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John and Erica Mason-Grey are hard-working artists and loving parents—but when John dies, their teenage daughter Mona’s casual drug use spirals into heroin addiction. She and her mother soon begin an anguished game of hide-and-seek leading to countless arguments, arrests, thefts, rehabs, and relapse, a recurring nightmare that seems to have no end. Ultimately, it’s only when each of them finds a way to accept their new reality—Mona by taking charge of her own recovery, and Erica by focusing on her own vitality—that each experiences the unexpected joy and renewal that await those who decide to stop living in the bad dream of addiction. Unflinching about the ways the disease of addiction can torpedo a family yet leavened with dollops of humor, The Bad Dream Notebook will resonate with anyone who has lived through the agony of a loved one’s drug dependency. Author: Linda Dahl Publication Date: August 1, 2017 -
How can anyone feel hopeful after learning she is fatally ill? Sharon Eagle seeks to answer that very question in Terminal Hope, which chronicles her experience with stage 4 lung cancer. After receiving her diagnosis, Eagle, a longtime nurse and educator, understands immediately that her cancer will probably kill her. What she can’t foresee is the remarkable wisdom she gains from the spiritual and emotional quest that her diagnosis sparks. As she navigates the land of cancer, seeking new purpose and meaning, Eagle discovers that her illness has a great deal to teach her. Among many other lessons, cancer inspires her to examine her own faith journey, rebuild relationships, and reconsider patient-caregiver communication and support. Above all, she uncovers compelling evidence for her belief that death is not the end but rather merely a transition to something even better. A moving memoir about the power of positivity, gratitude, and faith, Terminal Hope offers a new perspective for people of all belief systems. Author: Sharon Eagle Publication Date: August 1, 2017 -
An acclaimed spokesperson for equality at the helm of And Baby, a pioneer magazine, radio show, and TV series on alternative parenting, Michelle Darné found herself at once callously erased from the lives of her children and silenced by the law. Parent Deleted is a gripping tale of one non-biological, lesbian mother’s fight for her children—an intimate, infuriating, and infectious story of perseverance, sacrifice, and hope in the face of debilitating adversity. And it is a courageous, disturbing, and necessary exposé of a likely emergent social justice frontier: the rights of all children to be with their parents, whether they are biologically linked, straight, gay, prepared or knocked up, perfect spouses or fallible ones. Author: Michelle Darné Publication Date: August 8, 2017 -
Struggling to forget a crumbling marriage, forty-year-old Anna Lucia Lottol comes to Venice to visit an old friend—but instead of finding solace, she is dragged into the police station and accused of murdering a money-laundering count with whom she had a brief affair. A US Treasury officer with brains and athleticism, Anna fights to clear her name in a seductive city full of watery illusions. As she works to pry information from a cast of recalcitrant characters sometimes denying what she sees and hears, she succeeds in unleashing a powerful foe bent on destroying her. Will she save herself and vanquish her enemies, including her darkest fears? A mysterious tapestry of murder, betrayal, and family, Venetian Blood is a story of one woman’s brave quest for the truth —before it’s too late. Author: Christine Evelyn Volker Publication Date: August 8, 2017 -
Twelve year-old Chloe Ashton is an only child living in the remote wilderness of Oregon. She spends her days happily exploring the forests around her home, and is astonished when the forest creatures seem to begin to recognize her, follow her, and even to communicate with her. When a family tragedy results in Chloe being abducted and sold to the vagabonds who live deep in the woods, she discovers just how much the animals know. Finding help in the most unexpected places, Chloe learns the old legends are true— animals can talk, mountains do think, and deep in the forests, the trees still practice their old ways—and she struggles to survive, even as a new evil rises in the land. Set at a time when technology first arrived in the West, Bridge of the Gods is a book about the transformative power of nature, finding friendship in the darkest of places, and using an ancient, natural magic to find your way home. Author: Diane Rios Publication Date: August 15, 2017 -
