THE LACEMAKERS - CHAPTER 1 (EMERALD'S STORY)

 April 10, 1865: Emerald is an eight-year-old girl living in Tennessee as the Civil War nears its end.

 April 14, 1945: Karin has endured most of World War II as a political prisoner in numerous Nazi concentration camps.  

THE LACE MAKERS bridges the gap between slavery and the Holocaust, interweaving Emerald and Karin's narratives into a vivid account of two young girls who both live in diverse experiences of bondage, yet anticipate the hope of imminent freedom. 

I am available to speak about THE LACE MAKERS with your book club or classroom in person or virtually.  Click here for more information.  

 A TAPESTRY OF TRUTH is the story of Annie Schreiber, a semi-functioning alcoholic and uncompromising narcissist who raised her children in the sixties and seventies with a Kool-Aid pitcher in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. Now she is dead and wandering in an afterlife that forces her to witness the choices she made which reveal the inner workings of a woman’s soul that teeters on the edge of redemption.
 

In SURFACING Allyson Schreiber weaves the story of her bittersweet childhood, her young adult life, and her complicated relationship with her older brother, Michael. When he reveals that he is dying of AIDS, Allyson is forced to face their collective past with courage, determination, and an inner strength discovered through the long journey of Michael's illness and subsequent death. 

SEVEN GENERATIONS is a coming-of-age story told by Grace Mason. When Grace discovers her mother has been in a near-fatal car crash, the novel flashes back to the summer of her fourth birthday when Allyson abandoned her.   In discovering the truth about her mother’s past and the choices that Allyson made to be able to return to her family, Grace ultimately learns how to love and be loved imperfectly. Spanning multi-generations, SEVEN GENERATIONS weaves a rich tapestry of hope, love, and of family ties that can never be broken. 

 Jaimie Reese's life is a series of endless empty caverns. Her father is in prison. Her mother walked out when she was in kindergarten and now, she finds herself being bounced from one Midwestern foster home to the next.
Shortly after her eighteenth birthday, knowing she is no longer a ward of the state, Jaimie changes her name and drives west not knowing where she will eventually land. 

Carving out a new life as Brynn Williams in Portland, Oregon is difficult, and she eventually learns that traits of both her father and mother are woven deeply within her personality and the life experiences she encounters.

COMMON THREADS unwinds the multiple strands that create a woman's life, then weaves them back together into a journey that is both extraordinary and quietly triumphant. 

STILL HERE is a compilation of blogs inspired by a trip to Arizona.   The mesas in Sedona have stood in one place for millions of years, slowly evolving to become the stunning wonder that they are today.
Perhaps the same is true for each one of us. We may not have millions of years, but as long as we’re still here, there’s a purpose and meaning to our lives. I’m so thankful to be here.
Still learning.
Still growing.
Still evolving. 

 I created OPEN ROAD as a place where I can share magical moments and encourage you to embrace them as they occur in your own life. Through the difficulties and delights, a thread of grace is consistently being woven into each of our lives, just waiting to be recognized.

As one of my yoga students often reminds me, "More will be revealed." So here are some of my readers' favorite blogs from year one. May they inspire and spark your awareness. 

OPEN ROAD - WHERE MY HEART IS shares stories that reveal the ebb and flow of life in the Heartland. It's a little book of love that gives you a glimpse into the moments that both delight me and provide insight in ways often unexpected. From channeling my inner "Pyromaniac" to saying "Thanks a latte" to friends everywhere, I've loved every single minute of sharing my life with all of you. 

OPEN ROAD - THE LIGHT INSIDE reveals a year that has been incredibly life-changing. It's moved me backward and forward, in ways which were both anticipated and unexpected. It's taken me far from where I've been, and in the end, it's opened new pathways which have been daunting, yet ultimately freeing.

Through it all, I needed to rediscover the light inside of myself so that whatever crossed my path had the power to make me stronger, healthier, and ultimately more at peace. 

MIRROR, MIRROR - THE VERY BEST OF OPEN ROAD invites all of you to bring yourselves to the story, no matter where you might be. The path is always open to follow, be it the one I offer or the one upon which you’re already traveling. In the past five years I’ve created written snapshots of moments in time to which we can all relate. From enduring a harsh Midwestern winter or welcoming the beauty of springtime, from experiencing quiet miracles to wondering what the future might bring, I’ve found that I’m in very good company…and more often than not, I’ve also discovered our individual journeys intersect at the perfect moment. 

I was honored to edit this magnificent memoir by Franciszka Stocki.

 MY JOURNEY OF FAITH AND HOPE is the story of Franciszka Stocki's life which began in idyllic Poland and ended across the Atlantic Ocean in the Heartland of America. The happy and comfortable life of a nineteen-year-old Polish girl in the years before Stalin's 1939 invasion of Western Poland contrasts with the horrific condition Franciszka endured for two years in Siberian labor camps and the six years she spent in Africa, separated from her beloved husband, Tadzio. 

MY JOURNEY OF FAITH AND HOPE is an incredible journey which reminds us that even though evil may pervade for a while, love and devotion transcend time and space.