Talk about tough luck. Sixteen-year-old Darlene Mills has yet to catch a break. Raised in a fatherless home with a drug-addicted, alcoholic mother, recently dumped and cheated on by her boyfriend, Darlene is ever in search of a better life for her and her half-brother Jesse. So when her best friend, Genie suggests stealing a […]
Author Archive | Kimberly Monaghan
If I Were A Rich Girl
Miranda Amberly is starting over at a new school once again. This time, thanks to the benevolence of one of the town’s most prominent grand dams, “Rindi” begins her senior year at the exclusive Stratmore Academy. Though her parents are Mrs. Grayson’s caretakers, and this educational arrangement is strictly business, Rindi hopes that despite her […]
Confederates In The Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War
Award-winning journalist, Tony Horowitz returns home after nine years abroad to his relaxing farmhouse he sites as his respite in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Awoken by gunfire, an unexpected but startling familiar sound from his work overseas, he discovers that his new home is the site of a civil war reenactment. A […]
She’s Outta This World – Female Fantasy Heroines To The Rescue
Years ago when asked about my favorite fantasy heroine, I replied Princess Leah. Any other Star Wars fans out there? What is it about the original Star Wars: A New Hope? Probably because it sets precedence for all that would follow in the genre of Science Fiction. Princess Leah was both the “girl that got […]
Finding Audrey
Any parent or child will find it warming to see how the family depicted in Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, a strong bond despite the turbulent challenges readily found in today’s world, including bullying. Meet Audrey and her family, fraught with struggles but grounded in love. While Audrey is a typical teenager, her life’s been suddenly […]
Juliet’s Moon
Twelve-year-old Juliet is the sister to Seth Bradshaw, one of William Clarke Quantrill’s bushwhackers, who raided and revenged during the height of the Civil War. The day her father was killed and her home burned by the Yankees, Juliet follows her brother’s instructions and stays with his intended Martha and her sisters. But when the […]
The Castaways by Iain Lawrence
When Tom Tin takes hold of the Jolly Stone, a sought after diamond, his life drastically changes. He’s placed on a convict ship and sentenced to life an island in the South Seas. When Tom and four fellow castaways escape from the cannibal infested islands on a broken down boat their provisions and fuel run […]
6 Picks: Books With a Rainy Day Theme (Well, sort of…)
Sometimes, I just love the rain. I like to have an excuse to stay indoors and read, write, watch movies or just take a nap. I also love to get out and enjoy the rain, too! A summer rain is so inspiring and refreshing. We used to have a swimming pool and yes, we even swam […]
A Stranger In the Woods
When a book makes you smile in your heart, simply by looking at the cover—it’s magic. A Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick, has that magic. Though I’m cautious to open any tome that has the theme of winter midsummer, I ran across this favorite as I was organizing […]
A Bouquet of Colored Pencils and Other Gifts Creatives Love
You don’t need me to share a list of creative gifts for your birthday, anniversary, holiday, or “Treat Yourself” occasion. But I would like to encourage you to think about the “creatives” in your life and what they would really enjoy receiving for a gift. Journals: Not just for young girls anymore, everyone appreciates a […]