"Finding my Badass Self is like a cozy catch-up chat with a zany friend. Stanfa-Stanley’s writing is conversational, peppered with juicy encounters, honest insights, and lots of laughs. Most would be hard-pressed to duplicate her energetic and courageous Badass Year, but it is encouraging to have her reminder about how rewarding it can be to push one’s self-imposed limitations." —Foreword Reviews Fighting midlife inertia, Sherry Stanfa-Stanley chose to stare down fear through The 52/52 Project: a year of weekly new experiences designed to push her far outside her comfort zone. These ranged from visiting a nude beach with her seventy-five-year-old mother in tow to taking a road trip with her ex-husband—and then another one with his girlfriend. She also went on a raid with a vice squad and SWAT team, exfoliated a rhinoceros (inadvertently giving him an erection), and crashed a wedding (where she accidentally caught the bouquet). While finding her courage in the most unlikely of circumstances, Sherry ultimately found herself. For midlifers, fatigued parents, and anyone who may be discontent with their life and looking to shake things up, try new things, or just escape, Finding My Badass Self is proof it’s never too late to reinvent yourself—and that the best bucket list of all may be an unbucket list. Author: Sherry Stanfa-Stanley Publication Date: August 15, 2017 -
2017 Living Now Awards Bronze Winner, Enlightenment/Spirituality Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World offers a offers an unconventional approach to the spiritual-material split so prevalent in our culture. In these pages, Dr. Anna Gatmon demystifies the all-too-often elusive nature of spirituality and brings it down to earth, providing a concrete roadmap to living a life that is spiritually fulfilling without having to give up material pleasures. Weaving stories from her personal life with insights and testimonials from her doctoral research, Gatmon offers four keys to improve intuitive decision making, empowering readers to become their own spiritual guide and live a spiritually meaningful life while staying fully engaged in daily material living. Author: Anna Gatmon Publication Date: August 15, 2017 -
Though twenty-one-year-old Karla Most manages to bag Saxton Perry, a virtual prince thirty years her senior, she has no idea how to live happily ever after, with or without him. Karla cannot get past her anger at having been deceived by her single, now-dead mother, Mutti, who—supposedly a “Holocaust victim,” complete with tattooed numbers—was in fact a German Christian who got into the United States by falsifying her background. So what does that make her daughter? Before she can answer that question, Karla must track down the actual story of her own existence. Author: Ann Z. Leventhal Publication Date: August 22, 2017 -
“Rom’s self-searching leads to India, where she meets gurus and lovers and makes inroads into the wilderness of her deepest heart. Her story inspires me to question my own habits of being. She says ‘yes!’ to life, with all its mysterious and unexpected turnings. This is a courageous adventure and love story.” ―Lindsay Fleming, contributing writer at the Baltimore Fishbowl Meredith Rom thought her life was set to follow the usual trajectory of her classmates in New York—graduate from high school with honors, go to a prestigious university, and begin a career working nine to five—until those expectations were promptly halted by the unforeseen turn in the economic market and high unemployment rates. Following an unpleasant breakup, with no job offers in sight, Rom chose a new course: to follow her intuition across the country to San Francisco and, soon after, halfway around the world to India.This coming-of-age memoir takes you inside the ashrams of gurus and sages of the Far East, where Rom learns to seek happiness within rather than from external achievements and circumstances. Her courageous adventure leads her to heal her heart and believe in the magical happenstance of the universe, along the way discovering the true meaning of acceptance and forgiveness and, ultimately, finding an unshakable love and trust within herself. Author: Meredith Rom Publication Date: August 22, 2017 -
“Sullivan’s candid, moving memoir of how her life has been shaped by her sister is emotional, easily readable, and instantly relatable. This is a must-read for anyone who cares for a person with autism or other developmental disability, as well as a wonderful tale of resiliency and tenacity that will touch the hearts of a broad swath of readers.” —Booklist “The memoir is often heartbreaking, but Sullivan’s depictions of a complicated and loving family and the unique issues faced by siblings of the severely disabled provide a sense of hope and closure.” —Kirkus Reviews Mikey & Me will resonate with anyone considered the typical one in a family with a special needs child. Author Teresa Sullivan’s memoir about growing up with her profoundly disabled sister reveals the incessant challenges that confront family caregivers, and the resulting expectations placed on “typical” siblings. Sullivan’s honesty about her self-destructive coping mechanisms will strike a cord with anyone who has struggled with addiction, as will her hard-won recovery. Mikey & Me is an unflinching and insightful exploration of the relationship between two sisters, one blind and autistic, unable to voice her own story, the other gifted with the heart and understanding to express it exquisitely for her. Author: Teresa Sullivan Publication Date: August 29, 2017 -
