She's taken on an unexpected detour back to her life shortly before she died. But she's seeing the world from a different point of view. This is the first time she has ever experienced a detour being the best part of a journey. 'A wonderful, warm read that's guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings,' author Colette Caddle. Checkout Girl was published as part of the short story compilation, Moments, in aid of the tsunami. It was also part of a short story collection published in Germany. Aimee Alexander is the pen name of bestselling Irish author Denise Deegan Checkout Girl includes a short excerpt from Pause to Rewind, a contemporary novel by Aimee Alexander.

    

     Imprisoned for a crime he never committed, deserted by the woman he loved and betrayed by his own family. His bad luck seems to be running out when he is released early from prison and finds a job on the railroads. But it doesn’t last long. First he gets into a fight with a man who turns up dead. Then, while still on the run, his train is held up by his own brother’s gang. Then he somehow manages to offend the railroad boss’ daughter, the beautiful Elizabeth. With the fates out to get him, Glen has to use all his wits and strength to take control of his own destiny. Will that be enough to see him through, or will his past catch up with him before he gets a chance? Quick on the Draw is a hard fighting story of the Old West, where lives were cheap and danger was great. Praise for Gordon Landsborough 'A punchy tale coupled with plenty of action - an engaging read!' - Philip McCormac, bestselling western author Gordon Landsborough (1913-1984) was a publisher, author and bookseller. Writing tales about the exploits of gun-toting cowboys fighting out on the arid sands of the Wild West, Landsborough was himself a pioneering in the English paperback publishing world of the 1950s. He was widely known amongst his peers as the ‘maverick publishing genius’. Pioneering Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. We publish new and classic westerns by authors from the US and the UK. Follow us on Twitter: @PioneeringPress Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/PioneeringPress

    Between taking care of the family farm and working at the diner to make ends meet, she has a lot on her plate. She has neither the time nor the interest to pursue a relationship. When a stranger shows up in town and happens to be around just at the moment she needs help the most, will she break her own rules and let him into her life?If only tragedy didn’t find a way to sneak into her life at every chance…After studying for six years in Chicago, Roger Lockett has returned to Texas to be a doctor. He and his father have never seen eye to eye about his future and what he should dedicate himself to. When his father makes him an offer that could put their differences to rest and bring him to a tiny town in need of a doctor, Roger jumps at the chance. What he never expected was to cross paths with the most beautiful and strong-willed woman he has ever met...Will he manage to break down the walls surrounding her wary heart though?As Roger and Eve grow closer together, disasters and difficulties seem to pile up for Eve and her family. With Christmas preparations in full swing, she struggles to hold everything together. Then an accident hits close to home and suddenly Eve isn’t sure there will be any Christmas this year… Will Roger and Eve brave these challenges together? Will they open their hearts to love and a Christmas miracle?"A Western Christmas Miracle" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

     After five years of hard work, Elliott Maitland has succeeded to make profitable the ranch he bought on a whim from a gambler who had no interest in working with cattle. A frosty winter day finds Elliott in town, hoping to conclude his business before the blizzard starts in earnest. Sam, the owner of the mercantile, asks him to give shelter to the new schoolteacher, who just arrived in town and has nowhere to stay. Celestine Tillman is in desperate need of a job and a place to live. Being hired as a teacher in Wyoming is a blessing. Discovering that no one is waiting for her at the train depot and no room is available in town so close to Christmas is distressing. Going home with this rancher could be dangerous, but what choice does she have? This adventure packed fictional story is set in Laramie, Wyoming at the end of the nineteen century and presents a true picture of the western town with all the good and the bad, the modern and the old west mixed together. An enduring town moving forward and changing with the times.

