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Boot Language: A Memoir
by Vanya EricksonFrom the outside, Vanya&’s childhood looked idyllic…WINNER, 2019 Next Generation Indie Books (Memoir: Overcoming Adversity)She rode horses with her father in the solitude of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and attended flamboyant operas with her mother in the city. But life for Vanya and her family turned dark when ghosts from her father&’s service on a Pacific destroyer in World War II tore her family apart.Set in postwar California, this is the story of a girl who tried to make sense of her parents&’ unpredictable actions—from being left to lie in her own blood-soaked diaper while her Christian Scientist mother prayed, to refusing to get medical help while watching her father writhe on his bed in the detox ward, his hands and feet tethered with leather straps—by immersing herself in the beauty and solitude of the wilderness around her.It was only decades later when memories began to haunt her, that Vanya was able to look back with unflinching honesty and tender compassion for her family and herself.Boot Language shines a light in the darkness so that others can find their wayThis spellbinding memoir offers encouragement and hope to those who are:in a dysfunctional family,experiencing or navigating emotional abuse,in a relationship with an abused partner or child, orsimply looking to find happiness in spite of their past.Erickson&’s story shines a light in the darkness so that others can find their way to heal the past. In this elegant, haunting narrative, she invites us to witness it all—from the gripping, often disturbing, truths of her childhood to her ultimate survival.Boot Language uplifts the reader with the knowledge that it is your responses to life&’s adverse circumstances that make all the difference; and that by facing your past you can find the inner strength to permanently discover that you can transform your life.While Erickson&’s memories would never completely disappear, they no longer held her in their grip. They have importance. They became an integral part of her life, leading her to become a successful teacher, author, and speaker, helping countless women and teens come to terms with their past.Order your copy today and begin reading this disturbing, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring memoir.
One Friday in Napa: A Novel
by Jennifer HammVene feels like she and her mother have always been at odds—since she was a child, the first word she used to describe Olivia was “cold.” When news of her mother’s imminent death comes, Vene returns to her family’s home in Napa to see if their strained relationship can be mended, only to find Olivia as harsh as ever and their reconciliation seemingly unreachable.But when Vene stumbles upon Olivia’s old cookbook, she discovers a passion within her mother she didn’t know existed. The clipped tone and quick judgments of her dying mother don’t match the young woman whose voice she finds between the pages—one that tells a story of romance, longing, duty, and aching heartbreak. Curiosity consumes Vene, and she embarks on an intimate journey to learn about the Olivia she never got to meet—before it’s too late.A captivating story told in alternating perspectives a half-century apart, One Friday in Napa explores the pains and joys of devotion as two women learn the price of loyalty, the power of secrets, and the meaning of sacrifice.
Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past
by Gabrielle RobinsonA haunting personal story of Berlin at the end of the Third Reich—and an unflinching investigation into a family’s Nazi pastWhen Gabrielle Robinson found her grandfather’s Berlin diaries, hidden behind books in her mother’s Vienna apartment, she made a shocking discovery—her beloved Api had been a Nazi.The entries record his daily struggle to survive in a Berlin that was 90% destroyed. Near collapse himself Api, a doctor, tried to help the wounded and dying in nightmarish medical cellars without cots, water or light. The dead were stacked in the rubble outside.Searching to understand why her grandfather had joined the Nazi party, Robinson retraces his steps in the Berlin of the 21st century. She reflects on German guilt, political responsibility, and facing the past. But she also remembers Api, who had given her a loving home in those cold and hungry post-war years.“This a must read for anyone interested in the German experience during WWII”—Ariana Neumann, author of When Time StoppedScroll up and click “buy now” to read Api’s Berlin Diaries today
The River by Starlight: A Novel
by Ellen NotbohmFor fans of Paulette Jiles and Marisa de los SantosWinner of the Sarton Women’s Book Award and the Western Writers of America Spur AwardAnnie Rushton leaves behind an unsettling past to join her brother on his Montana homestead and make a determined fresh start. There, sparks fly when she tangles with Adam Fielding, a visionary businessman-farmer determined to make his own way and answer to no one. Neither is looking for a partner, but they give in to their undeniable chemistry.Annie and Adam’s marriage brims with astounding success and unanticipated passion, but their dream of having a child eludes them as a mysterious illness of mind and body plagues Annie’s pregnancies. Amidst deepening economic adversity, natural disaster, and the onset of world war, their personal struggles collide with the societal mores of the day. Annie’s shattering periods of black depression and violent outbursts exact a terrible price. The life the Fieldings have forged begins to unravel, and the only path ahead leads to unthinkable loss. Based on true events, this sweeping novel weaves a century-old story, timeless in its telling of love, heartbreak, healing, and redemption embodied in one woman’s tenacious quest for control over her own destiny in the face of devastating misfortune and social injustice.
