I can sit for hours over a cup of tea and talk to Phyllis about almost any topic. She is such a great storyteller, and there is always a lesson to be learned. Phylliss new book is so much like her personality, full of mirth, a history lesson, nurturing words, and a brief glimpse into a remarkable mind. The story of Fifty-Four made me smile and remember what I was thinking at that age and what I could expect to come to mind as I move into my next phase of life (Dr. Joye M. Carter, author of My Strength Comes from Within: An Autobiography; I Speak for the Dead; and Let Me Give You a Peace of My Mind). Beyond the Wind Chimes is a poignant collection of short stories written by the talented Phyllis Adair Ward, author of Wind Chimes and Promises. I found myself wiping a tear or two or simply scratching my head. The stories are whimsical, thought-provoking, and a very easy read. It is a must read accompanied by a cup of coffee or tea (Beatrice Toney Bailey, author of Farewell, My Friend). If you love Phyllis, you will love this book. If you dont know Phyllis, read it, and your heart will be touched. She has written poems, stories, essays, and commentaries infused with warmth and connection. Meet Miss Lorraine and Dr. Adams if you want a heart-warmer. Meet mothers and grandmothers, cousins, aunts, and uncles. You will find humor, kindness, and tragedy, along with gratitude for the miracles of living. Here is a fine model for aging gracefully with only a few complaints. Phyllis succeeds in her goal for this book, I want to write acceptable or unacceptable words. I want to empty out my heart and soul on paper. Thats my gift to the world. The only one I really have. She gives abundantly. (Linda Caldwell Lee, author of Mystics, Me and Moby: A Spiritual Road Trip and What Happiness Required).

When life gets complicated, New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods proves family—and love—can make all the difference Facing a personal crisis, ambitious and driven Gabriella Castle retreats to the welcoming arms of her family. Everything she's worked for has been yanked out from under her, and she seeks the serenity of her grandmother's home on the North Carolina coast. With difficult decisions to make about her future, the last thing she wants is an unexpected love. Wade Johnson fell for Gabi the first time he saw her. It's not the only time he's found himself in the role of knight in shining armor, but Gabi isn't looking for a rescuer. To get her to stay, Wade will need a whole lot of patience and gentle persuasion…and maybe the soothing sound of wind chimes on a summer breeze.

Jovita Ló-Rran was much more than a petty thief... ...But who doesn’t love an adventure? Thousands of years in the future and millions of light years away, the Ground is probably the worst place to live in the known universe and is definitely the worst part of the city-planet Yilzoc. There is almost nothing Jovita wants more than an escape until she finds adventure in the form of a ring with a pricey reward. Leaving the Ground and her brother, Zoren, for the first time, Jo meets Neo, a boy from the Sky - the highest level of Yilzoc. In exchange for his ring and her accepting an invitation to a dinner party, he agrees to hire a ship and crew for Jo so she can leave the planet, but a chance encounter with the head of the Council of United System sends Jo running from their deal. Jo, Neo, and Zoren join a team of outcasts and runaways on the Cyphris and leave Yilzoc. As they travel through a universe tettering on the edge of galactic war, it becomes clear that Jo is not what she seems. Will it be too late for the others when they learn the truth? Is it already too late for Jovita to escape?

Iris is searching for her best friend Ava, who has gone missing. Unknown to Iris, Ava has opened a gateway to another world, and if she ever finds them again she will be horrified at what they have become. Against the advice of Caitlin, a local white witch, Iris goes in search of her best friend, but her investigations will drag her into another world - a place where the inhabitants are strangely demonic yet magical - a place where she will meet Rain, a kind and ambitious Lord who is waiting to rule the land and make changes to the damage done by his sister Feather, but the Queen is reluctant to give up her throne and will stop at nothing to hold on to power. But Rain has a dark and terrible secret about his people and his own past that he can not hide from Iris forever, and when she discovers the truth Rain will not seem like the prince she first imagines him to be...

