Two nights before Christmas, the city of New Stockford is so paralyzed by a blizzard that folks cant leave the downtown area to get home. Freezing from the icy wetness, eight strangers take shelter in the only building that is openan old chapel on DeLancey Street.Although the chapel has been closed for two years, now Old Ben, the caretaker, opens it so that stranded people might find warmth and peace in what was once an inspirational setting on a historic, now rundown street. Once ...

AN ORIGINAL SHORT STORY FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE NOVELS THE OPPOSITE OF ME AND THE UPCOMING SKIPPING A BEAT . . .Thirty-year-old Elise Andrews couldn’t bring herself to marry Griffin, her childhood friend turned sweetheart, so she let him walk away. Eight months after their breakup, she arrives in her hometown of Chicago on Christmas Eve and hears a voice from the past calling her name in the grocery store. It’s Griffin’s mother, Janice, who invites Elise o...

Don't let your past keep you from a full future.Like every girl, Sarah Jakes dreamed of a life full of love, laughter, and happy endings. But her dreams changed dramatically when she became pregnant at age thirteen, a reality only compounded by the fact that her father, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was one of the most influential megachurch pastors in the nation. As a teen mom and a high-profile preacher's kid, her road was lonely. She was shunned at school, gossiped about a...

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Cheer will warm readers’ hearts and spread the wonder of the holiday season with its tales of love and joy. A fantastic holiday gift for the young and young at heart.Everyone loves Christmas and the holiday season. We reunite scattered family members, watch the wonder in a child’s eyes, and feel the joy of giving gifts. The rituals of the holiday season give a rhythm to the years and create a foundation for our lives, a...

Jennifer has always been a wallflower, so when Mike Palmer flatters her—and asks her out—she feels on top of the world. But Mike's a sports nut, and soon Jennifer feels like she's playing second fiddle to every sport televised. Her ultimatum has Mike reconsidering their relationship. But it's after they elope when Jennifer’s problems really begin and she discovers the man she thought she’d known may have ulterior motives for making her his bride.Tonya Thomas writes stories about is...

A spin-off of Finding ZachBrian McCarthy is a cynic who hates Christmas, doesn't keep in touch with his family, and likes quick hookups and faster goodbyes. The only real relationship he's ever been in was with the subject of his best-selling book, "Caged," a young man held hostage for five years. Unfortunately, it was entirely one-sided, since Zach was already involved with someone else.So the last thing Brian expects when he goes in for treatment...

"[Offering] poetry, sex, Catholicism, drugs, class, and sexuality . . . Myles's hard-talking, lyrical autobiographical novel" is available for a new generation (Deborah Levy, The New Statesman ).In this breathtakingly inventive autobiographical novel, Eileen Myles transforms life into a work of art. Told in her audacious voice, made vivid and immediate in her lyrical language, Chelsea Girls cobbles together memor...

When Jill McCorkle feels a short story coming on, she goes right ahead and "wastes" wonderful ideas instead of hoarding them for a novel. The result is another extraordinary collection of stories and characters. In "It's a Funeral! RSVP," the storyteller is a woman who takes up self-styled "careers" that suit her circumstances. Now she's stumbled onto one that's so successful that she just can't quit. It's planning funerals, what she calls Going Out Parties, in which the clients are the so...

Speaker and humorist Karen O’Connor (Gettin’ Old Ain’t for Wimps, more than 245,000 copies sold) takes a lighthearted look at the perils of growing older. In this engaging collection of short stories, Karen shares what she and her fellow senior citizens have experienced that make the golden years an enjoyable time of laughter with a touch of humorous chagrin. These stories, that include ordering a Coke and fries at the bank drive-thru to having to admit their ages to get senior di...

When mutant bad guy Kingston Cobre needed a safe place to hide out from the law,a rich kid's birthday bash was last on his list of best bets.Lucky for him,a desperate need for entertainment and his reptilian looks got him an instant invite. Just how good that luck was proved to be doubtful as Kingston wasn't the only party guest with a hidden agenda and special powers...From the author of The Hench Woman's Handbook comes The Chronicles of Copper Boom,a five part series that...

Ever wonder what Santa does with all those letters? (And all those cookies?) After a particularly long, cold night staring at nine smelly reindeer butts, the old man lets loose with the real answers to those stupid, whiny, hard-to-read letters from kids. Turns out, we really do get what we deserve.Dear Billy,I know you honestly believe that the good deeds you rattled off represent your behavior for the entire past year rather than the activities that occurred during the two h...

From the bestselling author of Gettin Old Aint for Wimps (more than 300,000 copies sold) comes a funny, heartwarming look at being a grandma. More than 80 stories based on real-life experiences express the wonderfully humorous joy of interacting with grandkids. Karen OConnor, grandmother of 14, says, “Grandkids keep us youthful, humble, and wide-awake! They also keep us praying!” Each two- to three-page story ends with an encouraging Scripture and a brief prayer thanking God for the gift o...