“Judy Gruen writes with down-to-earth warmth and humor about her personal spiritual journey. As she navigates family, friendship, love, loss, parenting, and community, you will root for her like you would cheer on a new best friend―someone who you just know somehow cares for and understands you, too.” —Lori Palatnik, founding director of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project As Judy Gruen walked down the aisle and into her Orthodox Jewish future, her bouquet quivered in her shaky hand. Having grown up in the zeitgeist that proclaimed, “If it feels good, do it,” was she really ready to live the life of “rituals, rules, and restraints” that the Torah prescribed? The Skeptic and the Rabbi is a rare memoir with historical depth, spirituality, and fresh feminine humor. Gruen speaks with refreshing honesty about what it means to remain authentic to yourself while charting a new yet ancient spiritual path at odds with the surrounding culture, and writes touchingly about her family, including her two sets of grandparents, who influenced her in wildly opposite ways. As she navigates her new life with the man she loves and the faith she also loves—surviving several awkward moments, including when the rabbi calls to tell her that she accidentally served unkosher food to her Shabbat guests—Gruen brings the reader right along for the ride. Reading this wry, bold and compelling memoir, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and when you’re finished, you may also have a sudden craving for chicken matzo ball soup—kosher, of course. Author: Judy Gruen Publication Date: September 5, 2017 -
As featured in the New York Times “Modern Love” column * a Redbook Magazine must-read * Rumpus, Hello Giggles, Bustle, and Southern Living magazine Fall book pick Fugitives from a man as alluring as he is violent, Andrea Jarrell and her mother develop a powerful, unusual bond. Once grown, Jarrell thinks she’s put that chapter of her life behind her—until a woman she knows is murdered, and she suddenly sees that it’s her mother’s choices she’s been trying to escape all along. Without preaching or prescribing, I’m the One Who Got Away is a life-affirming story of having the courage to become both safe enough and vulnerable enough to love and be loved. Author: Andrea Jarrell Publication Date: September 5, 2017 -
Wounds fester and spread in the darkness of silence. The First Signs of April explores the destructive patterns of unresolved grief and the importance of connection for true healing to occur. The narrative weaves through time to explore grief reactions to two very different losses: suicide and cancer. Author: Mary-Elizabeth Briscoe Publication Date: September 5, 2017 -
“A witty and thoughtful account that’s a portrait of a mother-daughter bond as much as it is a search for love. The drama alone (a broken engagement, angry creditors, infidelity) keep the reader engaged . . . ” —Kirkus Reviews “One woman’s challenging tale to find herself is full of emotion and stark, uncomfortable truths . . . revealing a vulnerability that is as painful as it is endearing. The conversational, relatable writing style is enough to captivate readers and keep the pages turning.” —BookLife Life in a middle-class Italian American-Catholic neighborhood in the 1950s Bronx was not supposed to include divorce, Judaism, classical music, political discourse, or poverty in the social construct. So, in the absence of friends, young Barbara takes comfort in the minutiae, the small details available to her in her everyday life that seem to be overlooked by others. But that appreciation for the inanimate world leads her on a path to the acquisition of objects and a quest for identity that dominates her choices—from her marriage and family life to her constant striving for more and more. Barbara’s chosen nursing career offers validation and some affirmation, but falls short of providing her what’s most elusive—self–esteem—until finally, at age fifty, she abruptly abandons her conventional role of mother, wife, nurse, and neighbor to attempt a three-hundred-mile bike ride from Boston to New York. Poorly prepared, she takes only what she needs to flee her life, and a fierce determination that finally allows her to discover her place in the world—and to find true belonging. Author: Barbara Santarelli Publication Date: September 12, 2017 -
Fed up with happiness gurus telling you that you can’t be happy unless you get rid of all of your negativity? Sick of all those perky Positive Pollys receiving all the happiness glory? Negatively Ever After will provide the guidance you need to find happiness without the impossible task of eradicating negativity from your life. This book debunks the popular misconception that being positive and being happy are synonymous. Using a simple “Happiness Bank” analogy, the author shares her research, experiences, and missteps in discovering that negativity is not the enemy. From achieving self-adoration and learning what gratitude truly means to determining whether sharing happiness is really a good idea, this book explains how to develop “Negativity Wisdom” in order to embrace and effectively utilize your inherent negative tendencies. Realistic and accessible, Negatively Ever After will help you harness your negativity and find your own inner happiness. Author: Deanna Willmon Publication Date: September 12, 2017 -
