Showing results by author "Virginia Smith" in All Categories

Come sit on the porch a spell. Let's talk about times gone by and folks we remember, about slow summer evenings and lightning bugs in a jar. Listen to the music of a creaky swing and hand-cranked ice cream and cicadas chorusing in the sultry night air. Let's talk about how things used to be in the South - and for some of us, they way they still are. Welcome to the world of Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes, where award winning authors Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Virginia Ellis, Debra Dixon, Donna Ball and Nancy Knight come together for the first time to create this poignant, humorous collection of nostalgic tales.

An exploration, both personal and deeply reported, of how we learn to eat in today's toxic food culture. When her newborn daughter stopped eating after a medical crisis, Virginia Sole-Smith spent two years teaching her how to feel safe around food again - and in the process, realized just how many of us are struggling to do the same thing.

Fat Talk argues for a reclaiming of “fat,” which is not synonymous with “unhealthy,” “inactive,” or “lazy.” Talking to researchers and activists, as well as parents and kids across a broad swath of the country, Sole-Smith lays bare how America’s focus on solving the “childhood obesity epidemic” has perpetuated a second crisis of disordered eating and body hatred for kids of all sizes. She exposes our society’s internalized fatphobia and elucidates how and why we need to stop “preventing obesity” and start supporting kids in the bodies they have.

It's 1851, and Evie Lawrence is penniless and heartbroken after a failed romance. When a kind elderly man announces his plan to move west and make his fortune, Evie jumps at the chance to go with him and start a new life. She says goodbye to the only home she's ever known and sets out for the Northwest. There she meets Noah Hughes, a handsome young man who has gambled everything he owns on the chance to make a fresh start. Living the rugged life of a lumberjack, he too is determined to one day make his fortune.

>When the Burgert family moves to Seattle in 1852, Kathryn is convinced her father has destroyed her life. The backwoods settlement offers none of the comforts and culture she loves in San Francisco. She cares nothing for the new sawmill the townsfolk are so excited about. That is, until she meets Jason, a lumberjack with dreams for a bright future. As she comes to know Jason, Kathryn can't help catching his vision.

Settle back into that comfortable chair and enjoy a second helping of poignant, humorous, and nostalgic tales about how things used to be in the legendary South. From vindictive mules and small-town marriage rituals that include a pig, to Grandma's story of how a quilt square got her a husband and a home remedy of the hemorrhoidal variety that goes awry, More Sweet Tea delivers what readers have been thirsting for since the first in the Sweet Tea series.

Joan Sanderson's life is stuck. Her older sister, Allie, is starting a family and her younger sister, Tori, has a budding career. Meanwhile, Joan is living at home with Mom and looking after her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement. That is, until a hunky young doctor moves in next door. Suddenly, Joan has a goal - to get a date. But it won't be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly with him and Joan is sure that she can't compete.

The daughter of a pagan priestess believes Noah's prophecy - especially when she discovers the horrifying secret behind her city's primary export. Belief in the One God is dangerous in Cainlan, a city founded on the worship of the god Cain. But when Eliana meets the son of a religious fanatic she is drawn to Shem's caring manner and deep faith. She believes his assertion that the One God will wipe the earth clean of the corruption that fills it.

Things are finally starting to fall into a steady rhythm in the small town of Goose Creek, Kentucky. Millie Richardson is hard at work renovating a drafty Victorian house into a B&B. Her husband, Al, is busy writing checks for the renovations. And the new vet, Susan, has finally found acceptance from the town -- not to mention a hunky new boyfriend, Justin.

An exciting new Amish-meets-Wild West adventure from bestselling authors Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith weaves an entertaining and romantic tale for devoted fans and new readers. Kansas,1881--On a trip to visit relatives, Emma Switzer's Amish family is robbed of all their possessions, leaving them destitute and stranded on the prairie. Walking into the nearest trading settlement, they pray to the Lord for someone to help. When a man lands in the dust at her feet, Emma looks down at him and thinks, The Lord might have cleaned him up first. Luke Carson, heading up his first cattle drive, is not planning on being the answer to anyone's prayers, but it looks as though God has something else in mind for this kind and gentle man. Plain and rugged--do the two mix? And what happens when a dedicated Amish woman and a stubborn trail boss prove to be each other's match?

