Follow the Storm From dreams of the end. To surviving the reality. Life and death decisions. Choices made only by fate. Follow four generations and the families they find through nightmares and heartbreak, love and magic. Includes Dreaming the Storm, Joining the Storm, Into the Storm, and Fighting the Storm. Dreaming the Storm The Storm Begins Seeing the future: blessing or curse? For Anne Fincastle, only the number of survivors changes. Few or none. Anne knows the truth. In her heart, her mind, her bones. Only Evan Griffith believes. Can they make a difference for humanity, together? Joining the Storm The Storm Builds Etan Griffith loves his life in Chicago, far from his native Blue Ridge Mountains. Alex Collins escaped Wisconsin to a career he loves, in a city that welcomes him more than his own family. Both seek the missing piece to their puzzle. Dreams and patterns. Restless and searching. Then one snowy night sets their shared destiny in motion. Into the Storm The Storm Strikes Iris Rutherford’s paintings scare most people. Especially the strange ones. Even in her hometown of Maple Ridge, Virginia, her own peculiar magic makes her an outsider in a town full of them. Then Iris meets Gena Wallace, the first to understand. To see the visions, joyful and nightmarish, even before Iris sees. Will they survive as Iris’s nightmares come true? Fighting the Storm The Storm Breaks Alex Collins and Etan Griffith thought love, hard work, and magic protected them from the end of the world. Until heartbreak struck much closer to home. Picking up the pieces brings new friends and new challenges. Threats unseen and unexpected. Will the power of family bring them all through, together?

Sometimes Everybody Needs Recovery Lucy finds a warm Thanksgiving welcome, in her childhood home with her father’s new family. Sharing traditions strange and familiar. Creating something new, together. But she worries about her brother Jacob facing changes while he repairs his own life. Can Jacob help Lucy take the next step in her own recovery? An excerpt from Traditions Worth Keeping: Learning to Trust Again, Especially Herself Lucy fought back a wave of guilt about not picking him up at the airport instead of listening to his calm insistence that he’d get himself there. The next breaker rolling in on the rising guilt tide was how many huge liquor stores were between the airport and their father’s house. All of them probably still open, and perfectly willing to take her little brother’s money. And his fragile new sobriety right along with it. “Get a grip, Lucy,” she said quietly. “He keeps telling you, Jana keeps telling you, your therapist keeps telling you, mom and dad keep telling you.” She took a deep breath and told it to herself. “I’m not my brother’s keeper.” She almost dropped the mustard at a deep voice from right behind her. “Never thought I hear you say that out loud.” Jacob stood there, backpack in hand, grinning like the goofy, exasperating kid he’d been before so many things went wrong.

The Changes That Redefine Us All An Impossible Task Filled with Love Transitions Revealing More Than We Expect When Family Secrets Turn Poisonous On Certain Days, the Hurt Feels Brand New A Truth Too Hard to Face Sometimes Everybody Needs Recovery All the years of life bring change. Beginnings and endings. Differences we welcome or dread. Many unavoidable, no matter how bitter or sweet. Every one bringing an in-between time that sometimes feels endless. And sometimes passes in a flash. Join storyteller Kari Kilgore as she explores the passages a lifetime brings. Includes On Choosing the Perfect Peach Dress, The Worry Trap, An Overdue Truce, At the Heart of It All, What Breaks a Man, and Traditions Worth Keeping A choice too big for a broken heart The reality of the loss of one of the most important people in his life clenched up Michael’s chest and made his throat ache. Revisiting childhood, and so much more... “Hang on, Mom,” Marlene said, leaving her memories with her footprints and catching up. “That last step is tricky.” “I guess I know how to go into my own house, Marlene. Even if I don’t live here anymore.” Digging Out the Toxins of the Past Sean had quietly wondered why his mother didn’t get the house, or any kind of spousal support that anyone knew of. Sean figured then and now he just didn’t understand. Brad figured their father had weaseled out of it. The Day All Her Best Defenses Fail Even if she spent October in a technology and communication void, she’d know. Some part of Sara knew exactly what day it was. Every single year. How many last chances does one man deserve? The last time Reggie heard Scotty’s voice was the day he’d left home a few months short of high school graduation. A last grand screaming match, and his son disappeared from his house and his life. Learning to Trust Again, Especially Herself The next breaker rolling in on Lucy’s rising guilt tide was how many huge liquor stores were probably still open, and perfectly willing to take her little brother’s money. And his fragile new sobriety right along with it.