Mikey and Me: Life with My Exceptional Sister
by Teresa SullivanWhen Mikey is young, the Sullivans are a closely knit unit, all of them devoted to caring for her. But as Mikey grows older, she also grows increasingly violent. By the time she&’s twelve, institutionalization is the only available option—and without the shared purpose of caring for Mikey, the family begins to unravel. As her family falls apart, Teresa searches for relief and connection during a time of sweeping cultural change. Lacking maturity or guidance, she makes choices that lead her down a sometimes-perilous path. But regardless of the circumstances at home and the tumult in their individual lives, the Sullivans are united in their love and concern for Mikey. In Mikey and Me, Teresa interweaves her exceptional sister&’s journey with her own, affirming the grace and brutality of Mikey&’s life, and its indelible effect on her family. Unflinching and insightful, this is a deep exploration of the relationship between two sisters—one blind, with profound developmental disabilities, unable to voice her own story, and the other with the heart and understanding to express it exquisitely for her.
Excess Baggage: One Family's Around-the-World Search for Balance
by Tracey CarischTracey Carisch thought she had it all. As a wife, mother, and successful executive, she seemed to be living the modern American dream. But one night, a panic attack sent her tumbling into an existential crisis and questioning everything about her life. That’s when she and her husband made a decision that shocked their family and friends: they sold everything they owned, pulled their three young daughters out of school, and became a family of wandering globetrotters. Loaded with hilarious mishaps as well as deeply meaningful revelations, Excess Baggage chronicles the Carisch family’s extraordinary, eighteen-month adventure across six continents. As they navigate the trials and tribulations of international travel, the family encounters unique people and bizarre situations that teach them about the world—and themselves. Carisch’s candid and insightful account of her family’s journey will have you laughing out loud, shedding a few tears, and bringing the lessons of family travel into your own life . . . without ever having to leave home.
New Englanders
by Lee MontgomeryIn the mid-&’70s, a time of great social upheaval in the United States and the world, a group of men from a small New England coastal town disappear on a sailboat en route to Bermuda. A year later, the families of the missing crew gather on Easter Sunday for a memorial. For Lulu, the protagonist whose father owned the boat, it is a moment that highlights her grief but also her coming of age. Lulu has been alone with her mother for almost a year and becomes fixated on Sam, her older brother, the moment he returns home from a year of fighting in Vietnam. But she soon discovers Sam seems to have a loosening hold on reality. As the guests arrive, Lulu is taking coats and must contend with a friend of her brother&’s, who tries to seduce her before dinner and even at the table. A tragicomedy of manners, New Englanders takes place over a period of one afternoon around the preparations for and during a formal dinner and gives a glimpse of a young woman&’s grief gone awry in a vanishing world.
Reign Returned: The Felserpent Chronicles
by Katie KeridanKyra Valorian is the most gifted Astral healer the golden-blooded realm of Aeles has seen in ages. When tragedy strikes, Kyra discovers she possesses a life-changing gift: she&’s a Recovrancer, able to enter the realm of the dead and recover those who&’ve died before their time. Unfortunately, recovrancy is outlawed in her realm. Desperate for answers, Kyra will do anything to get them . . . even partner with a dangerous enemy. Sebastian Sayre is the most sought-after Daeval assassin in all of Nocens. A silver-blooded Pyromancer, he wields fire and dreams of finding Rhannu, a legendary sword that makes its holder invincible. Since the sword was long ago stolen from Nocens and hidden where no Daeval can retrieve it, however, such a dream seems impossible . . . until he encounters the one Astral who might be both able and willing to help him. As Kyra and Sebastian work together to uncover the secrets of their realms, they also uncover secrets within their own pasts—pasts that are far more intertwined than they ever imagined. Ultimately, in this tale of discovery, destiny, and a love strong enough to outlast time, remembering the past just may prove to be the only way to change the future.
