For every woman who wonders if she chose the right career... Carolyn Jenkins strives for two things--to be the greatest teacher ever and to find true love. She's as skilled at both as an infant trying to eat with a fork. Carolyn's suburban upbringing and genuine compassion for people who don't fit effortlessly into society are no match for weapon-wielding, struggling students, drug-using colleagues, and a wicked principal. Meanwhile, her budding relationship with a mystery man is thwarted by his gaggle of eccentric sisters. Carolyn depends on her friends to get her through the hard times, but with poverty-stricken children at her feet and a wealthy man at her side, she must define who she is. The reality of life after college can be daunting, the road to full-fledged adulthood long and unscripted. Can Carolyn take control and craft the existence she always wanted?

Love and Other Subjects

Literature & Fiction

Shoop, Kathleen

Women's Fiction

Oakglen Press

Katherine wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t found the letter… Katherine Arthur's dying mother arrives on her doorstep, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted. But, she did her best and made a go of it. For Jeanie's husband, Frank, it had been a world of opportunity. Dreaming, lazy Frank. But, it was a society of uncertainty—a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death. Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, Katherine has found the truth--she has discovered the last letter. After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all? Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it’s too late? The Last Letter is the novel for every daughter who thinks she knows her mother's story.

The Last Letter (The Letter Series)

Genre Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

A love story wrapped in historical drama…In the steel town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 “killing smog,” headstrong nurse Rose Pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Efficient and precise, she’s created a life that reflects everything she missed growing up as an orphan. She’s even managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from the love of her life, Henry, her dutiful children, and large extended family. When a stagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose’s nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she never could have fathomed. Consequences from her past collide with her present life, making her once clear decisions as gray as the suffocating smog. As pressure mounts, Rose finds she’s not the only one harboring lies. When the deadly fog finally clears, the loss of trust and faith leaves the Pavlesic family—and the whole town—splintered and shocked. With her new perspective, can Rose finally forgive herself and let her family’s healing begin? Will love be enough?

After the Fog (The Donora Story Collection)

Literary

1969-- Set on the shores of the Albemarle Sound, April Harrington has fond memories of summers at her family home, Bliss. After her fairytale wedding disintegrates, it becomes her refuge—the one place where she can attempt to pull the unraveling threads of her life back together. Unbeknownst to April, the stately house has been neglected in recent years. The once-sturdy roof is leaking in a few dozen places, and the wharf is rotting. Nothing is the same as she remembers. Nothing except for Hale, a Viet Nam pilot who is haunted by a dreadful secret, and who is also her brother’s best friend, a brother killed in the conflict that is tearing the country apart. In Hale’s presence, April finds familiarity and solace. They share grief for a lost loved one, and from the comfort of Hale’s arms, passion blooms. Yet, April’s future is unresolved. Her wealthy, arrogant almost-bridegroom wants her back and the ghosts of Viet Nam are whispering to Hale. Can they find new love in an old treasured home, the kind of affection and trust that lasts forever?

Home Again (Endless Love)

Romance

Historical

Sweet Romance… Fresh off their whirlwind nuptials and unexpected, but joyous pregnancy, April and Hale Abercrombie are gleeful about their life together. But, while Hale is serving his country in Vietnam, he receives news of the loss of their newborn daughter. Back home on leave, Hale can barely wait to hold his wife. Their reunion is passionate and their physical connection, strong and soothing. His embrace, his touch, and his love are just as perfect as April remembered. But nothing, not even Hale, can ease April’s heartache. Hale stumbles through his attempts at convincing her that their future will be rich and full of wonder despite their loss. His good-hearted, but take-charge approach causes her to retreat. Even in grief, April recognizes Hale’s earnestness, yet she can’t help but distance herself from him. With only a short time before Hale must return to war, the couple begins to understand that hope starts with them—that the bliss they once knew will return only if they are willing to trust again. Set on the beaches of the Outer Banks, Return to Love is the second book in the Endless Love series. Book one, Home Again, was named a finalist in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Return to Love (Endless Love)

Sweet, Fun Romance--Set in 1971, nurse Julie Peters is ambitious and tenacious, but her plans to modernize Waterside Hospital's labor and delivery department are thwarted by old-school doctors and brown-nosing colleagues. The last thing on her mind is falling in love as she confronts her career-related demons. Still, she feels the pull of attraction to one special doctor. Dr. Michael Young turned away from a prestigious research position at Duke University to practice medicine in a smaller, less intense setting at Waterside Hospital. While nurses chase him by the dozen, he is intrigued and satisfied with building a nest-egg for when the right woman finally happens along. When Julie is faced with choices that put her job, her life’s dream in peril her relationship with Michael begins to ignite. Can a Thanksgiving stay in the regal home called Bliss give her the space she needs to right her future and fall in love? Will their growing love mean Julie loses herself? Humor, love and a similar attitude toward medicine seal their love, but will it destroy their careers?

