Family Tree Fiction

It's the summer before senior year. Reid is in the thick of Scofield High's in-crowd thanks to her best friend, Hattie, who has been her social oxygen since middle school. But summer is when Hattie goes to her family's Maine island home. Instead of sitting inside for eight weeks, waiting for her to return, Reid and their friend, Sam, enter into a pact - to live it up, one party at a time. But days before Hattie is due home, Reid finds out the shocking news that Hattie has died by suicide.

Jonathan London has captured the imagination of children everywhere with his beloved tales starring Froggy, a precocious yet lovable frog who just can’t help landing himself in trouble. In this fun-filled escapade, Froggy decides to build a tree house - with Dad’s help, of course. The tree house promises to be the ideal place for pizza parties. But Frogilina gets hop-hop-hopping mad when Froggy says that his treehouse is for "Boys only!"

In the peaceful Wiltshire valley of Essington St Mary, architect Corin Drayton stumbles upon a ghastly new building development that is set to destroy the tranquil atmosphere and Edwardian features of this quiet neighbourhood. He is horrified. For only recently has he inherited - and spent his life savings on renovating - a home for himself and his newly pregnant wife Lucia in Larch Tree Lane. From the cottages and farms to the local shop, pub and old manor house, residents' lives are set to intertwine, relationships bloom, and both romance and heartache lie ahead.

How quickly the ground shifts beneath our feet. We make choices—in the face of love, or violence, or necessity—and the effects ripple outward. In these moving short stories, acclaimed authors examine the foundations of the past, uncovering the irreversible decisions and life-changing encounters that mark the turning point between before and after.

Va en busca de la madre que jamás conoció, en busca de la hacienda que aparece en velados recuerdos de infancia, en busca del árbol familiar que ha regado con la esperanza. Sin embargo, la primera noticia que recibe al llegar a su destino es que su madre acaba de morir. Tras los muros del silencio se esconden las claves que darán sentido a su vida y a su pasado.

Set in the present day, with flashes back to the 17th Century, Trace is a story of seemingly unrelated people from around the world who take part in DNA testing for a variety of reasons with unexpected results. Finding family where it isn’t expected and demonstrating just how small of a world we live in, this fictional tale demonstrates the power of genetic genealogy in bringing people together, while also guiding aspiring genealogists to make the most of their ethnicity testing results.

Awesome Man’s secret identity has stayed safe, and he’s still the coolest superhero around. He loves protecting the people of Awesome City from evildoers, like the giant Plutonian octolizard, with his trusty sidekick, Moskowitz. But there have been reports that a new hero is coming to town soon. What if the people of Awesome City no longer need Awesome Man?

In My Family’s Faraway Tree, Olivia’s grandfather tells her the story of his friend who believed in fairies, and Olivia discovers the spellbinding world in the great Faraway Tree, when she realizes she can communicate with the fairies that live in the Tree. This is a story of trust, between the magic world of the fairies and the humans who believe in them. Harry’s tales are full of adventure and heroism, magic and wisdom, and a human family’s interaction with some of the wondrous creatures that are unseen, but all around us. Totally gripping, totally enchanting.

Twelve-year-old Sonnet's family has just moved across the country to live with her grandfather after her nana dies. Gramps's once-impressive apple orchard has been razed for a housing development, with only one heirloom tree left. Sonnet doesn't want to think about how Gramps and his tree are both growing old—she just wants everything to be okay. Sonnet is not okay with her neighbor, Zeke, a boy her age who gets on her bad side when he tries to choose her grandpa to interview for an oral history assignment. Zeke irks Sonnet with his prying questions.

As the grandson of a late, great action star, Lionel Honeycutt III knows all about heroics. Not that any of Grandpa’s genes were passed down to him; Lionel is solidly a Background Character in the social hierarchy of his high school. But when a fire at a pet store has Lionel cast as the brave teen who helped everyone escape, Lionel can finally live up to the family name. Honestly, though…Lionel isn’t sure he did any saving, despite smoky security footage that shows someone who could be him ushering victims to safety.

Twelve-year-old Becky has great expectations placed upon her. Not only does she need to be as perfect as her older brother and sister, but her upcoming bat mitzvah needs to be perfect, too. She is the rabbi’s daughter, after all. The trouble is, Becky’s intentions often lead her astray. At least when she plays the flute, she feels like the best version of herself. Until playing the flute causes Becky to do something not so perfect: keep a secret from her parents. Then Becky discovers that Sara, her "perfect" sister, has an even bigger secret. One that could turn the family upside down.

An epic story about the power of words and actions, and the legacy of violence and abuse passed down through generations - and the redeeming strength of one singular woman to overcome the effects of a horrific secret. Ruth, a clear-eyed young artist with a promising future, is stymied at every turn by men who seek to maintain power over her. Gripping and inspiring, Tree of Lives spans the 20th century, and in following Ruth's development, demonstrates how feisty and independent women paved the way in the fight for social equality as the decades unraveled.

Christmas is a time for family, particularly children who keep the magic of Christmas alive. What happens though when children become nasty and fight over the wrapped presents under the tree? Six cousins find out in the Town Beneath The Christmas Tree. In the spirit of Charles Dickens, the cousins are placed into an unfamiliar, upside-down world, where they are forced to deal with - and rely on - each other.

It is a typical holiday season at chaotic Chicago O’Hare when a few members of the large Alexander family waited to board flights - one to South Carolina and the other to Washington, DC. At the same time, a member of the Montgomery clan from the Pennsylvania mountains also waited for a delayed flight. Little did either family know or suspect, the effects from this first meeting would last forever. Family is everything to the Alexanders and the Montgomerys. Although they both come from farm backgrounds, they didn’t know each other or the histories involved.

Everything that you’ve always loved about Ruskin Bond is back. His mesmerizing descriptions of nature and his wonderful way with words - this is Ruskin Bond at his finest. Listen in as Rusty tells the story of his grandfather’s relationship with the trees around him, who’s convinced that they love him back with as much tenderness as he loves them.

José Luis no puede esperar a pasar sus vacaciones de otoño jugando Minecraft, su juego favorito, y la cosa por la que está más agradecido en el mundo. Pero un viaje a visitar familia en México interrumpe sus planes y José Luis está bastante desanimado. Cuando llega a México y conoce a su primo por primera vez, José Luis se da cuenta de que tal vez tiene más de que estar agradecido de lo que imaginó.

This is a story about families working together, teaching their kids farming and healthy eating, while enjoying the beautiful land in the sky.

The Town Around the Christmas Tree: Jacob’s Message is book five of the Twisted Family Holiday series. It brings the series full circle with the heroine Hailey Jade and her cousin Isaiah having another Christmas adventure. This story takes the two out of their grandfather’s home, on a walk, and finding mayhem that needs to be addressed before they can enjoy their Christmas Eve celebration.

These are a collection of poems that I wrote as a teen, young adult, newlywed wife, and mom. I hope you enjoy them, and always welcome and appreciate feedback from my listeners.

The Hornbeam Tree is a fast-moving, funny, passionate and heartbreaking story that travels the dizzying highs and lows of love, the scandalous manoeuvrings of greed and power and ultimately the unbreakable bond between a single mother and her teenage daughter.