    Grab your hot chocolate and snuggly blanket and get ready to curl up for hours of reading about Christmases past with this romance collection from six of your favorite Christian fiction authors.A Mountain Christmas Romance by Misty M. BellerOpal Boyd learned long ago that most men can’t be trusted. But when a gruff mountain man on a desperate mission travels through her remote Wyoming mountain town, she can’t deny how Matthias Bjork’s loneliness touches her heart.When Matthias shares the magical experience of his family’s traditional Viking Yule celebration, Opal can’t help but fall a little bit in love… But when his search for his missing sister puts Opal in danger, Matthias must sacrifice everything to rescue her.Bundle of Joy by Robin Lee HatcherIn this sweet contemporary romance, Alicia Harris can’t bear to disappoint her grandfather by telling him she’s two months away from being a single mother—so she tells a white lie. But when Grandpa Roger drops in unexpectedly to spend the holidays with Alicia and her husband, Alicia needs to find a fill-in—fast. Childhood friend Joe Palermo fits the bill and is willing to play along. Still, the longer they spend playing pretend, the closer Alicia and Joe come to discovering what love, faith, and marriage truly mean.Christmas Bride by Linda FordJosh Kinsley thought he’d be eating a Christmas turkey with his family—not trapped and forced to work in a mine. He escapes along with beautiful Katie Webster, who was also captured by the band of outlaws.As Josh and Katie are forced to survive a cruel winter in the wilderness, they must learn to trust each other. But will their adventures help them admit their growing feelings or will the danger keep them apart?A Sugar Plum Christmas by Kari TrumboNadia has always been on the fringe of society. As a former prostitute, she knows what people think as they look at her. But is there a way to overcome their disdain? Or is she destined to be lonely forever? When Rock, her boss and owner of the Last Chance Saloon, issues a challenge she can’t refuse, she hopes her efforts will finally make a difference. The first person who accepts her is the one she least expected. Changing her life just might also mean…love.Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Susan May WarrenDottie Morgan, alone and bitter, would like nothing more than to hide and let the Christmas season pass her by.After serving as a mechanic in the Army’s motor pool, spinster Violet Hart has returned home to a community that doesn’t quite know what to do with her.Former soldier Jake Ramsey has been in love with Violet for years—about as long as he’s been keeping a secret that just might break her heart.And then there’s Gordon Lindholm, the farmer from across the field who harbors his own grief—and love—for the woman he can’t forget.When the blizzard of the decade traps Dottie in her home, along with Violet, Jake, Gordon and a wandering child in need of rescue, the strangers must band together to survive. And in doing so, they just might discover the magic of Christmas and a miracle that will heal all their hearts.A Cowboy for Christmas by Lacy WilliamsCowboy Ricky White has been running from his past for so long that he’s lost his way. When he hires on as a ranch hand for Daisy’s father, he believes he’s found his one chance to find redemption. But his secrets are looming and he’ll need a Christmas miracle to win the prickly Daisy’s heart—and maybe find his way home again.

     A short story by A.L. Jambor When Meg’s sister dies, she is devastated. The last of three children, Meg misses her siblings and has never felt so alone. She’s an author, but her emotional state hinders her ability to write, and she can’t sit in front of her computer without trembling. A trip to Port Revere, MA recalls memories of the summers spent there with her family when she was a girl, and Meg decides to buy the Christmas Cottage, an abandoned little house on a bluff near town. She refurbishes it, and with the help of her nephew Zack, starts to come out of her shell. But then the holidays, a time for families and celebrations, arrive, and Meg must again face her loneliness, and guilt over something she can't forgive herself for – she wasn’t there when her sister died and never had a chance to say goodbye. With the cottage almost completed, Meg has one last thing to do; she has to find out if her plumbing is up to snuff, and arranges for a plumber to visit the cottage. On Thanksgiving Day, she is sipping a cup of coffee when someone knocks on the door. She looks out the window and sees an old man, an old truck, and an old dog. Lettering on the truck announces that Angus O’Malley, Plumber Extraordinaire, is standing on her doorstep. What she doesn’t know is that Angus is on a mission and that his appearance heralds the beginning of something wonderful, and the best Christmas Meg has ever had. The Little Cottage by the Sea was formerly published as The Christmas Cottage. The content has not changed. It is a short book of 20,000 words.

