Found Family

He came for Thanksgiving. He just didn't know what was on the menu! When Tucker, a plump and rather self-important turkey, arrives at a cozy little farm just before Thanksgiving, he's absolutely convinced he's the guest of honor! With his magnificent tail feathers, proud strut, and enormous opinion of himself, Tucker is certain the entire celebration is being planned in his honor. But when his new barnyard friends start acting strangely, and he discovers what Thanksgiving dinner might actually mean for a turkey, Tucker decides it's time to make a run for it! Suddenly, our brave (well, mostly brave) turkey finds himself lost in the woods, facing frightening creatures, unexpected adventures, and the realization that being on his own isn't nearly as wonderful as he imagined. Will Tucker find his way home before Thanksgiving? And will he discover that being loved is far better than being important? Filled with laughter, lovable characters, and a heartwarming surprise, The Turkey Who Came for Thanksgiving is a delightful holiday adventure about friendship, family, courage, and finding where you truly belong.

Pip has one very important Halloween job: say “BOO!” But every time he tries, something completely different comes out. MOO! TOOT-TOOT! YEE-HAW! Even… POTATO! Pip is sure he’s the worst Halloween pumpkin ever—until he meets Lucy, a little girl who thinks Halloween is just a little too scary. Together, Pip and Lucy discover that Halloween doesn’t have to be frightening to be fun. A silly, sweet story about being yourself, finding courage, and discovering that sometimes laughter is the very best kind of Halloween magic.

Mikey knows there’s something under his bed. He just never expected it to be a monster who’s scared of him!   Meet Boogle—a fuzzy little monster with crooked horns, purple feet, and one very wobbly fang. He’s supposed to be terrifying, but kids, teeth, teddy bears, and even broccoli are enough to send him running.   When Halloween arrives, Mikey and Boogle discover that even kids and monsters get scared.   A silly, sweet Halloween story about bravery, friendship, and the funniest monster under the bed.

Sometimes the greatest Christmas gift isn't found beneath the tree. It's finding someone who loves you just the way you are. Deep in the snowy wonderland of Pineberry Woods lives Pickle, an adorable little skunk with a crooked white stripe and one very big wish—to find someone who will love him despite being different. While the other animals avoid him, Pickle dreams of warm hugs, Christmas magic, and a family to call his own. So he writes a heartfelt letter to Santa, asking for just one thing: a child who won't run away. Meanwhile, a lonely little girl named Becca makes a Christmas wish of her own. She doesn't want toys or fancy presents. She wants a special friend—someone who needs her as much as she needs them. When their wishes find their way to the North Pole, Santa and his elves discover that sometimes the most magical Christmas presents come in the most unexpected packages! Filled with beautiful illustrations, holiday wonder, tender moments, and a little Christmas mischief, Pickle's Christmas Wish is a heartwarming adventure about friendship, kindness, acceptance, and the joy of belonging. Perfect for family read-alouds, bedtime stories, and creating treasured Christmas memories. This Christmas, discover how one little skunk with a very big heart learns that being different can be the most wonderful gift of all.

The Dripping Springs Chronicles **By C. Rae Thompson** *Small-town roots. Complicated relationships. Secrets that refuse to stay buried.* Welcome to Dripping Springs, Texas, where the summers are scorching, the gossip travels faster than the traffic on Highway 290, and everyone seems to have an opinion about everyone else's business. Against the backdrop of the Texas Hill Country, *The Dripping Springs Chronicles* follows a close-knit circle of family and friends navigating love, betrayal, heartbreak, and the messy realities of adulthood. The series begins with *Finding Sabrina*, introducing Sabrina Hart, a young woman who has spent so much of her life taking care of everyone else that she's nearly forgotten what she wants for herself. As unexpected opportunities emerge and long-buried family tensions resurface, Sabrina begins questioning everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and the future she imagined. But Sabrina's story is only the beginning. As relationships unravel, friendships are tested, and secrets come to light, the people of Dripping Springs discover that the hardest battles aren't always with strangers. Sometimes they're with the people they love most. Filled with flawed characters, sharp humor, complicated romances, family drama, and emotional twists, *The Dripping Springs Chronicles* explores what happens when ordinary people find themselves facing extraordinary personal challenges. Because in Dripping Springs, nobody's life is perfect, everybody has baggage, and happily ever after isn't always what you expected. **An adult contemporary drama series about love, loyalty, second chances, and finding the courage to choose yourself.**

**"A high-action adventure with swoon-worthy romance and a mystery that will keep you turning the pages all night long!" - Beth Revis, *New York Times* bestselling author**\ \ **Your dreams are no longer safe...**\ \ Eighteen-year-old Aria Hale loves her job at her father’s dream therapy company where she enters dementia patients' dreams to save their memories. But when their lab is ransacked, two technicians are murdered, and her father is kidnapped, everything changes for her.\ \ Determined to find her father, Aria and her friends embark on a harrowing hunt across continents using the dreams of their enemies to guide them. But this dangerous journey plunges her into a world she never bargained for: deception, intrigue, and even love. As she races to save her father and hunt down her enemies, she soon realizes she’s in fact, the one being hunted. And her dreams are the greatest danger of all.\ \ In the vein of *Inception* meets *The Bourne Identity*, THE DREAM HEIST propels readers into a fast-paced adventure that will send them racing to the very end.

It was common for veiled-born children of the Egyptian gods to die— not that Heba Badran knew that. On her 16th birthday, her divine heart matures and kills her mortal body. Now, she’s stuck at The House of the Second Measure; a half-way house for dangerous demigods caught between life and death. Surrounded by heart-eating monsters and undead teenagers, Heba must control her powers to find her way home.

