The Valente family has left their Sicilian village of Catania, where they have been living at the foot of a menacing volcano, to fulfill their dreams in America. They settle in a coal patch town in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, nestled in the glorious Laurel Mountains. Paul Valente age thirteen, first generation American, emerges as the provider for the family of ten after his father's crippling mining accident.

Struggling to find his identity as a man and a miner in a brutal underground world, Paul battles prejudice inside and outside the mine. He is strong, with a passion for the American lifestyle of flashy clothes, cars, and jazz music, which his father cannot understand.

"Little Catania" is a story of heroes and scoundrels, both men and women-a saga of two families-the close-knit Valentes and the floundering Mianis-that delves into love/hate relationships as the Miani family, delicately tethered together by feelings of parental abandonment, struggles for acceptance from a father living in a world of his own mind's creation. A chronicle of life's events, goals, and tragedies as mining families face their challenges in stride, "Little Catania" pays homage to miners, the forgotten heroes of an industrial war.

It is 1925 in Savannah, Georgia, as five-year-old Nicie walks through her slum neighborhood and wonders who she really is. Raised by her grandmother, aunt, and uncle and given no details of her biological parents, Nicie feels angry and alone. She longs to belong, but Nicie is the victim of secrets.

Called Nice Chile by her grandmother, Nicie is undernourished and bears the unfortunate knowledge that she is not wanted. Her grandmother cares for her, but when Nicie is six, her grandmother passes away, changing her life forever. Haunted by recurrent dreams about her parents, Nicie finds a kindred spirit in a new friend, Miss Missy Mock, who soon tells her the story of her family of another place and time and slowly unlocks the mysteries of her identity. Missy takes Nicie's hand and leads her into the past, where she is about to find the amazing grace she has been searching for her whole life.

In this historical tale set in the Deep South, the truth is finally revealed to a little girl determined to discover her identity and realize the happiness she deserves.

Transplanted Canadian Doug Loggins is the new principal at Palm Oasis High School-in a small desert community located in California's Colorado Desert. A local tribe, the Napoc Band of Whitewater Indians, flaunting state law, open a gaming "Casino." Doug must deal with ancient squabbles, local politics, and disputes about the meaning of sovereignty in addition to his own administrative duties.

But these ordeals are nothing compared to the situation he faces when one of his students, Simone Garcia, turns up dead. Loggins and authorities suspect a drug related death, but in pursuing justice they butt heads with the leader of the Napoc nation, Reginald "Cisco" Tramhurst, a powerful figure who was instrumental in getting the "Casino" built on Indian land.

When Loggins joins forces with the beautiful Anna Carpenter, a recently divorced Palm Oasis prosecuting attorney, he's surprised at their instant attraction. But the closer they come to the chilling truth surrounding Simone's death, the more their newly burgeoning relationship is threatened. In chasing the links to Simone's death, Doug encounters a life threatening attack, an entrepreneur of questionable character, a frequently contumacious peace officer, a double named attorney and the true survivor, Brutus. In a desperate chase, Doug takes to the air to find a killer and save a life.

Dean Arnold, the main character of the first part of this trilogy, continues his quest for peace of mind. To do this he feels the need to be free from all the mental torture he has been experiencing. The guilt he feels in his little brother's death, coupled with his mother's cold rejection of him, plus the loss of his first love and the strange behavior of his father give him sufficient cause to escape.
His departure from home came as a whim. He wondered what his brother's Harley would feel like when fully loaded for a long trip. Before he knew it he was headed east on highway 20 and he never looked back.
Dean Arnold soon finds out freedom has its cost. Along the way he pays the toll. Good and evil are his companions and he switches between the two. Pete Leocker, a peg-legged artist, Decker, and escapee from and asylum, and a beautiful blind singer are instructors for him as he attends the University of Life.
Dean Arnold, eager to understand the meaning of his existence, reaches out and grabs life by every branch of knowledge he can and holds on for dear life.

The Teashop Girls is a warm and moving tale of friendship and love in wartime, by the bestselling author of the Woolworths series, Elaine Everest. It is early 1940 and World War Two has already taken a hold on the country. Rose Neville works as a Lyon's Teashop Nippy on the Kent coast alongside her childhood friends, the ambitious Lily and Katie, whose fiance is about to be posted overseas in the navy. As war creates havoc in Europe, Rose relies on the close friendship of her friends and her family. When Capt. Benjamin Hargreaves enters the teashop one day, Rose is immediately drawn to him. But as Lyon's forbids courting between staff and customers, she tries to put the handsome officer out of her mind. In increasingly dark and dangerous times, Rose fears there may not be time to waste. But is the dashing captain what he seems? Praise for Elaine Everest: 'Heartwarming . . . a must read' - Woman's Own 'A warm, tender tale of friendship and love' - Milly Johnson 'A lovely read' - Bella

Salvatore Esposito, Anthony Albanese, and Christopher Cameron-the "Columbus Avenue Boys"-are somewhat related, as they share lineage back to before the turn of century. Having grown up together in a small community north of New York City, each became successful in his own right. Chris moved to Dallas to be a portfolio manager with a financial firm while Sal and Tony earn their living the hard way-by being enforcers and major earners for the mob.

