‘Where the Forest Meets the Stars’ Makes Us Believe in Miracles [REVIEW]

Mysterious forest

When the changeling appears mysteriously out of the woods, she changes two people’s lives forever. (Photo by Lee Render, Flickr)

Diamond Review BannerA scientist content to study birds in rural Illinois. A quiet loner who sells eggs on the roadside. A little girl who appears one night with a fantastic story to tell. Where did she come from? What will they do with her? And how will she change their lives? Find out in Glendy Vanderah’s exquisite debut novel, Where the Forest Meets the Stars.  Read more of this post

Nigel Barker Is More Than Just A Great Photographer [VIDEO]

Nigel Barker

Nigel Barker

Working in the media, I get the opportunity to introduce my audience to people that are worth knowing. Today, I got the chance to chat with fashion photographer Nigel Barker, who is currently promoting his new book, Models of Influence. Read more of this post

Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington Makes A ‘Paris Match’

Stuart Woods

Stuart Woods (Photo courtesy Jeanmarie Woods)

Sitting down with a new Stone Barrington novel is like nestling into your favorite recliner to watch the latest James Bond flick. Read more of this post

Winter Magic and Mystery

Writing a letter with a pen

This December, discover the magic and mystery of the winter season.

December 2011

Dear Friends,

Last month faded silently into the past as we embraced December and started the final chapter of yet another year in our lives. Unfortunately, with the new month came a horrible cold and bronchial cough that takes nearly forever to shake. At last I’m on the mend though, and just in time too!

As for so many of you, December is a hectic but joyful month filled with plans to see friends and family. We were supposed to start this month with a visit to Arkansas to watch our dear friend Regenia exchange wedding vows with her new sweetie. But illness knocked me upside the head like a breadbox and rendered me immobile, so we were homebound and I slept the week away. Don’t you hate it when that happens? I guess we’ll just have to catch up with them during our next visit or hope that they head east and pop in on us.

Because I’ve been sick, we haven’t been doing a whole lot of cooking either. What’s the point when you don’t want anything more than broth and crackers? But Heather did whip up a few dishes when I was feeling up to eating, so you’ll see those in the days to come. Cranberry Zucchini Muffins, Macaroni and Cheese, and White Bean Chicken Chili are a few of the recipes you can look forward to.

We’ll be cooking up plenty of foods later this month, however, when we host our annual winter game day event. This is one of our most beloved gatherings, as our house is packed with good friends from morning till night. The event is very casual, we watch movies, play games, and laugh until our sides ache. We’re also incorporating a recipe exchange this year, so for every dish our guests bring, we ask them to provide the corresponding recipe so we can share them with everyone in attendance. We may even feature some of those yummy recipes here this year, so stay tuned.

One of the perks of being homebound with a cold is that I always have plenty of time to read. This month I’ve discovered new authors, rode a rollercoaster of suspense and solved a baffling mystery. In a few days, you’ll find out more about this thrilling novel when we announce our new book club selection. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Something I can share with you now, however, is great savings. We’ve been working hard to build our collection of retailers so we can feature our favorite products and brands with you at exceptionally low prices. Simply visit our Shopping page and you’ll discover great deals on everything from books to gourmet treats, stylish clothing to kitchen gadgets and vacation packages, all at rock-bottom prices!

Whether you’re shopping, diving into a good book, cooking up a storm or getting together with friends and family, we hope you have fun this December. Enjoy your time off, take in a movie or two (we can’t wait to see the new installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise and new Spielberg adventures TinTin and War Horse), and settle into the winter season. This is the perfect time of year to relax, recharge and indulge in a season filled with winter songbirds, snowball fights, snowmen, eggnog, snow angels or piping hot cocoa by a flame-filled hearth. Whatever you’re doing, make it memorable and enjoy the magic of the moment.

Love,
Jathan & Heather

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Break No Bones

Kathy Reichs' Break No Bones

Filled with plot twists and turns, "Break No Bones" keeps the reader guessing until the final page.

In our new book club selection, a woman finds freshly buried skeleton in the midst of a Native American burial ground.

In Break No Bones, bestselling novelist Kathy Reichs’ famed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan teaches an archaeological field class on an island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. While excavating the site, Brennan and her students find a body buried in a two-year-old shallow grave.

Emma, the county coroner, and Wilbourne, a feisty, interfering newspaper columnist, join Brennan in a race to discover the identity of the deceased. The trio seeks to discover why the body wasn’t given a proper burial and if this death has any religious connections. They also want to know why Dupree, the builder and engineer who owns the site, wants to start construction so quickly.

Throughout the novel, countless secrets are revealed about every character, including the local sheriff. The plot twists and turns keep the reader guessing until the final page.

With Break No Bones, Reichs pens a literary rollercoaster that will garner new fans and please old ones. Populated with quirky, authentic and very human characters, this novel is a fascinating and intricately plotted addition to the Bones franchise.

About the author: A Chicago native, Kathy Reichs is a world-renowned forensic anthropologist who taught FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains, identified body parts in her Montreal lab, and consulted for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and for the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. Reichs is the producer of the hit Fox television series, Bones, which is based on her work and bestselling novels. She currently divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina and Montreal, Québec. Visit her Website online, or follow her on Facebook and Twitter, for more information.

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© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.