Sandcastles In The Sun

It's time for the summer sunshine and nine year-old Elisabeth Vanklewen and her best friend Eveline Brighton are ready. With a kids sandcastle contest that their town has organized and some tough competition, the castle building is going to be ""sandtastic"", for ""shore"". But when there are some 'fishy' goings on along the beach, it seems like the friends have another mystery to solve. After some ""sandsational"" sleuthing it becomes clear that only Elisabeth and Eveline (The Clue Duo) can solve the case. Join Elisabeth and Eveline along with their classmates, Brad and Colin, as the Clue Duo solves the case while having some fun in the sun.

Painter Honor Sullivan has made a life for herself and her three daughters–Regis, Agnes, and Cecilia–at Star of the Sea Academy on the magical Connecticut shore. Here she teaches art at the convent school’s beautiful seaside campus, over which Honor’s sister-in-law, mother superior Bernadette Ignatius, keeps a benevolent and watchful eye. No one could have foreseen the day rebellious Regis would come home with the stunning news that she was getting married. Nor could anyone have guessed how that sudden announcement would soon change all their lives forever. Eleven years ago, Honor thought she had the perfect home, the perfect love, the perfect life. Then her husband, brilliant photographer and sculptor John Sullivan, broke her heart–and tore their little family apart. Now, hearing of Regis’s impending marriage, John has ended his self-imposed exile and returned to the family he’s always loved more than anything on earth. What he finds is one daughter still hurting over his abandonment, another who barely remembers him, and a third who may be in more trouble than anyone knows. And then there is Honor herself–and a passion that may have been interrupted but that has never waned. Some things, like sandcastles, don’t survive the changing tides. But love, family, and friendship–just as fragile–have a way of standing against anything. It will take nothing short of a miracle to heal the rift between father and daughter, husband and wife, the past and the present–but a miracle is exactly what is in the works at Star of the Sea Academy. The only question is: Do you believe?

Tumaini is a poetry anthology written by Jade Novelist, that serves as a partial memoir, a dedication to his late son. In this anthology, Jade eloquently uses poetry to retell the story of his relationship with the mother of his son, the loss of his son, and his journey towards healing. A trip down memory lane; retelling the history of the two lovers, where love almost conquered all. It delves into the love, sex and vulnerability felt by Jade during his relationship and mourning. The anthology places emphasis on healing. It’s a reminder that sometimes the first step to healing, is acknowledging that you are in pain. Sometimes the pain goes away, sometimes it doesn’t but no matter what, you will get to live. Tumaini is for anyone who knows of loss. The loss of self, the loss of love and the loss of a loved one. Tumaini was written for those looking for Hope.

In Santa Claus, Satellites, Cellphones & Sinkholes in Spring Hill we see into the lives of a small Tampa Bay suburb and the lives of many of its residents. The author delves into many of the problems that confront it's residents almost daily, including such things as a large generation gap between many of the communities senior citizens and the millennial generation. Such things as cultural issues, religious issues, political issues; previous and present-day wars and revolutions and what they meant in the past and may mean in the future and government agendas pertaining to the enormous gap of wealth between societal groups are just some of those problems. Another larger problem turns out to be why it is that so many struggle in the computer generation while others do well only because they are so well-versed in the use and knowledge of satellites, cellphones and the digitally computerized gadgets that will make or break many a company, corporation and human being in the future. And, finally, the truth of what Christmas has been, is and should be takes center stage and if, and how it is that Santa Claus figures into this equation, by how much, and why and is it only children who can believe in Santa Claus?

A dazzling wordless picture book celebrates creative problem-solving, teamwork, and the sun-splashed wonder of a day at the beach. The creators of the acclaimed Over the Shop evoke a perfect summer beach day—and themes of creativity, cooperation, flexibility, and persistence—all without a word in this sun-warmed, salt-stained delight of a story. A busload of beachgoers spills out onto the sand for a day of fun and frolic. Three siblings begin work on a castle, patting and shaping the sand as the sun arcs over the sky. Time and again, their progress is halted: a windswept hat topples their creation; a toddler ambles through it; the tide creeps close, and then too close. Meeting each demolition with fresh determination, the builders outdo themselves time and again, until the moment arrives to pile back into the bus for home. An authentic portrait of sibling cooperation—and glorious inspiration for creative people of all ages—A Day for Sandcastles channels the thrill of surrendering expectations on the path to infinite possibility.

? Sandcastles in the Sun? is the first story in this series of four novellas featuring Julius '.J.D. ' Dickens and his partner Isaiah 'I-Hop' Hopkins. Dickens gets when his assistant, a 21-year-old first year law student, whose father, a police captain, is a close friend of J.D.'s, assures him that it's a simple ?open and shut case? paid for with department money. Now, Dickens has ?personal? reasons to take any case paid for with department money but soon finds that it's anything but and open and shut case. The Spearhead Case, ? ?A Heartbeat Away? and ?Saving Primo? are more of the same spine-tingling stories that will quickly interconnect with the one preceding it and keep the reading reading until the last page is turned.

The world seems to have figured out the formula for manufacturing material success, but when it comes to finding true, lasting happiness, we are as lost as ever. We yearn for more, or less, or something that’s just different from what we have right now.Deep down, we know there must be satisfaction for our longing. We just don’t know where to find it. In Sandcastle Kings, Rich Wilkerson, Jr. uses four powerful stories from the seventh chapter of Luke to explain why spiritual fulfillment cannot be found in ourselves, in other people, in material things, or even in religion. By studying the stories of the centurion’s faith, the resurrection of the widow’s son, Jesus’ message about John the Baptist, and the anointing by the woman with the alabaster jar, you will be able to face your doubts and insecurities and overcome your anxiety, discontentment, and depression. Wilkerson wants you to understand that the only answer for your spiritual bankruptcy is Jesus and that until you turn to him you will never experience the lasting peace and joy you so desperately crave.

“The first thing I need you to know is that becoming a teacher was the most important thing that ever happened to me.” With these words, Kaycee Eckhardt begins a journey both harrowing and hopeful: the story of becoming an effective teacher, and building a new school, in post-Katrina New Orleans. Beginning as a first year teacher, barely out of six weeks of training, the book follows her path from the New Orleans neighborhoods of Holly Grove, Algiers, Treme, and the 9th Ward. She takes us through four different schools, a destroyed bicycle, a half dead pit bull, a burlesque-dancer, spit and a concussion, broken light bulbs, a phonics lesson, and planting the seeds of literacy in the most dire of circumstances. With affection and brutal honesty, she relates the hilarity and tragedy of several children, the belief in all things possible, and finally, the most difficult decision of all. Filled with heartbreaking stories, teacher survival strategies, and an excess of heart, Katrina's Sandcastles is a story of sacrifice and struggle, belief and failure, despair and ultimate redemption in the heart of the Crescent City.