Royal Palm Literary Awards Finalist in Published Book-Length Mainstream Genre Secrets, lies, and murder haunt The House on the Forgotten Coast, a magical novel set in Apalachicola, Florida, in the late 1980s. The novel begins with the beautiful Annelise Lovett Morgan, who, powerless in the face of her southern heritage, is forced to marry the mature Coulton Morgan instead of the young man who has captured her heart, artistic Seth Mitchell. But seventeen-year-old Annelise dies on her wedding day in 1879, never to live in the remarkable house built as a wedding gift from her father—and her story ends there, until Elise Foster’s parents buy the historic house in 1987. When this happens, the house becomes a portal whereby Annelise and Elise, two young women from very different centuries, meet to solve a murder that occurred 100 years earlier. Author: Ruth Coe Chambers Publication Date: September 19, 2017 -
In this colorful memoir, Kimberly Childs quests for the love and home her glamorous, alcoholic mother is unable to provide. Jeanne Gibson is a mountain woman with unusual charisma—a real-life Holly GoLightly—who marries Broadway’s meanest producer, David Merrick, and proceeds to self-destruct. Bounced from place to place, Childs grows up in Lady Eden’s English boarding school, London’s prestigious Savoy Hotel, a Kentucky farm with an outhouse, a Manhattan private girls’ school, and amidst Broadway’s theaters. Seeking connection on the streets and in the communes of 1960s San Francisco, Childs discovers serenity through meditation. Aspiring for transformation, she finds home in an Indian Guru’s ashram—then realizes she must trust her own instincts and courageously walks away. A touching story of compassion and forgiveness, Remember Me As Loving You is a compelling read that will be an inspiration to anyone who has found themselves derailed by life’s blows. Author: Kimberly Child Publication Date: September 19, 2017 -
Hamas has taken power in Palestine, and the Israeli government is rounding up threats. When Palestinian policewoman Rania Bakara finds herself thrown in prison, though she has never been part of Hamas, her friend Chloe flies in from San Francisco to get her out. Chloe begs an Israeli policeman named Benny for help—and Benny offers Rania a way out: investigate the death of a young man in a village near her own. The young man’s neighbors believe the Israeli army killed him; Benny believes his death might not have been so honorable. Initially, Rania refuses; she has no interest in helping the Israelis. But she is released anyway, and returns home to find herself without a job and suspected of being a traitor. Searching for redemption, she launches an investigation into the young man’s death that draws her into a Palestinian gay scene she never knew existed. With Chloe and her Palestinian Australian lover as guides, Rania explores a Jerusalem gay bar, meets with a lesbian support group, and plunges deep into the victim’s world, forcing her to question her beliefs about love, justice, and cultural identity. Author: Kate Raphael Publication Date: September 19, 2017 -
2017-18 Reader Views Literary Award, Novel: Finalist “Overall, this is a deftly constructed coming-of-age story with well-drawn characters and the narrative momentum of a thriller. Gschwandtner (Carla’s Secret, 2013, etc.) is a gifted storyteller who ably balances the past and present throughout the novel and never puts a foot wrong. A potent exploration of youth, innocence, and the abuse of authority. ―Kirkus Reviews During her first week at coed Quaker prep Foxhall School, sassy Susannah Greenwood, one of two girls who’ve entered as sophomores, gets pulled into the cool girls’ clique. While the school is instructing her in the moral and ethical tenets of the Quaker faith, the cool girls allow her to enter their world beyond the rule book—but in trying to find a balance between idealistic faith and the reality of a competitive system, Susannah runs afoul of the school’s most authoritarian dean and befriends the only other new sophomore, a brainy, socially inept outcast. Then her new friend runs away after being shamed by the dean, and Susannah finds herself caught between the two forces of loyalty and authority: Should she cooperate with the unforgiving, and now vulnerable, dean, who, with her job on the line, is pleading for information from her about her runaway friend? Or should she keep the secret she’s sworn to protect? Author: LB Gschwandtner Publication Date: September 26, 2017 -
“Atwell’s evocative descriptions provide added depth to the characters, particularly Lindsey, whose voice emanates from the pages. A brutally honest, affecting memoir of family resilience.” —Kirkus Reviews “Linda Atwell is a beacon of light in her book about the richness of raising a daughter with special needs. Lindsey stories are woven into the midst of Atwell’s own very full life, and she truly tells it like it is. She shares her experiences through the lenses of love, humor, and the human condition.” —Diana Dolan Mattick, Special Education Teacher and Learning Specialist Linda Atwell and her strong-willed daughter, Lindsey—a high-functioning young adult with intellectual disabilities—have always had a complicated relationship. But when Lindsey graduates from Silverton High School at nineteen and gets a job at Goodwill, she also moves into a newly remodeled cottage in her parents’ backyard—and Linda believes that all their difficult times may finally be behind them. Life, however, proves not to be so simple. As Lindsey plunges into adulthood, she experiments with sex, considers a tubal ligation, and at twenty quits Goodwill and runs away with Emmett, a man more than twice her age. As Lindsey grows closer to Emmett, she slips further away from her family—but Linda, determined to save her daughter, refuses to give up. A touching memoir with unexpected moments of joy and humor, Loving Lindsey is a story about independence, rescue, resilience, and, most of all, love. Author: Linda Atwell Publication Date: September 26, 2017 -