<https://rss.com/podcasts/tellifah-the-anchor/3241233> Witness Without Letting Fear Rule You\ Talking about your faith can feel intimidating. You may fear sounding awkward. Being judged. Not having the right answers. Creating discomfort. So sometimes, even when a door opens, we stay silent. But God has not given us a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 - NIV) This verse is beautifully balanced. God gives power, but also love and wisdom. To witness does not mean forcing, overpowering, or winning an argument. It means sharing, with gentleness, the hope God has placed within us. 1 Peter 3:15 invites us to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have, but to do it with gentleness and respect. In Acts 4, believers do not ask for an easy life. They ask God to give them boldness to speak His word. Today, I encourage you not to let fear decide for you. Simply ask God for a right word, a loving heart, and peaceful courage. Prayer Lord, free me from the fear of speaking about You.\ Give me words full of love, truth, and wisdom.\ Help me speak of You with courage and humility.

After crash landing on an unknown alien planet a female Xenobiologist finds herself in the company of two strange aliens after they kidnap her in the middle of the night from her ship and crew. luckily the two aliens have yet to show any signs of hostility but when their exploratory touch starts to become more intimate she finds her own sexual urges hard to resist. and being a scientist at heart, how could she deny a chance to learn the anatomy of a new alien species in the most pleasurable way possible?

This book was my way of beginning to process my own trauma and understanding how it shapes my journey though motherhood.

Oswy has spent his life understanding what breaks—and how to put it back together. A skilled bonesetter and craftsman from a world far removed from modern life, Oswy knows the grain of wood, the alignment of bone, and the cost of forcing something to bend beyond what it can bear. But when a catastrophic flood tears him out of everything he knows and deposits him in a strange modern city, his old skills are suddenly surrounded by things he cannot name: unfamiliar machines, an unreadable language, and a society whose rules make little sense to him. Alone and unable to find his way home, Oswy must learn how to survive without the knowledge and standing that once defined him. The people who take him in offer warmth and help, but belonging is harder than rescue. His hands still know how to mend what others cannot—and when people around him are in danger, that knowledge becomes a responsibility he cannot easily refuse. Yet Oswy’s gift is not without a cost. He understands better than most that holding something together can consume the person doing the holding. As he begins to find a place in this unfamiliar world, he must confront the difference between being useful and being valued, between enduring pain and accepting help, and between preserving what is broken and learning when to let go.

This series focuses on the upcoming officer pipeline in training at Astro Corps Academy. this is a New Adult series as these are all college aged characters. The series focuses on Kathleen "Kat " Walters, Francessca "Fran" Corsacci, Jackson "Jax" Bates and Evan Linares. This series will focus on Academy classes that will refresh the officer pipeline in the *ASC Galaxy* series. This is a companion series to *ASC Galaxy*. These characters will join the *ASC Galaxy* series in *ASC Galaxy: Battle Lines (Book Six)*.

Mara Marinescu had spent most of her life trying to survive. Then she met Alaina Winslow, who showed her how to live. Everything changed the morning Alaina killed Raymond John Vixler. Something inside her began to disappear. And then she did. Reports emerged of a mysterious girl with a halo of lightning stepping through static to save people. They called her Statica. But with each life she saved, she lost a piece of herself. Refusing to let her best friend go, Mara sets out to bring Alaina home. Through the static, she discovers a hidden realm beyond reality, where impossible choices shape the fate of the living and the dead. From the author of *Earl* comes a contemporary fantasy thriller about friendship, memory, sacrifice, and the people we refuse to let go. For fans of *Shatter Me, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue*, and *All the Bright Places*.

Audrey Lowe has never dreamed of falling in love with anyone until she met the love of her life. Shawn Cunning’s but when Shawn goes missing it is up to Audrey to find out what happened to him. Nothing will stop her from uncovering the secrets about the man she loves…

Following the torment of the Scorpion Locusts, a new phase of the apocalypse begins as four fallen angelic generals are released from the Euphrates to kill a third of the human population. Inside a repurposed thrift store sanctuary, a resilient community led by Ellis, LaTroy, and a small group of believers navigates day-to-day survival through shared chores, humor, and nightly Bible studies. Their fragile peace is shattered when terrifying supernatural entities begin roaming the ruined world. While a select few marked by the divine Seal of God possess supernatural protection, the rest of the group remains vulnerable to the advancing slaughter. As the team expands by absorbing new survivors like the hardened combatant Jonas and his mother Joyce, internal tensions flare and outside gangs threaten their safety. Meanwhile across the globe, the apocalyptic heralds execute their grim mandates, pushing humanity toward an impending convergence of two hundred million destroyers. Bound together by faith, love, and a desperate need for community, the survivors must hold fast as the ultimate test of endurance closes in around them.

This series is MIL SF/Space Opera with found family, slow burn romance, burdens of command, honor, endurance, and sacrifice. It is a world where tactical and personal decisions have consequences. Your $2.99 helps me pay my cover artists and editor. Join my newsletter at: [Contact Endure Press | Independent Military Science Fiction Publisher&lt;br/&gt; — Endure Press, LLC](https://www.endurepress.net/contact)

At thirty-nine, Valerie Stewart is trapped—a dead-end job, a deadbeat husband, forgotten dreams. But then, she secretly earns her accounting degree, and something inside her shifts. Six months later, Valerie is single, living in a new town, under a new name, and building the future she risked everything to achieve. For the first time, freedom feels real. Until her ex-husband finds her. Now, the fresh start Valerie created is threatened by the one man she thought she’d escaped.

