"When precocious Lois and pretty Carly May were twelve years old, they were kidnapped, driven across the country, and held in an Adirondack hunting lodge for two months. [This debut novel explores] the repercussions of that formative summer, when two girls who previously did not know each other shared an experience that would shape all their days to come"--

Faced with the BRCA mutation—the so-called “breast cancer gene”—one woman must answer the question: When genetics can predict how we may die, how then do we decide to live? Eleven months after her mother succumbs to cancer, Jessica Queller has herself tested for the BRCA gene mutation. The results come back positive, putting her at a terrifyingly elevated risk of developing breast cancer before the age of fifty and ovarian cancer in her lifetime. Thirty-four, unattached, and yearning for marriage and a family of her own, Queller faces an agonizing choice: a lifetime of vigilant screenings and a commitment to fight the disease when caught, or its radical alternative—a prophylactic double mastectomy that would effectively restore life to her, even as it would challenge her most closely held beliefs about body image, identity, and sexuality. Superbly informed and armed with surprising wit and style, Queller takes us on an odyssey from the frontiers of science to the private interiors of a woman’s life. Pretty Is What Changes is an absorbing account of how she reaches her courageous decision and its physical, emotional, and philosophical consequences. It is also an incredibly moving story of what we inherit from our parents and how we fashion it into the stuff of our own lives, of mothers and daughters and sisters, and of the sisterhood that forms when women are united in battle against a common enemy. Without flinching, Jessica Queller answers a question we may one day face for ourselves: If genes can map our fates and their dark knowledge is offered to us, will we willingly trade innocence for the information that could save our lives? Praise for Pretty Is What Changes “By turns inspiring, sorrowful and profoundly moving. Queller’s sense of humor and grace transform the most harrowing of situations into a riveting and heartfelt memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews “Seamless and gripping. Readers will be rooting for Queller and her heroic decision to confront her genetic destiny.”—Publishers Weekly “Jessica Queller gives us a warm, chilling, unflinching look at her personal journey of survival with style. The ending will surprise you. Her prescience is astounding. Her courage is inspirational. Brava Jessica!”—Marisa Acocella Marchetto, author of Cancer Vixen

Lucy Fooshee lives a charmed life--a local beauty queen who snared farmer Bob and became his beautiful young bride. But when sexy Billy Lee lopes into town, Lucy embarks on a scandalous affair, triggering a series of events which force the town to reveal its bigotry--and compels Lucy to confront the true meaning of happiness, sexuality, and freedom.

Pretty Is As Pretty Doesn't is an entertaining, inspirational journey of 40 vignettes looking at women's issues with scriptural, motivational and self help strategies on empowerment, self esteem and leadership.

Bingo, bridge-and a dead body in the church sanctuary? Life in this small Southern town just got ugly . . . and exciting! No one in Bradley, North Carolina, is exactly crying into their sweet tea over the murder of Parke Stockard. Certainly not retired schoolteacher Myrtle Clover. Upon discovering the corpse, Myrtle is struck-not with grief, but a brilliant idea! Solving the crime would prove to everyone (especially her son Red, the police chief) that this eighty-something-year-old is not ready to be put out to pasture just yet. The victim, a pretty but pushy town developer, had deep pockets and few friends. Myrtle can't throw one of her gaudy garden gnomes without hitting a potential suspect. Even when another murder takes place, proud Myrtle forges on, armed only with a heavy cane, a venomous tongue, and a widower sidekick.

Priscilla Slater goes to her ten-year high school reunion with equal parts dread and eager anticipation. Even though she’s a successful owner of a chain of hair salons and no longer has the mousy brown hair, crooked teeth, and discount-store wardrobe, she still feels like the ugly duckling. But when she arrives at the reunion, Priscilla soon realizes that her old classmates aren’t exactly as she remembers them. With humor and a just a touch of sassiness, Priscilla finds herself facing her own truth—and she may be surprised at what she discovers.

Trish Shallowman just wants her divorce but Curtis, her soon to be ex-husband, has already proven that he's willing to kill to maintain the sanctity of their marriage. Thanks to Curtis's sudden sense of homicidal devotion, Trish's grandfather is dead and Addison is in the hospital having a bullet dug out of his chest. Now David, the only guy Trish really trusts, is dividing his time between trying to keep Trish alive and figuring out what to do with the million dollars in stolen jewelry that Trish's grandfather kept hidden in his house for the last 30 years. Trish is pretty sure someone's body is going to wind up buried in the depths of the swamp before she actually makes it to her final divorce court date. She's just not sure whether the corpse in question will be hers or her ex's.