Showing results by narrator "Carol Herman" in All Categories

In the waning years of the 19th century, Bessie Daniels grows up in the small town of Hot Springs in western North Carolina. Secure in the love of her father, resistant to her mother's desire that she be a proper Southern belle, Bessie is determined to forge her own way in life. Or, as her Cherokee great-grandmother Elisi puts it, to be a whistling woman. Life, however, has a few surprises in store for Bessie....

After Bessie and Fletcher Elliott lose all their money when their bank fails at the beginning of the Great Depression, Fletch is forced to seek employment elsewhere in order to sustain their struggling farm on Stone Mountain, North Carolina. Fletch’s brothers, Jim and Tom, working in a coal mine in Beacham, West Virginia, convince Fletch that there is money to be made as a miner, so he and Bessie move to Beacham in hopes of a temporary measure that will enable them to keep their farm.

While picking out a new suit for an upcoming TV appearance to promote her latest novel, celebrated mystery writer Iris MacKenzie has an unfortunate altercation with her ex-husband’s very pregnant new wife. When video footage of the incident goes viral, Iris’ career comes crashing down around her. Her publisher drops her, her literary agent drops her, and even her lawyer--who happens to be her own son--drops her.

Southern small-town retired library director Evelyn Williams finds herself suddenly unretired when her corrupt replacement is summarily dismissed by the library’s board. When Evelyn returns for her first day back on the job, she’s appalled at the state she finds the library in. Books are misplaced. Tables are overturned. And to make matters worse, most of the library staff fails to show up on her first day back.

Seventy-five-year-old Eugenia Thompson thinks it's time for a change in her life. After losing her husband last year to a short illness, she decides to mortgage her house and open up a cupcake shop in her hometown of Shelbington, North Carolina. What could possibly go wrong, she wonders? Well, for starters, Eugenia's part-time helper calls out sick on opening day, forcing her to hire a temp on very short notice. She then wonders whether her business will succeed when the avalanche of customers she was expecting doesn't materialize.

This book is for kids and parents who want to enjoy a good bedtime story before bedtime. Little Sammy's story displays courage, adventure, and destiny. Even though Little Sammy was just a worm, he found his way unharmed on his journey.

Seventy-nine-year-old wealthy Jewish widow Esther Kellerman lives in a small suburb outside of Columbus, Ohio. Esther thinks she has a pretty good life. She plays bridge, reads for her book club, and routinely drives her Cadillac DeVille into the mailboxes of her neighbors. Her latest mailbox mishap leads her to the doorstep of some mysterious new residents of her neighborhood. As she introduces herself to Sarah, the elderly woman who answers the door, Esther soon realizes that there’s something wrong with her.

Angeline Sims is no shrinking violet. She’s tough, opinionated, bossy, and she’s got a bone to pick with nearly everyone in her life. Set in the fictitious Eastern North Carolina small town of Shelbington, Angeline has been given a terminal diagnosis, with mere months left to live. Upon learning of this news, her adult children and grandchildren come home for one last visit.

"I’m a Stranger Here” could be the song title guiding Lizzie Baker’s life. In the five years she spent on Brown Mountain during the Civil War, Lizzie wanted nothing more than to find the light that transported her back in time and return to the 20th century. While fleeing from bushwhackers in 1864, Lizzie, her friend Abbie Collins, and fiancé Josh Hampton encounter a light Lizzie believes is hers. Hoping to get to safety, she pushes Abbie into the light, expecting Josh to follow. She and Abbie wake to find that this is not the Brown Mountain they remember.

Moving to Oregon as a Mail-Order Bride had never been Abigail’s plan, but when she is suddenly forced from the only home she has ever known, a marriage of convenience may just be the only thing that can protect her. However, the Lord works in mysterious ways, and shortly after Abigail has wed, her new husband drowns while attempting to save the life of a child. Alone and afraid in a town full of lost women, Abigail must search for a new man to protect her from a horrid fate.

Amelia has a runny nose. Mommy asks her if she has “snot in her snout”. Little girls don’t have snouts, but animals do. And there are many kinds of animal snouts. Pigs use theirs to root in the ground. Giraffes eat up high. Elephants have long snouts. Platypuses swim with duck snouts. Anteaters go big with their ant-eating snouts. Snouts come in all types and sizes - just like little girls.

Joshua Frankel is an attorney who pursues justice. Inside or outside the law. When a client says he's being framed for his wife's murder by a government intelligence agency, can Josh help? Is the client telling the truth or is he guilty? How can Josh obtain justice in this case? And can he avoid getting caught when he goes outside the law?

When a letter arrives from a deceased client asking them to retrieve a cheap china doll, the game turns fatal as Martin Davies, Della Rose, and their team find more dead bodies than answers. When the killer decides that Della and Martin are getting too close, the couple needs to find the murderer before their fun comes to a permanent end.

During the gold rush, Alaska was transformed by a large influx of stampeders and missionaries. Many native Alaskans became lost in their own villages, but the little Suluk called James found a dream that could lift him from the world of turmoil by discovering Alaska’s greatest treasure. What was the boy’s greatest treasure, and what was he willing to sacrifice for it?

Santa Zanni, is a work of narrative nonfiction. It is a collection of interlocking short stories offering a snapshot of California history from 1916 to 1920. It is also humor disguised as social commentary disguised as literature. It falls into the category of creative nonfiction.

Samuel Taylor Suit was a dashing figure in West Virginian society - a man who made his fortune distilling whiskey. An investor in the growing railroad industry, he played host to US presidents. And when he fell in love, he fell hard. Rosa Pelham was almost two decades younger than Suit, who courted her unsuccessfully for five long years. Then, in 1883, he found the chink in Rosa’s romantic armor. She dreamed of living in a castle. Suit vowed to build her one if she accepted his proposal. He was as good as his word, and Berkeley Castle became part of West Virginian history.

Molly’s Memoir is a journey through the life and times of a woman who is raised by a Seneca Indian after she is abandoned on the porch of a log cabin in the hills of West Virginia. Growing up in the isolated Monongahela Mountains, she learns about love, faith, and of the craft of healing with medicinal herbs.

There is a special bond between people and their pets. This charming novella reminds dog lovers of all ages of the lesson that no pet lives forever, so you must cherish and love the pet while you can. The story is about a dog named Maddie, who must endure many difficult events in her life as she moves among a series of owners.

The body of a flashy real estate developer is found in Gator Lake, and the alligator is blamed. The Paradise Palms tennis team must find the real killer before their favorite gator, Big Joe, is hunted down and slaughtered. Packi Walsh's snooping uncovers real estate fraud, irate investors, an affair between a trophy wife and her tennis pro, and a connection between the friendly neighborhood pharmacist and the New Jersey mob. One of them tries to silence Packi by making her gator bait.

For two decades, Lisa Livingston has watched her husband drown himself in booze. She's done everything she can to help him or, at least, understand why he can't embrace a sober life. They have, after all, everything they've ever dreamed of. As Jeff's drinking escalates, Lisa must make a decision. But with love in the mix, it's not always as easy as it seems. 99 Bottles is story of a middle-aged woman married to an alcoholic, desperately trying to define and understand herself. What will it take for Lisa to make a change, and what decision will she make?