Theresa Walsh lives a peaceful life in a quiet mountain town, working alongside her loving adoptive mother Rachel McCarthy at their antiquarian bookshop. Her tranquil existence shatters when a violent squad of supernatural warriors invades her town, revealing that Theresa is the long-lost daughter and sole heir of Arthur Miller, the brutal alpha of the Silverpine pack. Arthur has spent twenty years waging a merciless war of attrition against his sworn rivals, the Blackthorn pack. While fleeing an ambush orchestrated by Arthur's treacherous enforcer Carl Whitfield, Theresa is captured by Blackthorn's ruthless alpha, Victor Powell. The moment their eyes meet in the prison cells, an undeniable fated mate bond ignites between them, shattering Victor's cold resolve and igniting a fierce, forbidden desire. Victor refuses to use Theresa as a pawn, provoking suspicion from his battle-hardened beta Donna Peterson. As Carl Whitfield schemes to overthrow Arthur and annihilate both territories, Theresa must navigate the violent awakening of her dormant wolf instincts. When Arthur captures Rachel to force Theresa's submission, Theresa and Victor form a dangerous alliance that blurs the lines between sworn enemies and destined lovers. Together, they must dismantle ancient blood feuds, expose Carl's deadly conspiracy, and claim their shared destiny before the supernatural war consumes everything they cherish.

Out of the ashes of a devastating war, a broken princess and a warrior prince must forge a new legacy—or watch four kingdoms burn

When black rain falls and roads begin leading travelers toward a fortress that vanished years ago, Rowan knows Veyrhold has found a way to reach beyond its walls. He escaped the castle as a child, but the ancient machine buried beneath it still knows his name—and still believes it owns him. Hunted by the castle’s bound servants and pursued by a spreading storm, Rowan joins a desperate journey across a fractured realm to uncover the truth behind Veyrhold’s power. Every road brings him closer to the place he fled, where he must face the force that turned him into a weapon and decide whether he can break its hold before it pulls the whole world into its darkness.

In 1979, Jason Beannú Elias was playing dive bars in Reno, Nevada. He had no idea he was about to become one of the most powerful beings in the world.\ \ Neither did the four men beside him. The ones who would become his Brotherhood, his warriors, his brothers in the truest sense of the word. To the world, they were just a hard rock band called Battle Cry, five musicians with more talent than anyone had a right to. To an enemy who had been anticipating their generation for nine centuries, they were something far more dangerous.\ \ All it took was one old man, one wooden box, and one night in a San Diego hotel room to prove it.\ \ Singer Connor Braydee couldn't silence the flood of voices suddenly crashing through his mind. Guitarist Ricky Strathan blinked and found himself across the room without having moved. Bass Player Erik Hahn touched a table, and it collapsed like paper. Keyboardist Nathan Dallenger burned from the inside out. And Jace — their drummer, their anchor — died on the hotel carpet, rose in a column of living light, and came back to himself with an ancient voice echoing in his bones.\ \ \*"You are the Guardian of Aelin..."\*\ \ The next morning, a man named Sidney Greene stepped over the door Erik had pulled clean off its hinges and began to explain what none of them yet had words for. Five musicians. Five titles older than any nation they had ever played in. Five amulets that could not be removed until their work in this world was finished.\ \ They didn't ask for this destiny. None of it. But the world had been waiting nine hundred years for them to arrive.\ \ \*The Powers Bestowed: Origins.\*

Denson Bowing is hard at work on the farm when an unexpected and unwanted visitor arrives, throwing a monkey wrench in all of his plans. Plum Dahling, a photographer from California, shows up on his door step, not wanting to cause trouble, but seems to be the thorn in his side. Only time will tell how the their lives innertwine in this sweet country love song come to life.  This story was inspired by rural Mississippi, where I live, and the sweet country love songs I heard while growing up. I hope this story gives you the cozy souther comfort of a warm homemade apple pie and tall glass of iced sweet tea.

**This is a short story during the aftermath of the outbreak**   It started with a viral attack, glass vials shattered in the heavily trafficked corridors of Grand Central Station. Within a month the virus was the deadliest attack the world had ever witnessed. But it was only the beginning. The survivors, what few remained of the planet's 7 billion, would come to realize the virus attack was the easy part; it killed outright, but the Blight was a different story altogether. The end wasn't just the beginning.

Anya Springfield has spent her entire life running. Dragged from town to town by a mother desperate to keep them hidden, Anya has learned one painful truth: people are drawn to her—sometimes in dangerous ways. New schools, broken friendships, and constant upheaval are all she’s ever known. So when she arrives in a quiet town for what feels like yet another temporary stay, she vows to keep her head down and survive senior year unnoticed. But this town is different. Almost immediately, Anya finds herself surrounded by an unlikely group of boys unlike anyone she has ever met—Felix, Galen, Connor, and Griffin—each mysterious, fiercely protective, and strangely familiar. Along with their enigmatic guardian, Audric, they seem to know things about her no stranger should know. More unsettling still, they believe Anya is something impossible: A goddess. As buried memories begin to surface and the truth behind her painful past unravels, Anya discovers she may be tied to an ancient power older than memory itself—the Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. But awakening to her destiny comes with a price. Dark forces from her past are closing in, desperate to claim the power within her before she can understand it herself. Caught between fear and destiny, healing and heartbreak, Anya must decide who she truly wants to be: the frightened girl always running… or the powerful woman she was always meant to become. **A heartfelt blend of contemporary fantasy, found family, healing from trauma, and elemental magic, *Maiden Mother Crone* is a coming-of-age story about reclaiming your voice, embracing your power, and discovering that family isn’t always the one you’re born into.**

This story came from a contest for an epistolary short story (which is the prologue). What continues is their story.

She came for answers. The castle wanted a bride. Emily Rose Crowe has never known her real family—only the orphanage walls that raised her. Then a mysterious inheritance notice arrives, pulling her to remote Ravenswood Castle and into the path of its brooding master, Lucien Anton Dragos. He warns her the bloodline is cursed. She should have listened. Behind sealed doors, Emily finds ledgers bearing her name across centuries, ritual murders that never truly ended, and the legend of the Hollow Bride—a sacrifice the estate still hungers for. Fresh deaths begin to mirror medieval atrocities. Everyone who tries to help her vanishes into the same dark pattern. As desire and dread tangle with Lucien, Emily learns she is not merely an heir. She is the centerpiece of a final bargain struck beneath the foundations long ago. Armed only with a silver locket and the truth of what her ancestors promised, she must choose: break the curse… or rule the darkness that made it. Gothic horror, forbidden hunger, and a mystery older than the stones themselves.

