Blooming in the Broken PlacesFighting. Dreaming. Becoming.What if the very places meant to break you are where God grows you the most?In Blooming in the Broken Places, April Smith shares a raw, unfiltered testimony of survival, faith, injustice, and healing. From childhood trauma and family loss to racism in healthcare, domestic violence, grief, and spiritual warfare, this memoir traces the journey of a woman who refused to be silenced—or destroyed—by the systems an...

Grace Summer lands herself in a melon load of trouble when she becomes torn between the boy of her dreams and the boy almost next door. As the newly crowned Watermelon Queen, she is thrust into the spotlight, meets the dreamy Warren Hartley, and continues trying to get over an accident that rocked her world. Mix in working with Beau Baron who Grace happens to fight with just about as much as breathing and the metaphorical sparks fly.Like most things in life, Grace must learn to take...

Middle school is where futures take shape, and it is the responsibility of school communities to help every child realize their full potential during this critical time. Transitions are more than just logistical shifts—they're opportunities to foster resilience, independence, and growth in our students. Building on The Successful Middle School: This We Believe framework, this book is intended as a companion tool for schools developing multidimensional transition programs designed to meet t...

Are you struggling to achieve the goals you set for yourself? "Goal Crusher" stands as a beacon for those seeking to make their deepest aspirations a reality. Within its pages, readers embark on a transformative journey starting from understanding the very essence of goals. April Smith presents the 'Ideal Life Framework', offering a detailed blueprint to achieve holistic success. Rooted in a deeply personal 'Why', the book equips readers to delineate a vivid vision for their future. Centra...

Special Agent Ana Grey—intense, unpredictable, brilliant—returns in an electrifying new novel of suspense.Even on leave from the FBI, Ana can’t kick old habits: when she witnesses a drive-by shooting at an Italian restaurant in London, she helps the injured and gives testimony to the police. Still, it comes as a shock when, soon after, the Bureau contacts her—not because they want her to investigate the shooting, but because they want her to investigate the half sister she never kn...

The United States Congress in 1929 passed legislation to fund travel for mothers of the fallen soldiers of World War I to visit their sons’ graves in France. Over the next three years, 6,693 Gold Star Mothers made the trip. In this emotionally charged, brilliantly realized novel, April Smith breathes life into a unique moment in American history, imagining the experience of five of these women.They are strangers at the start, but their lives will become inextricably intertwined, al...

For the first time, author Lisa April Smith merges her proven skill at delivering unforgettable characters and page-turning suspense with historic fiction.Based on exhaustive research and set in the Chinese cradle of civilization, the Yellow River basin, Forgotten Tales of China is a sweeping saga of survival, sacrifice, indomitable perseverance, bravery, and betrayal. Starting forty thousand years ago with cave dwellers who communicate almost solely through sign language,...

All the twists, suspense, danger, crime, romance, and sizzle that kept readers of Exceeding Expectations turning the pages long into the night are back in Paradise Misplaced, along with Charlie, Jack, and Naomi—three unforgettable characters.In Manhattan, being recently dumped by her soulmate becomes the least of Charlotte (Charlie) Morgan’s problems after she is viciously pushed off a subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Her modeling career seems over, ...

The title for The Second Best Time comes from a Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” And it suits a story of three people at a crossroads in their lives: Jack Caine (a.k.a. Jack Morgan), former lothario and sometimes con man, now the owner of a successful gallery in the United Kingdom; his daughter Charlie (Charlotte) Morgan Francesco, thirty-two and an art consultant; and new to the series, Kat (Kathleen O’Connor Shir...

North Carolina possesses an astonishingly rich array of natural wonders. Building on this abundance, April C. Smith passionately seeks to open the world of nature to everyone. Her popular science guidebook features thirty sites across North Carolina that are perfect for exploration and hands-on learning about the Earth and the environment. A stellar group of naturalists and educators narrate each adventure, explaining key scientific concepts by showing you exactly where and how to look. Th...

"A beautifully illustrated and heartfelt animale tale!" -- Kirkus reviewsIt's hard to be the runt of the litter - unable to keep up with the others, unsure and insecure.Puppy Pickup Day is a rhyming story about a tiny Labradoodle pup who doesn't quite fit in. When he gets lost on the most important day of his life, he needs to overcome his insecurity and be brave. Will he make ...

On 21 March 2017, Associate Professor Teresia Kieuea Teaiwa passed away at the age of forty-eight. News of Teaiwa’s death precipitated an extraordinary outpouring of grief unmatched in the Pacific studies community since Epeli Hau‘ofa’s passing in 2009. Mourners referenced Teaiwa’s nurturing interactions with numerous students and colleagues, her innovative program-building at Victoria University of Wellington, her inspiring presence at numerous conferences around the globe, her feminist a...