Quite Contrary

The unusual thing about the collection Quite Contrary is the range of subgenre. Although these are all crime stories, each is vastly different in its approach to the crime. One story, A Step Above The Beasts, borders on horror, following the actions of a highly ethical murderer. Time, The Thief, which is set in a piazza in Italy, shows the power of imagination, and comes dangerously close to being a romance. In several of the stories, notably Five Points Of View, who the bad guy is may come as a surprise or even remain a mystery. There is humor here and even a bit of parody, as in Detour On Mean Street, the dilemma of a hard-boiled PI caught up in a cozy. These stories have appeared in seven different publications. Two of them (Quite Contrary and The Plot Thickens) won contests and one (Quite Contrary) has since appeared in a mystery anthology printed in Japan. Boson Books also offers the full length mysteries Our Fathers and Now Mourn the Space Cadet by John Chabot. For an author bio, photo and a sample read, visit www.bosonbooks.com

An adaptation of a nusery rhyme

Looking for a fresh start, advice columnist Sissy Yoder heads to small-town Yoder, Kansas, to help in her aunt’s café. But when a milkman is murdered, the newcomer becomes the prime suspect . . . After Sissy’s rodeo cowboy boyfriend turns out to be more of a rodeo clown, she packs a bag; picks up her Yorkshire terrier Duke; and leaves Tulsa, Oklahoma, bound for her parents’ former hometown. There are still plenty of Yoders in Yoder, Kansas, including Sissy’s aunt Bethel, who owns the Sunflower Café but recently broke her leg. It’s a homecoming of sorts as Sissy arrives to help in the café and reunite with her pregnant cousin Lizzie. Plus she can continue to secretly write her newspaper advice column as seventy-year-old “Aunt Bess.” But it’s Sissy who could use some advice when she finds the milk deliveryman out behind the café with a knife in his back. As the sheriff’s prime suspect, it’s up to Sissy to catch the backstabber herself—before someone else gets creamed . . .

How do you cope with family conflict that seems so overwhelming you don't know where to turn? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are more than twenty million people with Bipolar Disorder. Gayle Carson Lagman-Creswick believes there are millions more who go undiagnosed, at least for a good part of their life-people like her daughter Mary, who wasn't diagnosed with the disorder until well into her thirties.From violence to hospitalization to prison, Lagman-Creswick shares her experiences with Mary and the roller coaster of emotions and struggles that leads to her daughter's Bipolar Disorder diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Through a combination of tenacity, determination, and patience, Lagman-Creswick learns how to balance the daily demands of a career and raising six kids.Mary Quite Contrary is a beautiful story of how one family overcame the crippling effects of mental illness with unconditional love. The determination and the ability to forgive by both mother and daughter is an inspiration to anyone dealing with family members or friends who may have a mood disorder.

The secret of having an adventure is getting lost. Who ever visited an enchanted kingdom or fell into a fairy tale without wandering into the woods first? Well, Mary is lost. Mary is lost in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and that is a cruel and murderous story. She's put on the red hood and met the Wolf. When she gives in to her Wolf's temptations, she will die. That's how the story goes, after all. Unfortunately for the story and unfortunately for the Wolf, this Little Red Riding Hood is Mary Stuart, and she is the most stubborn and contrary twelve-year-old the world has ever known. Forget the Wolf's temptations, forget the advice of the talking rat trying to save her—she will kick her way through every myth and fairy tale ever told until she finds a way to get out of this alive. Her own way, and no one else's.

In early-nineteenth-century New England, folks considered a clean chin a sign of godliness. Born into this buttoned-up, strict society, Joseph Palmer stood out from childhood as someone who liked to do things his own way. A friend to Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Alcotts, Palmer lived by his own code and grew a belly-flowing beard that made his neighbors so crazy that they tried forcibly to shave him. He fought back and ended up in prison for a year. His cause became a local sensation, and a few short decades later a president of the United States—Abraham Lincoln—would wear a beard. Narrated with the charm of a tall tale, this true story celebrates the long American history of nonconformity and encourages children to question social rules they may take for granted. Praise for Quite Contrary Man “She [Hyatt] cleanly lays out a morality tale that could prompt a healthy civics lesson. Brown's arch illustrations, in watercolor with pen and ink, nicely capture 19th-century New England.” –Kirkus Reviews “Brown’s warmhued watercolors reiterate the folk yarn feel with rustic touches. A spirited introduction to an iconoclastic 19th-century activist.” –Publishers Weekly

The award-winning debut novel from the author of Venus Flaring and Tenterhooks. Elizabeth, a young, overworked hospital doctor, gets a phone call from her father late on a Friday night telling her that her mother is dangerously ill. Over the course of the weekend that follows, Elizabeth, on duty as ever and confronting the barely controlled chaos of a busy casualty ward, finds moments to reminisce about her childhood, its joys and its miseries. Past and present are interwoven in a series of vivid tableaux, drawing the reader into an intimate understanding of Elizabeth's life as a whole.

BOOK ONE in A Fairy Awesome Series I thought I had years before I'd have to ascend to the Seelie throne, but all that went out the window when my Uncle Rowan decided to abdicate early. Ugh, I don't wanna! I mean, I know I have no choice, but can't a girl have a little fun before she has to spend the rest of her life with a stick up her ass? Not to mention, I'm a nymph and I haven't even lost my v-card yet. Yeah, a trip to Earth is a must. I'll have a little loose fun, if ya know what I mean, and then I'll come back. I swear. When Ell finds out she has one year before she'll have no choice but to ascend, she decides a little trip to Earth is in order. She finds herself working in a bar in a little town in Texas where she meets Mr. Hottie McHotterson himself. Unfortunately, her sexcapade vacay goes sideways when she gets a new boss and finds out the UnSeelie are plotting to kill her uncle. A Fairy Awesome Story is a medium-burn RH. Ell collects men/fairies as the series progresses!WARNING: Themes of abuse, steamy sex scenes, and adult language."Amazing from cover to cover" Mel Bake Reviews"Grab your wine, it's about to get HOT!!! Grassy Reviews"Cue Nelly's 'It's Getting Hot In Here'" Chelsey DiBacco"Ellie Aiden did it again!" Morgan Adams, Author