Being married to a saint isn't what it's cracked up to be.Beth's husband won't be joining the family on vacation at the beach this year. He's not even joining them in the house. Instead, Rick has holed up alone in the backyard shed. Nobody knows exactly what he's up to. Maybe he's immersing himself in prayer. Maybe he's lost his mind. Maybe he's even the modern-day prophet or the saint the neighborhood artist imagines him to be. But while "St. Rick" waits for an ep...

It’s a wonder to behold what happens when love moves in . . .Former child star Fiona Hume deserted the movie biz a decade ago—right after she left rehab. She landed in Baltimore, bought a dilapidated old mansion downtown, and hatched dreams of restoring it into a masterpiece, complete with a studio for herself.She would disappear from public view and live an artist’s life.That was the plan.Ten years later, Fiona’s huge house is filled with j...

Inspired by her uncle, Lisa Samson has communed with trees since her childhood. Tragically, a disease from mainland Europe now poses a very serious threat to the ash tree’s survival. Epitaph for the Ash explores how barren our landscape could become without the ash’s familiar branches protruding from limestone scars and chalky cliff faces.The trees’ grave prognosis takes on a personal resonance when, in the course of writing this book, Lisa is diagnosed with a brain tumour...

Sometimes you have to go a little bit crazy to discover the life you were meant to live.Heather Curridge is coming unhinged. And people are starting to notice. What's wrong with a woman who has everything--a mansion on a lake, a loving son, a heart-surgeon husband--yet still feels miserable inside?When Heather spends the summer with two ancient Quaker sisters and a crusty nun running a downtown homeless shelter, she finds herself at a crossroads. Life turns...

Always the wedding coordinator, Lillie Bauer makes brides' dreams come true, but when it comes to her own love life, she's never the bride.Fifteen years after the mysterious disappearance of her childhood sweetheart, Ted, Lillie --bungee-jumper, book addict, and delightfully offbeat coordinator of “extreme” high-concept weddings--is ready to find love again. As she boldly but reluctantly braves a disastrous dating scene, Lillie is caught between two images of marri...

When her aunt shows up homeless on her doorstep, Sara suspects anything but a miracle.Sara’s an artist with a supportive husband and a house that folks on her block admire outright. But she’s restless and bored with life.Then her legendary Aunt Bel shows up, wearing a smile after years without a word.Twenty years ago, fresh out of college, Bel left for a summer missions trip and never returned. Now she’s on Sara’s doorstep, looking for a place to cr...

Competition for church members in Mount Oak has reached a furious peak. When tragedy strikes one of their hometown sons, the church women are drawn together through compassion. The Church Ladies is a contemporary tale illustrating how women can have a major impact on the church. Through friendships that reach beneath surface level -- and trials more severe than simple -- they unite with common purpose: to pray, share, and comfort. Slowly, the community of believers learns that the church g...

Inspired by her uncle, Lisa Samson has communed with trees since her childhood. Tragically, a disease from mainland Europe now poses a very serious threat to the ash tree’s survival. Epitaph for the Ash explores how barren our landscape could become without the ash’s familiar branches protruding from limestone scars and chalky cliff faces.The trees’ grave prognosis takes on a personal resonance when, in the course of writing this book, Lisa is diagnosed with a brain tumour...

Lark Summerville’s life has few surprises–and that’s just how she likes it. All she wants is to live out her angst-riddled life in her blue-collar Baltimore neighborhood, punctuated by weekly trips to her local parish, where Lark is organist, and telephone conversations with desperate souls who dial her hotline at 1-777-IPRAY4U.Then one night, Lark’s home is destroyed by a fire, forcing her out of her comfortable nest and back to the childhood home she has avoided for years. At Sto...

Biting and gentle, hard-edged and hopeful . . . a beautiful fable of love and power, hiding and seeking, woundedness and redemption.When a "lizard woman," a self-mutilating preacher, a tattoed monk, and a sleazy lobbyist find themselves in the same North Carolina town one winter, their lives are edging precariously close to disaster . . . and improbably close to grace.

“Once upon a time, many years ago, when true love walked hand in hand with kisses and promises, and decisions were made to last forever, two girls received a summons to appear before the governor.…”So begins the story of two sisters in a long-ago land who are presented with a precious gift. The governor wants the young women to protect and care for this gift until the return of his son, the prince of the land. Upon the prince’s return, one sister will be chosen to serve th...

One Last Goodbye. One Last Adventure.Pearly Laurel is devastated by the death of her beloved husband of thirty-five years. The two had always said they couldn’t live without one another, and Pearly has no desire to even try.Then, in the midst of her grief, Pearly finds a tattered list in Joey’s pocket, entitled, “While I Live, I Want to….” His ultimate to-do list sends her off on a mission to accomplish Joey’s last unfulfilled goals–along with a few of her own–before arrang...