Say It Out Loud: Revealing and Healing the Scars of Sexual Abuse
by Roberta DolanBreaking the silence about sexual abuse is vital—but it&’s only the first step. What happens next? For most survivors, the wounds caused left by such abuse are often left to fester, slowly destroying their lives. Say It Out Loud—a unique blend of memoir and how-to—exposes the emotional scars of sexual abuse and explains the process of healing. In straightforward prose, step by step, Roberta Dolan provides readers with tangible healing strategies, including journaling, visualization, and more, that she employed during her own years in therapy for a childhood of sexual abuse. Inspiring and accessible, Say It Out Loud offers guidance and support for any kind of healing journey, equipping readers with the skills and courage to transform a life of darkness into one of joy.
A Cleft in the World: A Novel
by Elizabeth Sumner WaflerFrench professor Georgie Bricker hasn’t poked a toe outside Virginia’s Willa Cather College for women in two decades. She realizes the irony: she’s working to shape her students into world leaders even as PTSD-induced agoraphobia, a result of trauma she suffered as a girl, keeps her prisoner on a tiny college campus. She tells herself her life is fine. Yet on her forty-ninth birthday, she wishes for something extraordinary.Georgie is shattered to learn that her sanctuary is heavily in debt. While she scrambles to rescue the French department, her first love, Truman Parker, arrives to serve as a financial consultant to the school. By day, Georgie works as faculty liaison to his committee. By night, she’s a moth to his porch light.When the college announces it will shutter, Georgie and fiercely independent Laurel Cross, the student who’s closest to Georgie’s heart, organize a rally to save it. Between her rekindled love for Truman and Laurel becoming the daughter she never had, her wish for the extraordinary seems to have been granted. But the pivotal rally forces Georgie into the bigger, unsheltered world, where she must confront her final fears—or forfeit her chance for emotional freedom and a fulfilling new life.
The Happiness Thief: A Novel
by Nicole Bokat"Evocatively written and ferociously paced...a puzzle-box wrapped in a paranoia tale that rivets while exploring the complexities of grief, the anxieties of modem life, and the lasting harm of childhood trauma...an anxious read that domestic suspense fans will be tempted to devour in a single sitting." ―Mystery Scene Magazine Forty-one-year-old Natalie Greene lost her mom and her childhood memories in a car crash two decades ago. What remains is a haunting feeling that she was responsible for her mother&’s death. After her husband leaves for another woman, Natalie accompanies her famous stepsister, Isabel Walker (aka &“The Happiness Guru&”) on a retreat to the Cayman Islands. There, a late-night collision triggers Natalie&’s long-buried trauma and a heightened sense of guilt. Upon returning home to Boston, Natalie tries to settle back into her life as a food photographer and single mother to a teenage daughter—but then, one day, an anonymous email arrives about the Cayman accident that suggests foul play. In her search for the truth, Natalie must deal with a mix of fear, confusion, and suspects. With the help of Isabel and an attractive journalist, she uncovers a trail of deceit that begins on that deserted Caribbean road, circles back home, and ends in the most unexpected of places.
Bess and Frima: A Novel
by Alice RosenthalWhen Bess and Frima—best friends, both nineteen and from the same Jewish background in the Bronx—get summer jobs in upstate hotels near Monticello, NY, in June 1940, they have visions of romance . . . but very different expectations and needs. Frima, who seeks safety in love, finds it with the &“boy next door,&” who is also Bess&’s brother. Meanwhile, rebellious Bess renames herself Beth and plunges into a new life with Vinny, an Italian American, former Catholic, left-wing labor leader from San Francisco. Her actions are totally unacceptable to her family—which is fine with Beth. Will their young loves have happy endings? Yes and no, for the shadow of world war is growing, and Beth and Frima must grow up fast. As their love lives entangle with war, ambitions, religion, family, and politics—all kinds of conventional expectations—they face challenges they never dreamed of in their struggles for personal and creative growth.
