From the #1 New York Times author of Before We Were Yours! This collection bundles 3 of Lisa Wingate’s contemporary/historical Carolina Heirlooms series together in one e-book, for a great value! The Prayer Box When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola’s rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola’s walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola’s youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper—the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi. The Story Keeper (2015 Christy Award winner! 2015 Carol award winner!) When successful New York editor Jen Gibbs discovers a decaying slush-pile manuscript on her desk, she has no idea that the story of Sarra, a young mixed-race woman trapped in Appalachia at the turn of the twentieth century, will both take her on a journey and change her forever. Happy with her life in the city, and at the top of her career with a new job at Vida House Publishing, Jen has left her Appalachian past and twisted family ties far behind. But the search for the rest of the manuscript, and Jen’s suspicions about the identity of its unnamed author, will draw her into a mystery that leads back to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains . . . and quite possibly through the doors she thought she had closed forever. The Sea Keeper’s Daughters (2016 Christy Award Winner!) From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything?

Stories and rhymes put maths into context and demonstrate concepts in ways meaningful to children. They make maths more relevant, fun and accessible to children, sparking their imagination while developing their mathematical thinking. Developing Early Maths through Story is the new guide to help practitioners feel more confident about teaching early mathematics. Ideal for use with 3-5 years old, the book will encourage young learners to exercise mathematical concepts, both outdoors and indoors, and show practitioners how to help their children and develop their skills creatively. The book contains 14 chapters, on numbers 0 to 13, each including: * A brief outline of a traditional story * EYFS Learning objectives * Resources needed * Suggestions for younger children and babies * Scope for outdoor activities and for using natural materials * Further activities, games and extension questions * Suggestions for using ICT * Assessment opportunities. Ideal for parents and carers who want to explore or extend the learning of maths at home with their children in a very accessible and enjoyable way.

Short Story Press Presents A Suitable Box by Judy Greenless A new term, Empty Nest Divorce, has cropped up to explain the recent increase in separation and divorce among couples ages 55 and older. In years past, when married couples lived shorter lives, the norm was to stay together throughout life. But as the average life expectancy has dramatically increased, so has the percentage of divorce for older people. Experts now state that 1 in 4 marriages are now ending. Traditional family groupings struggle to maintain normal relationships as social pressures increase. But this story is about much more than these trends. It is about strong family relationships that survive generations. It is also about quirky habits that family members share, for good and sometimes to their detriment. • Allegra, a married woman, abruptly learns her husband is having an affair. • Her husband leaves her, and she must continue her caregiver responsibilities to her mother, Anita, as she struggles with her feelings of rejection. • She escapes reality by exploring her youth; but discovers that the sadness there motivates her actions in the present. • A mysterious man arrives on the scene at her mother’s nursing home, complicating Allegra’s concerns for her mother’s care. • Allegra must face the quirky habits passed on for generations and overcome the significant problems it causes, with a strange yet positive ritual. • Anita eventually dies leaving Allegra to face her husband and her fears about living a new kind of life alone. • Allegra embraces the habits and rituals that make her family unique. What happens to Allegra’s marriage? What habits and rituals does Allegra enact? Who is the mysterious man and what happens to him? What significance does Anita’s life give to Allegra and her children? These questions are part of the complex relationships in “A Suitable Box”. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

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