Short stories from our Moon Shadow Pack village. 🐺 The behind the scenes that Moon Shadow Rising didn’t show you, with sweet recipes, more found family energy and cozy vibes.  These vignettes are all based in the Moon Shadow packlands\~ with the characters you know and love, but are also stand alone stories on their own.

# *Lyra Wilde: The Celestial Runaway* Lyra Wilde has spent most of her life believing that leaving is the purest form of freedom. She chose her own name, built a livelihood from tarot readings, sign painting, festival work, and practical problem-solving, and made a home inside Vega, her weathered turquoise Ford Econoline. Moving between desert fairs and temporary communities allows her to be useful without becoming dependent, remembered without being completely known, and gone before affection can turn into obligation. At a late-season fair, Lyra meets Silas Walker, the nationally recognized former frontman of The Dust Meridian. He carries a battered harmonica, the consequences of a public collapse, and a recovery from addiction and depression that he refuses to place in anyone else’s hands. Silas does not ask Lyra to rescue him, surrender her independence, or abandon the road. He simply sees the difference between choosing freedom and disappearing before anyone has the chance to matter. Their attraction develops slowly through music, restraint, sharp humor, and unexpected honesty. A first encounter ends without a kiss or exchanged promises, leaving them separated by six months and hundreds of miles. When their roads cross again, curiosity becomes desire, and desire becomes a relationship neither of them can keep safely temporary. But loving Silas exposes every contradiction Lyra has spent years avoiding. She demands honesty while withholding the information that might make someone ask her to stay. She protects other people’s privacy while recording their stories in her notebooks. She resents being controlled but becomes controlling when fear convinces her that usefulness is the same as love. Most dangerously, she wants Silas to respect her freedom while secretly hoping he will prove she matters by chasing her. When Lyra disappears after an emotionally difficult night at Ghost Camp, she discovers that leaving may protect her from confrontation, but it cannot protect a relationship from consequences. Trust must be rebuilt through more than apologies. Their carefully written Terms of Return are tested by Vega’s breakdown, financial differences, unauthorized photographs, Silas’s returning public visibility, a recurrence of his depression, and work opportunities that pull them toward different roads. Around them, a loose collection of artists, vendors, musicians, travelers, and wounded people begins becoming something more permanent: the Half Moon Caravan. As Lyra helps build a community where people can be known without becoming public property, she must accept responsibility, establish boundaries, and return to conversations she would once have escaped. *Lyra Wilde: The Celestial Runaway* is a lyrical contemporary romance about found family, difficult trust, recovery, privacy, and love without ownership. It is the story of a woman who knows how to survive alone and the man who never asks her to stop moving—but challenges her to stop mistaking disappearance for freedom. Lyra’s journey does not end with the surrender of her independence. It ends with something more difficult: two people choosing separate roads, making room for individual dreams, and promising to return—not because either one is trapped, but because love has finally become a destination they are free to choose.

**The future held Homestead**  **Family tree right down the line. This is their Children’s, Children. That’s right great , greats now. Something about it makes you think of love passed on forever. Something between two people in love passed down the generations reaches them. The making of the children’s, children.**   **To their predecessors and parents, grandparents who were born into the family. Out of a love marriage they became the children. “ Come onto the little children and I will give Thee Rest.”**  **Norval Bontrager , Levon Bontrager, brothers , Karlyle Bontrager. Schwesters Lovina Bontrager ,Olive Bontrager.**   **Their parents Faith ( Ma’am) and John (Dat). Farmers and their expertise horses and growing corn and beans. Always attentive to our lord . Much respect goes out to them. Lots of respect for prayer, believing in blessings beyond measure. Marriage utmost cherished by all who are faithful to his word. Uniting the family together in a peaceful life bond never to be broken.**

Amara & the Locked Door is a short story set in the world of the Moon Shadow Pack — a sweet, magical tale about a curious four-year-old, a tiny door, and a pixie named Pinx. Perfect for readers who love found family, gentle magic, and the wonder of discovering something hidden.

The Secrets We Carry is a gripping series about the lives we leave behind, the secrets we protect, and the people who slowly become the ones we trust. At the center of the series is Rylee Schmidt, a woman determined to build a new life while keeping the truth about her past buried. As she begins finding friendship, love, family, and a sense of safety she never thought she could have, the secrets she's spent years protecting don't simply disappear. Some truths stay hidden. Some begin to surface. And some have the power to change everything. As Rylee's new life unfolds, trust will be tested, old fears will resurface, and the people closest to her will discover that there is far more to her story than they ever imagined. Because everyone carries secrets. The question is what happens when those secrets can no longer stay buried.

Mira Thakur has spent most of her life learning how to make herself small. Orphaned young and raised in her uncle’s home in the hill town of Shimla, she divides her days between college, family obligations, and the tiny bookshop she loves. Her parents left her an inheritance—but an old-fashioned condition keeps it beyond her control: **She cannot take charge of it until she marries.** Then a violent storm sends Kian Dutt through the bookshop door. Kian is heir to one of India’s most powerful industrial families—brilliant, charming, wealthy, and dangerously accustomed to solving problems his own way. Mira doesn’t recognize him. For once, Kian likes it that way. One rain-soaked evening becomes walks through Shimla, cups of tea, private jokes, long conversations, and a slow-growing intimacy neither of them expected. Then Kian discovers something Mira doesn’t know. The land his development project desperately needs belongs to her. And marriage is the one condition that would finally give her control over it. **He wants Mira.\ She wants her freedom.\ His project needs her land.** To Kian, one impossible idea begins to look almost elegant: marry the woman he already wants, give her the freedom she has been denied, and negotiate for the land afterward. The problem is not that his feelings are false. The problem is that the secret is real. What begins as an intimate slow-burn romance in the mountains becomes a story about love, ambition, betrayal, separation, growth, and whether two people can ever find their way back to each other after the truth changes everything they thought they knew.

