Southern Cooking

Annabelle—Annie, thank you very much—Jordan’s got a new lease on life. She’s starting A New Chapter. Literally. Her great-aunt—one she’d never head of, has left her a bookstore—A New Chapter—to run. Sure it means leaving Jersey behind and going to the Carolinas, where everything is slow and meandering, but what else’s a new divorcee to do? A break-in at the bookstore not long after Annie arrives in town is just one of the mysterious events that follows. Finding out about a father she knew nothing about, a family history that belongs in fiction, and a hunky private ...

Faith, fear and focaccia bread. A recipe for a thriller? Or building blocks for a successful business? Opening a restaurant is about as risky as dancing on a hilltop beneath a metal umbrella during a thunderstorm. Researchers tell us that 60 percent of new restaurants fail the first year and 80 percent fail before the 5th anniversary. All of which is why the upcoming 25th anniversary of a popular Jackson, Mississippi, restaurant is of such interest. How did owners Jeff Good and Dan Blumenthal beat the odds? There are lessons to be learned from their experiences, whether you are planning to ...

Eleven stories based on people with "jewel" names who were Southerners. These vignettes give the listener insight into the lives of these people before they died. Some will make you laugh, but most will break your heart. Each story has an obituary that precedes it. There is one which has extensive Southern dialect. Even though the audiobook is a collection of stories about dead people, some of the life stories are quite humorous.

Annie Jordan’s new lease on life has taken a turn. With a new brother on the scene—one that everyone she knows is practically accusing of being a criminal element—she’s also found herself with a new roommate. It goes without saying that Bogart’s not happy about the roommate sitch. Of course, neither is Sam, and especially not Melanie. But hey, she’s got Mildred, and it seems she’s the only one who doesn’t hate Annie’s newly found brother. Prompted by curiosity—it killed the cat, right? Not humans?—Annie and Tyler submit their saliva for some DNA testing. They have ...

When successful Sydney lawyer Miranda McIntyre searches for something old to go with her wedding dress, she remembers an antique necklace from her childhood. Her mother’s denial of its existence only deepens Miranda’s curiosity, but the discovery of a faded wedding photo and an old newspaper clipping reveal long-buried family secrets. Who is the woman in the photo? And why are these keepsakes hidden in her mother’s closet? Miranda’s quest for the truth takes her on a road trip, south to the idyllic seaside village of Pelican Point.

Annie Jordan’s newly opened can of worms sends her and Tyler on a trip. Two trips, as a matter of fact. They need to sort out the family matter. Whose father is who? Does what was in the past stay in the past or can Annie and Tyler unearth the mystery of their parentage? What about the mysterious woman who’s left her a message. Who is she? How does she fit in with Sam? Does she? Annie’s trying not to be overtly curious, but can you blame a girl—ahem, woman!—for wondering about this newly arrived stranger? Then there’s the matter of all the bad luck she’s been having. And the ...