Not your Granny's Christmas stories ...
Step off the beaten path and enjoy six stories that look beyond the expected, the traditional, the tried-and-true.
Inspired by the song, Mary Did You Know? -- a mother's memories of events leading up to and following that one holy night. MARY, DID YOU KNOW?
A young woman seeking her own identity searches for the man who tried to kill her and her mother on Christmas Eve twenty years before. A ROSE FROM THE ASHES
Princess, tower, sorceress, dragon, brave knight, clever peasant -- combine these ingredients into a Christmas-time story that isn't quite what you'd expect. RETURN TO CALLIDORA
Anticipating tough financial times, the decision not to buy or exchange presents leads to some painful and surprising revelations for a hardworking man and his family. NOT THIS YEAR
Years ago, a gunman and a store full of hostages learned some important lessons about faith and pain and what really matters in life -- and the echoes from that day continue to the present. THOSE WHO STAYED
A community of refugees, a brutal winter, a doorway to another world -- a touch of magic creating holiday joy for others leads to a Christmas wish fulfilled. CRYSTAL CHRISTMAS

Christmas Fiction Off the Beaten Path: A Christmas anthology of inspirational stories

Literature & Fiction

Lucking, Laurie

Meredith, Patricia

Allen, Jpc

Genre Fiction

MT Zion Ridge Press LLC

Ohio is full of literary connections. Libraries, museums, homes of authors, historical sites. Did you know Superman was born in Ohio? Did you know Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in the Cincinnati area? Check out the Ohio Literary Trail, compiled by Ohioana, for more interesting facts. But before that, we invite you to enjoy some stories inspired by visits to a handful of Ohio Literary Trail sites in the last year. Your imagination might be sparked. Or at the very least, your curiosity! Mazza Mystery: Just who was the woman pretending to be a known artist? Why? Bovine: An elitist author comes to Marlin County ... and greatly underestimates the intelligence of the local sheriff. Between Semicolons and Plot Twisters: An author finds more in common with Harriet Beecher Stowe than she ever would have guessed, when modern-day slavery comes close to home. The Mask: A gift of true love is passed through the ages. Books: Caged and Free: On a moonlit night, old books come to life to share their stories.

Ohio Trail Mix: Adventures and Inspiration Along the Ohio Literary Trail

Waters, Rebecca

Boswell, Bettie

Literary

Ye Olde Dragon Books

Nineteen-year-old Rae Riley can barely believe her gamble paid off. After spending seven months investigating the identity of her father and whether he tried to murder her mother, Rae has been accepted by her dad, Sheriff Walter "Mal" Malinowski IV, and his immediate family with open hearts. And for the fi rst time in her life, Rae is making friends, jamming with three cute cops who play outlaw country music.\nBut someone is leaving Rae threatening notes, reminding her of her late mother's notorious past when Bella Rydell wrecked homes and lives during the few years she lived in rural Marlin County, Ohio. Fearing the threats will make Mal and his family reject her, Rae investigates the mystery on her own. But her amateur sleuthing may cost her the father she's always wanted when the stalker changes targets and takes dead aim at Mal.

A Shadow on the Snow

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Christmas Fiction Off the Beaten Path

Her dad said nothing could hurt their relationship. But what if he isn't her dad? Summer gets off to a rocky start for twenty-year-old Rae Riley when Rae's con man Uncle Troy returns to Marlin County, Ohio. Rae's father, Sheriff Walter "Mal" Malinowski, warns her to steer clear of Troy. He's convinced Troy conned 5 of his cousins from the outlaw branch of the family to jump him a few years ago. But it seems like wherever Rae goes, Troy is lurking on the edges. When she and her cousins Amber and Coral find Troy beat up outside a local mall, Rae's desire to help anyone in trouble kicks in. But her assistance only leads to trouble and the horrible conclusion that Troy might be her birth father. Even worse, Mal is angry at Rae for endangering herself and her cousins. Then the ex-wife of family friend Jason Carlisle has also returned to the county, claiming their youngest child Sylvie isn't his, but the daughter of Ashley Carlisle's new fiancé. Ashley and her boyfriend say they are staying at the state park so Ashley can see her children. But Jason fears the couple want to sneak a DNA sample from Sylvie and hires Rae's aunt Carrie, a private investigator, to protect his kids. When Ashley appeals to Rae in an effort to speak to Jason secretly, Rae agrees to help. Mal is furious when she tells him, leading to Rae's first fight with her newly found father. Although Mal apologizes, Rae senses a gulf between. What would happen if Rae found proof Mal wasn't her dad? Then Ashley disappears, and Jason and his brother Rick are the main suspects. While Mal leads the official investigation, Rae and Carrie work to discover what really happened to Ashley, and Rae conducts her own research into Troy's claim. The clues mount up and an eyewitness is found, but the mystery only grows murkier. What happened to Ashley? Who are the true fathers? And why does Mal seem ready to tell Rae something but changes his mind every time? As doubts grow into a storm, Rae is faced with something much worse than a puzzle--a battle to survive. And it's just her life at stake. "I love YA books and equally enjoy a good mystery. Allen combines both with just the right amount of suspense, whodunnit, and relationships. Rae and her father are still figuring each other out, while Rae is learning to be part of a family. The relational struggles are real and tug at one's heart. Allen's settings are described so colorfully I felt I moved alongside the characters. The suspense, especially toward the end, had me reading until late at night. I believe A Storm of Doubts is even better than the first in the series. Don't miss any of JPC Allen's books... -Jennifer Hallmark Author of Jessie's Hope and Smoking Flax

A Storm of Doubts (Rae Riley Mysteries)

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