These are the recollections of "Ragtime Bob" Darch (1920-2002) told in his own words and transcribed by his longtime friend Steve Spracklen. Bob begins by recalling his life from childhood in Detroit through his college years and then service in World War II as an army paratrooper and in the Korean conflict as an Alaskan post engineer. Then he recounts his nearly six decades as an itinerant ragtime piano player sharing stories as only Bob could tell them of the many celebrities with whom he worked and the countless tales of his experiences "on the Ragtime Trail." Bob entertained his audiences with music and stories of ragtime, past and present. He was not encumbered by facts...he had a story to tell. Bob died in 2002 at the age of 82 and he is buried in Sedalia, Missouri where he often said his style of classic ragtime music began. March 31, 2020 marked the centennial of his birth and like he said of ragtime, Bob's legacy isn't dead, it isn't even sick.

The first year in academia ends with a bang-up summer session for theater-director-turned-professor Claire Gray with a new production, a new love, and a dead body. Claire, a former Broadway director and now head of the Theater Department of Desert Arts College in Palm Springs, is running her summer workshop for the first time. The play she will direct is a staged version of the film Rebecca, and playing the female lead is Paige Yeats, daughter of the college’s founder and president, D. Glenn Yeats. While rehearsals for the play go well, not everything else does. Yeats’s second ex-wife, Felicia, storms into town and makes demands for a Santa Barbara home she received as part of the divorce settlement. When she is discovered poisoned in her hotel room, the real show begins as Claire must wade through a long cast of suspects to find her murderer.

New cover design - all titles in the Partridge collection now have the same style covers. Group shot of titles will be made available, together with an order form The first edition had life sales of over 19000 copies (hardback), the second edition sold out after selling 6000 copies (hardback) and the paperback has sold nearly 5000 copies in 2 editions

This authoritative book follows this amazing artist's career from the moment she first set up shop through her early years as a developing talent and to her current status as the world's premier illustrator. She has designed the 2002 Olympic Winter games poster. Illustrations. 192 p.

The Years of Lyndon Johnson is the political biography of our time. No president—no era of American politics—has been so intensively and sharply examined at a time when so many prime witnesses to hitherto untold or misinterpreted facets of a life, a career, and a period of history could still be persuaded to speak. The Path to Power, Book One, reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and urge to power that set LBJ apart. Chronicling the startling early emergence of Johnson’s political genius, it follows him from his Texas boyhood through the years of the Depression in the Texas hill Country to the triumph of his congressional debut in New Deal Washington, to his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, of the national power for which he hungered. We see in him, from earliest childhood, a fierce, unquenchable necessity to be first, to win, to dominate—coupled with a limitless capacity for hard, unceasing labor in the service of his own ambition. Caro shows us the big, gangling, awkward young Lyndon—raised in one of the country’s most desperately poor and isolated areas, his education mediocre at best, his pride stung by his father’s slide into failure and financial ruin—lunging for success, moving inexorably toward that ultimate “impossible” goal that he sets for himself years before any friend or enemy suspects what it may be. We watch him, while still at college, instinctively (and ruthlessly) creating the beginnings of the political machine that was to serve him for three decades. We see him employing his extraordinary ability to mesmerize and manipulate powerful older men, to mesmerize (and sometimes almost enslave) useful subordinates. We see him carrying out, before his thirtieth year, his first great political inspiration: tapping-and becoming the political conduit for-the money and influence of the new oil men and contractors who were to grow with him to immense power. We follow, close up, the radical fluctuations of his relationships with the formidable “Mr. Sam” Raybum (who loved him like a son and whom he betrayed) and with FDR himself. And we follow the dramas of his emotional life-the intensities and complications of his relationships with his family, his contemporaries, his girls; his wooing and winning of the shy Lady Bird; his secret love affair, over many years, with the mistress of one of his most ardent and generous supporters . . . Johnson driving his people to the point of exhausted tears, equally merciless with himself . . . Johnson bullying, cajoling, lying, yet inspiring an amazing loyalty . . . Johnson maneuvering to dethrone the unassailable old Jack Garner (then Vice President of the United States) as the New Deal’s “connection” in Texas, and seize the power himself . . . Johnson raging . . . Johnson hugging . . . Johnson bringing light and, indeed, life to the worn Hill Country farmers and their old-at-thirty wives via the district’s first electric lines. We see him at once unscrupulous, admirable, treacherous, devoted. And we see the country that bred him: the harshness and “nauseating loneliness” of the rural life; the tragic panorama of the Depression; the sudden glow of hope at the dawn of the Age of Roosevelt. And always, in the foreground, on the move, LBJ. Here is Lyndon Johnson—his Texas, his Washington, his America—in a book that brings us as close as we have ever been to a true perception of political genius and the American political process.

