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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 -
“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 -
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 -
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 -
“Here is a book as necessary for today as breath. Shapiro is a great storyteller, and she guides us out of the dark woods of fear, self-doubt, and powerlessness and into the calm within chaos—huge subjects that she masters in a personal way so the reader can definitely say, ‘I can do it.’” —Perie Longo, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate and author of Baggage Claim Using real-life stories, scientific concepts, and awareness tools, The Book of Calm challenges the constraints of inevitable change and a turbulent world with a spirited, dynamic stance of clarity, compassion, and choice. Transitions expert Nancy G. Shapiro moves gracefully and deliberately through subjects as diverse as welcoming paradox, fierce self-care, power and conversation, and the difficult task of connecting with others when faced with our thousand-fold differences—providing convincing evidence for the idea that people stuck in fear or indecision can experience profound insights and break harmful habits when they let go of old beliefs and move into their own wisdom. Inspiring and compelling, The Book of Calm supports and inspires readers to reimagine and renew their lives and their place in the world by transforming habitual patterns ingrained in their thoughts, language, and behaviors—one person, one family, one community at a time. Author: Nancy G. Shapiro Publication Date: October 24, 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 -
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 -
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 -
“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 -
“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 -
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 -
“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 -
After a lifetime of strained bonds with her aging parents, Patricia Williams finds herself in the unexpected position of being their caregiver and neighbor. As they all begin to navigate this murky battleground, the long-buried issues that have divided their family for decades—alcoholism, infidelity, opposing politics—rear up and demand to be addressed head-on. Williams answers the call of duty with trepidation at first, confronting the lines between service and servant, guardian and warden, while her parents alternately resist her help and wear her out. But by facing each new struggle with determination, grace, and courage, they ultimately emerge into a dynamic of greater transparency, mutual support, and teachable moments for all. Honest and humorous, graceful and grumbling, While They’re Still Here is a poignant story about a family that waves the white flag and begins to heal old wounds as they guide each other through the most vulnerable chapter of their lives. Author: Patricia Williams Publication Date: November 7, 2017 -
2017-18 Reader Views Literary Award, LGBTQIA: Finalist “This work movingly renders the complex emotional landscape of living in and out of the closet.” ―Kirkus Reviews Carol Anderson grows up in a fundamentalist Christian home in the ’60s, a time when being gay was in opposition to all social and religious mores and against the law in most states. Fearing the rejection of her parents, she hides the truth about her love orientation, creating emotional distance from them for years, as she desperately struggles to harness her powerful attractions to women while pursuing false efforts to be with men. The watershed point in Carol’s journey comes when she returns to graduate school and discovers the feminist movement, which emboldens her sense of personal power and the freedom to love whom she chooses. But this sense of self-possession comes too late for honesty with her father. His unexpected death before she can tell him the truth brings the full cost of Carol’s secret crashing in—compelling her to come out to her mother before it is too late. Candid and poignant, You Can’t Buy Love Like Thatreveals the complex invisible dynamics that arise for gay people who are forced to hide their true selves in order to survive—and celebrates the hard-won rewards of finding one’s courageous heart and achieving self-acceptance and self-love. Author: Carol E. Anderson Publication Date: October 17, 2017
