless passion she shared with a masked stranger while in Rio at Carnaval. Now, she could be vulnerable to blackmail during the takeover threat against the shipping empire she controls. As violence looms over the crisis, she must turn to the man she trusts least, the Brazilian owner of the rival shipping company -- who may be her mysterious midnight lover.

    First, she loses her beloved son to war. Then, her husband to another woman. As the life she’s known implodes, she struggles to pick up the pieces – to fit in. And in a small community like Whitfield, that’s harder than she ever dreamed.Overnight, Claire falls from toast of the town to talk of the town. Long-time friends rally around, but confused and off-balance, Claire finds herself traveling a lonely, unfamiliar road without a map. And there are no detour signs to help her get back on the right track. Spiraling on a self-destructive path, Claire fights to find her way – and a reason to start over.They say, ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’ Could they be right?

    When she finally wakes, her well-meaning, but bossy, brothers and sisters dismiss her claims, thinking her accident has knocked her off her rocker, but Joy has never felt better, and is determined to set the past right.Now Joy must face her darkest secret and risk reopening wounds caused by an old flame who rejected her more than twenty years ago. But taking risks brings change, as well as a new, younger man into Joy’s life, making her feel like a teenager again. Suddenly Joy’s once humdrum life is anything but boring and routine and the future beckons, exhilarating and bright.

    CAN’T LIVE WITH ‘EM. CAN’T SHOOT ‘EM.On the best of days Special Agent Dave Fletcher wants nothing more than for his long-lost brother Hensley to stay lost for a long time. But it’s not the best of days. Dave learns that Rex, his uncle and mentor, died while vacationing in Cancún. Just after drafting a last-minute will leaving his fortune to Masie, a stranger who is first on the scene when Rex dies.Suspecting foul play, Dave goes to Mexico to make sure the murderer pays. But he can’t decide whether Masie is the most amazing woman he’s ever met or a cold-blooded killer.When Hensley resurfaces to provide unexpected and unwanted help, he stirs up decades-old resentments and attracts the attention of the killer. Will the brothers kill each other and save the murderer the trouble?