Maree Davenport refuses to let a tearful past rule her future. After losing her parents at the age of five, the big-hearted fabric designer is determined to embrace her feelings and find happiness no matter what. So when she literally runs over a handsome new firefighter in the produce section, the hopeless romantic is certain she’s just collided with destiny.

Max Davenport craves a break from the press. Constantly on the run from paparazzi and over-enthusiastic women, the football star takes to the small town of Green Hills to embrace a simpler lifestyle with his sister. But his pulse unexpectedly quickens when he discovers his sibling’s usually frumpy-dressed friend swimming in his backyard pool…opening his eyes to her breathtaking beauty.

Blake Fisher won’t let anyone destroy the life she’s built. So when a silver-spoon-in-his-mouth snob refuses to listen to her proposed deal, the hardworking real estate agent sneaks her way onto his land to demand a face-to-face meeting. But while she hits it off with his rambunctious trio of brothers, she’s determined not to yield an inch to her onetime crush…even after they share a bone-melting kiss.

A pod of 15 spinner dolphins have welcomed author Virginia C. Smith as one of their own for 22 years. Listen to the story of her life and the magical influence and guidance she experienced and how it helped her deal with life and love in the human world.

1884. Several years earlier, young Rebecca Switzer lost her heart to Jesse Montgomery, a rugged but dissolute cowboy on a dusty cattle trail near the Amish settlement of Apple Grove. Now, she is grown up, and when she hears one day that he has been spotted nearby, her desire is plain and simple: She must see him. Sheriff Colin Maddox is counting the days until he can leave law enforcement and follow his dream of starting a church.

The beautiful piano sitting in the corner of Jill King’s apartment begs to be played. For over a year, it has sat untouched, ever since a terrible accident shattered Jill’s ambition of becoming a concert pianist. The ragged scar on her left hand is a cruel and constant reminder of the death of her dream. But another dream is about to come to life - an unexpected, horrifying dream that will present Jill with a responsibility she never wanted. And choices she never wanted to make.

Even though retirement is still three years away, Al Richardson is counting the days. He anticipates many enjoyable years in which every day feels like Saturday. But Al's wife, Millie, has different plans for their retirement. When she learns that a Victorian-era home is up for sale, Millie launches a full-blown campaign to convince Al that god's plan for them is to turn that house into a B&B. But a B&B won't be the only change for the small Kentucky town.

Attending a stranger’s memorial service wasn’t at the top of Kelli Jackson’s to-do list. Especially when that stranger was her own mother. To receive her inheritance Kelli must abide by the conditions of her late mother’s will. She is forced work as a zookeeper for six months with animals that terrify her. Since she needs to money to help support her aging grandmother, she must figure out a way to balance her career as a tax accountant with this new - thankfully temporary - assignment.

M’Kenzee Davenport knows love doesn’t last. So despite marrying her high school crush on a whim in Vegas, the gritty photojournalist never believed the union was real. But when her husband-in-name-only goes missing on a mission for the FBI, she’s stunned to receive his effects as next-of-kin.

After the devastating loss of his second wife, Seth Hostetler believes a lasting love is beyond all hope. A year has passed, and his mamm and sister are determined to see him happily married once again. But how can he open his heart to another woman when their relationship could end in tragedy? On an outing with his family, Seth comes across an Amish potter hard at work and jumps at the chance to take a seat at the wheel. He takes quickly to this creative outlet, pouring his long-buried emotions into each piece he shapes. Unfortunately, the fancy nature of his art draws the disapproval of his district's leadership. His work puts him in the path of Leah, an Englisch woman employed by the Amish to sell their wares to tourists. Despite her aloofness, something about her speaks to Seth's wounded soul. But what is he to do when the things he wants most threaten to pull him away from the life he's committed to live? A compelling novel of second chances and the power of God to redeem hearts and dreams, set in the inviting Amish community of Lancaster County.