Short Family

In Fort Hood housing, like all army housing, you get used to hearing through the walls. You learn too much. And you learn to move quietly through your own small domain. You also know when the men are gone. As Siobhan Fallon shows in this collection of loosely interconnected short stories, each woman deals with her husband's absence differently.

José era un granjero feliz y Pedro era su vecino, Sembraban pepinos y tomates en la montaña de encino. Ambos granjeros trabajaban muy duro; difícil era su vida, Pero tenían comida para sus familias; recompensa merecida Aunque a veces en casa después de un día de trabajo cansado Soñaban con tener una vida mejor de lo que habían pensado.

A cozy mystery brimming with unexpected twists, turns, and a touch of ghostly magic. In the friendly and quiet town of Sweethaven, an elderly schoolteacher, Elizabeth Bordine, has faithfully served the community for decades. But when a young, ambitious teacher named Zack Tracy arrives to take her place, Miss Bordine’s peaceful retirement is disrupted. As strange events start to unfold around the historic one-room schoolhouse, tensions rise between the two educators. A curious 13-year-old boy named Diego Diaz becomes fascinated with the mysteries of the town's past, including the tales of ...

This is the thirteenth novella in the ongoing story of the Andersen family. Livia Andersen was a woman who held her family together with a quiet smile and an iron will. It’s only been months since her death and the children and grandchildren that she leaves behind continue to grapple with the shifting changes in their lives now that she’s gone. Disappointments she kept to herself are slowly coming to light. Now more is revealed and her oldest son wonders just how much his mother knew and how far she was willing to go to keep their family whole. Noah Andersen would like nothing more than...

When Alison Strange receives a debt claim she can’t afford to pay from the Australian government’s unemployment office, she’s caught completely off-balance. As she wrestles with a slippery bureaucracy, her history-loving grandfather bolsters her resolve with the story of their ancestor John Strange, an English cobbler who was banished to Australia for his part in a political movement. Drawing inspiration from John’s life, Alison finds her own unique way to demand a future that’s fair for all.

A cynical Hollywood moviemaker confronts his dead wife’s lover and abruptly realizes the depth of his own passion. As his parents’ marriage disintegrates, a precocious fifth-grader distracts himself with meditations on baseball, spaghetti, and his place in the universe. And in the title story, an elderly nun enters a college creative writing class and plays havoc with its tidy notions of fact and fiction. The Whore’s Child is further proof that Russo is one of the finest writers we have.

Katherine Sutton might have walked away from a successful career without any clear plan about what to do next in her life, but in the weeks since, all that has changed.The old house on Sourwood Street is finally hers and she now has a friend and partner in the adventure. Cory is almost as excited about the speed and success of the ongoing renovations as she is. And they are taking full advantage of the hidden secrets they've discovered in the old house. But the old house isn't the only thing that’s on Cory’s mind these days. She’s been spending more and more time with Jed Morgan. ...

Featuring many of the beloved characters from Sylvia Price’s bestseller, The Christmas Arrival, as well as a new cast of characters, Amish Love Through the Seasons centers around a group of teenagers as they find friendship, love, and hope in the midst of trials. Tragedy strikes a small Amish community outside of Erie, Pennsylvania when Isaiah Fisher, a widower and father of three, is involved in a serious accident. When his family is left scrambling to pick up the pieces, the community unites to help the single father, but the hospital bills keep piling up. How will the family manage?...

Off-the books NSA fixer Kirk Ryan approaches his cousin, Archer, who works at the MacKenzie Securities, for help with tracing a phone call. He also needs a translator familiar with Indonesian. Not a problem. MacKenzie Securities' troubleshooter, Jade, has plenty of connections. In fact there is a translator she knows who is in Indonesia right now. Surya owes Jade Jax a favor, and her friend's calling it in. And the favor comes in a six-foot-two package of irresistible and wicked male.

From the number-one best-selling author of Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas and Sundays at Tiffany's, two heartwarming tales about the power of a good story to open our eyes to life's possibilities.

Stories that will make you laugh, cry, and feel a thousand emotions in between. Following on the heels of his critically acclaimed first book of short works, A Flamingo Under the Carousel, William John Rostron continues with this second compilation of published works that utilizes multiple genres. Again, the reader is treated to tales of fiction, non-fiction, and his unique style of “almost fiction.” He spans the globe with stories that take place in London, Paris, and Rome…not to mention the oceans of the world and outer space. Rostron’s imagination brings you to the mysterious ...

