Crack The Darkest Sky Wide Open

Of humanity there are darker tales. Stories that take some squinting to see through. Unconventional stories. Tales that threaten to break the heart by cruel twists of fate, the dogs of war, or demons that are all too real; whether they be of unrequited love or a karmic slap in the face. Happy endings take a time in coming, and some never arrive. But through all the darkness there is light, a glimmer of hope and wonder...if one has the will to see it.

1972, Ravenspond, Canada. At only 15 years old, Bessie has to endure the worst experience imaginable: the sudden loss of her best friend Ash and her boyfriend Jason in a tragic accident. Worst of all, Bessie feels responsible for the tragedy. How is she supposed to go on living with all this grief and guilt? At times, she thinks it would be better if she didn't. But somehow, with the help of Angel Mel, her loving family, and unexpected new friendships, she is able to find her inner strength... And she discovers that even after all the rain, there will be sunshine.

Fifteen-year-old Bessie MacIntyre has just endured the most traumatic experience of her young life; sadly caused by a series of events she had personally set in motion in the early hours of July 15, 2002. Now back at home in Ravenspond, Pennsylvania, she has to deal with the tragic aftermath and learn to live with the consequences of her actions. Will she find the inner strength to forgive herself and embrace life again? What will happen to those she had to leave behind? Was any of it real? Or did Bessie just dream all that crazy stuff about Heaven and her buddy Angel Mel in his Hawaiian shirts? Only time will tell what tomorrow may bring.

Books 1-3 in 'The Bessie Series' by Jody Overend, now available in one volume! Missing Bessie: Ravenspond, Canada, 1972. Fifteen-year old Bessie has just broken up with her boyfriend Jason. Hitchhiking to Vancouver, she plans to catch her hero, Chris Lisacker, in concert. Instead of ending up on the West Coast, Bessie and Ash find themselves in Heaven, with no idea how they got there. As her memories begin to recover and her fate is about to be revealed, does she really want to know the truth? Surviving Bessie: After a tragic loss, Bessie feels responsible. How is she supposed to go on living with all this grief and guilt? Somehow, with the help of Angel Mel, her loving family, and unexpected new friendships, she is able to find her inner strength - and discover that even after all the rain, there will be sunshine. Forgiving Bessie: Bessie is on the verge of womanhood, with one more year of home-schooling to go. It’s time to choose a path into the future but Bessie feels lost and alone, unable to trust herself. When the alluring stranger, Arturo Rodrigues, arrives in Ravenspond, Bessie is drawn to her. What is it about him that feels so familiar? The truth is something she could have never imagined, even in a million lifetimes.

In the sequel to the thrilling Dark Run, which Publishers Weekly called “a terrific debut,” Ichabod Drift and his crew sign on for a new smuggling job that soon goes south when they are separated and caught up in a dangerous civil war. When Ichabod Drift and the Keiko crew sign on for a new smuggling job to a mining planet, they don’t realize what they are up against. The miners, badly treated for years by the corporation, are staging a rebellion. Split into two groups, one with the authorities and one with the rebels, Drift and his crew support their respective sides in the conflict. But when they are cut off from each other due to a communication blackout, both halves of the crew don’t realize that they have begun fighting themselves…

Open to the Spirit—one word, four voices—came out of our direct experience as friends doing interfaith work in the community. Meeting and working together at shared social or social justice events, we already enjoyed promoting one another’s projects and good work. When a weekly religion column ended in our local paper, we seized the opportunity and agreed to form a writing team to fill the space with a message that was inclusive and welcoming.

The stories in Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky trace the history of the world from its beginnings in the dreams of the dual god, Ometeotl, to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico and the fall of the great city Tenochtitlan. In the course of that history we learn about the Creator Twins—Feathered Serpent and Dark Heart of Sky—and how they built the world on a leviathan's back; of the shape-shifting nahualli; and the aluxes, elfish beings known to help out the occasional wanderer. And finally, we read Aztec tales about the arrival of the blonde strangers from across the sea, the strangers who seek to upend the rule of Motecuhzoma and destroy the very stories we are reading. David Bowles stitches together the fragmented mythology of pre-Colombian Mexico into an exciting, unified narrative in the tradition of William Buck's Ramayana, Robert Fagles's Iliad, and Neil Gaiman's Norse Myths. Readers of Norse and Greek mythologies will delight in this rich retelling of stories less explored. Legends and myths captured David Bowles's imagination as a young Latino reader; he was fascinated with epics like the Iliad and the Odyssey. Despite growing up on the United States/Mexico border, he had never read a single Aztec or Mayan myth until he was in college. This experience inspired him to reconnect with that forgotten past. Several of his previous books have incorporated themes from ancient Mexican myths.

Nature and animal stories of plantation life in the far South.

My Lyrical Journey — How I painted my heart wide open, is a collection of blog posts about how my art changed me. I've opened my heart and become transparent in many of these little stories. I share my fears, disappointments, dreams and desires. And, as a result, I have a story of painting my heart wide open and finding courage, healing, strength, compassion and love.

"A biblical story with a heart for today's world, pulling out an array of joy and hope, sorrow and loss."--Mesu Andrews, award-winning author "Taking us on an intriguing journey through heartbreak and healing, Heather Kaufman leads her readers directly to the joy of the empty tomb."--Connilyn Cossette, award-winning author Martha of Bethany is no stranger to adversity. After her mother's untimely death, Martha shoulders the responsibility of raising her siblings--quiet and studious Lazarus, and wild and rambunctious Mary. She finds solace in friendship and the beginnings of first love, but just as Martha begins to imagine a new future, hardship strikes again and her dreams crumble into dust. Ten years later, Martha's friend pleads for the new teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, to come and heal her husband. When Martha discovers that the carpenter-rabbi is connected to her past, she's not sure she can trust him with her future. But as he continues to perform miracles, the invitation to believe becomes harder to resist, renewing Martha's hardened heart, even as she faces an unknown future.