FROM POPULAR ROMANCE AUTHOR REBECCA FAIRFAX Book two in the Rent-a-Perfect-Gentleman series &– a newly edited version Winter—spring? No—winter sparks! Meet Hugo Winter, gorgeous fifty-something all-round perfect gentleman, and Alessa Marks, sexy late-twenties local journalist—and not really an elegant lady. While entrepreneur Hugo is at meetings with city luminaries and pitching venture capital ideas to fellow businessmen, Alessa's probably chasing a reclusive rock star for an interview or sticking her nose into a local scandal for her column, Sparks, in the Montford Herald. When an unexpected meeting just before Christmas brings never-the-twain Hugo and Alessa together, sparks combust. But can a winter&–spring relationship, particularly one that starts out with passion hot enough to melt snow, really work out? Especially when Hugo's reluctant to speak about his past, making Alessa determined to ferret out his secrets? Will their love wither in the frost or bloom with the spring?

book of poetry by poet Linda Varsell Smith

A vital account of how some of China's most important writers, filmmakers, and artists haver overcome crackdowns and censorship to challenge the Chinese Communist Party on its most sacred ground, its monopoly on history"

Stories are like rare coins, earned through the hard work of living, valuable only as they are exchanged and shared. Our shared humanity is affirmed in our stories, and we’re already connected with each other by the older stories from which our stories spring, by the showers of sparks that ignite our fires. In Showers of Sparks, author Stoddard B. Williams shares stories of his life, remembering and reflecting on times he’s experienced the love of God. Through a collection of poetry and narrative, he shows that stories bridge the spaces that can so easily separate us, such spaces as time and place and relationships. Stories, factual or fictional, become personal expressions of our doubts and beliefs, our convictions and confusions, our hopes and our fears. Showers of Sparks captures Williams’ memories, offering insight into his life and his relationship with God and others.

Nature has monumental power on children’s growth and development. Recent studies show that as children spend less time in nature, they miss out on the profound benefits that outdoor play and learning experiences provide. Nature Sparks is filled with inspiration and instruction to help educators and caregivers of children ages three to eight reclaim and strengthen connections to the outdoors. This resource supplies ideas to create a nature-oriented classroom and curriculum, incorporates Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to encourage children’s individual talents as they experience the natural world, and includes more than fifty sensory-integrated activities, crafts, and instructional strategies.