Breaking Sad: What to Say After Loss, What Not to Say, and When to Just Show Up
by Jennifer Jones Shelly FisherReal stories and real feedback on what should be said, what should be kept to yourself, and what can be done when trying to support someone you care about as they navigate loss. Breaking Sad helps us start conversations through its pages of personal stories and suggestions from everyday survivors—bringing us all to a place where we can more comfortably offer support and caring to people when they need it most. Featuring stories from Montel Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Scott Hamilton, Giuliana Rancic, Valerie Harper, and more!
Those People Behind Us: A Novel
by Mary CamarilloIt’s the summer of 2017 in Wellington Beach, California, a suburban coastal town increasingly divided by politics, protests, and escalating housing prices—divisions that change the lives of five neighbors.Each character confronts death, betrayal, financial decline, and loneliness as they search for home and community in a neighborhood where no one can agree who belongs. Real estate agent Lisa Kensington juggles her job, her shopaholic husband, a mother who knows how to push her buttons, and teenagers with ideas of their own. Ray Gorman, a haunted Vietnam vet, lives with and cares for his aging mother. Keith Nelson, an ex-con, lives in his car, parked near his parents’ house. Sixteen-year-old Josh Kowalski works through the shock of his father’s abandonment by slamming on a drum set. Jeannette Larsen, an aerobics teacher numbed by horrific tragedy, turns away from her husband and toward reckless behavior.In the end, they all discover that despite their differences, they are more connected than any of them would have imagined.
When It's Over: A Novel
by Barbara RidleyComing of age in Prague in the 1930s, Lena Kulkova is inspired by the left-wing activists who resist the rise of fascism. She meets Otto, a refugee from Hitler&’s Germany, and follows him to Paris to work for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. As the war in Spain ends and a far greater war engulfs the continent, Lena gets stuck in Paris with no news from her Jewish family, including her beloved baby sister, left behind in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Otto, meanwhile, has fled to a village in England, and urges Lena to join him, but she can&’t obtain a visa. When Lena and Otto are finally reunited, the safe haven Lena has hoped for doesn&’t last long. Their relationship becomes strained, and Lena is torn between her loyalty to Otto and her growing attraction to Milton, the son of the eccentric Lady of the Manor. As the war continues, she yearns to be reunited with her sister, while Milton is preoccupied with the political turmoil that leads to the landslide defeat of Churchill in the 1945 election. Based on a true story, When It&’s Over is a moving, resonant, and timely read about the lives of war refugees, dramatic political changes, and the importance of family, love, and hope.
Beautiful Illusion: A Novel
by Christie NelsonAs the march of boots echoes from overseas, all nations that border the Pacific and beyond are invited to build pavilions on Treasure Island at the Golden Gate International Exposition, an event dedicated to the pursuit of world peace and brotherhood. Meanwhile, Lily Nordby, smart, strong-willed, and feisty, lands a job at the Examiner and is given a once-in-a-lifetime assignment covering the Exposition. There she meets Tokido Okamura, the host of the Japanese Pavilion—and despite being highly suspicious of his true purpose on the island, she&’s swept up in a whirlwind of powerful emotions that lead her into unknown territory. Brilliant and enigmatic Woodrow Packard, a Mayan art scholar at the Expo, prefers remaining aloof and alone. But his infatuation and deepening relationship with Lily thrusts him into the limelight. He asks himself, could someone as smart and beautiful as she return the love of a man who is a dwarf? In an attempt to prevent Lily from spiraling into danger, Woodrow intercedes to help her uncover her family&’s past—but when fate intervenes, they are both pulled into a destiny they could never have imagined. Mixing fact and fiction with a dash of noir, Beautiful Illusion is a story of love and deception that explores what happens when human hearts collide as the world is plotting war.
