Death never did come quietly for Bliss House . . . and now a mother and daughter have become entwined in the secrets hidden within its walls. Amidst the lush farmland and orchards in Old Gate, Virginia, stands the magnificent Bliss House. Built in 1878 as a country retreat, Bliss House is impressive, historic, and inexplicably mysterious. Decades of strange occurrences, disappearances and deaths have plagued the house, yet it remains vibrant. And very much alive. Rainey Bliss Adams desperately needed a new start when she and her daughter Ariel relocated from St. Louis to Old Gate and settled into the house where the Bliss family had lived for over a century. Rainey’s husband had been killed in a freak explosion that left her 14 year-old daughter Ariel scarred and disfigured. At the grand housewarming party, Bliss House begins to reveal itself again. Ariel sees haunting visions: the ghost of her father, and the ghost of a woman being pushed to her death off of an upper floor balcony, beneath an exquisite dome of painted stars. And then there is a death the night of the party. Who is the murderer in the midst of this small town? And who killed the woman in Ariel's visions? But Bliss House is loath to reveal its secrets, as are the good folks of Old Gate.

Two young men bringing up a small child in the middle of nowhere. Everything could be fine, but strangers start to meddle. For near a century the reclusive Bliss clan farmed the same land. Now it’s 1963 and everyone’s gone except teenage Cam, his older cousin Wes, and little Dorie. They buried Gran over a year ago. But Gramp is still with them, wrapped tight as a mummy in an old tarp in the cold room off the kitchen. Life’s better now without the old man’s rants and terrors. There are problems with the land lease and the meddlesome, moralizing neighbours, and rumours are spreading in town that there’s something not quite right about Cam and Wes, but they’re taking care of it all as best they can. Then the local Children’s Aid drops by to say Dorie needs schooling and proper parents, and it’s clear they can’t hide their secrets any longer. They’re on the road, heading north, with a body in the trunk. Wes knows a place, a cabin deep in the woods ... No matter what they do, gruesome casualties seem to follow them. It could be funny if it wasn’t so nightmarish. And through it all, a tender secret love thrives, as they try to hold on to the family they’ve built together. A RARE MACHINES BOOK

The past never stays buried at Bliss House... Rainey Bliss Adams' perfect life came to an end one spring afternoon, when her husband was killed in an explosion that horrifically burned their fourteen year-old daughter, Ariel. Desperate for a new start, she takes Ariel to live in the beautiful house in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where the Bliss family has lived for over a century. Once there, Ariel starts to mysteriously heal. But as a series of tragedies begins to unfold, it becomes clear that a darkness lurks behind the dignified façade of Bliss House - one which will drive both mother and daughter apart, as each is forced to confront its evil on her own... Richly Gothic, creeping and dark, Bliss House is a haunting tale of loss, love - and the secrets our houses can keep.

English professor turns New Age guru. A New York Times notable book for 1989. "Rockland...scores a hit with this smoothly written first novel, which has a serious message about the virtues of selfishness. This reviewer hasn't laughed so hard since Josh Greenfield and Paul Mazursky's Harry and Tonto."--Booklist

In search of meaning amid America's sedated upper-middle class, a cynical college graduate forgoes medical school and moves to inner-city Chicago. When he falls in love with a woman uncompromisingly devoted to her community, he finds himself caught between two lives, one he does not want and one he cannot have.

Step back into Bliss House, the yellow-brick Virginia mansion with a disreputable, dangerous past, that even the sheen of 1950's domesticity cannot hide . . . The fall of 1957 in southern Virginia was a seemingly idyllic, even prosperous time. A young housewife, Charlotte Bliss, lives with her husband, Hasbrouck Preston “Press” Bliss, and their two young children, Eva Grace and Michael, in the gorgeous Bliss family home. On the surface, theirs seems a calm, picturesque life, but soon tragedy befalls them: four tragic deaths, with apparently simple explanations. But nothing is simple if Bliss House is involved. How far will Charlotte go to discover the truth? And how far will she get without knowing who her real enemy is? Though Bliss House may promise to give its inhabitants what they want, it never gives them exactly what they expect.

If you were inspired by Wild and Eat, Pray, Love, you’ll love this extraordinary true story of a woman taking the greatest risk of her life in order to heal from the unthinkable. After escaping an abusive marriage, Cara Brookins had four children to provide for and no one to turn to but herself. In desperate need of a home but without the means to buy one, she did something incredible. Equipped only with YouTube instructional videos, a small bank loan and a mile-wide stubborn streak, Cara built her own house from the foundation up with a work crew made up of her four children. It would be the hardest thing she had ever done. With no experience nailing together anything bigger than a bookshelf, she and her kids poured concrete, framed the walls and laid bricks for their two story, five bedroom house. She had convinced herself that if they could build a house, they could rebuild their broken family. This must-read memoir traces one family’s rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves, all through one extraordinary do-it-yourself project.

Sometimes compared to the Saint-Tropez of Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s, Comporta, with its relaxed pace and artistic community, is the ideal destination for those looking to wander off course. It’s the newfound favorite of personalities such as Jacques Grange, Farida Khelfa, François Dumas, the Espírito Santo family, and Madonna, who shares photographs of taking her kids to the beach and horseback riding in the dunes of nearby Carvalhal on weekends. This fishing village boasts swaths of beaches, patchworks of rice paddies, and an ecosystem filled with storks and frogs, all a serene backdrop for the striking homes found there: rustic cabanas and thatched-roof huts reflecting the carefree lifestyle that has become Comporta’s hallmark. This distinctive setting challenges the minds of architects and designers, yielding unique spaces that delightfully blur the line between interior and exterior. Within these pages, the region’s characteristic cobalt blue is reflected from the sky and sea to the walls, shutters, and design pieces that adorn its homes, both picturesque and bold. Discover the beauty and joy of simplicity with Comporta Bliss