In a charming sequel to Adventures with Waffles, Trille and Lena navigate the rough waters of friendship when a new soccer coach and a new girl in school disrupt their seaside escapades. Trille and Lena may be getting older, but they still find everyday adventure—and trouble—in their coastal village, including sinking every raft they build, getting little sisters stuck up flag poles, and attending those dreaded music lessons. But that’s not all. The arrival of a less-than-encouraging new soccer coach is putting twelve-year-old Lena's goalkeeping career in doubt. And Trille is wondering how to impress the girl who has just joined his class. As the best friends battle the elements and their own emotions, one thing is for sure: they're not giving up, not if Lena has anything to do with it! In Maria Parr’s follow-up to Adventures with Waffles, the acclaimed author returns to Mathildewick Cove with a rib-tickling story of growing up.

Pippi Longstocking meets Heidi meets Anne Shirley in this tale of an irrepressible girl in a mountain village who navigates unexpected changes with warmth and humor. Speed and self-confidence, that’s Astrid’s motto. Nicknamed “the little thunderbolt,” she loves to spend her days racing down the hillside on her sled, singing loudly as she goes, and visiting Gunnvald, her grumpy, septuagenarian best friend and godfather, who makes hot chocolate from real chocolate bars. She just wishes there were other children to share her hair-raising adventures with. But Astrid’s world is about to be turned upside down by two startling arrivals to the village of Glimmerdal: first a new family, then a mysterious, towering woman who everyone seems to know but Astrid. It turns out that Gunnvald has been keeping a big secret from his goddaughter, one that will test their friendship to its limits. Astrid is not too happy about some of these upheavals in Glimmerdal — but, luckily, she has a plan to set things right.

Ancient folklore and modern myth come together in these stories by author Craig Laurance Gidney. Here are found the struggles of a medieval Japanese monk, seduced by a mischievous fairy, and a young slave who finds mystery deep within the briar patch of an antebellum plantation. Gidney offers readers a gay teen obsessed with his patron saint, Lena Horne, and, in the title story, an ailing tourist seeking escape at a distant shore but never reckons on encountering an African sea god. Rich, poetic, dark and disturbing, these are tales not soon forgotten. A finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

A Legend, A Magical Shell A Girl Who Dreamed Of Something More... Lena, a Merrow girl, lives in the Skagerrak sea with her father, Carrick and her brother, Javelin who tells her of the legend of the Merrow Queen murdered by her human lover when greed takes over. But what's worth spilling the queen's blood? Gifted from Poseidon, himself, a magic shell gives any human the ability to control both land and sea. When Javelin is called to join a clan of Merrow soldiers bent on protecting their waters from human invasion, Lena resists Merrow law and ventures to the shore with no choice but to swim to land. With newfound legs, Lena is whisked away on a new adventure with new friends and new trouble. Everyone seems to want something from her as intrigue lurks around every corner. Trying her best to hide who she is and remain safe from the dangers of the human world, will Lena finally find where she belongs, or will she be swept into a strong and stormy current by lust, greed, and jealousy?

This true story gives you a glimpse into my tumultuous life from childhood to the present. You will read about my ever-changing life in Europe, my challenges, insecurities, and bad choices, as well as my hopes and dreams that were crushed, then reborn. You will learn how I found courage that came out of suffering and, finally, happiness that came from the knowledge that I had survived. You will read about why I was forced to leave my beloved native country and how I tried to adapt to other countries and cultures. With each challenge, a stronger person emerged. This book is the story of the triumph of my life, while it so easily could have been a sad story with a tragic ending. Each reader will discover a chapter he or she can relate to. Some women who are stuck in unhappy lives might realize that they do not have to stay in that position. Maybe reading my book will empower them. It will let them know they are not alone and there is always a way out. With enough determination, it can be done. There is also something for the men: action, travels, and, yes, a murder . . . But more than that, my story will tell you how a man can have an enormous influence in a woman's life, and how the lack of his love can destroy, but the presence of his love can heal her. It is all about CHOICES. It is my hope that this is a book you cannot put down and that it will make you grateful for the wonderful gift of life. It is up to us to create our own story, no matter what hand life deals us.

"My dear," said the gypsy queen gazing at Lena's palm, "I see many troubles in the past. I see powerful upheavals. I see death. Terrible scenes of death." By now Lena was trembling in fear. Was her own death written in her palm? The queen continued. "Wait! There is something else! Yes, I see a rainbow. The rainbow stretches over a great body of water. You are sliding down the rainbow into the - - - I cannot continue." "Please," said Lena. "Tell me what you see!" "I cannot see through the water. It is too deep. Too murky. Beware!" In 1895, a sixteen year old Polish girl escapes a wretched life in Poland to care for a rich, aging uncle in Romania, only to be sabotaged by her seemingly worthless cousin. Facing the gallows, her only hope is to escape to America where the horrors of the past can be erased. Or can they? The story of Lena will tear at your heart strings until the last page of the book. Lena is unforgettable.