Marine Dreams chronicles the lives of two graduate students at a small marine laboratory in Monterey Bay, California in the 1970's. In a light, humorous way it describes the adventures of marine research at remote locations around the world, while weaving in a romantic story involving the main characters, Will and Sandra.

In the sequel to "The Prisoner," we find ourselves traveling with the boys from Uncava. Nicho and Micah, reunited in the Yarnie village, are instructed by Katielda to head east as they continue their search for the missing girls. Unbeknownst to them, they are also on their way to answering very important questions in an adventure of a lifetime. In the beginning of their journey they speak to Boheall, an ancient and mysterious creature who first tells them a story then instructs them to go to the Dryas Forest where they must locate another creature named Teresia. It is she who will guide them safely to the edge of the large body of water that is home to the Castle of Tears. They have no way of knowing that they are about to discover an ominously dark and dangerous lake where growling, unseen creatures lurk in the shadows. Once there, the boys both sense how imperative it is for them to find some way across this water as they search for the place where the mysterious blue amulet known in the world of Euqinom as 'Dragon's Tear' is said to be hidden. Will the boys succeed in finding this very special second amulet that has already fallen into an evil sorcerer's hands? And if they are able to find it, will they succeed in retrieving it and return it to the dragons without becoming victims of their own incredible journey? By the time you finish this, the third book in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles series, you will be halfway through your own magical adventure! The other books in this series are: "Dragon's Blood: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book One" "The Prisoner: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Two" Happy reading!

Dorothy has inherited millions as well as her family estate, a haven from her childhood, but will she refuse her inheritance? The will stipulates that she must care for her mentally ill mother, a difficult person whom she blames for ruining her marriage. A handsome cousin by marriage, who was the object of her childhood affection, comes back into her life to play the role of "kissing cousin." In addition, her ex-husband appears as she copes with eerie threats, the kidnapping of her child, and ultimately, murder. Set in the fifties and early sixties, before the use of cell phones and personal computers, this novel will appeal to those who might enjoy a trip to a simpler age. Some things, however, never change, such as romance, mystery, and family dynamics.

Three charming stories of cozy quilting circles and budding romance Patchwork Promises by Amy Clipston When Colin Zook and his beloved grandmother lose everything in a fire, their greatest loss is a beloved family heirloom quilt that helped keep her dementia at bay. When Joanne Lapp hears about the loss, she decides to re-create the quilt. Colin soon feels himself developing feelings for her, but he’s held back by the knowledge that a future with him would involve care of his grandmother and his farm. Will Joanne look past his list of responsibilities and see him for who he truly is? A Common Thread by Kathleen Fuller Susie Glick returns from a shopping trip laden with beautiful fabric for her quilting group. On the bus ride, Alex Lehman—her crush from three years ago—sits next to her. Alex left Middlefield to explore the country, and now he’s back and ready to join the church. Susie was just a kid when he left, but now she’s a woman—and she definitely has his interest. The women in her quilting circle aren’t as excited about Alex’s return, assuming that he’ll leave again in search of adventure. Susie is convinced they’re wrong, but just as they start dating, Alex tells Susie he has to leave. He says he’ll return, but Susie must decide whether or not she can trust the man she fears has captured her heart. Stitched Together by Shelley Shepard Gray Rosie’s joy is her yearly project for the Pinecraft Mennonite Quilt Sale, and she dreams of being the top earner. But she’s worried that she’s bitten off more than she can chew with her latest entry. To make things even more confusing, after coming to terms with her single state, she’s recently formed a friendship with Tim Christner. He’s only in town for a month, but he has Rosie wondering if she’s found love at last. Now all she has to do is figure out how to get the quilt done so she can concentrate on him. But with her once very organized life in total disarray, everything comes to a head just before the sale. Rosie is forced to reexamine her priorities before she loses not only her place in the quilt show but everything else she’s ever wanted. Sweet Amish novellas with happily-ever-afters Book length: 75,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Love to Pray will take you on a 40-day journey that will change your prayer life forever. Love to Pray is all about loving the one to whom you pray and learning to express that love in a continuing dialogue with God. This book will help you discover how to become "devoted" to prayer as a way of life rather than as a duty. This 40-day devotional will transform your prayer life. This book may be done individually, as a small group, or an entire congregation.