"If you insult a god, he'll probably curse you for life". "Prove it".   Genessa Till has been shipped around like a good all her life. From thriving kingdoms to simple towns to refugee camps and places many don't even venture. At 19 years old, she is sent to Marin, one of the riverine areas in her country, a place her owners promise her is the last one. Genessa is ready to spend her life peacefully there, till she sees something so surreal it's hard to decide if she will do the logical thing and tell, or enjoy this little bit of attention?

**The Bontrager family, Dat owned and operated. Tobias Bontrager his son . Dochder Mary Bontrager. Wife Agnus.** **Bontrager Bakery , tried and true to gut bakery . Donuts , cookies, pies and more made from scratch daily. By early morning light baked in a big black cast iron stove and oven .** **Then the meadow known for holding the 4H Carnival. Held through the summer months.** **Ma’am Bontrager encharge of the entire 4H Carnival . Dat brought Holsteins of ours up to show there.** **More than ever love of country is agift from a heart of Gott. Mildred a seer our Ma’am’s Aunt came to visit and stayed ever since.** **Mildred ma’am’s cousin, considered her best friend in the world. Something had become amiss for dearest Mildred had the same dream twice . That is why she came in the first place.** **Dat with held a secret from Ma’am and what ever could it be. The Angels who dwelled in and around the place. Hovering , trying feel like what dat did.** **While demons were light footsteps heard sneaking around. Snares came from their nostrils , fiery , smoke.** **Grosspapa talked to Dat in low tones . “ What ever happened will be forsaken by our lord. Tell me though who could it be? A Carnival man working the Carnival?** **Dat ran his hand through his thick hair. He entertained a beard these days. Looking sophisticated and handsome. “ I must tell Agnus however help please lord.”** **Creaking of trees outside can be heard such a windy day. Something chilling lay wait. What’s going on here?** **Right then Grossmama and** **Ma’am entered the office in the barn. “ I don’t usually ease drop because I heard everything you said Horace.** **Tell me what has happened to you shaken you to the core?” Grossmama gasped for her son hurt within so bad.** **Dat sat instantly, “ I had taken cash for a large cattle order . Someone picked it up instantly pocketed it. Here is the receipt signed by the man I sold cattle to.”** **Mary busy at work with Mildred helping today. Outside a sun shining, breezy day. Together they made quite a team . The day very busy for them.** **Some men came from the Carnival and purchased an unbelievable amount of bakery . Paid in cash , very unusual acting. Making Mary and Mildred uncomfortable to say the least. I think they were extremely** glad to see them both disappear into the crowd. “ I’m locking this door and closing the bakery all gone anyway,” Mary said. She closed the window shades then. Immediately called the Sheriff dispatcher Sid Esh and described the incident. “ I feel scared and why I’m not   rightfully sure is the reason.” And she further explained the closing up the store. Mildred stood by listening by that time of her phone call. Tobias said he would like to know what happened to the money it being a very large amount. Sorry to hear Dat .” Later that night when everyone had went to sleep. Someone walked as if to creep up into the hayloft he did lay unnoticed by anyone except himself. Laying deep inside the hayloft. There’s when he noticed a man’s dark shadow left across the porch on the Bontrager farmhouse. He then turned on surveillance cameras around the place. Eery feelings came to his mind. Then several others , he made a quick phone call. Deputy Sheriff surrounded the house big lights shown down on them hoods . What could possibly be driving them to this particular house. Money maybe? The men wearing black hoods left running on foot . Deputies chased by a jeep using a large light. It turned out to be some night . Yes horses missing from the pasture , each rode off on horseback. Stole The Bontrager farm horses . And if that wasn’t enough some very expensive saddles. Immediately Dat , ma’am and Grosspapa ended the Carnival. It was about to end anyway.? Because of theft and dangerous conditions for us all. Sheriff Stoltzfus said they are a band of Thieves. Riding together with a gang of criminals ready to steal for they know exactly what they’re looking for. This happened to be an end of an era never to be the same again. Because                     this year has been a great loss to not only the Country side here the community is very much looking forward to this Carnival. Taking a break from it being the keeper.

**The Hollow Bond Series** is a dark, seductive romantasy series where ancient magic, supernatural bonds, and dangerous love collide. Deep within the mysterious Hollow, the forest is more than trees and shadows—it is alive, powerful, and it remembers. Witches, wolf shifters, ancient guardians, forbidden magic, and forces that should have remained buried become tangled in bonds shaped by fate but tested by choice. As old secrets surface and the boundary between worlds begins to fracture, love may prove to be either the greatest weapon of all—or the most dangerous weakness. Filled with fierce heroines, protective and powerful heroes, found family, fated mates, dark secrets, supernatural danger, passion, and plenty of magic, **The Hollow Bond Series** explores what happens when destiny chooses you before you're ready to choose it. *The Hollow is watching.* *The bonds are awakening.* *And some magic refuses to be denied.*

