Before she went missing, Susan Clements was hiking with her daughter on one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, less than a mile from Clingmans Dome. When Nancy East’s search and rescue team joined the effort to find her, she learned Susan was a mother to three children who adored her. What Nancy didn’t know then was how much the search for Susan would impact and influence her own life’s path afterward. Two years later, Nancy and her good friend, Chris Ford, set out to improve the speed record of hiking all 801 miles of trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park while raising funds for hiker safety and preparedness. While chasing the record, the duo faced tropical storm rains, swollen, unbridged creek crossings, injuries, night hiking, and wildlife encounters. Their arduous journey also became intertwined in one of the most rare human-bear tragedies in the park’s history. Maintaining a positive mental attitude was their superpower through it all. The enormous feat of endurance was one of the most grueling endeavors that Nancy, a mother and everyday athlete, had ever faced. However, the hardest things she had endured were in her past. The strength she gained from those experiences was now moving her forward, one difficult step at a time. Chasing the Smokies Moon is a story of grief, hope, empowerment, and love, and the thread that binds them all. ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CHASING THE SMOKIES MOON "If you think that setting trail records is about speed and hubris, Nancy East will prove you wrong. It is not her success, but her vulnerability that will encourage you to keep moving forward when the next step feels impossible. It is not her impressive miles, but rather her insightful reflections that allow you to recognize feelings of gratitude and connectedness in the midst of pain and loss. And it is not her attributes as a hiker, but her roles as a mother, spouse, and friend that make this book a valuable resource for anyone who is trying to navigate through relationships - and adventure." --Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience “I have always thought of Nancy East as somewhat of a real life superhero -- this harrowing and transparent account of her FKT attempt and SAR fundraising effort has certainly solidified that sentiment!” --Steven Reinhold, Backpacker Magazine, Brand Ambassador “Chasing the Smokies Moon is a deep dive into the depths of a Fastest Known Time record attempt. East relays with humor, profundity, and humility the highs and lows of an intense journey through the Great Smoky Mountains and human connection." --Heather Anderson, author of Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail “This story is more than just a recounting of an incredible feat of endurance and perseverance, it is an insightful and revealing look into the mind and soul of multi faceted adventurous woman.” --Kevin Fitzgerald, former Deputy Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The author and Chris Ford embark on an effort to set a world record by hiking all 150 trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 28 days. East is motivated by her harrowing experiences as a search and rescue volunteer and the desire to educate backcountry users about hiker safety. Through collaboration with Friends of the Smokies, the endurance hike becomes a fund raising effort to jump start a park-wide hiker safety program. East's participation in a recent search for a middle-aged mother in the Smokies propels East and the narrative along. The incredible adventure in involves hiking 948 miles of rough and rocky trails in less than a month. To accomplish their goal, they must hike and average of 32 miles per day, much of it at night, through torrential rains and across flooded streams. Their effort is nearly derailed by a bear mauling and various injuries, yet they endure. The enormous feat of endurance was one of the most grueling endeavors that Nancy, a mother and everyday athlete, had ever faced. However, the hardest thing she had endured was in her past. The strength she gained from that experience was now moving her forward, one difficult step at a time.Chasing the Smokies Moon is a story of grief, hope, empowerment, and love, and the thread that binds them all.

How do you teach a child to dream big and shoot for the stars? In this inspiring story, a young bunny named Zippy dreams of traveling to space. When the opportunity to attend space camp arrives, she worries she might not be capable enough to compete with other kids. But Zippy’s desire to build her rocket is bigger than her fear of failing, and through hard work and creativity works to make her dreams come true. New York Times bestselling author Ruth Soukup empowers children everywhere to dream big and live a life they love. How Big Is Your Brave? encourages readers to face their fears and overcome obstacles in order to follow their dreams and reach their goals. How Big Is Your Brave? is: Great for boys and girls, ages 4–8 An excellent choice for STEM storytime and sparking discussions about STEM fields A great resource to teach young children about confidence, self-esteem, and the value of hard work Through whimsical illustrations and encouraging text, children will discover how standing up to fears (both big and small) makes them stronger and unstoppable.

Jackson has problems. His most trusted friends are gone, his Beta is convinced another werewolf stole his mate, someone in his pack is trying to steal his job, and his woman is on the run. When everything comes to a head at once, the situation quickly escalates to deadly levels. Summer Lambert, the last single hold out of the witch cousins, has a relaxing and solitary two-week mountain vacation planned. She is outraged to learn the whole trip was a ruse by Jackson to get her to his home. Once there, she is trapped and finds herself increasingly drawn into his world. As the sparks fly between Jackson and Summer, his enemies move into position. Will he be able to outmaneuver them before it’s too late?

126 myths: sacred stories, animal myths, local legends, many more. Plus background on Cherokee history, notes on the myths and parallels. Features 20 maps and illustrations.

Up-close and uniquely personal, like never seen before, this exquisite fine art book showcases the glowing beauty of fireflies, as seen through the lens of the award-winning nature photographer, Radim Schreiber, who spent nine years creating this stunning body of work.This is a collection of hauntingly beautiful photographic portraits of fireflies, lightening bugs, glow worms, and other bioluminescent creatures in their natural environment captured in Iowa, the Smoky Mountains National Park, and other locations around the United States.Firefly Experience takes the viewer into mysterious realms, offering marvelous photography on every page. The images are accompanied with informative detail and personal anecdotes.Discover more atwww.FireflyExperience.org

A fresh repackaging of the bestselling Uglies boks...the series that started the whole dystopian trend!

The second collection of poems by award-winning poet KB Ballentine illustrates how light and shadow affect nature and people in the physical, psychological, and spiritual realms. The 70 poems follow the four seasons but just as the moon waxes and wanes there is shadow and light in every season. Fragments of light are never extinguished. Each day, we experience joy, worry, love, anxiety, peace, stress, surprise - all the ambiguous, intangible ideas that are as difficult to grasp as the shifting light.

This is the first in a one-of-a-kind, spectacularly well-written mystery series featuring Buck Schatz, an 87-year-old retired Memphis cop. When an old adversary escapes Germany with a fortune in stolen gold, Buck decides to hunt down the fugitive and claim the loot.

Twenty-five years after Jesus’ Son, a haunting new collection of short stories on mortality and transcendence, from National Book Award winner and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Denis Johnson NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Dwight Garner, The New York Times • Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air • Chicago Tribune • Newsday • New York • AV Club • Publishers Weekly “Ranks with the best fiction published by any American writer during this short century.”—New York “A posthumous masterpiece.”—Entertainment Weekly NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • NPR • The Boston Globe • New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews • Bloomberg The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is the long-awaited new story collection from Denis Johnson. Written in the luminous prose that made him one of the most beloved and important writers of his generation, this collection finds Johnson in new territory, contemplating the ghosts of the past and the elusive and unexpected ways the mysteries of the universe assert themselves. Finished shortly before Johnson’s death, this collection is the last word from a writer whose work will live on for many years to come. Praise for The Largesse of the Sea Maiden “An instant classic.”—Newsday “Exceptional luminosity . . . hits a powerful vein.”—The New York Times Book Review “Grace and oblivion are inextricably yoked in these transcendent stories. . . . [Johnson’s] gift is to extract the beauty in all that brokenness.”—The Wall Street Journal “Nobody ever wrote like Denis Johnson. Nobody ever came close. . . . We’re just left with this miraculous book, these perfect stories, the last words from one of the world’s greatest writers.”—NPR