    

    Bereft and alone, a small madness fell upon William. Fleeing to his flat in London, he locked himself away and grew a beard. Some months later, whilst reluctantly attending a dinner party, William saw her, and felt that perhaps Providence had plans for him after all. Jennifer, however, saw things differently. Quite by chance, although nothing is by chance, William came to live in Suffolk, in the house by the marsh, and here a sense of ease slowly enveloped him. With each ebbing of the tide, his madness seemed to diminish. And yes, Providence did have other plans for him, plans which set tongues wagging in the village. But some saw the deep sadness that William carried, and they opened their arms to him, challenging preconceptions of love, friendship and community. The House by the Marsh by William Blyghton lays bare the almost taboo subjects of grief, love and hope for men and women in their later years. With humour and compassion the author peels back the defensive layers of apparent competence to reveal a vulnerable humanity, and shows the miraculous effect of Love in all her guises.

     Geneva Snow commits the unforgivable Southern sin. No longer the apple of her father’s eye, she is a pariah, defying her society's most sacrosanct rule. To protect her—and hoping for a change of heart—her shattered yet steadfast father hides her at Cairnaerie, his mountain estate. But his iron-willed daughter is unrepentant. After years of solitude, an older and wiser Geneva is finally mellowing, and she is desperate to leave a legacy worthy of the father she loved and lost. To that end, she engages an unwitting young history professor for help to escape Cairnaerie long enough to attend the wedding of her granddaughter—a girl dangerously unaware of her lineage. But when a postman’s malevolence and a colleague’s revenge converge, Geneva's long-kept secret is exposed. For a second time, she faces a calamity of her own making. Only this time, there is no place to hide.

    Her husband and elder son rode off to save slavery in the Confederate Cavalry. Their plantation would now be controlled by a brutish slave master and sadistic slave overseers. Would their slaves revolt? Would Yankee armies attack and destroy their way of life? The slave master already had designs on Clare Ellen Fairchild and couldn’t wait until her husband rode off to war and hopefully die for his Cause. It was April, planting season. The very long and very hot summer awaited them. Clare Ellen was told that this war would be over by September and to ‘not worry her pretty little head’ about it. Clare Ellen was told wrong. She and her children should have worried their pretty little heads.

    Orphaned at the age of ten, she has been shuffled around and on her own most of her life. She moved west in anticipation of meeting the man who had stolen her heart, only to be crushed when she finds out she was not wanted.This Christmas, will a meddling mother's scheme bring love to those who are hurting? Find out in this short, holiday story of thirty pages.Other titles available from Leah Atwood:Unlikely Substitute (Mail-Order Husbands)The Not Quite Mail-Order BrideThe Mail Order Bride's Quilt

    Oaklayne Plantation is in ruins, a stark reflection of the condition of a once prosperous country and her families who have been torn apart by war. Was anything gained by the deaths of so many Americans? Is all hope for restoration gone?The Reconstruction Era is an often overlooked, but politically charged time in American history. Oaklayne, The Reconstruction presents an engaging mix of heart rending tragedy, sabotage, murder, corruption and intrigue, together with humor, romance, joy, faith, hope and love. Come along with General Adam Layne as he walks the tumultuous road toward rebuilding his live, his family, his childhood home and his country in this historically accurate portrayal of a man who refuses to accept meaningless loss.

    But attend the Christmas festivities of the Ton she must. Even if she has to go through hell just for the sake of her father.Nothing stings more than unrequited love and Ducnan Matthews, the Duke of Reedson, learned this the hard way. And despite living in sin for the past years, his heart still betrays him at the sight of the very woman who broke it.Threatened with financial ruination, Duncan desperately needs a wealthy wife and Kendra needs a savior. With their own futures at stake, it’s finally time to confront the past, to trust in each other, and against the odds, find the love they lost—if she will only say yes.

    As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world. Donna VanLiere’s retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.