This simple instruction book takes you step by step, from the wake-up call to the evening prayers, and will help you do the "right things" to raise healthy, happy kids.

An anthology by writers in good company.

In Long Shadows, a mining engineer and his descendants are caught up in events spanning the American continent and beyond. The adventure begins after Horrace Braddick receives a telegram during a poker game in Alaska. Ling Chow, a mysterious and powerful figure needs his help to blast a tunnel through a mountain. Ling Chow is in possession of a vast fortune in ancient gold bars hidden in a mountain cave. The gold could save the United States from bankruptcy during the Panic of 1895— if it can be moved to New York in time.As the story unfolds in the 1890s, Ling Chow and J.P. Morgan, the wealthy 19th century financier, outline a plan to transfer the gold by rail across the country. Later, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges (a famous explorer) challenges and complicates the lives of the Braddick family when the mysterious artifact, known as the Crystal Skull, is taken to ruins in British Honduras where it is stolen. By the 1960s, all that remains of the Braddick name is a house known as Braddick Manor, an abandoned Victorian mansion at the edge of a small town. Three of the town’s children begin to piece together the tale of Horrace Braddick and the family’s incredible history as they explore the house he built. The family’s remarkable story unfolds as they find clues while exploring an ancient cave and by searching dusty books, faded photos, bundles of letters and telegrams discovered in an old trunk in a storeroom at Braddick Manor. This fictional tale shines new light on a few of history’s most unique characters and the circumstances that surrounded them.

Easygoing Jerry Slider is about to experience his lifelong dream of exploring some of the Polynesian islands on a 30-day cruise. What begins as a grand adventure, gets an immediate twist when his beloved wife refuses to go. Instead, she insists Jerry take her longtime friend, Rhonda Russell, who had always wanted to visit these stunning tropical islands. But Rhonda quickly proves to be a difficult and unpredictable cruise-mate who adds many outrageous, hilarious situations for him. Everyone knows someone like Rhonda Russell, an abrasive know-it-all. But they probably haven't had to take a long cruise to the remotest places on earth, sharing the same cabin. This laugh-out-loud yarn, spun against a backdrop of the South Pacific, provides a fun, exhilarating read. Jerry strives to explore remote tropical lagoons and meet exotic peoples, while struggling to avoid the snares and pitfalls on-board the Tahiti-bound Pacific Star.

Who hasn't dreamed of traveling with a carnival? It probably sounds like it would be a lot of fun. Riding the rides, playing the carnival games and eating the food you can only find at the the county fair... It is every kid's dream. Fair Days and Carnival Nights is the story of a summer in 1990 that I spent traveling with the All Alaskan Racing Pigs from California to Alaska and back. It is a journal of the author's experiences and features color photos from that exciting summer. Although the incredible scenery in Alaska, California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Nevada should really be experienced first hand. Perhaps this book will open the door for your own Fair Days and Carnival Nights.

Magic and mystery captivate in this fairy tale as an enchantress, Vera, and a sardonic wizard, Manix, rule the Forbidden Forest, using the vines of the forest to capture those who wander into it. However, their secrets become unraveled when an apprentice, Lance, and a nobleman, Terrence, investigate the mysteries of the forest and discover the source of its power. It is up to them to outwit the unseen forces and return the forest to its natural state as they are challenged by deception, enchantment, and lost discoveries.

Do you like quirky, snarky humor and adventure? Hold on to your hat. This story's loaded with mystery, suspense, and laughs; it takes you to faraway places... What to do when you discover you have misjudged a friend and hurt a love one? In some cases, flowers are simply not enough. Helen Slider wanted to make things up to her husband, Jerry, for having ruined his previous cruise to the South Pacific. She surprises him with a voyage to Central and South America to enjoy all by himself. Jerry is ecstatic with the opportunity of seeing his longtime bucket-list dream, the still-mysterious Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. But there are a great many more surprises in store for Jerry on this exotic cruise from San Diego to Peru. Follow the intrigue, mayhem and rollicking fun aboard the Peruvian Star. Share in the fascinating adventures of Jerry, his hapless sidekick Max, and their small tour group. Explore the eastern jungles of Guatemala and the subtropics of Mach Picchu, Peru. This thrilling story, a sequel to the author's Wrath of Rhonda, will captivate you with scenic splendor, spark your imagination and hold you in suspense to the very end...don't miss the Road to Machu Picchu.

