Stars Over Clear Lake

Mesmerizing and romantic, Stars Over Clear Lake transports readers to the Surf Ballroom, where musical acts became legends in the 1940s and which holds the key to one woman’s deepest secret. Lorraine Kindred’s most cherished memories are of the Surf Ballroom, the place where youth lost themselves to the brassy sounds and magnetic energy of the big band swing, where boys spent their last nights before shipping off to war—and where Lorraine herself was swept away by a star-crossed romance. Returning to the ballroom for the first time in decades, Lorraine enters a dazzling world she thought long vanished. But as the sparkling past comes to life, so does the fateful encounter that forced her to choose between her heart and her duty all those years ago—and Lorraine must face the secret she’s buried ever since. Along the way, she’ll rediscover herself, her passion, and her capacity for resilience. Set during the 1940s and the present and inspired by a real-life ballroom, Loretta Ellsworth’s Stars Over Clear Lake is a moving story of forbidden love, lost love, everlasting love—and self love.

A runaway seeks Harper Lee for answers Sometimes the things that need to be discovered aren't so easily found at home. Erin is certain that this is true in her case. A book is all that connects Erin to her mother, who died when she was a baby. But how much can Erin really learn about her mother from a tattered copy of To Kill a Mockingbird? On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Erin decides it's finally time to find out. And so begins her bus journey from Minnesota to Alabama in search of Harper Lee, the reclusive author of To Kill a Mockingbird. In a novel full of quirky characters, strange coincidences, and on-the-road adventures, In Search of Mockingbirdby Loretta Ellsworth deftly traces a unique voyage of self-discovery, perfect for fans of To Kill a Mockingbirdand Go Set a Watchman. “Light, contemporary quest story . . . Suggest this as a follow-up to Lee's classic novel.” —Booklist “Erin's journey of self-discovery gives her the courage to confront her own failings and the maturity to accept her father's plans to marry. . . . Readers will root for her while reaching for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird.” —Publishers Weekly "Ellsworth makes Erin's unlikely coming-of-age trip convincing. Designed to look like an old journal, the story's searching-for-mother theme should make it especially appealing to older fans of Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn Dixie (2000) and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice Books. An engaging road trip." -Kirkus Reviews

The moving story of a young girl's struggle to face her mother's death. "She traveled to our small white house near the Iowa border on a buckboard, her green bag caked with the dusty road . . . I knew that she was called "the Shrouding Woman" because I'd heard Papa use those words to describe her. I didn't know what it meant but I knew it had something to do with death." It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie's Aunt Flo-herself a shrouding woman-comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman's ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother's recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie's life, her strong and sensitive presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl's home. Set in the mid-1800s, this beautifully written story, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, touches on death and healing with sensitivity and quiet dignity.

Baxter Green isn't like everyone else. While most people would forget about the little details of everyday life, Baxter never forgets-not pain, not hurt, not embarrassment. In fact, Baxter never forgets anything-including a string of account numbers, flashed before his eyes by his mother's criminal boyfriend, Dink, for use in a credit card scam. Years after his testimony has locked Dink away, Baxter and his mother are in a new town, trying to forget the danger Dink brought into their lives. Baxter wants to hide his unique ability, but it becomes increasingly more difficult when he reconnects with Hallie, a girl from his childhood who has lived on in his memory long after she has forgotten him. Can Baxter win Hallie's heart? Loretta Ellsworth's newest novel is one readers will never forget.

St. Martin’s Press has established the careers of countless bestselling authors over the years, such as Jonathan Tropper, Dan Brown, Augusten Burroughs, Louise Penny, Lev Grossman, and many more. Find out who is next . . . with St. Martin's First! The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable, Some Bright Morning, I'll Fly Away by Alice Anderson, The Atlas of Forgotten Places by Jenny D. Williams, The Wardrobe Mistress by Meghan Masterson, The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka, The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash by Candace Ganger, According to A Source by Abby Stern, Stars Over Clear Lake by Loretta Ellsworth.

Clear Lake seems like the perfect little country town. To those that visit, it seems to be a touch of heaven. Beautiful mountains are set next to a clear blue lake with houses, stores, and the remnants of the old mill. To Luke Mills, the town is hiding a dark secret. From the time he is four to the time he leaves his parents house to start his own family he fights unseen forces that seem bent on destroying him. Strange unexplained deaths, disappearance of people, rape, incest, witchcraft all come into play in Luke's life. He searches for answers to what is really happening in town as he comes in contact with those that are behind the deeds. He comes to believe that the demons that reside in Clear Lake have most blinded to the truth. He fears that he himself has become one of those demons. Not until he is out of Clear Lake at the age of 30 does he come face to face with his demon and the dark lies are made clear.

For fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Lurlene McDaniel, In a Heartbeat explores the ties of family and the weight of regret when a mistake costs Eagan her life during a figure-skating competition. Left in the afterlife, reflecting on what she could have done differently, Eagan's still-beating heart is given to Amelia who has been waiting patiently for a transplant. When their thought, feelings, and dreams begin to mysteriously overlap, Amelia knows she must search for Eagan's family and find a way to give them all the closure they need move on.

In the first of three linked stories, a young boy and his grandfather set out in a birchbark canoe early one spring morning. Together, they discover the peaceful beauty of the lake. In the second story, the sun rises high in the summer sky as they climb a rocky cliff for a bird's-eye view of the land. And, finally, as an autumn night descends, they venture into the woods. Under the patient and gentle guidance of his grandfather, the boy gradually comes to respect the ways of nature and to understand his own place in the world.