Fantastic Side Trips

From Hero Support to Leading Roles Mranes loves life by the Wrynath Sea with her family. But her heart longs for the sky and adventure. Goresi faces one last challenge to reaching her dream. Noise and nonsense in her mind block the path. Tonn loves his difficult training as an airhorse rider. Conflicts with other riders proves the bigger challenge. Dyna experiences change and joy as a newlywed. A voice from the past haunts her mind. Selene Knight fiercely loves and protects her children. Her son Arch’s struggles shatter her own heart. Everyone needs support and friendship. Especially fictional heroes on the journey. But those side characters live fascinating lives of their own, all too often unexplored. What would they tell us if we listened? Join Kari Kilgore as she discovers the larger world of her Misfortune and Magic series. Includes five original Misfortune and Magic stories: Wings of the Heart, Footprints Along the Path, Trusting Their Magic, Lines of Strength and Grace, and The Difficulties Ahead. More from Fantastic Side Trips: When Dreams Find Wings Mranes’s heart and imagination yearn for the sky and adventure. And a glorious airhorse to take her there. What will she learn about herself and the life ahead of her, on one special night when magic and desire collide? Caught in Distraction, When She Needs Peace Goresi faces one last challenge with a mind and heart full of chatter and nonsense. And no time left for practice and patience. Will a visit to her own past help her discover the way? Pure Joy, and Fierce Competition Conflicts with other fledgling airhorse riders prove the biggest challenge for Tonn. Can he learn to overcome difficulties and trust himself? Escaping Her Own Past A mysterious voice from Dyna’s past haunts her mind and threatens her happiness. Will asking for help set her free, or send her deeper into madness? The Heartbreak of Acceptance Watching her son Arch struggle in silence shatters Selene’s own heart. Only trying to get others to help her fight for him hurts worse. Can she convince the ones who matter most to accept the truth and help Arch?

Learn about the human experience of loss of a loved one and coming to terms with the grief. A few years after losing his spouse, Bruce Walker spent the summer of 2012 touring Canada from Nova Scotia right across the country up to Dawson City and Whitehorse, Yukon. From there he traversed British Columbia, including his birthplace on Vancouver Island. With only his trusty Rav4, a foam mattress, his rooftop carrier and many memories, Bruce reconnected with places and people and even family he hadn’t seen in decades. And along the way he reconnected with himself and came to a life-altering realization: he was learning to live with the past rather than living in the past. Come along as Bruce explores Canada, revels in its beauty and finds his place in it as he enters the third act of his life – retirement and travel adventures. Bruce’s bucket list is a long one. And he keeps adding to it. But just maybe, you’ll find some of his destinations landing on your bucket list – like Tofino, Victoria, Nanaimo, Athabaska, Wawa, Thunder Bay, Gaspé, the 1,000 Islands…

The best road guide to the Old Line State, completely revised and updated. Maryland has so much to offer travelers and residents alike: world-class seafood, year-round recreation, and thrilling spectator sports. With this guide in tow, search scenic beaches for shark’s teeth, trace Civil War troop movements, track the heyday of the railroad, and visit lighthouses that have guided countless sailors through the Chesapeake Bay. This second edition includes all-new maps, color photography, and thoroughly updated information. All you have to do is jump in the car and let seasoned travel writer and Maryland-native Leslie Atkins be your guide. Drives include: Waters of the Chesapeake Bay Annapolis: Sailors’ State Capital Hidden Baltimore: A City of Neighborhoods Southern Tobacco Country

Heartache. Betrayal. Family. Suzanne and Paul arrive to settle a loved one's estate. The final, bittersweet step of saying goodbye. But an unpleasant surprise from an all-too-expected source awaits, leaving them both reeling. And angry. Will Suzanne take her chance to settle the score, no matter the cost to herself? An excerpt from The Last Twist in the Game: The Worst Possible Time for a Bad Surprise Suzanne nodded along with Paul, then stood and managed to smile and shake hands. She couldn't pretend she wasn't angry, and more worried than she wanted to admit. More about her husband than his thieving cousin. \Paul might put on a good face with a horrible situation like this, for a while. And he would get through to the other side. But after more than twenty years of marriage, she knew what kind of dark places he'd have to fight through to get there. Sure, moving forward sounded encouraging. Hopeful, even. Inspiring. It was the days, weeks, and possibly months before then that would test both of them to their limits.