Twelve year-old Lacey loves horses. Everyday, she goes to Second Chance Ranch to take riding lessons and hang out. But, when money gets tight for Lacey and her mom, Lacey believes she will no longer be able to ride. Her dream of having her own horse is lost, until Miss Liz, the owner of the ranch, surprises Lacey with a horse named Penny. Lacey gets her dream horse, and all goes well until Penny ends up missing. Lacey discovers the kindness of others as she searches for Penny.

In 1860, the Pony Express revolutionized the U.S. Mail service with young riders carrying mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in ten days. Ride along with fourteen-year-old Thomas Cummings as he becomes a rider for the Pony Express, enduring the risks and challenges many riders face. But, his journey doesn't end there. When he reaches California, he has another mission: to find his missing father as the nation teeters on civil war. Riding the Pony Express is a story of courage, determination, and heart, which is what it took to be a Pony Express rider.

Having spent ten years as Jayne Mansfield's press secretary, Raymond Strait knows intimately both the public image and the private person that were Jayne Mansfield. Sitting through hundreds of hours of interviews and private conversations -- not only with Jayne but also with her husbands, her lovers, and her children -- gave Ray the opportunity to present a revealing portrait of the woman. He records her drive for fame and success and her overpowering need to be loved and to love, needs that led her into numerous affairs with rich and powerful men -- including President John F Kennedy -- and with younger men from all walks of life. And he discusses frankly Jayne's ultimately successful plan to become pregnant by Nelson Sardelli because she wanted to have an Italian child. Know to millions as the consummate sex symbol who rivaled Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield received more press coverage than anyone else in Hollywood. The headlines were often sensational, causing society matrons and Baptist ministers to shake their heads and point their fingers. But under those sensational headlines there was a woman of greater complexity that any reporter could hope to understand. Strait goes below the surface to examine Jayne's emotions and motivations, revealing the truth about her many lovers, her three unsuccessful marriages, her love affair with Mickey Hargitay that lasted to the end and her battle against and her surrender to alcohol and drugs.

**This biography was originally published in 1983 and has not been updated. Any events after 1983 are not included.** Best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce on the award-winning TV series M*A*S*H, Alan Alda has made his way into Hollywood’s spotlight while keeping remarkably free of its whirlwind parties and endless gossip. He remains a private man—an actor whose personal life and politics are far different from the character of the womanizing, side-cracking army doctor that brought him international fame. In Alan Alda: The 1983 Biography, biographer Raymond Strait succeeds in presenting Alda’s life and career with illuminating, and sometimes surprising, details. Tracing Alda’s theater credits, from his early experience as a struggling New York actor to his starring roles in films like Same Time Next Year, The Seduction of Joe Tynan, and The Four Seasons, Strait also reports on Alda’s work as a screenwriter and director. A comprehensive look at Alda’s immense popularity, this biography contains revealing insights from friends, childhood sweethearts, and fellow actors. But this is not a sugar-coated star portrait, and Strait gives us Alda’s traumas as well as his triumphs: his childhood battle with polio, his parents’ divorce, and the tense moments that Alda's personal convictions have caused, both on the set and off. With unexpected revelations about Alda's views on women, his work, and the future, this fascinating biography promises to show new dimensions of this talented enigmatic man.

Internationally known as the star of three dozen movies and three television series, and a familiar face in TV commercials, James Garner is one of our finest actors. He is also one our funniest, but as he points out, "I don't do comedy. I do humor." And it is Garner's special brand of wry, subtle, carefully crafted funniness that has brought him widespread fame and a devoted following. Raymond Strait's pioneering biography discusses in detail Garner's movie and TV roles, taking us behind the scenes of the Maverick, Nichols, and The Rockford Files series, and on the sets of many of Garner's movie credits including Victor/Victoria and The Americanization of Emily. Strait also takes a close look at the man behind the roles—the family man and Hollywood maverick. Always an independent spirit, Garner had a tumultuous childhood that led him to a series of survival jobs, intermittent high-school football stardom, a stint in the Merchant Marine, and two Purple Hearts in Korea. He brought the resourcefulness and self-reliance of his youth to Hollywood, where he has earned a reputation for his off-screen battles with the industry's moguls as well as for his phenomenally popular on-screen persona. This is a story none of James Garner's many fans will want to miss.