Darkened by too many shattered dreams, Groomsridge takes our heroine, Margaret (Maggie) Ellison, from the deprivation of childhood, through the physical and emotional tumult of her teens, into the nightmare of an abusive marriage. Endlessly unfulfilled days compel her to forsake familial ties and seek the imagined spiritual completeness of a solitary life. A change of continent brings light to dispell the darkness and hope through a romantic and pivotal counterpoint. Her prince satisfies a treasured dream. But it is what happens after the shoe fits, that rivets the reader, as the plot explodes beneath conflicting facets of love; faith, trust, and familial bonding. Groomsridge examines one woman's progression away from the constraints of our hyper-connected age into a softer world where love is understood and accepted. Lush and long, Groomsridge is alive with sensual descriptions, tender moments of familial compassion, and intense drama that are melded into an intellectually gratifying exploration of current issues and events. Groomsridge whisks the reader into its story. It places authentic and believable characters into compellingly credible yet extraordinary situations. Groomsridge is much more than a love story, it is a story about what it means to love.

Transboundary Policy Challenges in the Pacific Border Regions of North America responds to a growing interest in borderlands environmental policy by highlighting significant transboundary research and practices being undertaken within and across the Pacific border regions of North America. The issues explored here reveal how intricate and interrelated social, economic, and environmental concerns have become, particularly along borders, as Canada, Mexico, and the United States collectively search for sustainable solutions. Growing concern about the seriousness of environmental problems, particularly in high-growth border areas, coupled with the rising awareness of the complexities entailed in wise development decisions, has spurred recognition that new realities require new responses. Critical for effective environmental protection, restoration, and education is a sharing of understanding and effort across borders. Transboundary Policy Challenges in the Pacific Border Regions of North America highlights advances in transborder environmental research and discusses sensible policy directions with particular focus on critical areas of international concern and engagement: land and water use planning; regional growth management; trade and transportation corridors; environmental education; and travel and tourism. With Contributions By: J.C. Day Donald K. Alper K.S. Calbick Jose Luis Castru-Ruiz Alejandro Diaz-Bautista David A. Fraser Salvador Garcia-Martinez Warren G. Gill Duncan Knowler James Louckey Krista Martinez Martin Medina Jean O. Melious Cristobal Mendoza John C. Miles John M. Munroe Emma Spencer Norman Hugh O'Reilly Vicente Sanchez-Munguia Preston L. Schiller Tina Symko Peter Williams