Donna VanLiere

Denounced by her 1950 Tennessee community as an old maid, 30-something Ivorie Walker hides her loneliness and grief over her mother's death behind good-humored independence before advocating on behalf of a feral boy who has been stealing vegetables from her garden.

This story is about the author's unlikely road to motherhood --of how a painful legacy of the past is confronted and met with peace.

Thirty-two-year-old Amy Denison volunteers at Glory's Place, an after school program where she meets seven-year-old Maddie, a precocious young girl who has spent her childhood in foster care. Unbeknownst to Amy, Maddie is a mini-matchmaker, with her eye on just the right man for Amy at Grandon Elementary School, where she is a student. Amy is hesitant - she's been hurt before, and isn't sure she's ready to lose her heart again - but an unexpected...

When struggling young single mother Christine Eisley saves the life of an elderly woman working in Wilson's department store, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love.

Gretchen Daniels has moved into an apartment with her two children to be closer to her mother. Melissa McCray, a young woman with few possessions and little personality, moves in next door. Then a message for Melissa brings the two women together in the shabby apartment of Melissa's dead mother. They find little worth saving except for a few photos and an unfinished note that sets Melissa on a path of forgiveness, hope, and redemption.

In the small town of Grandon, five very different people discover the true meaning of Christmas. Jennifer and Ryan are both single parents, struggling with their own losses and heartache as they attempt to move forward in the present while still holding onto the memories, joy, and heartache of the past. Sixteen-year-old Kaylee is faced with a life-changing situation that has affected her whole family. Stephen and Lily are happily married and ready...

A mysterious leader returned from the dead. A planet filled with fallen angels. An execution order against millions. Yet amidst these evils, God's hope prevails. After his apparent resurrection, beloved leader Victor Quade is hailed internationally as God. Yet when Victor mandates that everything from purchasing groceries to seeing a doctor will require a mark of allegiance to him, Emma Grady and her friends in New York know they must flee. Meanwhile,...

"Lauren Gabriel spent many years of her childhood in foster homes, wishing her mother would come back for her and be the family she needs. Now twenty-years-old, she still longs for a place that she can truly call home. Her work as a cashier is unfulfilling, and at Christmas it's unbearable with the songs and carols and chatter of Christmas that she hears throughout the day. When Lauren ends her shift one night, she finds herself driving aimlessly...

Rick Husband wanted to be an astronaut since his fourth birthday, but it wasn't always for the right reasons. Initially, he thought it would be neat... cool... a fun thing to do. It wasn't until he came to a spiritual crossroads and was able to give that dream up to discover the true desires of his heart before he actually got into the space shuttle program at NASA. Three failed attempts didn't daunt this driven pilot-and the fourth interview process,...