The story begins when Gabrielle Ashley and her friend Morgan Peterman open Sunlea Studios Art Gallery. They feature some well-known artists and many new aspiring artists. Located in the heart of New York City, with travels taking them to California, and then an invitation to show in Italy, this all solidifies an already lucrative enterprise. Engaged to Andrew, a computer programmer, Gabrielle has never quite realized the genuine romance so many of her friends talk about. Both busy with their careers, she and Andrew seem settled as a twosome without that spark of emotion his fiancee’ sometimes yearns for. In the midst of all this, Gabrielle receives a gift of a stunning jeweled pendant delivered to her door. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by a note threatening her very being. The life journey she envisioned and planned for abruptly changes course as the threats progress to stalking. Audrey Svec has been writing since her young teenage years, her vanity drawers stuffed with essays, poetry, and stories. 

She is also a long time watercolor artist winning acclaim in Alaska and Midwest art shows.  Audrey lives in upstate New York in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains on Lake Champlain, where she is currently writing her next book. Having grown up in the poorest of conditions, Jessica Reyes marries Bob Barron, a young rancher from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He takes her to live with his family until he can build their own ranch and home. During this time, Jessica gets her high school diploma, learns how to run a ranch household, and has a son named Bobby. Over the years, Jessica’s faith and determination get her family through many amusing and heartfelt situations. Steven Carter struggles through medical school while Jenna, his wife, becomes a teacher. Years later, they move their family to the Rio Grande Valley, where family and friends celebrate with them during joyous occasions and support them during times of hardship. The Barron and Carter families become acquainted and eventually, Bobby Barron marries Steven and Jenna’s daughter, Breena.

The young couple faces many challenges until they meet one that causes both families to struggle with new beginnings and the meaning of true families. After teaching for 34 years, Barbara Merta retired and focused her attention on a bucket list that ended with “Write a book”.  After several years, she made her dream come true and wrote the heartwarming novel, “True Families”. Local Author, Susan LeMiles will entertain us with tales, bloopers, and little-known facts about the Valley’s role in the American Civil War that are not fit for the museums. In a recent interview, Susan said, “Times may have changed, but human nature has not. I’ll try to keep my tongue out of my cheek when I talk about some of these people.  The Civil War was a serious and tragic time for America; but the personalities, motivations and chicanery of some of the individuals involved are truly – inspiring.” This fun interactive presentation, Shenanigans on the Rio Grande, was born out of Susan’s research for her second novel set in Port Isabel and Bagdad, Mexico. 

The audience gets to decide who was a thief, who was a villain, who wanted to be a “rock star,” who was an idiot, and who was a true patriot. Susan grew up in San Benito, and the historical fiction she writes reflects an insight into our blended culture that is not exactly Texan or Mexican.  Her first novel, Touch the Mayan Moon, is set in the 1960’s. It is a suspenseful romantic story of a migrant worker and a Valley businessman that takes readers from the mainland, to South Padre Island to the Yucatan.  made to measure curtains barnstapleIt is available at Paragraphs and online.trax shower curtain rod Friday February 17th, 2017   2 to 4 PMweathermate stripe insulated stripe grommet top curtain pairs

Book discussion, reception and signing with Mary “Norski” Gorball Paragraphs is pleased to have a return visit by Mary Gorball for the release of her seventh book in her memoir series of growing up in Iowa. Joining her 6 other books, “Close Your Eyes & Picture This”, “Color Me Aqua”, “ABCD Chickens”,   “Apples, Apples, etc.,etc.”, “Taking My Nickel to Town”, “Toasting My Clothes”, “Where My Dolly Lives” marks the 7th book in the series.carina eyelet lined textured woven curtains Dolly liked Aunt Mabel and Uncle Leonard’s country farm best, because we got to live on a “treehouse”.  in cab curtains vosaAt the southeast corner of Aunt Mabel and Uncle Leonard’s front yard, next to their dusty gravel road, they had wrapped and fastened their front yard fence around the bottom of a big old cottonwood tree.  social shower curtain kopen

That big old cottonwood tree in their front yard must have gotten damaged in a big wind or maybe it just gave up and died of its old age.  I do not know.  Somebody sawed that big old cottonwood tree right off at the top of the fence height.  The tree had grown n their front yard enough years to make a terrific cottonwood platform.  Our tree home was pretty near three feet across.  Three feet wide was the perfect size for Dolly and me to begin our tree house living.  kellys curtains south elmsallThe fence became our handy wire stairway to the top.                                                            What happy summer days. When my children gave me a “Grand Parents” book, my memories did not fit, so I began to write them down in little booklets.  After much encouragement, I decided to publish under the name Marianne, the way my older sisters taught me to spell my name for school.