Homestead out amongst Mennonite communities. Mary Bontrager Schwester, Ma’am Agnus Bontrager, Dat Horace Bontrager, Tobias Bontrag, Braudar. Dat owner of-the Wine vineyards deep within a forest of green lush trees. Where grapevines grow plentiful by love of nature. Many Old Order Amish women bore aprons full of freshly picked grapes. Barefoot ladies up to the elbows in grapes of all colors and kinds. While Amishman and Mennonite men are in fields of grapes growin only to be picked for wine bottles here and sold. The large sand rock houses refrigerated by a gas generator. A wooden sign above the door reads Built on honesty. Inside greeters are Mary Bontrager Schwester and Grossmama. Property owner Horace Bontrager,( Dat) and Agnus ( Ma’am ). The property owners, a large white family adorned two porches beautiful inside and outside Then the Chocolate House where candy made daily. Packaged then sold to customers. Delicious decadent chocolate. Much to everyone’s delight. Bontrager Cousins worked hard for the store. Our Pride and Joy Cheese factory full of delicious home made cheeses. Best Cheesecake, samples daily from happy employees handing it out as free treats. The Gold nugget jewelers hand made rings , necklaces. Very well known for quality jewelry. Nestled in a large barn inside cases of finished jewelry. Quality jewelry sold here. The family Bakery housed homemade bread, cookies and pies . Freshness guaranteed. Braudars Tobias and Isaac Bontrager. As well as taking care of the grounds there. They were also proud owners of many horses . Pastures full of them. Give Thanks for your love for Gott as a whole. Reading your Bible and following his example is best. May you find peace in your life as a family. May those of us that gather together find friends who are family members Mary is the heart of herself, wandering through life in a world of Mennonite. Being noticed by Harley Hershberger known by everyone as a Wheat farmer. Most of his work done on his own small farm. Down the road apiece. Surroundings were very beautiful Evergreen trees. A windmill connected to a water wheel. Inside the barn ground oats made daily. Integrating sorghum to make bread sold to restaurants. His Rock farm house inherited from his Dat . His Braudars also lived there. This place     down in a gully. Surrounded by rocks . A trail leading to a lake treasured by family. To top it off they made binoculars. Sold to stores a catalog that they ordered from. Quality assurance guarantee in all products. Literally everything around the earth is a vast quantity of valuable information that can only come from a mature enough mind to find out what it gives forth in gifts. Ideas to make money from and create something to sell. Church held in neighbors barns turn church The bench wagon delivers benches for all day church meetings . Wild goats standing way up high on cliffs. White goats creatures standing there firm keep our grass chewed short. Sounds of running water from cliffs . Partakers in a river of life gathere often. Baptized people and it was a healing experience. Many walked away with their lives forever changed by a miracle. In fact the English had the subject matter analyzed and studied. Then wrote a magazine article about the healing benefits The mud from the river bed cured all wounds from infection or scars. Some say our beloved animal friends even taken there. To be healed from pain and twisted gut. Sightseeing a must though these foothills. Promise of life of a lifetime for happiness bound to souls entrusted to give their lives to Gott. The Temple of quiet is built upon its promise to keep your soul clean. When entering into silence for a month. This individual has committed to cleansing totally leaving to go back to their lives at home freed from any bad feelings Talking when they leave. Many different things have happened    Down in The Mennonite Country.

***Every King has his throne. Every Empire holds its power. The enemy seeks it all.*** `They thought they were hunting me, but truly, they were the prey. I was better at this game than they were. Years of learning this business and the game of war made me lethal. ` `When they came for the throne, I went for their throat.`

Leah Rigley disguised herself as a cabin boy in order to accompany her father, the captain of three trading ships, to the New World. She did not anticipate the turn of events that would happen during the voyage from Falmouth England to the coast of Mayne, and after the ships arrival at their destination.  Travel with this extraordinary girl across the Atlantic Ocean in a 16th century sailing vessel and experience her adventures in the strange new world as she tried to find her way home.

Some mysteries are too big for one generation to solve.

If killing a superhero were easy, everyone would do it. But for Julian Godfrey, defeating Storm Warning was far from the hardest part. What began as victory over the city's biggest hero quickly unravels into a mess, once he learns that the mysterious source of Storm Warning's power has found a new host. Charlotte Hathaway has no idea how to use her new abilities, but she won't stop trying until she destroys Julian's alter ego, Citadel. Julian should have taken her new powers from her when he had the chance, but he let her go in favor of a new plan: training her for a real fight. It's the only way to prove he didn't get lucky when he killed Storm Warning, and show the city--and the other villains--that he's a force to be reckoned with. Getting close to Charlotte comes with far more than Julian bargained for. She's the perfect hero. Determined, confident, and selfless above all else. She's even nice to him, of all people. But if Julian doesn't follow through with his plan despite his growing feelings for her, he has another force to reckon with: Blazar, the villain who raised him and taught him to use his powers. It seems that no matter what choice Julian makes, he's going to lose. And it's not just his life in danger. With its biggest hero gone, the fate of the city of New Atlas hangs in the balance.

Desperate for a fresh start, Ella Kendale finally finds the courage to leave her abusive husband behind. Armed with only two suitcases and the small inheritance left to her by her late grandmother, she escapes to the quiet backroads of rural Tennessee and buys an old house that seems almost too affordable to be true. But the house isn’t as empty as it appears. Hidden within its walls are the lingering remnants of another tragic relationship, and before long Ella begins experiencing unsettling events she can’t explain. A handsome stranger starts appearing in her dreams—dreams that slowly begin bleeding into reality. At the same time, signs that someone is watching her from the shadows turn her peaceful new beginning into a waking nightmare. When three local police officers step in to protect her, Ella unexpectedly finds herself tangled in a complicated love triangle involving two of the officers…and the mysterious man from her dreams. Torn between fear and desire, reality and the supernatural, Ella struggles to decide who she can trust while an all-too-real stalker closes in around her. In a small town, secrets don’t stay buried for long—and unlike the city she left behind, nobody in Tennessee is willing to look the other way. As danger escalates, Ella discovers she may have escaped one monster only to find herself caught between darkness, love, and a battle she can’t survive alone.

