Ruth Ann Phimister

Chevalier transports readers to a bygone time and place in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is the story of 16-year-old Griet, whose life is transformed by her brief encounter with genius, even as she herself is immortalized in canvas and oil. An Independent Bestseller Winner of the 2000 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award! Tracy Chevalier...

She thought she had already been pushed to the limits of her endurance . . . After all their dreaming and planning, Missie and her beloved Willie are actually on the trail west in a covered wagon, leaving behind her also-beloved family. Her memories are bittersweet as she faces the hardships of the westward trek--the rain, the mud, the impassable rivers, and even death. Will their love for each other and faith in God survive the bewildering surprise...

Country Western is red hot these days, so overimpulsive Mary Alice thinks it makes perfect sense to buy the Skoot 'n' Boot bar -- since that's where the many-times-divorced "Sister" and her boyfriend du jour like to hang out anyway.

There is little sugar but lots of spice in journalist Rachel Simmons's brave and brilliant book that skewers the stereotype of girls as the kinder, gentler gender. Odd Girl Out begins with the premise that girls are socialized to be sweet with a double bind: they must value friendships; but they must not express the anger that might destroy them. Lacking cultural permission to acknowledge conflict, girls develop what Simmons calls "a hidden culture...

From her favorite hilltop perch, the unadorned beauty of Montana fills Dianne Chadwick with serenity and purpose. But fear gnaws at that peace, for her fiancé, Cole Selby, has yet to return from his journey east. When accidents and illness threaten those at the Diamond V ranch, Dianne searches for a haven from the storm that surrounds her. But with Cole's fate uncertain and another man proclaiming his love for her, Dianne's faith is a tenuous anchor...

Heirs of Montana book 3. Though the Diamond V ranch is flourishing and their own family growing, Dianne and Cole Selby find their hard-earned success threatened as a band of Indians on the warpath inch closer to the valley they call home. When a new family settles in the area with ambitions to establish an empire in Montana, it quickly becomes apparent that they will stop at nothing to uproot Dianne's family from the land they've nourished and come...

Book 1 of Heirs of Montana from bestselling author Tracie Peterson. Adventurers, families, outlaws...all driven west in the 1860s by a longing for endless blue sky along with wild and wide-open spaces. Tracie Peterson, from her own Montana home, paints an unforgettable portrait of this rich, rugged landscape, populated by strong and spirited characters. When Dianne Chadwick urges her family to move west to her uncles ranch in the Montana Territory,...

Centerville Christian Church is on its last legs. All that remains of the congregation is a small group of elderly, long-time members. Paul Hudson, an energetic young pastor, takes over and boosts attendance so high that a new church building must be constructed.

Soon after the arrival of cousin Julia, insidious occurrences begin that convince Rachel she is a witch and must be stopped before her total monstrous plan can be effected.

Oversized, outrageous Mary Alice and her prim sister Patricia Anne have been looking forward to the gala benefit being staged to raise money for the restoration of Vulcan, Birmingham's ever-tarnishing unnatural wonder. And what a show it is, with a grand finale that has thirty sequined Elvis impersonators high-kicking in unison! From the front row, "Mouse" and "Sister" have a perfect view of the action when one of the dancing Kings keels over dead...