A short memoir of lessons learned in the kitchen and garden of the author's grandmother. The influence of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl is seen in lessons of work, food and generosity.

A Heartwarming Holiday Short Story Collection About Home, Kindness, and Second ChancesStep into the quiet magic of the holiday season with this beautifully written collection of short stories that celebrate the moments that matter most.Set against snowy nights, glowing windows, and familiar winter rituals, these stories explore the many ways the holidays shape our lives. Within these pages, you’ll meet characters facing reconciliation after years apart, chi...

In this short story, Jim wakes up one morning into a day of silence. The hustle and bustle of the city is gone - and so are the electricity and motor vehicles that run the world.How does he respond? How will the world react when everything has to be done by hand and in-person? Does it have to be a dystopia? Jim's first days in this new reality could set the tone for years to come.

This short story was first published in the collection Her West. A young Latina mother and her son are traveling to California to start a new life. Unfortunately, she has very little money and when her car gets a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, she has to depend upon the residents of a small, conservative town.

Children face many dangers in the world, some old and some new. How do we protect them and ourselves? And most importantly, teach them to protect themselves?This story centers around an event in the Mt. Massive Wilderness of Colorado. The details are from a real-life experience I had with my mother while camping, and we still talk about it to this day.

These are a mix of stories about childhood reverie, gentle crime, and winter weather - but all are centered around the Christmas holiday.Winter can be a wonderful season, but I think these stories are best read inside, next to a warm fire or candles, with a warm drink of tea or cocoa beside you.

Rowan O'Donnell is a professional photographer who can't turn away from a mystery if her friends or family are in peril - even if it means her own life becomes endangered.In Ambient Light, she has temporarily taken on a teaching position at a local Denver college. She is enjoying the challenge, until one of her students disappears, and the kidnapper sends out emails with pictures and video of the victim.Suddenly, her hands are full with a missing person, a classroom full of s...

Professional photographer Rowan O'Donnell doesn't want to find dead bodies, but for the second time she has stumbled across one. With her boyfriend, Rob, and Twist, her loyal dog, Rowan becomes involved in a murder case in the mountains of Colorado in order to help out a friend, but soon finds that this is much more than it seems. Her investigations lead her to knowledge that an entire community is in danger, not to mention her own life.

What happens when you don't take charge of your destiny? One young woman tries to survive the challenge of her life when a mountain hike becomes a life and death struggle.

A young woman in France in 1964 has a dream of being a clothing designer. During the day, she works as a seamstress in the atelier of a large fashion house. At night, she works at making her dreams come true.

The art of making perfumes has long fascinated writers and the public. Just the very act of smelling another person can be intimate and profound.Scientists have long said that our sense of smell can trigger intense memories long after the scent is first encountered. It is a primal force that can trigger fear, desire, longing, hunger, or even a sense of safety. Being able to manipulate this force has long been the goal of perfume makers.In this story, the perfume maker has ano...

Samantha, a young traveler is on her first trip to Spain and her first vacation outside of her home in the United States. The strangeness of her surroundings begins to wear on her and she looks forward to going back home. Her friend and traveling companion is fully enjoying herself and is immersed in the experience, but are Samantha's feelings of dread unfounded?