Squirrels in the Wall: A Novel in Stories
by Henry HitzSquirrels in the Wall—a novel told in stories by a collection of interspecies voices—presents a unique and darkly hilarious blend of human and animal perspectives in a single setting on a Wisconsin lake. The stories provide a kaleidoscope of heartbreak among both human and animal characters as they confront abuse and death. “They call me Herziger, but my real name is Woof,” one of the stories opens. “They call me a dachshund, but in reality, I am just a dog. I live with my mother among a pack of wild humans in a big house on a lake.” In the second story, “Squirrels in the Wall,” Herzie’s “human,” Barney Blatz, experiences a fire in that house when he is just four. The stories follow Barney from infancy to death, tracing the epic, ongoing conflict between him and Father—a bumbling tyrant guilty of shocking abuse but also capable of poignant redemption. On this rollicking journey, we meet a suicidal toad, a cat, two mice, a bee, Grandfather’s ghost, and a turtle who possesses Barney in a climactic tale of environmental activism gone awry. Other stories reflect the points of view of Barney’s mother, sister, and older brother; together, they construct a collage of spectacular family dysfunction—and of healing love.
Mother Lode: Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver
by Gretchen Staebler“. . . makes you feel as though a kindred soul is speaking to you.” —Readers’ FavoriteAt the age of sixty, Gretchen Staebler promises to spend one year in her childhood home caring for her stubbornly independent ninety-six-year-old mother—sort of a middle-aged gap year. Then her mother will move to assisted living and she will return to her own independent life.It doesn’t go as planned.Rather than a retrospective, this mother-daughter story unfolds in real time with gripping honesty, bringing the reader along with the narrator through the struggle, doubts, and complexities of caregiving and daughterhood—and the beacons of light.Penetrating the fog of her mother’s advancing dementia and myriad health issues with humor, frustration, and compassion—and wine—Staebler slowly comes to accept and respect the mother she got, if not the one she wished for. In the process, she manifests non-negotiable self-care and learns more than she wants to know about aging, cognitive loss, and the healthcare system.Any reader who is looking for a road map in caring for a family member, has ever had a mother, or is looking aging in the eye will find company on the journey in this candid, multi-award-winning memoir.
The Great Bravura: A Novel
by Jill DearmanSince adolescence, Bravura and salt of the earth Susie have been partners in magic and best friends, as well as occasional bedmates. But when the two performers hire the mysterious and alluring Lena as a third banana to jazz up the act, Bravura falls madly in love. Lena believes in magic—and not just the rabbit-out-of-a hat kind. She encourages Bravura to believe in her own supernatural powers, and when Susie balks, conflict ensues. Things really go south during the classic &“Disappearing Box&” act, when Susie disappears for real. With her pal presumed dead, and Bravura the prime suspect, the magician must act quickly to find Susie—hopefully alive! To prove her innocence, Bravura must uncover the holes in her own story—even if it means incriminating herself, and her precious Lena, in the process.
The Contract: A Novel
by Sheila GrinellA hard-driving designer seeks acclaim by developing a Middle Eastern museum only to discover the project&’s real value is not what she imagined. Joanna and Ev have been partners for ten years—in business and in love—when one of the only women in government in the Middle East invites their firm to design a children&’s museum in Riyadh. Jo sees a chance to solidify her name in the design world, and help Saudi girls along the way, in the venture. Her husband, however, has no desire to work in a vigorously policed society; he prefers to remain in his workshop, fashioning gadgets for museum displays. Jo&’s sister and young protégé share his doubts, but Ev accedes to Jo&’s wishes. The process of bidding on the job soon throws their home office into chaos and challenges their long-held assumptions about the value of their work—and marriage. If they get the job, will their partnership survive the strain?
Sunday Afternoons and Other Times Remembered: A Memoir
by Ben EwellOn the afternoon of Easter Sunday, 1992, Ben Ewell&’s brother, sister-in-law, and niece were all murdered. While trying to make sense of this staggering tragedy, Ben can&’t help but think back through his life: the hard work and the many peaceful Sunday afternoons growing up on his family farm in Ohio in a house without a bathroom or running water; his high school antics in the 1950s; his time in Haight-Ashbury while attending law school in 1960s San Francisco; and the highs and lows, both personal and professional, of life after school. Threaded throughout these reminiscences, Ben reveals the details of the investigation of his family members&’ murders—and the arrest and trial of the parties involved.In this decades-long saga, there is marriage and divorce, love and loss, family and friendship; there are political campaigns and business ventures, some failed and some fruitful. Ultimately, this is a story of perseverance in the face of tragedy, of creating opportunities out of problems, and of appreciating the gift of life and the world around us—with some humor along the way.