Pure Joy and Fierce Competition Tonn thrills at the sight of airhorses, even after tough months as a rider-in-training. Knowing every day brings him closer to a pairing of his own. And the ultimate freedom of taking to the skies. But conflicts with other riders prove the bigger challenge. Can Tonn learn to overcome difficulties and trust himself? Also available in the collection Fantastic Side Trips: Side Characters Take Center Stage An excerpt from Trusting Their Magic: The Match That Defines a Lifetime Tonn jumped at Master Adur's sharp voice. "How did the airhorses learn the flight pattern we're observing right now? Tonn?" He was certain he knew the answer, but a rush of nerves sent his belly twisting anyway. "Same way landhorses do, or fish or fowl or anything else, Master. They're playing. Or at least that's how it starts out." "Exactly so." Master Adur's warm smile balanced out her sometimes harsh tones and fierce expressions. "The wild colony of airhorses not far from here does much the same every morning when the weather's fair. Have any of you had a chance to observe them in their own play?" Every hand shot up. Tonn took every chance he got to take the long walk out past Maestar's towering city wall, cutting through the low, wide passage out to the rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. He wasn't the only one who made the trip by the faintest light of dawn, hoping to catch a display even more breathtaking than the one over their heads.

An Impossible Task Filled with Love Michael faces an empty house full of countless memories close to his heart. Struggling to find the perfect touch for his beloved Auntie Ellen's farewell. How will he choose the best way to send her off in style, and with love? Also available in the collection Passages in the Real World: Six Stories of Life's Transitions An excerpt from On Choosing the Perfect Peach Dress: A choice too big for a broken heart "Peach, peach," he said under his breath, not sure why he was worried about the empty house hearing his shaky voice. "Peeeeeeeach. A simple peach dress." Maybe if he said it enough he'd find a way around the giant roadblock in his mind, in his heart. The one that kept reminding him that no matter which dress he chose, it would be the last one she ever wore. He was perilously close to fifty himself, and felt stable and sane most days. He didn't exactly need his auntie to wipe his little boy tears when he escaped from his stern parents, all too often confused by their overly sensitive youngest son. Or from the school and church that were determined to shove him into the correct social and career box, no matter badly his misfit edges pinched and scraped. But the reality of the loss of one of the most important people in his life still clenched up his chest and made his throat ache.

Drifting Through Noise When She Needs Peace Goresi reflects on her path to becoming an Honored Mage. Considering all the magical steps that delivered her so far. Facing one last challenge with a mind and heart full of chatter and nonsense. And no time left for practice and patience. Will a visit to her own past help Goresi discover the way? Also available in the collection Fantastic Side Trips: Side Characters Take Center Stage An excerpt from Footprints Along the Path: Discovering Her Own Way Forward A prickly aroma of delicately sweet magic alerted Goresi before someone spoke. "How did you do that?" She turned to see a short, slender girl with a head full of thick brown hair floating in the breeze. The girl's robe was an intense, rich orange. Only a couple of matching footprint shapes marked the ground around her. Her pale blue eyes were wide, but thank all the powers that be, her expression was more curious and admiring than upset. "I just...well, I figured out how to change the color is all." Goresi knew her cheeks were flaming red, but she wasn't sure why or what to do about it. She hadn't meant to show off or make anyone else feel bad. She was much too familiar with that kind of teasing behavior from her own family to want to pass it along to a stranger. A stranger who grinned and mouthed a silent wow as she took a few steps closer. Steps that didn't show up on the ground at all.