Showing results by narrator "Sandra Murphy" in All Categories

When her tinsmith father and brothers head West, Polish immigrant Marie Kotlarczyk has no choice but to go along. Family, after all, is family. The Dakota Territories are anything but welcoming to the Kotlarczyks, and as the months trip by, Marie must pick up the hammers she’s secretly desired but also feared. When she faces the skeptical people of Flats Town, the demands of the local Army commander, and her public failures, her inner voice grows destructively, forcing Marie to decide exactly who she is and what it means to be a woman smith.

When Salem Grimes stumbles onto a dead body on her way to an AA meeting, she does what any self-respecting Christian would do - freaks out and screeches words that would make Jesus blush. However, learning her ex-husband, Tony, stands accused of the murder spurs Salem into action. Eager to help, she makes the bold decision to investigate the case as an amateur sleuth. What she lacks in skills, qualifications, or a general clue on how to find, well, clues, she makes up for with the genuine desire to help.

Intellectually, we all know it’s better for our babies, and instinctually, many of us want to do it. But our pregnant daydreaming does little to prepare us for the pain, frustration, self-judgment, and fear that we may experience by choosing to breastfeed. This audiobook is for every woman who found the truth of breastfeeding to be somewhat askew from her pre-baby fantasies, and for every woman who does not want to be taken by surprise by the latch - or lack there of. This audiobook is not intended for diagnosis, but for entertainment and commiseration.

Armed with Salem’s “Smart-Enuff” phone and Viv’s racing model Cadillac (with aggressive acceleration!), these two amateur super-sleuths set out to catch a gang of armed robbers terrorizing G-Ma’s neighborhood...if for no other reason than to stop G-Ma’s panic-stricken calls every time a car drives by.

Another day, another dead body. It's all in a day of the life of Salem Grimes. Salem Grimes figures even a God who works in mysterious ways wouldn’t resort to a dead body in a dumpster in answer to Salem’s prayers to help her stay on her diet - excuse me - strat-eat-gic plan. But a dead body in a dumpster it is, and now Salem and Viv, her octogenarian partner-in-crime-solving, are on the case once again.

Mothering with Courage provides guidance for mothers to self-reflect and dig deep to discover what is important to them from their own perspective. Only from that space can a mother discover how to be the best, most authentic mother for her child.

Visitors claim they feel summoned to Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, but can’t explain why. Residents say the same thing. Kitchen witch Reeva Long tried to leave many times, only to have fate call her back. Most recently, a year ago to settle her estranged late husband’s estate.

After a beautiful woman with ties to a local matchmaking service falls to her death on Valentine's Day, Franklin County demands answers. So when Captain Joe Davenport assigns the investigation to Detective Skylar Reid and Harvey Baker, it’s only a matter of time before trouble ensues. And when Harvey discovers the unscrupulous Callum Jackson may be behind it, nothing will stop him until he proves it, even if his witch hunt could cost him his marriage, his sanity, and his badge.

Zany families, eccentric friends, and ne'er-do-well neighbors inhabit the labyrinthine lives of three women friends as they grapple with real-world events in one "Golden Year". An unwelcome visit from local law enforcement, a younger friend's romantic chaos, and the death of a parent combine with daily mundanities - laundry, scones, and senior sex - to create a walloping, raucous listen.

Skylar Reid has spent her entire career hunting down fugitives as part of the country’s most elite task force. After losing her fiance in a tragedy six-months prior, it sent her world into a spin and caused her superiors to slam the brakes on. Now, with the big city in the rear-view mirror and the quiet Panhandle town of Carrabelle in her sights, Skylar takes a position as an investigator for the local sheriffs office and partners with an aging detective.

As Whispering Pines’ busiest tourist season ever draws to a close, Reeva Long, Ruby McLaughlin, and the other villagers are ready for things to quiet down. Instead, a break-in and a small fire set near Hearth & Cauldron puts everyone on edge. The only clue, a melted candle stub, gives the amateur sleuths little to work with. Soon other fires flare up, threatening the entire village, so Deputy Jayne O’Shea takes charge of the investigation. Can Jayne, with Reeva’s and Ruby’s help, catch the firestarter before someone gets hurt or worse?