Luz: A Novel
by Debra ThomasAlma Cruz wishes her willful teenage daughter, Luz, could know the truth about her past, but there are things Luz can never know about the journey Alma took to the US to find her missing father. In 2000—three years after the disappearance of her father, who left Oaxaca to work on farms in California—Alma sets out on a perilous trek north with her sister, Rosa. What happens once she reaches the US is a journey from despair to hope. Timeless in its depiction of the depths of family devotion and the blaze of first love, Luz conveys, with compassion and insight, the plight of those desperate to cross the US border.
Summons to Berlin: Nazi Theft and A Daughter's Quest for Justice
by Joanne IntratorOn his deathbed, Dr. Joanne Intrator&’s father poses two unsettling questions: &“Are you tough enough? Do they know who you are?&” Joanne soon realizes that these haunting questions relate to a center-city Berlin building at 16 Wallstrasse that the Nazis ripped away from her family in 1938. But a decade is to pass before she will fully come to grasp why her father threw down the gauntlet as he did. Repeatedly, Joanne&’s restitution quest brings her into confrontation with yet another of her profound fears surrounding Germany and the Holocaust. Having to call on reserves of strength she&’s unsure she possesses, the author leans into her professional command of psychiatry, often overcoming flabbergasting obstacles perniciously dumped in her path. The depth and lucidity of psychological insight threaded throughout Summons to Berlin makes it an attention-grabbing standout among books on like topics. As a reader, you&’ll come away delighted to know just who Dr. Joanne Intrator is. You&’ll also finish the book cheering for her, because in the end, she proves far more than tough enough to satisfy her father&’s unnerving final demands.
Light Our Fire: My Wedding to Jim Morrison
by Patricia Kennealy MorrisonWhat's it like to be married to the superstar lead singer of the Doors? Patricia Kennealy Morrison gives a loving and detailed account of the pagan handfasting ceremony that bound her forever with the legendary rock superstar Jim Morrison. The intimate portrait of Jim that emerges—a tender and vulnerable face that was shown to very few—makes this book essential reading. The reader has the good fortune of meeting Patricia in the process and empathizing with this smart, deeply spiritual professional woman who has fallen hopelessly in love with a young man whose genius has made him famous and whose demons have made him notorious.
The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy: A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry
by Gretchen CheringtonThree powerful men converge on the banks of the Red Cedar River in the early 1900s in southern Minnesota—George Albert Hormel, founder of what will become the $10 billion food conglomerate Hormel Foods; Alpha LaRue Eberhart, the author&’s paternal grandfather and Hormel&’s Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary; and Ransome Josiah Thomson, Hormel&’s comptroller. Over ten years, Thomson will embezzle $1.2 million from the company&’s coffers, nearly bringing the company to its knees.The Butcher, The Embezzler, and The Fall Guy opens in 1922 as George Hormel calls Eberhart into his office and demands his resignation. Hailed as the true leader of the company he&’d helped Hormel build—is Eberhart complicit in the embezzlement? Far worse than losing his job and the great wealth he&’d rightfully accumulated is that his beloved young wife, Lena, is dying while their three children grieve alongside. Of course, his story doesn&’t end there. In scale both intimate and grand, Cherington deftly weaves the histories of Hormel, Eberhart, and Thomson within the sweeping landscape of our country&’s early industries, along with keen observations about business leaders gleaned from her thirty-five-year career advising top company executives. The Butcher, The Embezzler, and The Fall Guy equally chronicles Cherington&’s journey from blind faith in family lore to a nuanced consideration of the three men&’s great strengths and flaws—and a multilayered, thoughtful exploration of the ways we all must contend with the mythology of powerful men, our reverence for heroes, and the legacy of a complicated past.