Family Tree Fiction

Little Ida is a spruce tree that grows up with a family in Appleton, Wisconsin. Planted next to the house, with a bench nearby, she watches and listens to the comings and goings of Mama Ida, Papa George, and their five daughters, all of whom are unconventional for their time, from the Depression into the early 1970s. Even though Little Ida can’t talk, she certainly has many thoughts and opinions as she observes and chronicles births, deaths, and other family milestones, bringing history to life.

—Southern Historical Fiction at Its Best... A Visit to the Rural South that will Bless Your Heart— —VOLUME 6 ANTHOLOGY (6 volumes in all). Faith & Family Friendly— - The Egg Wagon (novella 1): There are some things that just do not burn. Gold and silver, for instance. Fire and water only purify, and tumultuous earthquakes can just make these metals rise closer to the surface. Some human persons fit that description. Adversity and pain seem to peel away the chaff of life, leaving only the nucleolus of survival. Like being in a slippery simply refuse to die and manage to claw their ...

—Southern Historical Fiction at Its Best... A Visit to the Rural South that will Bless Your Heart— —VOLUME 3 ANTHOLOGY (6 volumes in all). Faith & Family Friendly— - Lace Collar (novella 1): What happened should never have happened to any girl, but the product of this calamity was taken over by a doctor who saw great potential. And there was that lace collar that had been lovingly made for a child not yet born. - Chestnut Cottage (novella 2): Something needed to be done for the youngest of humans who had the misfortune to be born without protectors. Hence, the creation of Chestnut ...

—Southern Historical Fiction at Its Best... A Visit to the Rural South that will Bless Your Heart— —VOLUME 5 ANTHOLOGY (6 volumes in all). Faith & Family Friendly— - Persimmon Jam (novella 1): The thing about raising pups is that there is no stopping point. Sort of like the chicken and the egg. Even if you love the job, it can turn into its own sort of prison. Just about the time you get it under control, something weird happens. But our Paula is a ‘can-do’ gal, and it just takes a bit of thought, good planning, and maybe an ad in the Classified column of the Wishbone Echo. - ...

Through Our Teeth has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

—Southern Historical Fiction at Its Best... A Visit to the Rural South that will Bless Your Heart— —VOLUME 2 ANTHOLOGY (6 volumes in all). Faith & Family Friendly— - Daughters (novella 1): Sudden widowhood left her totally unprepared, just as most things in her life had done. It had not been her fault, but it would truly be her fault if she condemned her daughters to the same life. And she wasn’t going to let that happen...no matter the cost. - Love and a Locomotive (novella 2): Lennie M. Marshall was named after Grandad, Leonard Marshall. By age 12, Lennie could shoot a rattler ...

Fungi and human families are the threads that tie the fabric of all these tales together. In The Freaky Fungal Family Tree, there are few things that are as they appear to be. You’ve been duly warned. Now, from this point on - listen at your own risk!

One freezing winter morning a dead body is found in the backyard of the Dharma family’s house. It’s the body of Anu Krishnan. For Anu, a writer seeking a secluded retreat from the city, the Dharmas' "back-house" in the sleepy mountain town of Merrit's Point was the ideal spot to take a year off and begin writing.

This coming of age story rides the ups and downs of Lucy's rollercoaster of emotions resulting from too many secrets and rules. Lucy has just turned 14 and is starting the eighth grade. She lives with her mom and grandmother, both free thinkers.

When 11-year-old Katy Sue loses her mother, Edna, to meningitis, she and her family must adjust to life without her. The rural farm in the 1940s provides a natural backdrop that is rhythmic and routine but unforgiving, even when a family member dies.

The owl tree is not like any tree Joe has ever seen. It’s huge and leafy and shivers at times like a person; it even seems to speak. Granny Diamond once saw an owl perched among its branches and she has loved the tree ever since. It means the world to her. But her neighbour, Mr Rock, wants to cut it down. Why does he dislike the owl tree so much? Does the tree have a secret to tell Joe? And how can he, a boy too scared even to climb the tree, be the one to save it?

Here Come the Aunties! has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Sprout’s final adventure is about to begin and it’s his most important one yet. When there’s a mission to be undertaken, you can be sure Sprout’s at the front of the queue for a spot on the team, especially when the aim is to find the place where all those banished by hare dares have been sent. He has a very good reason for wanting to go. He needs to find out what happened to his pa. It turns out that it’s quite a long journey and involves running, magic, flying, danger, and more magic. There’s even a point at which Sprout is put in charge of a train.

When Pearl’s grandmother Nell dies unexpectedly, she and her family - mother Diana, sister Lucy - return to Kangaroo Island to mourn and say farewell to her. Each of them knew Nell intimately but differently, and each woman must reckon with Nell’s passing in her own way. But Nell had secrets, too; and as Pearl, Diana and Lucy reflect on their feelings about the island, Pearl starts to pull together the scraps Nell left behind - her stories, poems, paintings - and unearths a connection to the island’s early history.

When Pearl’s grandmother Nell dies unexpectedly, she and her family - mother Diana, sister Lucy - return to Kangaroo Island to mourn and say farewell to her. Each of them knew Nell intimately but differently, and each woman must reckon with Nell’s passing in her own way. But Nell had secrets, too; and as Pearl, Diana and Lucy reflect on their feelings about the island, Pearl starts to pull together the scraps Nell left behind - her stories, poems, paintings - and unearths a connection to the island’s early history.

When 15-year-old Sefina Nafo is kicked out of her latest foster home, she gets separated from her little brothers. Now, she’s the only brown kid in her new foster family as she navigates grief from her dad’s death, her mom’s addictions, and the school bully labeling her "Foster Freak". With the court date looming, Sefina comes up with a plan to reunite with her mom and brothers before it's too late. The biggest challenge is trying not to fall in love with her new foster family. As her relationship with foster mom Jen blossoms, Sefina must decide what “family” really means.

Salam's grandpa says that olive trees are strong and that their roots run deep in their Palestinian land. They connect everyone—from the farmer who presses the olives into oil to the baker who uses the oil in his taboon. Salam plants her own seed and is eager to see it grow. She waits... she waters... she asks the seed to hurry... until finally...a sprout! But one day soldiers come and destroy everything in their path...including Salam's new olive tree. Salam is crushed—though she doesn't have to worry. Her grandpa gathers their neighbors and, together, they plant olive trees.

The summer after her freshman year of college, Mariam is looking forward to working and hanging out with her best friends: irrepressible and beautiful Ghazala and religious but closeted Umar. But when a scandalous photo of Ghaz appears on a billboard in Times Square, Mariam and Umar come up with a plan to rescue her from her furious parents. And what could be a better escape than a spontaneous road trip down to New Orleans?

Christmas is a time for family, particularly children who keep the magic of Christmas alive. What happens though when children become nasty and fight over the wrapped presents under the tree? Six cousins find out in the Town Beneath The Christmas Tree. In the spirit of Charles Dickens, the cousins are placed into an unfamiliar, upside-down world, where they are forced to deal with - and rely on - each other.

The town of Eden Grove has a legend: In the center of a pine forest there is an aspen grove, and in the center of the aspen grove is an ancient, magnificent tree. A tree that grants wishes. Mayberry and Marshall have heard the stories about the Wishing Tree, but they know nothing like that could really exist near their dreary town. Misunderstood and restless, the teenagers wish for a lot of things, including being on another planet altogether. Somewhere with magic and adventure - someplace where they can be heroes.