Curiouser and Curiouser Amy gets the chance to relive a cherished childhood memory. To revisit a beloved movie, and remember a night full of wonder. A solo trip into the past both sweet and melancholy. But sometimes the past makes other plans. What will Amy discover on her unexpected visit to Wonderland? Also available in the collection Stepping Out of Reality An excerpt from Amy in Wonderland: Right On Time for A Most Important Date Amy stepped through the door the White Rabbit held, and she found herself bobbing down into a passable imitation of a curtsey for some bizarre reason. Up close, she couldn’t see a trace of makeup on his white face, or how his constantly twitching whiskers could possibly be attached. “Do be sure and enjoy your refreshments,” he purred. “We made them especially for you.” Even though Amy’s stomach loudly demanded popcorn now that the scent was thick in the air, she headed toward the burgundy velvet curtain leading to the auditorium. She had no desire to get too close to any of the other actors. Unfortunately Tweedledum and Tweedledee had relocated themselves to either side of the entrance, and they each held a silvery tray.

Heeding the Signs Mark Hersch enjoys a busy summer in his favorite place: with his grandparents in Hartstown, Virginia. Working, saving for college, learning to drive. Getting to know his family and himself. Then one job brings a shiver of warning. Will Mark and his Papaw recognize the danger before it's too late? A Voices through Time Story Also available in the collection Stepping Out of Reality An excerpt from The Perfect Shade of Haint Blue: Learning to Heed Those Strange Warnings Mark frowned, but a quick little thrill of excitement shot through his belly. The change of pace and scenery was doing him a world of good, especially since he was considering coming right back to Virginia for college in a couple of years. But he wouldn't mind a bit of mystery and adventure to spice things up. "Did something strange happen there, Papaw? At the Hartsock place?" "Well no, I can't exactly say that. It's just... I got an uneasy twinge about you going there is all." Mark's father and everyone else in the family often talked about Papaw's twinges, and hunches, and notions, and even dreams. No one ever made much of a fuss about it that Mark could tell. But they never mentioned thinking those twinges were something it was better to ignore, either.

Even Superheroes Hate Renovations Jenna accepts a job that takes confidentiality to the extreme: a major remodel on a minor superhero's lair. The only real secret? How Earth Worm can afford to buy everyone's silence, plus labor, materials, and lodging. Trouble builds on the horizon before the job gets started. Will a minor villain trying to break into the big time undermine them all? An excerpt from Jenna and the Lightning Beast: Staying Grounded in a Strange Situation Kevin laughed. "Nothing usual about being whisked away to a secret location on a secret project, is there? Everyone in the city knows more about what's going on than we do." The others gathered and introduced themselves, adding a Georgia highway department engineer, a plumber, and a home security expert to go with the inspector and insurance agent. And between the eight of them, still no real idea what they were there for. "I know we're not supposed to know," Kim said, "but I'm pretty sure this particular homeowner has to get the whole thing started. I don't see a doorbell we can ring." Jenna leaned forward, trying to peek inside the tinted passenger window of the van that hadn't moved since the motor stopped. "Unless she drove us up here." Everyone jumped at a rich, sultry voice from behind them. "She didn't drive you. Nobody did."

A Blizzard of Love A cozy night of reading suits Henry Satterfield just fine as a Christmas Eve blizzard settles in. He hopes no one shows up at the inn to disrupt his solitude. Steve Lake fights the snowbound interstate and changing his plans to get home to Tennessee. The prospect of a warm place for the night eases his disappointment. Zortea the Magic Cat knows best when romantic sparks fly. Will Henry and Steve heed Zortea's sensible advice or miss their chance for happily ever after? Also available in the collection A Kaleidoscope of Cat Tales: Five Stories of Cats and People Who Love Them An excerpt from The Magic Cat of the Hidden Springs Inn and Spa: Exit to the Best Holiday Gift of All Accommodations! Two big chain hotels, both probably booked solid in this storm. Steve squinted, trying to catch the text on a third logo that promised it was only 0.3 miles away. The Hidden Springs Inn and Spa, complete with a cartoon image of steaming hot water. Steve groaned and closed his eyes for a quick second. He didn't care one bit whether that meant a commercial hot tub, a hotel bathtub, or an actual hot spring. He wouldn't mind if the inn cost ten times what any of the chains did. He couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than soak this rotten drive away. He'd call his parents and break the bad news once he was able to pry his fingers loose from the steering wheel. Steve simply couldn't face one more mile in a freak blizzard tonight. "Please, oh please, kind sir. Tell me you have room at your inn for one more wandering soul tonight."