NOTE: A portion of the net proceeds of the sale of this title will be donated to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). From Afghans and Akitas to Yakutians and Yorkies, and everything in between, there’s a very special connection between dogs and their owners. Our four-legged friends put smiles on our faces, comfort us when we’re down and make us laugh with their antics. They aren’t just “man’s best friend” but a terrific companion to women, children and anyone in ne...

It doesn’t matter if a cat is an Alley Cat or a Turkish Van or anything in between, all cats have traits in common. They’re in turn, annoying and endearing, maddening and loving, where they shouldn’t be and purring on your lap. A cat will put a smile on your face when it’s most needed, cuddle up when you’re sad, and just when you think you can’t take one more thing, they’ll make you laugh out loud. Who could ask for a better companion? Bestselling author and editor Sandra Murphy (Peace, Lo...

An older woman is not limited to church, the grocery or Senior Center if she wants to meet a man, she can also invoke The Obituary Rule. The Rule states that following the publication of an obituary, there is a mandatory thirty-day waiting period before she can approach the widower in question. Be warned! Competition is strong and there are always claim jumpers who make first contact days early. Common opening salvos include (but are not limited to) offers of coffee, a home-cooked meal or ...

To the moon and back, here are 10 tales with a twist. The unlikely characters have one thing in common - they're ready and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. As the old saying goes, "You have to watch out for the quiet ones."From a quirky inventor, humored by his neighbors, to two old men out to dinner, to a more-than-meets-the-eye beverage maker, the stories will take you into the minds of the overlooked and unseen. Ignore them at your own risk.

This innovative resource provides teachers with a road map for designing a comprehensive writing curriculum that meets Common Core standards. The authors zero in on several “big ideas” that lead to and support effective practices in writing instruction, such as integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening; teaching writing as a process; extending the range of students’ writing; spiraling and scaffolding a writing curriculum; and collaborating. These “big id...

About the BookSusie the Rescue Dog tells the story of Susie, a puppy with no family other than her mom. Susie and her mom would love to find their fur-ever home, but for now they live on the beach and have to look for food every day. Their lives are changed forever when they meet a nice lady and go for a ride.About the AuthorSandra Murphy has always loved all animals, and even had a rescue dog named Daisy growing up. When it was time for Sandra and her husband to get ...

First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder features nineteen juicy tales of revenge, betrayal, bad breakups, and a few I dos and some I don'ts.Each short story takes ruthless relationships to an all-new level in all kinds of places like destination weddings, riverboat cruises, wineries, bachelorette parties, creepy stalkers, cheating spouses, and sneaky friends trying for their own version of happily ever after. So, settle in for some love stories with a twist of revenge...

In this book, authors Murphy and O’Neill propose a new way forward, moving away from high-stakes, test-based writing assessment and the curriculum it generates and toward an approach to assessment that centers on student learning and success. Reviewing the landscape of writing assessment and existing research-based theories on writing, the authors demonstrate how a test-based approach to accountability and current practices have undermined effective teaching and learning of writing. This b...

Through ideas and practices straight from the classrooms of outstanding teachers, this lively resource illustrates writing that makes an impact on a reader, a writer, or a cause—writing that everyone wants to read. The book is rich with student work that shows how writing can make things happen in the world. The authors provide ready-to-use lessons that include a full range of writing, including poetry, narrative, petitions, proposals, emails, self-reflections, long-term projects, and crit...

What do you call a group of writers tasked with penning tales of crime that must include animals and their collective names? It’s a wording of writers!This wording features twenty-one writers who share crimes stories with a surprising twist. No animals are harmed—the humans don’t fare so well.Here are the usual suspects:Jack Bates, Michael Bracken, Jeanne DuBois, Kaye George, EJ McFall, Kari Wainwright, John M. Floyd, Heidi Hunter, Jacqueline Seewald, Kathryn Gerwig, Earl Staggs, Marianne ...

Got performance? Seeking assets to manage? Frustrated by the youthful research professionals across the table who “just don’t get it” while seeming to control billions?Managers are often challenged by the process of asset gathering. Why doesn’t the market recognize the firm’s value? Where is the AUM? Here is a big idea—let’s ask these institutions why most managers do not have their assets and never will. These pages convey the responses of institutional investors worldwide to thes...

On a Lark (The Fidelia McCord Series, Book 2) In On a Lark, Fidelia McCord has become the only surviving child of John and Mariah McCord of Pond Springs. After having borne great loss and hardship in mid-nineteenth century Texas – where moments of jubilation and jeopardy carry a girl to womanhood – Fidelia knows the weight of her choices. At the same time, far away in North Carolina, the Maloney brothers, cooking mash into whiskey in the Appalachian mountains, are making t...