“Lena’s beautifully developed character, Ridley’s commanding sense of place, and a well-drawn supporting cast bring this intricate historical fiction vividly to life.” —Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness Coming 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. Author: Barbara Ridley Publication Date: September 26, 2017 -
In the 1950s, nurses served as handmaidens to the physician; by the start of the new millennium, they had become admired independent practitioners. Nightingale Talesis a peek into that transition, as told by a nurse who lived it. Each chapter is a stand-alone story depicting the ridiculous mores nurses have been subjected to over the years, the archaic equipment they’ve had to struggle with, and the changes in the profession, brought about by time, the feminist movement, and advances in technology. Told with humor and compassion, the stories of Nightingale Tales provides an unusual—and highly entertaining—window into the world of medicine from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Author: Lynn Dow Publication Date: October 3, 2017 -
“Wong’s style is imagery-laden and captivating, with floating, seamless prose…No relationship is easy to maintain, but this story is a heartfelt exploration of the ways in which relationships are absolutely necessary.” ―Foreword Review, 5 stars "A tempestuous, fiery page-turner that will leave you aching and begging for more, Swearing Off Stars is a novel with both great heart and unforgettable characters.” ―San Francisco Book Review, 5 out of 5 stars Amelia Cole—Lia for short—is one of the first women studying abroad at Oxford University in the 1920s. Finally free from her overbearing Brooklyn parents, she finds a welcome sense of independence in British college life—and quickly falls for Scarlett Daniels, an aspiring actress and hardheaded protester. Scarlett introduces her to an exciting gender-equality movement, but when their secret love clashes with political uprising, their relationship is one of the casualties. Years later, Lia’s only memories of Scarlett are obscured by the glossy billboards she sees advertising the actress’s new films. But when a mysterious letter surfaces, she is immediately thrown back into their unsettled romance, and she crosses oceans and continents in her search for her former lover. Lia will stop at nothing to win Scarlett back—but ultimately, spread across time and place, she begins to realize that uncovering lost love might not be attainable after all. Author: Danielle Wong Publication Date: October 3, 2017 -
“In a time when religious liberty is on trial, This Is How It Begins is an extraordinarily pertinent novel dripping in suspense and powerful scenes of political discourse . . . a must read . . .” —Foreword (starred review) “Beautifully written . . . an ambitious and moving debut novel.” —Lily King, the New York Times best-selling author of Writers & Lovers A woman bearing a thorny secret. A man fighting for religious freedom. A battle neither saw coming. Massachusetts, 2009. Ludka Zeilonka is relishing her emeritus status. With the horrors of World War II willfully buried in her past, the eighty-five year-old art professor doesn’t want to accept that there’s escalating cultural unrest in her adoptive country. But when her gay grandson is fired for allegedly silencing Christian kids in his classroom, she and her influential family are thrust into the center of a political firestorm. Warren Meck is worried about his sons. Leading a statewide effort to protect free speech in public schools for Christian kids, the popular radio host is on the cusp of taking his fight to the State House. But when his carefully orchestrated campaign turns unexpectedly violent, he’s alarmed by suspicions that someone within his inner circle might be responsible. As the increasingly vicious conflict plays out on the public stage, Ludka wrestles with resurfacing memories . . . and the exposure of a well-guarded secret. And when Meck identifies the culprit behind the violence, he faces an unbearable choice that could jeopardize his family's future. Can these two come to grips with unwelcome truths in time to make a stand in the final political showdown? This Is How It Begins is an emotionally gripping literary novel. If you like even-handed stories about hot-button social issues, rich character development, and thought-provoking narratives, then you'll love Joan Dempsey's captivating page-turner. Author: Joan Dempsey Publication Date: October 3, 2017
