Wally Lamb meets Steel Magnolias in this story of LilyAnn Bronte, the Peachy-Keen Queen, which in Blessings, Georgia, was epitome of success. Those were the best days of her life... "Poor LilyAnn," the local ladies lament. "She sure is stuck in the past." Eleven years ago, LilyAnn Bronte was the Peachy-Keen Queen of Blessings, Georgia—the prettiest, smartest, and most popular girl in town, going steady with the star quarterback, a high school career on the fast track to success. Then Randy Joe was killed in Iraq, and somehow LilyAnn just let herself go to seed. Ruby, Mabel Jean, Vera, and Vesta of the Curl Up and Dye have been itching to give LilyAnn a makeover, but she knows it would make more than a new hairstyle for her to get her life back. Until one fateful day, when a handsome stranger roars into town, and LilyAnn has a revelation. Maybe the best is yet to come... Praise for Color Me Bad: "This is Southern fiction at its absolute best! I, for one, can't wait to visit Blessings, Georgia again!"—Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews Praise for Sharon Sala: "Sharon Sala is one of those gifted writers able to touch your heart."—Night Owl Reviews "Sala [has a] rare ability to bring powerful stories to life."—RT Book Reviews "Ms. Sala's characters are so well created...I could tear myself apart."—Long and Short Reviews

Enjoy this fun amateur sleuth short story by best-selling cozy murder mystery blind author S.Y. Robins. Things seem sweet for Carly; she's head stylist at her own beauty salon, she has great friends, a great career - and a great new hair color. Only problem is, no one else seems to appreciate her bright purple hair style quite as much as she does. That's the problem with small towns. Individuals stick out. At least Carly has her shop, Curl Up & Dye, and her best friend, Hans. Until, that is; disaster strikes. One of Carly's customers is dead. A carnival is in town, and one of the workers, a girl named Ruby, came into Curl Up & Dye for a new bright pink hair color. And ended up curled up and dead. Did Carly's hair dye cause an allergic reaction that killed the girl? Was Hans' carelessness to blame? Or do the answers lie at the carnival? Carly, determined to clear her and her best friend's name, sets off to find out. If you enjoy a light-hearted, easy, and relaxing murder mystery book, then this is the book for you. Suitable for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, and Deany Ray.

Alan P. Barr has brought together eleven world-class modern plays by women that show not only their artistry but also their variety and their passion. Drawn from nine different countries (other than the United States and England) that use English as their literary language, the plays reflect the concerns of women across the globe. The imagery and dramatic conventions may shift and the tones vary, but the need to be strong (and its difficulty), the sense of a world that is anything but nurturing or ideal, and the suspect nature of family life and relations are constant themes. The struggle over language, in countries that are very often ex-colonies, conveys the frequent overlap between feminist and postcolonial focuses. The diversity of Englishes on stages from Singapore to South Africa is a lovely curtain call to this theater festival.

The essays in this important new collection explore the diverse, unexpected, and controversial ways in which the idea of civil society has recently entered into populist politics and public debate throughout Africa. In a substantial introduction, anthropologists Jean and John Comaroff offer a critical theoretical analysis of the nature and deployment of the concept—and the current debates surrounding it. Building on this framework, the contributors investigate the "problem" of civil society across their regions of expertise, which cover the continent. Drawing creatively on one another's work, they examine the impact of colonial ideology, postcoloniality, and development practice on discourses of civility, the workings of everyday politics, the construction of new modes of selfhood, and the pursuit of moral community. Incisive and original, the book shows how struggles over civil society in Africa reveal much about larger historical forces in the post-Cold War era. It also makes a strong case for the contribution of historical anthropology to contemporary discourses on the rise of a "new world order."

"Sharon Sala is a consummate storyteller. Her skills shine in her Blessings, Georgia series. If you can stop reading then you're a better woman than me." —DEBBIE MACOMBER, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Welcome to Blessings, Georgia, the best small town in the South! He might be winning her heart before she even knows who he is... Welcome to Blessings, Georgia, the small town with a big heart! Anyone from a small town can tell you that gossip never stays quiet for long. The biggest news lately is Ruby Dye: she's been receiving gifts from a secret admirer. But Ruby isn't sure she can trust this newfound happiness. Nobody knows the dark secrets she keeps about her life before she arrived in Blessings. Is this the beginning of a would-be romance, or is she the target of something more sinister? Everyone admires Ruby and her determination to do the right thing, especially local lawyer "Peanut" Butterman. He's finally ready to tell her how he feels. But when trouble arrives on Ruby's doorstep and their little town is threatened, Peanut may have to prove himself in ways he never imagined. Blessings, Georgia Series: You and Only You (Book 1) I'll Stand by You (Book 2) Saving Jake (Book 3) A Piece of My Heart (Book 4) The Color of Love (Book 5) Come Back to Me (Book 6) Forever My Hero (Book 7) A Rainbow Above Us (Book 8) What People are Saying about the Blessings, Georgia Small Town Romance Series: "Sala is magical!" —RT Book Reviews for A Piece of My Heart "Sala hooks you from the first page..." —Fresh Fiction for I'll Stand by You "You cannot go wrong with a book by Sharon Sala!" —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars,for Saving Jake

Geneticist Alexandra Blake uses her expertise to investigate a serial killer plaguing military bases across the country, but when an another murder hits close to home, Alex and her boyfriend, a Texas congressman, find their lives in danger.

Finding out lies on top of lies about her family, Bridgett Jameson just wants to flee town and everyone she knows. But a stranger, Adam Steele, who seems to have family issues of his own, befriends her, and there seems to be a chance at happiness after all.