Melissa Pandolf has never been one to let a few rules stand in her way. So when she and her husband, Doug, began the adoption process, the hopeful mother-to-be had her sights set on quickly welcoming two beaming babies to make the Pandolf house a family home. However, after three years; four trips to Russia; one trip to Washington, DC; and two plane crashes that threatened to bring their dream down around them, she came to realize that a bigger destiny awaited them on the other side of the world. As the adoptive parents of four Russian siblings, the young couple from Long Island learned the true meaning of family, and what it means to go the extra mile to give your children what they need. Beginning with the first meeting with an adoption agency, The Journey for Mama's Babies chronicles the Pandolfs' three-year odyssey to bring their babies home. From her naïve initial assumptions about the process to her ultimate hard-won savvy and resolve, Pandolf shares every key aspect of the experience, including the unexpected depression that can be companion to this emotionally wrenching process. With clear-eyed candor, the author recounts the ups and downs, the unexpected twists, and the backward loops that frequently punctuated their mission. Along the way, she and her husband were also faced with heartbreaking decisions that neither had anticipated, as their dream of two children quickly grew when a larger group of siblings presented itself. At the same time, the couple also confronted the demand for an ironclad resiliency due to countless setbacks, never-ending red tape, and a constantly shifting perspective on what it truly means to be a family. Still, their challenges only began when they finally were joined together in the United States, as the Pandolfs scrambled to help their children make the transition from speaking Russian to speaking English and help them adjust to their new surroundings. Enlightening, easy to read, and arrestingly honest, The Journey for Mama's Babies will captivate anyone who has ever navigated the intricacies of the adoption process or who cares about someone who has. Both inspiring and open-eyed, this tender, telling story of a family built across oceans, languages, and every imaginable obstacle will take hold of your heart, and make you hold your loved ones closer still.

Tony C. Mobley is an entrepreneur who still lives in Gary, Indiana. Music has been a passion of his for a very long time, and he has decided to spend most of his time developing this craft. Nowadays, you will find him writing songs in his music room. If you would like him to speak at your school, you can reach him at (219) 885-1058 or by email at [email protected]

In the thriller Hush, Mama Baby!, the daughter of a British church founder turns to child trafficking when the church’s funds cease providing her a lavish enough income. Rose Morton acquires the help of a Chinese gangster in her nefarious scheme. Under the close proximity of the chief of police investigating child trafficking – her husband – they net huge sums of money. Then a private investigator steps in to thwart their illegal activities. “Rose Morton had elevated herself from a self-styled pastor of the New Epistical Ministry of Christ, the church founded by her preacher father, to crime goddess and the head of a huge criminal organisation commanding millions of pounds in child trafficking. The demand was unlimited, and she made the market superfluous and adequate enough to enhance their bank balance. The supply was diverse, reflecting borders of accessibility covering two continents. The operations were spearheaded from her home underneath the very nose of her husband, Chief Inspector John Morton, who led Operation Sand Pearl’s investigation into child trafficking.” Will Rose be caught?

‘The Journey’ is a novel in three volumes set against the backdrop of World War 2. It is a story of unimaginable deprivation and survival, love and loss, of friendships forged through most challenging experiences.

The authors-professional psychologists who work with children and families-believe that adults can help children build hope and combat hopelessness, and use stories that children construct about themselves to document the hope-building process. Included are two useful appendixes and a new introduction, in which the authors respond to readers' questions and reactions to the original edition, which was published by Westview Press in 1997.

Driven by her desire to know more about her Italian heritage, twenty-two-year-old Gina MacLeary reaches out to her mother who leads her to eight boxes of journals she kept while growing up in Bologna, Italy. For the first time in her life, Gina possesses the answers to the many questions that have been plaguing her for years. As Gina turns the journal pages and devours her mother's words penned from 1938 to 1945, she witnesses a true glimpse of the human condition during wartime. As her family's experiences are revealed, Gina learns how they coped with the pressures of war, the stress of hiding a family escaping the Jewish ghetto, and their struggle to make it to America. Through it all, Gina gains a new perspective of her family as they endured, sacrificed, and found the strength to overcome adversity. Inspired by real-life stories and conversations, A Journey through Time shares the fascinating tale of an Italian family's struggles as they lived through the horrors of World War II.

Journey through the family forest of emotions and experiences shared by generations and bound together by a families love in this collection of short stories, including "Packed full of Life", "The Family Tree" and "Summer of Anya". We hold the stories of our own journey close to us, but generation to generation, the stories are truly universal. Come, Walk with the Trees and discover your own forest.