The Bright Tara

This is the story of Tara Cochrane, who had been Hod's captain during World War II. Tara had returned from Europe to study medicine and start a practice, only to collapse with a severe nervous breakdown. Hod finds him in the hospital, scarcely recognizable as the tough commander who had slogged it out beside his men through France, Germany, and Austria. When the time comes for Hod to leave the hospital, he persuades Tara to go with him in the hope that the peace of the hill country will effect a cure where medicine has failed. On Piney Ridge, Tara meets Jory, a minister of the Church of the Brethren of Christ, a sect popularly know as the White Caps because of the little caps worn by the women members. Jory's selfless love for humanity helps Tara to rise above his despair and even accept the hopelessness of his love for Mary Pierce. Tara accompanies the young lay preacher as he goes among the hill people, ministering to the sick and helping with simple neighborly chores. This work opens a path to a life of fulfillment and serenity. Healed himself, Tara can now go on to heal others. Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is told in Janice Holt Giles: A Writer's Life.

With her stepsister trying to exact revenge on her, Tara turns to Lord Yama and his deadly conch for help, but she has only twenty-four hours to defeat her enemies or she may have to return to the World of the Dead forever.

Tara is happily delivering heart-wish messages from Segwin, the head sorcerer of the Faerie Realm, when she learns about the evil that awaits her and her team of helpers--the faeries, elementals, and elves. The Insorrents, an enchanted group of boars that appear as dogs, swoop in and capture or kill their prey. Segwin has seen their plans through his magic mirror. Now the carefree days have changed into fear and dread. At fifteen, Tara had been sent to the Faerie Realm, just like other girls before her. She would remain there being of service for one hundred years. Luckily, when she returns to Mu, her home, she and everyone else would only be one year older. After doing this rewarding work for five years, Tara is overjoyed when suddenly a girl appears exiled from earth, and their relationship grows just as the danger becomes all too present. Some malevolent energy haunts Tara as she walks in the dark forest, delivering her messages. Finding out that the presence is Monomer, the wicked wizard who is responsible for creating the Insorrents and possibly other evil entities, is too much to bear. Tara is faced with challenges beyond her imagination. Would the Insorrents capture the team, putting an end to the heart-wish service? Does Tara have the strength and creativity it will take to continue this work, or will she succumb to her fears?

When a flood overwhelms her village, Tara enlists the help of her old friends the fairies and the Unicorn to help save a boy from drowning. Learning from this event, Tara undertakes a special mission to clean up the oceans. By organizing her school and with the help of politicians, Tara successfully builds a campaign to raise public awareness about environmental concerns. The fourth adventure in a magical series, this imaginative story creates clear discussion points allowing parents and teachers to talk to children about actions and consequences while offering ideas on ways to interact with and protect the earth.

Sunshine Girl needs math lessons… Nineteen-year-old Tara Muvvala didn’t mean to lead a double life. But her bone-deep aversion to math + a soul-deep desire to please her mother = her failing math grade + exploding food vlog ‘this masala life’. Enter her mother’s research intern and resident math genius Farah Ahmed. Tara makes a deal with Farah - help her pass the math course and she’ll welcome Farah into the local Bollywood Drama & Dance Society. Grumpy girl gets life lessons… After losing her mom to a heart attack, dumping her small-minded boyfriend (she’s bisexual, not confused) and reluctantly moving to the US to be near her dad - all in the span of eighteen months, twenty-three-year-old Farah has hit the full quota on LIFE. Two things keep her going - her internship with a brilliant statistics professor and the possibility of meeting her dancing idol through the Bollywood Drama & Dance Society. That is, if her new hot-mess housemate will let her. Soon Tara and Farah are bonding over chicken biryani, dancing to Bollywood Beats at midnight and kissing... against all the odds. And maybe beginning to realize that while life’s even more complicated than math, love is the one variable that changes everything! Will they realize that together they have the recipe for a Happily Ever After?

The second among the Mahavidyas or Goddesses of Wisdom, Tara, is a form of Adishakti, the tantric manifestation of the Goddess Parvati. Here we examine the unique attributes of this great Tantric Goddess, the Buddhist, and Hindu traditions that have evolved around Her. We introduce the reader to Her mythologies, Her Kali like non-conformance to society, the devotional worship of her perennial cults and followers, and the temples dedicated to the Bright Goddess Tara.

Exploring new chapters in the magical world of Tara and her articulate pet, the third installment of this delightful series broaches several important topics for schoolchildren. Though Tara’s life with Ash-ting the talking kitten is never boring, she could never have dreamed of the wondrous journey that she was destined to take the day she met a unicorn. When Tara encounters a local bully, she uses the help and guidance of these two talking creatures to help not only the victim, but also the bully. As the team finds exciting ways to raise money for a village swimming pool, Tara learns valuable lessons about community building and inclusiveness. Offering guidelines and discussion points for parents and teachers, this story uses a fun premise to teach children about the dangers of bullying and the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and behavior.

A levelheaded Christian man by the name of Ralph meets a Christian woman by the name of Kathleen, who is hyped up on pixies being real people. Ralph overlooks her enthusiasm for pixies and starts a relationship with her. One afternoon, while walking in the botanical garden, Ralph discovers an injured pixie and nurses her back to health. Tara the Pixie tells Ralph that Kathleen is nothing but a gold digger and will ruin his life. Things begin to heat up when the lovesick pixie transforms herself into a normal woman and makes plans to get Kathleen out of Ralphs life and uncovers a plot to enslave the pixies, who live in a secret valley.