Tending Her Heart (Endless Love)

THE ROAD HOME...The Long-Awaited Sequel to Award-Winning, Bestselling Author Kathleen Shoop’s The Last Letter…1891—Living separately for three years, fourteen-year-old twins, Katherine and Tommy Arthur, have done their best to make each boarding house feel like home. But unrest grows as they are driven to questionable actions just to survive. Meanwhile their desperate mother is confronted with breaking yet another promise to her children. Then a miracle descends. Hope rises on a cold, rainy night and changes everything. If Jeanie could just get word to Katherine and Tommy, she knows she can set their lives right again. Agitators, angels, and dangerous “saviors” illuminate the Arthurs’ unmatched determination and smarts.1905—Though she tries to forget the awful years that hurt so much, the memories still haunt Katherine. Now, tearful mourners at her mother’s funeral force her to revisit a time in her life that both harmed and saved her in the most unexpected ways. Tommy grieves his mother’s passing as well. He too is thrust backward, compelled to rediscover the events in his life that shaped the man he has become. Will he commit to reconstructing his broken life? The Arthurs come to understand that forgiveness is the only way back to hope, the only way to find all that was good in the misfortune that transformed their lives forever.

The Road Home (The Letter Series)

THE KITCHEN MISTRESS--Katherine’s Story—The Letter Series—Book 3For every woman who’s had to choose between the secrets that protect her and the people she loves the most…1892—Des MoinesKatherine Arthur and her family are back and it’s time to collect the money Mrs. Mellet left them in her will. The tidy sum will allow the family peace of mind and a future that’s stable and fulfilling. But when things don’t go exactly as planned, Katherine steps up to do more than her share. Hired as a kitchen mistress, her intuition (with the help of a mysterious recipe book), cooking prowess, and work ethic make her the perfect partner for the enigmatic, wealthy woman next door. Then Aleksey Zurchenko arrives.Violet Pendergrass is a well-heeled, progressive woman with half a fortune in one hand and a plan for enduring prosperity in the other. Resourceful, shrewd, and tough, Violet doesn’t realize her one and only weakness leaves her vulnerable as she attempts to solidify her independence in a 19th century world. She sees unparalleled value in Katherine’s gifts and does her best to keep the girl close, to keep her true work secret from her mother and the world. Katherine’s loyalties to her mother and Violet grow strained and soon her commitment to both frays even further as her feelings for Aleksey grow. Katherine must decide if pursuing her work with the formidable Violet and protecting her family are more important than following love. Can she do it all? Love, hope, joy, secrets buried in walls and hearts; all are threatened by those who claim to care about the Arthurs. Can Katherine separate what’s right and true from what it takes to survive? Are they even different things?

The Kitchen Mistress (The Letter Series)

For anyone who's ever needed a second chance, to find love, to find the right path in life...Des Moines, 1892. After losing their promised inheritance, the Arthur family's luck finally changes. An extraordinary woman, Violet Pendergrass, provides refuge for them to rebuild their broken lives. Or has she? Handsome fifteen-year-old Tommy Arthur has one foot in manhood and the other dragging up the rear of his boyhood years. He strives to protect and provide for his family, but turning to booze when scared or worried creates as many problems as solutions. Unsure of who he can trust, fiery redhead Pearl Riverside challenges and excites him at every turn, softening his heart toward the idea that goodness exists in the world. Tension builds between Tommy and his mother as her affection for a generous man increases. At the same time, distance grows between Tommy and his twin sister, Katherine, as each chooses their secrets over family. Violet Pendergrass demands more from Tommy and he begins to question her motives. When disaster strikes for Tommy's little sister, Yale, the actions of a sinister judge, a crooked minister, and the infamous charlatan, Dreama, are revealed. Facing more jailtime as vigilante mobs form, the clock runs down on Tommy's chance to take responsibility for his own choices. Is it too late for him to save his family, to open his heart and fully love those who need him as much as he needs them?

The Thief's Heart (The Letter Series)

Anthology Contributors: Jennifer Diamond, Lorraine Donohue, Abigail Drake, Phil Giunta, Kimberly Kurth Gray, N.J. Hammer, Hilary Hauck, Eileen Enwright Hodgetts, Lori M. Jones, Ramona DeFelice Long, Janet McClintock, MaryAlice Meli, Amy Morley, Cara Reinard, James Robinson, Jr., Larry Schardt, Kathleen Shoop, Demi Stevens, Denise Weaver, Michele Savaunah Zirkle A holiday pastiche from the authors of Mindful Writers Retreat, sure to light your festive candles!From a Thanksgiving snow storm that mends old feuds… to the family misunderstandings that fuel new ones… a quirky elf and some romantic stardust will get you ready to go Over the River and Through the Woods on a journey through time!

Over the River and Through the Woods (Mindful Writers Retreat Series)

Hodgetts, Eileen Enwright

Drake, Abigail

Schardt, Larry

Hauck, Hilary

McClintock, Janet

Long, Ramona DeFelice

Zirkle, Michele Savaunah

Gray, Kimberly Kurth

Year of the Book Press

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Books by Shoop, Kathleen