Susan Meissner, author of the novel A Sound Among the Trees (released October 4, 2011), wrote a guest blog post for the eHarmony relationship blog, entitled “Not All Baggage Is Bad.”
In the book, Marielle Bishop, who has watched all her friends marry and begin families, has at last found love online. She leaves the Arizona desert to marry a Virginia widower, joining him and his two children —and his first wife’s grandmother— in an ancestral family home where it seems like ghosts are everywhere, real and imagined. As Marielle struggles to fit into her new role as wife and stepmother, unsettled by the strange sense of sorrow she feels inside Holly Oak’s walls, she must uncover the truth about Susannah, and reconcile her belief that it is people—not houses—that hang on to the past. History can’t be undone, but truth uncovered can set the women of Holly Oak free. Start reading chapter 1 now.
In her blog, Susan shares insights on how to give the past a proper place in a new relationship. Read it here.
Tags: A Sound Among the Trees, baggage, Civil War, Contemporary Fiction, eHarmony, Family, ghosts, Historical Fiction, in-laws, Marriage, online dating, past, South, Susan Meissner, suserstitions, Virginia
Categories: in the news
Tags: addiction, alcohol, Christian, depression, drugs, Faith, Family, Fisherman, medicate, mexican, sin, struggle
Categories: churches and ministries video
Is your occupation also your preoccupation?
Click here to download chapter one of When Work and Family Collide.
Let’s face it. With all the demands of the workplace and all the details of a family it’s only a matter of time before one bumps into the other. And many of us end up cheating our families when the commitments of both collide. In this practical book, Andy Stanley will help you establish priorities and boundaries to protect what you value most.
Click here to download chapter one of When Work and Family Collide.

Recapture the true meaning of Christmas
Click here to download the first chapter of The Adventure of Christmas now.
Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able to keep your children’s focus on Jesus and also join them in the wonder of the celebration? With The ADVENTure of Christmas, mothers can redeem what’s been lost from the very symbols that are gentle reminders of the true meaning of Christmas.
Tags: Chapter One, Christian, christian life, Christmas, Family, Holidays, Jesus, lisa whelchel, love, personal growth, sneak peek, teaching
Categories: sneak peek

A heartwarming Christmas tale for young children, from the best-selling author of God Gave Us You.
Click here to download the first chapter of God Gave Us Christmas now.
In this delightful sequel to the best-selling God Gave Us You, Mama Bear takes Little Cub on a polar expedition to answer her questions about Christmas. This heartwarming story, charmingly illustrated, helps young children discover the true meaning of Christmas and how very much God loves them.
Tags: Christian, christian life, Christmas, Family, Fiction, Holidays, Jesus, juvenile fiction, Lisa Tawn Bergren, love, sneak peek, spirituality
Categories: sneak peek

Discover the true meaning of love and forgiveness
Click here to download the first chapter of Christmas Every Morning now.
A story of joy and loss, connection and forgiveness, Christmas Every Morning presents each day as a gift to be opened and every loved one as a treasure to be rediscovered.
Tags: Chapter One, Christian, Christmas, Faith, Family, Fiction, Forgiveness, Jesus, Lisa T. Bergren, love, personal growth, relationships, sneak peek, Spiritual Growth, Women
Categories: sneak peek

A hometown scrooge meets the real “reason for the season” in this quirky Christmas classic.
Click here to download the first chapter of Boo Humbug now.
From popular author Rene Gutteridge comes Boo, Humbug! A holiday season revisit to tiny Skary, Indiana, has the town buzzing over a production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But, with abundant mishaps and eccentric characters, Christmastime might never be the same!
Tags: Chapter One, Charles Dickens, Christmas, Christmas Carol, Family, Fiction, happiness, Holidays, Jesus, Joy, Rene Gutteridge, sneak peek
Categories: sneak peek

Discover the true meaning of love and forgiveness
Click here to download the first chapter of Christmas Every Morning now.
A story of joy and loss, connection and forgiveness, Christmas Every Morning presents each day as a gift to be opened and every loved one as a treasure to be rediscovered.
Tags: Christmas, Christmas Every Morning, Family, Fiction, gifts, Joy, lisa bergren, Lisa T. Bergren, Lisa Tawn Bergren, loss, love, mercy come morning, present
Categories: sneak peek

The Journey Every Parent Must Take
Click here to download chapter one of Don’t Let Me Go.
In this warmhearted, and often hilarious story of a daughter’s (and a father’s) coming of age, you’ll discover ways you too can create strong, loving relationships with the important people in your life, as you make your way through the valleys and over the summits of life together.
Click here to download chapter one of Don’t Let Me Go.
Tags: climbing, coming of age, Daughter, David W. Pierce, don't let me go, Family, Father's Day, fatherhood, Hiking, marathon, men's issues, parenting
Categories: sneak peek

Celebrate and nurture your relationship with your grandchildren!
Click here to download chapter one of Grandmother’s Book of Promises.
One of the richest, most precious relationships a child has is with his or her grandmother. Kids know that grandmas are fun, they give the best hugs, and they make yummy treats! And now, Grandmother’s Book of Promises gives boys and girls even more exciting reasons to look forward to special times with Grandma!
Click here to download chapter one of Grandmother’s Book of Promises.
Tags: christian family, Christian Living, David Clar, Family, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandmother, Grandmother's Book of Promises, grandson, Karen Hill
Categories: sneak peek