Some people spend their lives running from the past. Casey Oakley has spent hers surviving it. One violent act shatters the life she thought she knew, setting her on a path filled with betrayal, heartbreak, impossible choices, and relentless danger. Every time she begins to rebuild, another enemy rises, determined to tear it all away. But Casey refuses to stay broken. Surrounded by the unwavering love of her brothers and the fierce loyalty of the friends who stand beside her, she discovers that true strength isn't measured by the battles you've lost, but by the courage to rise every time life knocks you down. From the dust of the rodeo arena to the fight for a future worth believing in, Casey's journey is one of resilience, sacrifice, justice, and hope. As old wounds reopen and new threats emerge, she must decide whether revenge is found in settling the score... or in refusing to let the darkness win. **The Revenge Series** is an unforgettable trilogy of survival, friendship, family, and the extraordinary strength of the human spirit. Filled with unforgettable characters, heart-pounding suspense, unforgettable romance, and hard-fought triumphs, this is the story of one woman who refuses to let anyone else write the ending to her life. **Some stories are about revenge.** **This one is about surviving long enough to earn it.**

**For twenty years, Stuart Grant stood inches from the spotlight while witnessing everything audiences were never supposed to see.**   **Remember, I’ve Seen You Naked: A Backstage Memoir pulls back the curtain on life behind some of America’s biggest touring theatrical productions. As a hairdresser, makeup artist, wardrobe professional, and quick-change expert, Stuart traveled from city to city helping performers become glamorous, heroic, terrifying, and occasionally presentable—often while complete chaos erupted around them.**   **Backstage, personal boundaries disappeared quickly. Actors undressed without hesitation, wigs malfunctioned at the worst possible moment, costume changes became full-contact sports, and conversations took turns no ordinary workplace would survive. Stuart found himself surrounded by outrageous personalities, unexpected hookups, touring disasters, sexual misadventures, nightclub escapades, and situations so absurd they could only have happened in show business.**   **But beneath the laughter is the story of a demanding and deeply intimate world built by people the audience rarely notices. It is also a remembrance of the friendships formed on the road, the people whose curtain came down too soon, and a career Stuart believed would last forever—until an injury abruptly took it away.**   **Candid, adult, darkly funny, and unexpectedly moving, Remember, I’ve Seen You Naked celebrates the people behind the scenery who make the magic happen, clean up the disasters, and return the next night to do it all again.**

The Imperial Wolf Series Books 1-3 Kate lives with her father, who is a rogue wolf and a drunk with a serious gambling problem. He has sold all of their possessions for gambling money or to cover his debts to the pack casino. When the Alpha's henchmen come to collect his latest debt, he has nothing to offer but his daughter. The Alpha's henchmen take his daughter to serve the Alpha and work off her father's debt. What they do not know is she is a descendant of a line of wolves with special abilities. Is Kate an Imperial Wolf? What happens when the Alpha's son takes a special interest in Kate and her uniqueness?

The Inherited Silence follows Summer as she confronts the quiet legacy that shaped her life—an unspoken history passed down through generations, carried in gestures, memories, and the spaces where words should have lived. Growing up inside a silence she didn’t create, she learned early how to read what wasn’t said, how to survive on fragments, and how to hold together a story that never fully belonged to her. As an adult, the weight of that silence becomes impossible to ignore. When a long‑buried truth resurfaces, Summer is forced to examine the emotional architecture of her past: the patterns she repeated without understanding, the loyalties she inherited without choosing, and the questions she avoided because the answers felt too dangerous to touch. What begins as a search for clarity becomes an excavation—of memory, identity, and the hidden forces that shaped her family. Through lyrical honesty and unflinching introspection, The Inherited Silence traces the journey of a woman determined to break a generational pattern by finally naming what was never spoken. It is a memoir about the cost of carrying what isn’t yours, the courage required to confront what you were taught to ignore, and the moment when silence becomes a story you can no longer keep buried. At its heart, this is the story of one truth—carried for years, protected by silence, and finally ready to be told.

Kaelin was bred for control, a subject engineered with a fragile spine augmented by ruthless technology. When the Cradle burns and her world shatters, she escapes into the inhospitable wasteland of Ashkaru with a silent, feverish child whose eyes see too much. The Drifting Truth, an old patched ship, becomes her sanctuary - but the Core reclamation teams are relentless, their reach stretching into the broken edges of space. As alliances shift and secrets emerge, Kaelin must navigate a maze of trust, technology, and survival. Will she protect those she loves, or become the weapon they made her to be?

**A queen destined to rule. A king driven by destiny. A mate bound by love.** Deeana has spent her entire life trying to outrun the destiny waiting for her. As the next Chimera Queen, she is destined to unite the Therians and Supernaturals beneath one crown. But becoming Queen comes with an impossible price. The moment she claims her throne, every Alpha will have the right to pursue her, hoping to become the king at her side before the Chimera King claims what fate has promised him. Only one man has only wanted her heart. Malcolm, the Wolf Shifter Alpha, is the only man who wants Deeana's heart, not her crown. He has watched over Deeana since childhood. Though fate marked them as mates long ago, he has never demanded her heart. Instead, he has spent a lifetime standing beside the woman he loves, believing that one day she will choose him, not because destiny commands it, but because she wants him. Chosen by fate to become the Chimera King, Dorin carries a legacy stained by generations of Mad Kings, men born to serve their Queen but consumed by the desire to rule instead. Determined to break the cycle, Dorin asks Deeana for the chance to prove he is different. But a Chimera Queen isn't allowed to follow her heart, like her mother did, who chose love over duty and lost her throne, risking the fragile peace between Therians and Supernaturals. Desperate for a new Queen to restore the balance, every hope rests on Deeana choosing her fated king, even if it means denying her heart. As Deeana steps into the role she has spent her life trying to escape, she must choose between the love that has always been hers and the crown that could save them all.

A saga following a mercenary who is being hunted by people who keep telling her Celentra must stay frozen. She doesn't know what this means until she meets a cloaked stranger who tells her that she is carrying the soul of a dead Empress from another world. That she must revive this Empress to save a world frozen in time.

