Mama's fixin' to get hitched to Husband #5. But first, she coerces her daughter, Mace, to saddle up for some country-gal bonding on the Florida Cracker Trail. The trek takes a deadly turn when Lawton Bramble—wealthy rancher and one-time beau of Mama's—keels over in his Cow Hunter Chili. Lawton had a horde of enemies and a famously bad ticker. Could a grudge-wielding rival have "spiced" the cattleman's chow? With (or maybe despite) the help of her sisters and her sexy ex-beau, Detective Martinez, Mace sets out to corral a low-down varmint who's determined to kill again. TV APPEARANCES NBC's Today Show from November 4, 2008 Mayor's Book Talk from January 14, 2009 NBC6 South Florida Today from July 17, 2009 NBC's Today Show from August 4, 2009 WJXT-TV from November 17, 2009 Praise for Mama Does Time, the first Mace Bauer Mystery: "Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing—but have you laughing! Deborah Sharp is the new Edna Buchanan."—Hoda Kotb, NBC Today Show co-anchor "A humorous, touching reflection on familial love and politics."—Mystery Scene "Native Floridian Deborah Sharp's acute comic timing and detailed perceptions of old Florida sparkle in her lively debut...highly entertaining."—Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

My stars and garters—Hollywood has descended on little ol' Himmarshee, Florida. As animal wrangler for a cowboy film, Mace is on the set when she discovers the arrogant executive producer shot dead, his body on display in the horse corral. With everyone from spoiled starlets to conniving crew members cursing the man's name, who in blue blazes didn't want to kill Norman Sydney? As Mama's head swells to diva proportions, thanks to her miniscule movie role, Mace shines an unwelcome spotlight on the big-city film folk to reveal a killer. Praise: "This zany fourth entry in Sharp's series is a feature worthy of the big screen."—Library Journal "Sibling rivalry, steamy romance, a surprising killer, and plenty of catfish and hush puppies make this Southern cozy a winner."—Library Journal "An amusing tale of life and love in the kind of Florida town that tourists rarely see."—Kirkus Reviews "A terrific combination of sleuthing and silliness."—St. Petersburg Times "Mama Sees Stars is The Golden Girls meet Entourage."—The Florida Book Review "Energetic plots and laugh-out loud humor are staples of Sharp's series, and the author's skills are at their finest in Mama Sees Stars."—Oline Cogdill, South Flordia Sun-Sentinel "Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing—but have you laughing!"—Hoda Kotb, NBC Today ShowCo-Anchor on Mama Dpes Time

"Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing—but have you laughing! Deborah Sharp is the new Edna Buchanan."—Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of NBC's Today show Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics—especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction. One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she's the killer. It doesn't help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama's guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace's heart shows up at the local Booze & 'n' Breeze in the midst of the investigation. Before their mama lands in prison—just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song—Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit. TV APPEARANCES NBC's Today Show from November 4, 2008 Mayor's Book Talk" from January 14, 2009 NBC6 "South Florida Today" from July 17, 2009 NBC's Today Show from August 4, 2009 Praise: "Mama Does Time is a humorous, touching reflection on familial love and politics."—Mystery Scene Magazine "With a strong, funny heroine, colorful characters, and a look at a part of Florida the tourists rarely see, Deborah Sharp has an engaging new series. Make sure Mama Does Time does time on your bookshelf."—Elaine Viets, author of Clubbed to Death: a Dead-End Job Mystery "Not since the late Anne George has there been such laugh-out-loud Southern fried fun. Deborah Sharp's Mama Does Time is a hilarious page turner with crisp and intelligent writing."—Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey Mystery series "Deborah Sharp's witty way with words makes Mama Does Time as much fun as a down-home visit with your quirky Florida cousins."—Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries "Colorful characters and a segment of Florida seldom seen by tourists evoke a Southern Sisters feeling in this very well written Southern fried epic...A winner."—BookBitch.com "The author's surname—Sharp—is an apt adjective to describe her writing. Her characters crackle off the page."—Cozy Library "Deborah Sharp has an eye for character...She's funny, perceptive, and entertaining. What more can a cozy reader ask for?"—Reviewing the Evidence "Newcomer Deborah Sharp will knock your socks off with this clever cozy mystery."—Fresh Fiction