In book three of this cozy culinary series, mystery author and part-time meddler, Anna Romano, opens her home to her detective boyfriend’s troubled brother, Scott. But the happy family reunion was over before it began when a body is found in her home, and Scott subsequently disappears. Was Scott somehow involved in the murder? While her boyfriend, John, and his partner investigate, Anna is mysteriously snatched. No one knows how or why Anna is kidnapped, except that it must have something to do with Scott. Will the detectives reach Anna in time?

Nikki Garcia’s company sends her to investigate fraud allegations at the Colombian affiliate. During the investigation, she grapples with high stakes, mega-money corruption while still struggling with the ghosts of her young son’s tragic death a few years earlier. As she conducts her audit, she connects accidental deaths to possible smuggling activities and suspects a much darker plot. After receiving a veiled threat to her life, she hires a former CIA operative to assist her. After she is kidnapped, she wonders if her romantic partner is part of the sinister plot.

On February 2, 2019, the skies over Maynardville, Tennessee, filled with the roar of four F/A-18F Super Hornets streaking overhead in close formation. In each aircraft were two young female flyers, executing the first all-woman Missing Man Formation flyover in Navy history in memory of Captain Rosemary Mariner - groundbreaking Navy jet pilot, inspiring commander, determined and dedicated leader - whose drive to ensure the United States military had its choice of the best America had to offer broke down barriers and opened doors for female aviators wanting to serve their country.

We know that our friendships increase our happiness, our health, and our longevity, yet people in the US have fewer close confidantes today than we did three decades ago. Even though there’s a huge amount of information in the media discussing these relationships, and our social media feeds run 24/7, most of us haven’t come up with a constructive approach to friendship. But learning to be a better friend is the first step to acquiring and cultivating better, more rewarding friendships.

Their new romance was going great, when all of a sudden, a simple trip to the grocery store turned into a wrestling match between two scorned women. Piquing her interest for a juicy story, Anna’s snooping to find out more about the seemingly "innocent" love triangle catapulted her into the middle of a murder investigation. The murder weapon of choice? A red stiletto…While the detectives are convinced the husband is the ‘killer’, it seems Anna’s faith in his innocence may be in vain, as additional bodies, and mistresses, keep piling up.

Seeing the future is a curse that Abigail Weston has carried her entire life. Knowing how and when someone will be hurt, or the whereabouts of missing people haunts her enough to move away from the town that no longer trusts her. When real estate developer Carson Stone meets the intuitive Abigail, he can't help but feel the connection to her and wonder if love at first sight is possible, especially since they share a passion for old buildings. She believes they all should remain, while he builds new ones in their place.

Nobody believed Pastor Matt raped her. The tight-knit religious community punished her when she spoke out and expected 15-year-old Mercy to repent for making false allegations. Instead, she ran. And somebody - her father? - beat Pastor Matt into a coma and left his wife for dead. Twenty-three years later, Iris has put a life together, transformed herself from runaway teen Mercy Asher to sought-after jewelry designer Iris Dashwood. But now that Pastor Matt's awake, she's sliding back, losing ground to the painful memories she's barely kept at bay.

In a post-cataclysmic world threatened by stinking ooze, a brave girl searches for her missing parents with the help of talking animals and evolving powers. When a mountain spirit challenges her to save the planet, she and a flying frog must overcome a magical, malicious castle of sand and a shapeshifter who wants her dead. But the protagonist in Waterwight isn't like the others. She's done with being shunned by those who refuse to discuss "The Event," the global catastrophe that changed the planet.

When a mysterious figure is seen floating and dancing in the field near their house, Jack and Sally decide to investigate. This decision will lead them to an exciting place far beyond their imagination, the home of Olga. Nothing in the clouds is as it appears, and in order to get home safely, Jack and Sally must first learn whom to trust, and find a way to believe in themselves. A story of spirit and imagination that the Online Book Club has described as "interwoven with comedy and deeper emotions of freedom and loneliness", Olga will delight all ages.