Tony's grandfather, Pops Scala, tells them a horrific secret from the Scalamarri family past: twelve members of their family were massacred at the hands of Bugsy Siegel and his ruthless gang from Murder Inc. in 1935. Pops was the sole witness and lone survivor, and he was more than happy to pull the trigger and end Bugsy's murderous life.

Now fifty years later, Pops convinces the "Columbus Avenue Boys" they must leave the underworld life for good. Since one cannot just give two weeks' notice to the Gambino crime family, the three blood brothers devise a plan to infiltrate the inner workings of the Mafia in the 1990s to avenge the massacre in their family tree.

"Columbus Avenue Boys" chronicles the Scalamarri family tree throughout the twentieth century and presents a historical perspective of the life and struggles of an Italian immigrant family as well as that of America's organized crime.

Wandering Potatoes focuses on life choices made by five women in an Irish-American family: Kate O Neill, who in 1839, marries, against her father s will, and emigrates to America; Brigid, daughter of Kate, who travels west in 1877 with her husband and children to witness the death of Crazy Horse; Eileen, Brigid s daughter, who in 1900 leaves an Oregon convent after ten years as a nun; Helen, Eileen s daughter, who sails in 1949 across an ocean with four children to join her husband; and Katie, daughter of Helen, who in 1969 turns her back on marriage to join political movements for civil and equal rights. Based on stories passed on from mother to daughter, this novel provides a people s history of Irish famine and immigration, the Civil War, the Indian Wars, women roles at the turn of the century, the Korean War, global expansion, the women s movement. Through these lives of adventurous women in one Irish-American family weave themes of oppression, discrimination, courage, compassion, integrity, the challenges of bridging differences and the contradictions of being both deprived and privileged, oppressed and oppressor, characteristic of American history.

Like so many of us, twenty-four year old Michael is tired of his monotonous existence. Then one morning he awakens in an abandoned alleyway; covered in blood and completely naked. After a narrow escape from authorities he is captured and imprisoned by a mysterious group who seem to possess unusual powers. Suddenly life is anything but boring. While learning to develop and utilize mind blowing, incredible abilities he is plunged into an unbelievable but very real adventure with evil incarnate. Like a great puzzle, pieces of a grand design begin to fit and Michael must accept truth and dismiss fiction as he discovers an ancient prophecy that threatens all life on this planet and how this threat directly relates to him. He must understand that he has a part to play in the events that have already been set in motion in the first installment of this ultimate theme of good versus evil.

Will the war be over by Christmas? As the war moves into 1945 the lives of the women of Woolworths continue. When store manager, Betty Billington, announces she is expecting Douglas's baby her future life is about to change more than she expects. Freda has fallen in love with the handsome Scottish engineer but will it end happily? Maisie loves being a mother and also caring for her two nieces although she still has her own dreams. When her brother appears on the scene he brings unexpected danger to the family. Meanwhile Sarah dreams of her husband's return and a cottage with roses around the door but Woolworths beckons. Will our girls sail into times of peace, or will they experience more heartache and sorrow? With a wedding on the horizon, surely only happiness lies ahead - or does it? A Gift from Woolworths is the fourth instalment in Elaine Everest's much-loved Woolworths series.

Failure is never an option, especially for assassins caught in the mire and opposing forces of politics and ideology.

While Hahn is in his home making love to a beautiful woman, undercover agents from the Washington DC police department are outside waiting for him. They suspect Hahn is connected to a recent homicide, and they need to figure out how. A hired killer working for a secret society, Hahn races to finish his latest job without getting caught. He is stuck in the isolation of being able to trust no one-not even his partner.

Hahn struggles with the rewards and downsides of living a double life as a bartender in a sushi restaurant and an assassin for the Malaysian government. Money is the greatest of the rewards, but playing roulette with one's life is certainly the most depressing downside. While he understands the dual nature of his existence, Hahn believes he is vulnerable enough to lose his mind and soul to the dark epicenter of cruelty and heartlessness that comes with being a hired killer. But in this world of sin and betrayal, there is no room for failure.

From Bulgaria to Mexico City to Washington DC, mystery, sex, and violence combine, with suspense woven throughout, in a world where assassins, drug lords, and politicians fight for dominance.