Animals have extraordinary minds capable of exceptional acts of perception, generosity, bravery and kindness. Their connection with humankind gives us a glimpse into their world and their desire to share it with us. Here is a collection of fascinating, heartwarming and humorous tales about some of the animal kingdom’s amazing inhabitants and their often mysterious connection with us:After being attacked by a great white shark while surfing, Todd Endris was saved from sure dea...

This sequel to Blood Ties finds Taylor Walker awaiting the trial of the nemesis who tried to kill her. Her love life gets complicated by the arrival of a Cuban-American architect—who may have strangled his pregnant fiancée in Miami. A crime wave strikes the tiny panhandle town of Walker, Fla., where the crimes are somehow tied to Taylor. One murder mimics the dead socialite’s: This time the murder weapon is Taylor’s red bra: The work of the Miami killer or a copycat? Once again Taylor find...

After a brutal rape and beating causes Taylor Walker Campbell to miscarry, the fictional panhandle town of Walker, Fla., rallies around her. She soon discovers her retired judge father ordered the attack to “protect” her after he discovered her brief affair with a 14-year-old black neighbor. When her lawyer/war-hero husband, Capt. Cameron Campbell, returns from Iraq, he cold bloodedly shoots an intruder in their home, coincidentally one of Taylor’s attackers. Her life begins a downward spi...

After 23 years, Maggie O'Brien discovers her fiance wasn't killed in Vietnam when he resurfaces in her life. He's not who she thought he was; people with a connection to him begin dying. Maggie’s unsure whether he’s the killer—or will be the next victim. Maggie ends up with more questions than answers: Who's trying to frame her for the murders? Who's spreading vicious rumors about her "affair" with Sam? Who tried to push her in front of the metro at the Pentagon stop. Most importantly, who...

Most pets’ main job is to provide companionship to their human companions. But many dogs have other, very important jobs as well. Dogs’ keen sense of smell, their intelligence and willingness to learn and their strong dispositions make them irreplaceable as K-9 police officers, as seeing eye dogs for the blind, therapy and companion dogs for seniors and as soldiers’’ helpers in times of war. A few even work with politicians or as mascots on television! Here are over fifty, easy-to-read sto...

What do you know about your dog? Or dogs in general? Learn more from over 300 facts, trivia bits, factoids (and even some jokes) all about humans’ most loyal companion: the dog. Sit down, read up and be informed.

Richard searches for a deeper understanding of his miraculous healing in the sequel to Second ChanceRichard returns to Maui where he reunites with Johnathan and Mamma Lila. Once again, he finds their wisdom intellectually contradictory, but most intriguing.In Quest of the Pearl, like Second Chance, is a simply told, very moving story bringing the reader into a world of soft tropical beauty, where undiscovered depths of feeling are...

A moving story of one man, deeply troubled by the circumstances of his life, who travels to the islands of Hawaii hoping to find peace. Here, he is befriended by two intriguing people who speak in ways that mystify yet fascinate him. Thus begins a spiritual journey into a world of extraordinary feelings, which bring him understanding and an answer beyond anything he had ever dreamed possible. In this novel, set in a world of soft tropical beauty, the author shares his quiet philosophical k...

This delightful compendium presents all that is weird and wonderful about Canadian gardens.Did you know we used to think tomatoes were poisonous?Did you know radishes are related to cabbage, broccoli and mustard? Discover all sorts of odd gardening facts.

First Nations peoples and Native Americans in North America have long believed in the power of spirit animals or totems. They believed that these animals had lessons to teach and healing or inspirational powers:One of the strongest spirit animals, the bear is known as the grandfather for many peoples; they are seen as strong, powerful creatures that can never die. Bears also mean leadership, confidence and courage.The buffalo/bison is a symbol of strength and power ...

From strange behaviour to interesting prey-vs.-predator relationships to fantastical creatures, the animal world is full of fascinating facts about our furry, feathered and scaly friends:The wood frog burrows into the leaf litter in winter; its heart, brain and eyeballs freeze, and they defrost again in the spring.In 2006, a hunter shot and killed a hybrid of a grizzly and a polar bear, dubbed a grolar or pizzly bear, the first to be found in the wild.The bombardier...

Liza, an orphan girl living on the cold streets of London in 1834, is able to rise above her squalid surroundings to bring joy to the lives of others. Although only 11, she displays amazing courage as she cares for a younger child and ekes out a bare existence through the approaching winter, guided by the wisdom embodied in letters left to her by her mother. When Liza meets a wealthy gentleman, her mysterious, almost magical manner causes him to re-examine his own life. Over time, he and o...