A Box Story is an illustrated picture book that invites the reader to look at things in a different way. With the use of hand drawn images, you are taken through simple thought provoking ideas about a box and how it is not just a box. Pinnacle Book Awards Winner 2012 for Children's Interest (March 2012) - From the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs Literary Classics Seal of Approval (March 2012):Young audiences will surely find enjoyment within the pages of this clever little book. Kenneth Lamug's, A Box Story, comes highly recommended, and earns the Literary Classics Seal of Approval. Winner of 2012 CLC Best First Picture Book, PreSchool 2011 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards - Silver Medalist Creating books that inspire our children to read, to learn, and to dream is an extremely important task, and these awards were conceived to reward those efforts. ForeWord Reviews (June 2012):With a nod to the fact that containers often interest kids as much as what's inside, a web designer meditates on the many uses of this most practical (and abstract) of packages: "A box can keep your secrets . . . or reveal an unexpected surprise." Lovely and inspiring. This Literary Life (March 2012):Something that I found incredibly remarkable about the illustrations is that the box stays in the same place on every single page, but becomes something new and exciting every time you flip to a new page. This gives the reader the impression that it is in fact, the same box being used for a myriad of adventures.The words are simple but thought-provoking. They help build the imagination while simultaneously challenging the reader to find a purpose for their box. A purpose all of their own. Every child will want to build a life inside a box after reading this story. Visit www.aboxstory.com for more information and bonus materials. Book Video Trailer: http://vimeo.com/34422903

From the #1 New York Times author of Before We Were Yours! This collection bundles 3 of Lisa Wingate’s contemporary/historical Carolina Heirlooms series together in one e-book, for a great value! The Prayer Box When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola’s rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola’s walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola’s youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper—the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi. The Story Keeper (2015 Christy Award winner! 2015 Carol award winner!) When successful New York editor Jen Gibbs discovers a decaying slush-pile manuscript on her desk, she has no idea that the story of Sarra, a young mixed-race woman trapped in Appalachia at the turn of the twentieth century, will both take her on a journey and change her forever. Happy with her life in the city, and at the top of her career with a new job at Vida House Publishing, Jen has left her Appalachian past and twisted family ties far behind. But the search for the rest of the manuscript, and Jen’s suspicions about the identity of its unnamed author, will draw her into a mystery that leads back to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains . . . and quite possibly through the doors she thought she had closed forever. The Sea Keeper’s Daughters (2016 Christy Award Winner!) From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything?

Planning for the Early Years: Storytelling and storymaking is a lovely book packed with adaptable ideas that can be extended for older children, or more focused for the under threes. It focuses on the prime areas of learning, especially the development of early language, defined in the 2011 Tickell review of the EYFS as the foundations for all learning. It includes photos, examples, tips, and pre- and post activity advice.

LEADERSHIP STARTS WITH STORYTELLING With clarity around your message, you will energize those you lead and create a vision they can buy into. But first, you must first write the story that will get them excited and ready to execute. Clarity is key for any successful leader, so much so that top corporations, such as Micorsoft. Nike, Proctor and Gamble, Kimberly Clark, and many more, have incorporated storytelling into their leadership training programs. These companies know that before you can become a strong leader, you must first master the art of storytelling so you can communicate your vision to your team and inspire them to execute on objectives. The power of storytelling will allow you to: Envision Success- lead change by identifying goals in your story and building team commitment. Create an Environment for Winning- create a team culture and identify values that encourage collaboration and value diversity. Energize Your Team- use your story to help others find passion for their work by building courage, inspiration, and motivation. Inspire and Educate- teach your employees key lessons and provide coaching and actionable feedback. Empower Others- use storytelling to delegate authority and encourage targeted innovation that supports your vision. If you want to be a leader others want to follow, you must master storytelling and use that skill to communicate a vision that your team can support.

Praise for Story Salon "Gemstones of narrative. Something new, funny, astonishing." -Los Angeles Daily News "Tales tall, tragic, and tantalizing." -Sunset Magazine "Stories from all walks and talks of life. Tales of yore and ones that make you scream for more-those that will delight with insight while moving an audience from laughter to tears." -Studio City Sun Story Salon is Los Angeles's longest running storytelling venue. What began as an alternative to stand-up clubs and self-conscious performance spaces has been challenging performers and audiences for more than a decade. Created in a North Hollywood coffee house Story Salon now reaches the globe through Podcasting, publishing, and recordings. The rules of the Story Salon haven't changed since it started: Five to seven minutes of original material performed by the author. The result is a unique blend of observation, memoir and comment that makes the Salon one of the most eclectic entertainment experiences available. More than a dozen solo theater works have been developed at Story Salon, as well as a CD of stories, and several books. "Live storytelling is a unique art form," says Story Salon founder, writer/actor/comedian Beverly Mickins. "Words spoken aloud paint pictures capable of evoking laughter and tears, the whole range of emotion. People have been telling each other stories since the first campfires, talking about the whole mix of things, important and trivial, that go into making life. Storytelling is one of the ways we figure out how to be human." Collected here for the first time in Big Book of Stories are more than forty original pieces first performed by their authors at Story Salon. It's an omnibus of memories, rants, affirmations, and shaggy-dog stories that once opened is impossible to shut. Learn more at www.storysalon.com