Showing results by narrator "Mary Ann Jacobs" in All Categories

Molly McClain tells the remarkable story of Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932), an American newspaperwoman, feminist, suffragist, abolitionist, and social reformer who used her fortune to support women’s education, the labor movement, and public access to science, the arts, and education.

Glass bead-maker Jax O'Connell and her friend Tessa have no idea what challenges await them when they take a glassblowing class with Marco De Luca, a famous Italian glass artist - and infamous lothario. After the first night of class, Tessa sees a body through the rain-streaked window of the studio. The next morning there's no sign of Marco, and one of the studio owners is also missing. The local sheriff isn't taking the disappearances seriously, but Tessa knows what she saw.

It's 1910 and Anna Lewis is praying that God will help her become a premier watercolor artist of the lush beaches of Carmel, California. When a man strides down the beach and stops to face the ocean, Anna sketches him into her painting. Was it a mistake? Anna thinks so when he tells her he doesn't have spare change to purchase her work. Spare change indeed! But while she seeks God's leading for her art career, she'd better keep her day job as nursemaid to two rambunctious boys.

The monsters lurk in everyone: monsters of greed, of guilt, of the pleasure found in pain, of the pain found when pleasure dies. Carefully disguised, the monsters can sit down beside you or take up residence within you at the slightest twist of fate. Will you try to stop them? Will you want to?

Riley McKendrick is a famous efficiency expert who once whipped the White House into shape. (He's also an ex-cowboy who believes in traveling light). Opposites definitely attract but everyone knows they should never try living together. On a bet, Riley moves into Cat's Connecticut farmhouse and vows to have her chaotic lifestyle under control before the weekend is over. But five kids, six dogs, four cats, and one strong minded woman may be more than even he can handle.

The scent of herbs and pines, the startling blue of the sea. The brilliant white of cliffs tumbling into the depths. The sound of pounding surf, the chiming of church bells. The sight of mountain peaks that break the clouds, the chill of an alpine breeze. All this, and more, is the Italian Riviera. Pinned between the mountains and the sea, on a steeply-sloped crescent of land stretching from the French border to Tuscany, the people of the Italian region of Liguria - commonly known as the Italian Riviera - developed a character and unique way of life.

When the pain first hit, she ignored it and continued racing across the parking lot toward the food court. But within moments she realized something was terribly wrong as her wobbly legs gave out and she dropped to the ground. The last thing she remembered as she started to fade away was the guy in the Grateful Dead T-shirt who held her in his arms and promised he'd never let her go.

A bead bazaar turns bizarre when jewelry designer and glass beadmaker Jax O'Connell discovers a dead body beneath her sales table. Suspected of murder, Jax and her friend Tessa scramble to find the killer among the fanatic shoppers and eccentric vendors. They have their hands full dealing with a scumbag show promoter, hipsters in love, and a security guard who wants to do more than protect Jax from harm. Adding to the chaos, Jax's quirky neighbor Val arrives unexpectedly with trouble in tow.

Sassy salon owner Marla Shore is giving grumpy Mrs. Kravitz a perm when her client dies in the shampoo chair. If that isn't enough to give her a bad hair day, handsome Detective Vail suspects Marla of poisoning the woman's coffee creamer. Figuring she'd better expose the real killer before the next victim frizzes out, Marla sets on the trail of a wave of wacky suspects. Her theory regarding whodunit gels only after she looks for the culprit closer to home.

When hairstylist Marla Shore volunteers for Taste of the World, a fundraiser for her cousin’s favorite charity, she quickly discovers that mixing scissors and sauté pans can be a recipe for disaster. First Chef Pierre's rum-soaked Bananas Foster erupts in his face. Then more chefs drop from the roster like overcooked soufflés and the nonprofit's attorney becomes the victim of fowl play. It’s clear as a consommé that someone is stirring up trouble. With a cunning killer on the loose, Marla has a lot more to worry about than which canapés her chefs should serve.

Would you flee from the life you live in if you could? Connie, Suzy, and Karen did. Through their desperate attempts to reclaim themselves, the paths of these three women become intertwined. They develop a friendship and sisterhood stronger than any of them imagined.

Sixty-ish Angela Dunn, the indomitable heroine of Egret Cove, proved that life - and love - can begin again at any age. Moving to Florida was supposed to have been a temporary solution while snowbird Angela figured out what to do with the next phase of her life. She's already in her sixties. She didn't intend to get involved with anyone romantically. And getting married? That was the last thing on her mind. She hadn't wanted to take a chance on handsome, charming Gilberto, but, somehow, it happened.

Woodland Lodge Hotel is not only haunted by ghosts; it also has a mirror that transports people into the spirit realm. Lizzie and Daniel find that playing ghosts is fun, until they find themselves in real danger. They learn about the Ghost Council and The Dark Kingdom and come face to face with the Creeper , a bounty hunter for fugitive ghosts; his master, The Soul Collector; and the Creeper's pets, soul-sucking Veinlings. Lizzie also learns of her destiny and soon realizes that all hope rests on her.

Sometimes organizing your home just feels too overwhelming. The closets are jam-packed...There's no room in the garage for another box...And the clutter just keeps piling up...Step back from the chaos and create a plan!

At sixty-something years old Angela Dunn has given up on finding much excitement in her life. She's got her half-blind dog, Gizmo, a crummy retail job, a tiny house, and no close friends or family to call on in her Kokomo, Indiana hometown. But when her brother, Tony, calls from Florida with a house-sitting offer, Angela has to gear up all her courage to accept. What about the bugs? The alligators? Her fear of hurricanes?

In a suburb on Boston's North Shore, a catatonic little girl is found behind a dumpster. She is a mystery. As social worker Debbie Gillan pieces together the puzzle of the child's identity, she discovers the child had disappeared two years earlier along with a twin sister. She also discovers Hannahwhere, an alternate world that is both a haven and a prison. Life-altering trauma becomes the key to unraveling the truth about the children, about Hannahwhere, and about Debbie herself.

When her father dies, Rachel and her sister leave everything they know to join her uncle on his farm. As if this upheaval wasn't enough, Rachel becomes compassionately involved with a poverty-stricken family led by a violent, unreasonable man. In the process, Rachel finds that her ideas of romance, comfort, and security take a blow as she learns to think in entirely new ways. When she meets Tory, will he be the kind of person that will help her in this new journey?

Nineteen years have passed since Karen, Suzy, and Connie reclaimed their lives. In the years since Running from Beige, the women's friendship has only grown stronger and their lives more colorful. Karen's twins are all grown up and now the family and friends face a threat they never saw coming. In Running from Beige, Book 1 in The Ties that Bind series, the three strong women would do anything to save themselves. In Secrets by the River, Book 2, what will they do to save someone they love?

Tattoos. Unwed pregnancy. Giving up on shaving…showering…and employment. These used to be signatures of a trashy individual. Now they’re the new norm. What happened to etiquette, hygiene, and self-restraint? Charlotte Hays, Southern gentlewoman extraordinaire, takes a humorous look at the spread of white trash culture to all levels of American society.

Ever wonder why being the independent woman we are told we should be oftentimes simply leads to us battling our problems alone, or worse, competing with other women? Why, at every single baby shower, so many women share their harsher tales of labor and delivery in unnecessary one-upmanship? Why most women are left with feelings of unworthiness? Join women from different backgrounds as they come together to share their own experiences of pain, perseverance, and encouragement, firsthand and in heartwarming detail. We hope that through their stories, you find you are not alone.