In this magical story of her childhood in a world so different from our own, Mireille Marokvia blurs the distinction between the real and the imagined to create a moving account of how a young woman gives voice to her vision and an aging woman addresses the gentle ghosts that haunt her memories. Immortelles is an elegy to a lost world and a testimony to the splendor of childhood -- even a childhood touched by death.

For her sixteenth birthday, Damita De Salvado receives a beautiful slave girl, Rissa, but mistreats her, revealing Damita's prejudice and hardening Rissa's heart. When her family experiences financial hardships, Damita grudgingly sells Rissa to a mysterious Christian doctor, Jefferson Whitman, who is Rissa's adopted brother. Now the tables have turned: Rissa is a wealthy, free woman, while Damita's family struggles to keep the plantation. Will both women find the love and security they long for?

This is a collection of seven original fairy tales set in the Caribbean. They are " The True Blue Butterfly" , " The Caribs and the Birds" , " The Legend of the Water Lily" , " The Witch of Karteur Falls" , " A Red Star" , " Pouri Blossoms" and " Tales of the Immortelles" .

Published under the auspices of The Friends of the Cabildo, an auxiliary of the Louisiana State Museum.

New in Paper French beading is a simple yet lovely art, beautifully described here and illustrated in color with more than 70 close-up, how-to photos that show the intracacies of growing a garden of 30 flowers with delicate seed beads. Forty additional illustrations present the exact bead placement for each particular flower part. Just string the beads on wires and bend them into realistic, three-dimensional shapes; a helpful introductory section covers all the basics. You can indulge your creative passion almost anywhere--and the nicest thing is, they last forever. Construct a budding dogwood branch, frame a mirror with wisteria blooms, or make a holiday wreath of holly and gold-tipped pinecones. A gallery of vintage pieces illustrates the rich history of the craft.