I remember we were riding up to Keystone, and its not very far from Welch. Now you must remember Im in junior high school, just in the 8th grade, just 14 years old. Were heading to a whore house for the first time, where my Uncles, Dad and cousins have been going to in years gone by. (I only heard this.) Im not sure about it. I thought it was pretty nostalgic. I remembered Dad had taken me there when I was a young boy, looking for Lynn Ray. We make a right onto the circle in Cinder Bottom. Later I found out the other boys were just as scared as I was because it was their first time also. Johns brother drives very slowly and women start coming up and leaning on the car. I do recall this very thing happening on my first visit. Roll the window down, stop the car and come on in We got something for you. These were all black women.

"Abandoned by their parents as toddlers, Willie and Bobbie Nelson found their love of music almost immediately through their grandparents, who raised them in a dusty small town in east Texas. Their close relationship ... is the longest-lasting bond in either of their lives. In alternating chapters, this ... dual memoir weaves together their lives as they experienced them both side-by-side and apart with powerful, emotional stories from growing up, playing music in public for the first time, and the trials they each faced in adulthood as Willie pursued a songwriting career and Bobbie faced a series of challenging relationships and a musical career that only took off when attitudes about women began to change in Texas"--

A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

"A blisteringly funny, wrenching account of wrestling way too close to—and later loose from—booze, sex and drugs and his adorable, infuriating mother. Bravo!" —Mary Karr, New York Times bestselling author of The Liars' Club "Whoever said you can't get sober for someone else never met my mother, Mama Jean. When I came to in a Manhattan emergency room after an overdose to the news that she was on her way from Texas, I panicked. She was the last person I wanted to see on that dark September morning, but the person I needed the most." So begins this astonishing memoir—by turns both darkly comic and deeply poignant—about this native Texan's long struggle with alcohol, his complicated relationship with Mama Jean, and his sexuality. From the age of five all Brickhouse wanted was to be at a party with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other and all Mama Jean wanted was to keep him at that age, her Jamie doll forever. A Texan Elizabeth Taylor with the split personality of Auntie Mame and Mama Rose, always camera-ready and flamboyantly outspoken, Mama Jean haunted him his whole life, no matter how far away he went or how deep in booze he swam. Brickhouse's journey takes him from Texas to a high-profile career in book publishing amid New York's glamorous drinking life to his near-fatal descent into alcoholism. After Mama Jean ushers him into rehab and he ultimately begins to dig out of the hole he'd found himself in, he almost misses his chance to prove that he loves her as much as she loves him. Bitingly funny, raw, and insightful, Dangerous When Wet is the unforgettable story of a unique relationship between a son and his mother.

This memoir is meant to depict the honest memories of a man who grew up gay during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s; got married, had children, and remained in the closet for 55 years. It is not meant to blame, offend, preach or express opinions as to what is right or wrong for anyone except for the writer. It is meant to be an honest depiction of the writer’s thoughts and experiences throughout his life and how growing up gay and in the closet in the Southern area of the United States affected his life and those he loved. It is hoped that those who read this memoir will gain insight, inspiration, or a better understanding of what it means to be gay, to live in the closet and then to be set free to live a life of honesty with himself and others.

Mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved... 18-year-old Samantha Brown sits in a hand-me-down car with the keys clutched in her hand. Caught between a yearning for the unknown and feeling bound by expectation, she telescopes back to a time before her world had fallen apart. As she relives her senior year, we meet Sam’s well-intentioned helicopter mother Bev and her high school sweetheart of a boyfriend Adam, but it’s her painfully alive best friend Kelly that haunts her. Kelly was everything Sam is not – impetuous and daring. She pushed Sam to break rules and do the unexpected. When Kelly’s killed in a car wreck, Sam loses not only her best friend but also the part of herself that was learning to be brave. Now, Sam has to make a decision. Will she follow her mother’s dreams for her, or will she summon the courage to drive away from her friends and family into a future she can’t imagine?

WHEN KATIE WAKES Reading Group Companion, Copyright 2002 by the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group A Division of Random House, Inc. RG Logo All of our reading group companions are now available on-line at www.randomhouse.com/resources/rgg.html Doubleday Logo Doubleday * 1540 Broadway * New York, NY 10036