Being sixteen can be Hell. For Sarah, every day is the same. Keep up with the grades. Stay on top of the cleaning and laundry around their cramped apartment. Friends? Boys? If her mom found out, her rage would follow. For as long as Sarah could remember, it’s always been her and her mom. Stories of her dad’s untimely death hold their own questions.\ \ So long as her chores get done and she stays close to home, everything’s sunny. Otherwise, she might feel the wrath of her mom’s love.\ \ That all changes when Sarah’s great aunt leaves her a mysterious journal in her will. Its pages tell tales of a missing brother’s adventures, riding the rails in the 1930s. The further Sarah delves into the events surrounding him, the closer she gets to uncovering her own past. As the truths of her great uncle’s disappearance come to light, she unearths the skeletons hidden in her mom’s closet.\ \ Then, there’s Collin. The boy she’s had a crush on for years picks now of all times to ask her out. Juggling a boyfriend and a relationship on top of everything else could push her and her mother to their breaking point.\ \ Sparks will fly on Sarah’s journey to independence and healing. One boy’s journey across Great Depression America could hold the key to setting her free. Sarah needs to find him in time to get to the truth before time takes another relative and his secrets to the grave.

Kathleen Smith decides it's time for a vacation. After carefully checking the weather for possible storms, she and her daughters fly to California. She was expecting fun and relaxation but Mother Nature had other plans.  Chris thought he was going to spend a weekend with his best friend hanging out playing video games and relaxing at home. He was wrong.  Join Kathy and her daughters, along with Chris and Brian, as they navigate this new world devastated by tornadoes, flooding and earthquakes. Can love blossom in this new world or will survival be their only focus? This story started as a recurring nightmare that I decided to turn into a story to help process my fears.

Caleb Monroe survived the war, but he did not come home whole. After an ambush near Ghazni costs him his right leg and takes the life of his closest friend, Caleb returns to Texas carrying wounds no surgeon can repair. His marriage is broken, his faith is buried under anger, and his relationship with his young son is slipping away. When a failed attempt to end his pain leaves him alive, Caleb is forced to face the wreckage he has spent years trying to outrun. Through his twin sister Riley, a wounded nurse named Leah, and an old veteran named Jenkins, Caleb is drawn into Rally Point—a Christ-centered refuge for veterans, families, and the brokenhearted. Inside the retired walls of Station 9, Caleb begins to learn that redemption does not erase the fire. It teaches a man how to rise from the ashes.

The little princess Paige and her trusty steed bj encounter dragons a greedy lil man an ice man a Pearman and many more on their journey to get presents for the king and queens daughter.

In music, a canon is a compositional technique where a melody is played by one voice and then imitated by one or more other voices, each entering after a delay. Essentially, voices chasing each other with the same tune. Though it repeats the same melody, it crescendos gradually as it continues. \ For the continent of Terra Dira, it is caught in an endless canon...of carnage. \ In a human-dominated empire built on conquest and religious supremacy, a series of linked events shatters the fragile pretense of coexistence between humans and nonhumans. Justice is a lie told at swordpoint.

Vika is enjoying the off-season when there are no tourists to crowd her bookshop. But an early pink-blossomed tree and a viral ghost video kick up something older. With Ben’s practical magic and her basset hound's uncanny nose, Vika sets out to solve the mystery of the orchard bride. Dahlia Vale is no tragic bride. She once was a powerful witch who stayed behind to protect what she loved. But, now her binding is loosening, the knot she protects is unraveling. The violence of the past is seeping through. To save the orchard, Vika must untangle the truth that the town erased, but first she must win Dahlia’s trust. As shadows of the past bleed into the present, the knot Dahlia protects is unraveling. When it does, the past will come through hungry.

Shana is on a mission to become a famous Christmas squirrel, so she can eat all the hazelnut Christmas cupcakes she desires. But when she discovers she's not actually a squirrel, her dream is in jeopardy. A joyful holiday adventure about identity, belonging, and the magic of embracing who you are meant to be. I love reading the reviews! They mean so much to me!

Benedicta Hicchecok is an immortal witch who values order, privacy, and control—especially over her dangerous old barn, which houses her family grimoire and the spellwork that anchors her power. When the township threatens to condemn the barn as unsafe, Benedicta faces losing both her livelihood and her magical legacy.\ Her carefully managed life is further disrupted by the arrival of her younger sister, Temperance—called Tempe—a chaotic, bohemian witch with a talent for trouble. Tempe brings with her an enormous Samoyed dog and Alexandros Papadopoulos, a polite but banished vampire fleeing supernatural politics. Though Alex’s presence is risky, his considerable wealth offers a possible solution to Benedicta’s mounting problems.\ Before plans can be made, faulty wiring sparks a fire that destroys the barn. Alex risks his unlife to retrieve the family grimoire, earning Benedicta’s reluctant gratitude. With no barn left to save, Benedicta allows Alex temporary refuge in exchange for funding a new, modern magical workspace.\ As the new arrangement settles, Benedicta pushes Tempe to contribute meaningfully to the family business. Tempe agrees to handle sales and deliveries—until Benedicta deliberately includes a stop involving Coyote, a trickster god from Tempe’s past. Tempe’s encounter with Coyote reveals that old supernatural entanglements are far from resolved.\ Meanwhile, Alex receives a package from his vampire progenitor, signaling that his banishment is temporary and that larger vampire politics may soon threaten Benedicta’s carefully warded territory.\ By the end of the opening arc, Benedicta has lost her old barn but gained a stronger foundation, an unreliable yet useful sister, and a vampire ally whose presence brings both opportunity and danger. Forced to abandon isolation, she begins navigating a future where family, magic, and supernatural politics are deeply—and messily—intertwined.

On a fictional Greek island, Anastasia Livanitis solves murders and other crimes with her ghostly sidekicks, and her journalist best friend, Nikos.