The true story of Alpine County's long-vanished original county seat from 1862 to the 1880s, with photos of this silver mining ghost town in its hey-day.

I have always been interested in writing but never had the time. With life moving on at warp speed, you don’t think about writing. Now that I’m retired, I have more time to think and put my thoughts on paper. I hope you enjoy my first attempt to tell a story to the public. I hope to write more in the near future. Sit back and take a few minutes to go back in time to your great-grandparents life, when things were a lot less complicated. I hope this puts a smile on your face. —Rufus Yates

They say he’s so grumpy that he never speaks. He only growls. I’m not intimidated. My boss sent me to deep backwoods Vermont to get Garland McGrumpypants—I mean McGuinty, to sell some of his lucrative landholdings on Silver Mountain. And I NEED this commission. McGrumpy only likes kids, animals, and his giant axe… he definitely doesn’t like me. When our meeting goes horribly wrong, and an avalanche causes my car to be nearly crushed under a pile of snow… I’m rescued by the massive hermit himself. No cell service, no road access, no escape. I am STUCK with Grumpy, and this Christmas couldn’t get any worse! Garland Her name is Ava, and she’s the unluckiest woman I’ve ever met. She spills every drink she touches all over herself, she trips over her shadow… and somehow, when she comes around, the whole mountain falls apart. So why do I have a strange urge to protect her and take care of her? Damn this crazy woman. She will be the death of me. A sweet and steamy holiday romance with a guaranteed HEA! Slow burn, over the top, laugh out loud romantic comedy. Themes: mountain man romance, forced proximity, billionaire romance, enemies to lovers, age gap romance, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, steamy romantic suspense, strong heroine, dominant alpha male, free, freebie, dangerous romance, sensual romance, sassy heroine, romance novels for women, romance novels free, contemporary adult romance, adult romance books, rich hero, wealthy hero, American heroine, love story, happily ever after, happy ever after, contemporary romance and sex, true love, romance billionaire series, sexy romance, new adult romance, romance and drama, snowed in romance, grumpy boss romance, small town steamy romance, office romance, fun flirty reads, holiday romance, workplace romantic comedy, spicy romance. For fans of: Lexy Timms, Skye Warren, Kennedy Fox, Melanie Harlow, Penelope Ward, M. S. Parker, Cassie Mint, Piper Rayne, Elle Kennedy, Anna Todd, Ayla Asher, Sofia T Summers, Emma Slate, Ava Gray, Louise Bay, Elle James, Hannah Grace, Tessa Bailey, J.S. Scott, Ellis O. Day, Aleatha Romig.

Each year, thousands of tourists visit Mount Mitchell, the most prominent feature of North Carolina's Black Mountain range and the highest peak in the eastern United States. From Native Americans and early explorers to land speculators and conservationists, people have long been drawn to this rugged region. Timothy Silver explores the long and complicated history of the Black Mountains, drawing on both the historical record and his experience as a backpacker and fly fisherman. He chronicles the geological and environmental forces that created this intriguing landscape, then traces its history of environmental change and human intervention from the days of Indian-European contact to today. Among the many tales Silver recounts is that of Elisha Mitchell, the renowned geologist and University of North Carolina professor for whom Mount Mitchell is named, who fell to his death there in 1857. But nature's stories--of forest fires, chestnut blight, competition among plants and animals, insect invasions, and, most recently, airborne toxins and acid rain--are also part of Silver's narrative, making it the first history of the Appalachians in which the natural world gets equal time with human history. It is only by understanding the dynamic between these two forces, Silver says, that we can begin to protect the Black Mountains for future generations.

In her brand-new travelogue, intrepid ex-headmistress and bestselling author Anne Mustoe dusts off the bicycle clips once more and embarks on a remarkable journey through South America. Following in the bike tracks of Che Guevara, Anne retraces the route this iconic revolutionary figure once tread, as documented in the famous Motorcycle Diaries. A second route takes her to Potosi, the highest city in the world, as she travels to the Mountain of Silver. Beautifully written and wonderfully evocative, Che Guevara and the Mountain of Silver charts an epic journey by bike and train through South America's most colourful and historically interesting areas.