What appears to be a nightmare for Florence and Leona becomes an unexpected life-changing adventure. The fragile health of both elderly ladies require them to take up residence at a nursing home in Southern California with one consolation-at least they have each other. Florence and Leona are life-long friends, the kind who would do anything to help each other. The past catches up with Florence when she learns that her close friend, Bishop Gabriel, is being threatened by a scandal involving the two of them in 1941. Florence possesses the key to resolving the problem, but feels compelled to keep it to herself. Her friends, Father Carl and Leona, attempt to solve the dilemma, while trying to honor Florence's wishes to keep the facts confidential. Meanwhile, problems at the nursing home result in the plagues of a spiteful health inspector and abusive individuals. Just when they thought life in a nursing home was going to be dull, Florence and Leona find themselves on a mission to resolve the facilities problems. Will Father Carl and Leona find the information needed to stop a looming scandal-or will a number of lives be destroyed because Florence is forced to reveal her secret, but vital information?

The author shares his dream of sailing around the world, first formulated when he was six years old. The outfitting of his boat for the task and the trip itself taking 7 years, starting and ending in Hawaii. Leading him as far north as Alaska, south to New Zealand and into the relatively uncharted waters of the Black Sea, up the Dnieper River in the Ukraine and to Saudi Arabia. Along the way he encounters high winds to 70 knots and 50 foot waves, equipment breakdowns that have to be diagnosed and fixed without outside help. A boarding by armed vigilantes in Indonesia, the killing of a cruising friend by escaped convicts in Panama and the author holding a Rumanian Marines Uzi hostage, add excitement not normally expected in a sailing venture. The expected satisfying experiences of natural beauty, the encounters with wildlife and the interaction with wonderful people along the way are not neglected. The author meets his future wife in Tonga and previously single-handing, he is now able to share his adventures with this lovely Polynesian maiden. The book is full of helpful information on various technical aspects and explanations to help even non-sailors understand and enjoy, vicariously, the sailing life. Many anecdotes illustrate the challenges and rewards of a life at sea.

The 2008 election is over, and librarian Meg McLean is thrilled that the library levy passed. Despite an economy in free fall, Meg’s personal and professional lives are thriving. Tribal Chief Madeline Thomas of the Klalos offers an inherited farmhouse for a branch library-but Meg’s rival and vengeful enemy plans to contest the will. Disasters begin to strike-the farmhouse is vandalized; the chief’s home is firebombed; and when her rival falls to her death, Meg becomes a murder suspect. Meg and her romantic interest, Undersheriff Rob Neill, must confront religious zealotry, bullying, and troubled mother-daughter relationships to penetrate the morass of bad karma and maze of crimes. “In Simonson’s taut third Latouche County library mystery librarian Margaret “Meg” McLean has her hands full . . . . Simonson’s ambitious plot casts a wide net-from treating themes of racism and religious intolerance to thwarted love and good old-fashioned greed-but she pulls it off with a sure hand.” -Publishers Weekly

On a midsummer night in the early hours of dusk, five lives are merged by a fateful hit-and-run. Lives are lost, and other lives are changed forever. Genevieve Nickles, a young vibrant woman with a promising future as a freelance writer, awakes to find herself in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire hospital. She has no recollection of how or why she is there. All she knows is that she has a long road to recovery in front of her. With her thoughts focused around her family and fiancé Todd, the road to recovery seems manageable at times. Weak, she drifts in and out of consciousness, falling deep into thought to escape the pain of recovery. But her quiet slumber is disturbed by the visions of a man hunting a frightened young woman. Desperately, this man wants his prey, and he wants to kill. He chases his victim down a road that leads to many crossroads; the closer he gets, the stronger the man senses Genevieve’s presence. His attention now shifts from his victim to Genevieve. Laid up in a hospital bed, Genevieve Nickles fights to regain her memory and strength so she can fight the demon that invades her dreams. It may be just a vision, but something is beckoning her to help this frightened woman at the same time.++

Providing complete coverage of some of the most popular attractions in and around Orlando, this guide contains practical tips on when to go and how to beat the crowds at 11 of Central Florida's best theme parks. Original.

Contemporary mind sciences are revealing facts about the brain and its development that have much to teach us about health and happiness. For a greater part of the twentieth century, psychology and psychotherapy had little to say to one another. Despite Freud's early wish to consider psychoanalysis a science, academic psychology had scant time for what it considered at best an "art" form, while psychotherapy found little interest in psychology's lack of concern with subjective experience. Since the rise of the interdisciplinary fields of cognitive science, neuroscience and consciousness studies and the growth of new technologies, all this has changed. This new knowledge challenges many of our common sense and long-held beliefs. It has important implications for education and health, and illuminates both natural optimal development and the way later therapy may heal early insufficiency. What is perhaps more surprising is that these findings engage with the "first" psychology, that of Buddhism.