Warm Fuzzies is about a young girl named Shonna that is having problems fitting in with her friends at school. Her Mom comes up with an idea, a "Warm Fuzzy." (A doll made up of a pom pom, pipe cleaners, eyes, a button nose and string for a mouth). When this little girl is feeling sad and alone, and needs a reminder that someone loves and accepts her all she has to do is reach her hand in her pocket and feel the warmth of her Fuzzy. Shonna quickly learns that it is not just her that has a need to feel accepted. She passes on her Warm Fuzzy to the new girl at school making her not only feel good but making a new friend. She then comes up with the idea to make more so she can pass them onto others in an effort to repair friendships, show someone she cares, and in turn feel good about herself.

Eddie just wants to mind his own business on Christmas Eve. So he’ll be sleeping on the street tonight—so what? He can handle the cold. But of course some obnoxious do-gooder from the shelter across town sees a homeless veteran and wants to earn herself a gold star by helping him out. She’s hopelessly naive, the poor thing. She doesn’t understand that there are monsters on the streets, even on Christmas Eve. If he were a younger man, he’d take this opportunity to add another body to his collection. But he doesn’t do that kind of thing anymore. He’ll have to find another way to scare her off. Too bad she’s as persistent as she is annoying. If it’s the only way to get rid of her, he might just have to let her do something nice for him after all. This short story is 3900 words long. It is also available in Santa’s Rejects, a collection of offbeat Christmas stories.

We all have special talents that defi ne who we are, and like pieces to a puzzle, we struggle to fi nd exactly where we fi t in. Maggie could easily see her friend’s talents and where they fi t, but she struggles to see where she belonged. As school ends for the year, Maggie starts a club to keep her friends together. It’s a club of talented people and Maggie worries she won’t fi t in. As summer unfolds Maggie discovers her gifts and inspires her friends to use their talents for the good of the community. The young people realize the changes they can make in others lives and for the fi rst time they can actually feel themselves growing. I’ve been a story teller for as long as I’ve been a father. My four children, their friends, and my own childhood has inspired me to tell the stories to you. Life’s real adventures are the most interesting and exciting stories ever told and are worth telling over and over again. As I have gotten older I’ve been driven to put our stories together for others to enjoy. I hope you have as much fun reading them as I’ve had living them and writing them.

Inspired by the famous author Dr. Seuss and the news of a new addition to the family, this story centers on the overflow of love that fills and eventually breaks the heart of the person receiving the joyous news. Follow along as the quirky characters heart is filled and fixed with Warm Fuzzies.

Girl meets boy. Boy moves to New York. Girl follows boy, determined to make him love her back. But then the city works its magic on the lonely girl, inspiring her to dream of so much more...

Augusta Travers has spent the last three years avoiding the stifling expectations of New York society and her family's constant disappointment. As the nation's most fearless--and reviled--columnist, Gussie travels the country with her Kodak camera and spins stories for women unable to leave hearth and home. But when her adventurous nature lands her in the middle of a scandal, an opportunity to leave America offers the perfect escape. Arriving in India, she expects only a nice visit with childhood friends, siblings Catherine and Gabriel, and escapades that will further her career. Instead, she finds herself facing a plague epidemic, confusion over Gabriel's sudden appeal, and the realization that what she wants from life is changing. But slowing down means facing all the hurts of her past that she's long been trying to outrun. And that may be an undertaking too great even for her. Praise for Kimberly Duffy: "Duffy shines in elegant, flowing prose and delicate precision that underscores the nineteenth-century setting."--BOOKLIST starred review "An author to watch."--LIBRARY JOURNAL "Duffy's writing is beautiful, deep, and contemplative."--JOCELYN GREEN, Christy Award-winning author of Shadows of the White City "Duffy [has a] capable pen and inimitable passion for portraying India."--RACHEL MCMILLAN, author of The London Restoration and The Mozart Code

A lottery winner uses her good fortune to save a local pet sanctuary, but when a body is discovered on the property, she just might be in the doghouse in this first book in a new, charming cozy mystery series from author Deborah Blake. Kari Stuart's life is going nowhere—until she unexpectedly wins the lottery. The twenty-nine-year-old instant multimillionaire is still mulling plans for her winnings when rescuing a bossy black kitten leads her to a semi-abandoned animal shelter. They need the cash—Kari needs a purpose. But the dilapidated rescue is literally going to the dogs with a pending lawsuit, hard to adopt animals, and too much unwanted attention from the town's dog warden. When the warden turns up dead outside the shelter's dog kennels, Kari finds herself up a creek without a pooper-scooper. With the help of some dedicated volunteers, a cute vet, and a kitten who mysteriously shows up just when she needs it, Kari must prove her innocence all while trying to save a dog on death row. Now she just needs to hope that her string of unexpected luck isn't about to run out.

An Indie Next List Top 10 Pick! From the author of WOLF CAMP comes the story of a charming, mushroom-loving, headgear-wearing, totally awkward naked mole rat who is looking for like-minded peeps. Sweety is awkward, even for a naked mole rat. She has protruding front teeth, thick glasses, and some very unusual hobbies, including interpretive dance and fungus identification. She's intense and passionate--and her peers don't always get her. But surely there are other mushroom lovers out there? As Sweety sets out to find them, she comes to realize--with a little help from her cool Aunt Ruth-- that being Sweety is actually pretty awesome. With heart and humor and a whole lot of charm, Andrea Zuill delivers a story about learning to embrace everything that makes you you--and that's something many kids are going to relate to.

New Edition Available The Third Edition of Fostering Emotional Well-Being in the Classroom is designed to help prospective teachers, current teachers, and parents make positive impacts in the lives of young people. The text provides insightful background, content, and strategies for improving the emotional well-being of students and offers up-to-date comprehensive coverage of many issues that today's teachers must be prepared to handle. This edition specifically provides coverage of the critical issues impacting the well-being of today's youth. Pertinent new material includes expanded coverage of media literacy, over scheduling, the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes, substance abuse trends, sex education teaching activities, Megan's Law, bullying in schools, depressive disorders and self injury, and assisting depressed youth.

Revised and updated to reflected new information in the field, the Third Edition of Alcamo's Microbes and Society is intended for liberal arts students taking a foundation course in the life sciences. It discusses the role of microbes in our everyday lives, from food production to their roll in biotechnology and the numerous other ways that microbes contribute to our world. It goes on to explore such topics as the function of microbes in ecological systems and environmental systems. Coverage of bioterrorism, antibiotic resistance, and microbial disease offer students a broad and current perspective of the extensive impact of various microbes. Consistent with Edward Alcamo's student-friendly writing style, material is presented in a lively format that will engage students and highlight both the positive and negative impact that microorganisms have in our society.