There’s really only one thing Fran Wrightmire wants for Christmas…it is also the most unlikely gift that she’ll receive.Her husband, Cade, knows that it’s beyond his power to deliver the one gift he knows would make his wife happiest this holiday season. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t without other ideas of what will make her Christmas one to remember. He’s taking her home to the hills of Burlington for a reunion with family and friends and the yearly tradition of Christmas dinner at the historic Marshall Street house where so many generations of her family lived . On their ...

A young woman leaves her parent's home for the twelve hour drive home, with her German Shepherd Sarge along. A horrible storm and a downed tree force her car off the road and down a steep mountain side where it crashes into a tree, far from the sight of the road. Trapped in the car, her only hope of rescue is Sarge and his military training while serving with troops in Iraq. It's a daunting journey to find a way back up to the road, and he faces many challenges along the way. This is an amazing story of one dog's determination to save the woman he loves before it's too late.

How quickly the ground shifts beneath our feet. We make choices—in the face of love, or violence, or necessity—and the effects ripple outward. In these moving short stories, acclaimed authors examine the foundations of the past, uncovering the irreversible decisions and life-changing encounters that mark the turning point between before and after.

He’s her small-town ex. She’s his biggest what-if. Can a neglected orchard and a little cider magic give them a second chance at love? Desirae Lane never planned to return to Cedarwood Valley. But when her glittering city career crumbles, she’s forced to confront the overgrown orchard—and the heartbreak—she left behind. Selling her grandmother’s farm and escaping small-town gossip seems simple enough… until she runs into Cole Carter. Cole has always been the one that got away—or rather, the one who pushed her away. Now, the ruggedly handsome farmer-next-door is determined to...

A year ago in the midst of his parent’s divorce Nate Handen surprised everyone in his extended family when he talked his father into leaving the family home and moving in with him and his friend and business partner. He also convinced him to go into business with the two of them. So far both ventures were working out better than anyone ever expected.His father was happy and despite the acrimonious divorce proceedings his parents were friends. The way he saw it they got along better now than he could ever remember when they were married. Now he was on his way to visit his mother. Livia ...

Jason Mckinney never expected to find a zombie on the downstairs toilet, but apparently, everything eventually runs out of toilet paper at the worst possible time. Enter the *Federated Alliance of Rare Things, specifically created for those embarrassing bathroom moments, and the McKinney family, recruited as the latest Saviour of the Bog Roll. The paycheque is out of this world. Jason has kids, a house that needs some desperate upkeep, and a chupacabra falling in love with him. Life as a saviour is interesting, sometimes terrifying, and frequently lavender scented.

All paths have destinations, just as all choices have consequences. More often than not, however, neither destinations nor consequences are what were expected. Such is the case with the central character in each of the stories in this collection. He or she chooses a path that ostensibly will lead toward the discovery of a perpetrator, a secret, a possession, a missing friend, an ancestor’s grave, redemption, or a new home only to discover the unexpected consequence of someone else’s choice.(Two of the stories in this collection, “A Hint of Chocolate” and “Sins of the Father,” ...

Cheer on as karma delivers justice to entitled JERKS! It's a sad truth that some people think they deserve special treatment because of their job, appearance or social status. Or just because it's Tuesday. These self-centered jerks act as if the world revolves around them, while pushing down anyone who stands in their way. Demanding sacrifices and obedience from their friends, co-workers and even complete strangers. But what happens when karma catches up to these self proclaimed elites, and delivers them a hefty dose of justice? Deliciously satisfying and humorous results. And the odd ...

Enjoy the romance, suspense, and humor in this collection of short stories. In award winning “Mabel and the Garage Sale,” Mabel’s house rests in the path of a proposed highway. As Mabel sorts her things to move, she recalls the colorful characters who’ve passed through her life. The story, “Delphine and Rainelle,” poses the question, is a marriage worth saving at all costs? In “Joy Ruth and Minnie Hendrix” the ladies find more than arrangements for a funeral over at Miller’s Funeral home. Newlyweds, “Wally and Bun,” are set for life as they fly off in a hot air balloon...