Showing results by narrator "Lisa Larsen" in All Categories

What do you get when you combine a chicken named Elvis, a locked diary, and a secret Violet Parker does not want share with her daughter? Seeing Trouble is the first of many short stories involving the characters of the Deadwood Mystery series.

We live in an age uniquely attentive to the problem of mental illness. More than half of us will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in our lifetime. It has been easy, for centuries, to relegate persistent emotional and mental struggles entirely to the realm of a failed personal work ethic ("Just don't worry so much!"), not enough faith ("Just pray harder!"), or, in recent years, a chemical imbalance in our brains ("Just take this pill!").

We've all heard the mind-boggling statistics about technology and social media use. The numbers don't lie; our obsession with smartphones and social media is slowly eroding the very essence of our homes and families. We see it. We feel it. We know it. So what do we do about it? Spoiler alert: Forget parental control apps, time limits, or reward charts. This revolutionary path takes us into the heart of the beast itself: the social media algorithm.

County Cork, Ireland. Skye Brigid O'Shea is still struggling to fit in. Still branded an outsider in her adopted rural town, the ex-pat American strives to get her inherited B&B shipshape despite the flaky local help. But after waking with a fright from a dream her fae cat claims she borrowed, the discombobulated newcomer trips over a dead body in her pub. Not about to head the suspect list again, the nosy former nurse chases down clues both mundane and otherworldly.

A year ago, Nora Hannigan died. But she left behind a haunting legacy of untruths and mysteries. Now, her four adult daughters are ready to face the past and find happiness on their own terms. Oldest Kate thought she’d put family drama behind her. But then a new commotion crashes onto the shoreline of her very own backyard, and she’s once again thrust into a small-town scandal.

Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval - even marry a man she doesn't love. Lt. Walter Novak - fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women - takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together.

100% of marriages that end in divorce are cited for "irreconcilable differences." Things that brought couples together are now tearing them apart. Simple occasional frustrations have morphed into everyday fights causing complex fractures. Marriages are miserable, families are affected, and the equation for a marriage made one is elusive. In Two Equals One, Jimmy and Irene Rollins introduce you to a solution that is counter-cultural to a society that encourages you to give up, to not give your spouse any more chances, or use pain as permission to step out on your spouse.

Even before it was named, the Bermuda Triangle - roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico - had gained a mythic reputation. The Bermuda Triangle became famous for making boats and ships vanish and for snatching planes right out of the sky. But are these stories true? And if they are true, is there a more sensible reason that refutes the bad karma of the region? With so many mystifying events to learn about, readers will love disappearing into this story.

Why would God choose to speak to us while we sleep? Perhaps it’s because we are too distracted during the day to sit still long enough for Him to share the deep secrets of his heart. Jennifer LeClaire is convinced God speaks to us in ways that are very personal. At times he may use pictures, memories, impressions, or even a still small voice. Decoding Your Dreams is a beginner’s guide to understanding the true source of our dreams, dream classifications, and even dream symbols....

Rainey Paxton was born addicted to heroin. In the fragile first hours of Rainey’s life, hospital doctors and nurses fight to keep her alive. Several months later, she is released into her parents' custody, where she is forced to live on neglect and tainted breast milk. Constrained in her home infested with drug addicts and drifters, Rainey’s drug-addicted parents leave little hope for her protection. While Rainey is still an infant, her aunt Sophie visits her and finds the baby dirty and hungry. A bond forms between the two until tragedy strikes.

First came the shocking story of Rainey Paxton being born addicted to heroin and the sacrifices she made to accommodate her parents’ reckless lifestyle. Now comes the terrifying, extraordinary novel that picks up after Rainey’s release from juvenile detention. With no money and lost in a section of North Philadelphia dominated by gangs and violence, Rainey won’t accept that it may be too late to save Ivy. Instead, she pushes all limits to fight for her sister, surrendering herself to keep her vow.

Pretty much every parent has been reactive at some point. Reactive parenting encompasses the negative behaviors that stem from frustration, like yelling, threatening, screaming, and over-rewarding or bribing. It's difficult not to snap when you're overworked, overtired, and faced with a child experiencing extremely high emotions. That's where this book comes in. Break Free from Reactive Parenting offers up a new approach toward self-regulation and child expression, focusing on the family as a whole to create a calmer, more equitable home environment.

It's not really about the boots … or is it? Boot Points is a set of short tales about Violet Parker's purple boots. It is set in the story time between the third and fourth books in the Deadwood Mystery series. Each tale not only explains more of Violet's history, but also shows the role each character plays in Violet's life. In addition to this short story, there is a deleted scene from Nearly Departed in Deadwood, the first book in the Deadwood Mystery Series.

A generation of young Christians are weary of the political legacy they've inherited and are hungry for a better approach. They're tired of seeing their faith tied to political battles they didn't start, and they're frustrated with leaders they thought they could trust. Kaitlyn Schiess grew up in this landscape and understands it from the inside. In The Liturgy of Politics, Schiess shows that the church's politics are shaped by its habits and practices, even when it's unaware of them.

If your answer is "No", you're not alone. Many Christian parents feel the same. But here's the good news: Talking with Your Kids About Jesus will give you the confidence you need to have the conversations that matter most in today's skeptical world. In a friendly, parent-to-parent voice, Natasha Crain will walk you through essential topics on Jesus' identity, teachings, death, and resurrection. Each chapter clearly explains what skeptics are saying and provides a concise, easy-to-understand response you can discuss with your child (one that can be tailored for any age).

Liza Cole has 30 days to write the thriller that could put her back on the best seller list. In the meantime, she's struggling to start a family with her husband, who is distracted by the disappearance of his best friend, Nick. With stresses weighing her down in both her professional and her personal lives, Liza escapes into writing her latest heroine, Beth. Beth is a new mother who suspects her husband is cheating on her while she's home alone caring for their newborn. Then the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Aubrey James ruled the charts as the queen of country for more than a decade. She'd rocketed to fame in the shadow of her parents' death - both of them pioneers in Gospel music. But while her public life, high-profile romances, and fights with Music Row execs made for juicy tabloid headlines, the real and private Aubrey has remained a media. When a former band member betrays Aubrey's trust and sells an "exclusive" to a tabloid, the star knows she must go public with her story. But Aubrey's private world is rocked when the Inside NashVegas interviewer is someone from her past.

Lucy's getting very annoyed that her husband Bill and his friend Evan have been working seemingly nonstop on their potentially prize-winning pumpkin catapult. But when the day of the big contest arrives, Evan is nowhere to be found - until a catapulted pumpkin busts open the trunk of the Dodge. Amid the pumpkin gore is a very deceased Evan. Bill is on the hook for the Halloween homicide, so Lucy knows she's got some serious sleuthing to do.

Holiday Recipe for Madcap Merrymaking in Jackrabbit Junction: Start with a bawdy night sprinkled with tinsel tassels and jingle balls, toss in a missing pair of underwear, and top it all off with plenty of sugary shenanigans. Serve with a side of naughty and nice. Claire Morgan and her sisters are a tad twitchy. Their father is on his way for their first Christmas in Arizona, but the tidings of joy are few and far between. For one thing, their mother is pissed about her ex-husband flying in to play Santa. For another, their mother is just pissed. Period.

Are you eager to walk in the calling and purpose God has for your life but are feeling uncertain? Maybe you're not sure if you're educated enough, or if it's the right time, or if you even have the authority to take a step forward. Perhaps you're at a standstill and are holding out for ideal conditions, or even an invitation, before you act. In Ready As You Are, Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer say it's time to stop waiting to live on mission. God wants to use you now, right where you are, with the tools you already have.