Synopsis: Drew's a bit of a loner. She has a pet rat, her dead dad's Book of Lists, an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese from working at her mom's cheese shop, and a crush on Nick, the surf bum who works behind the counter. It's the summer before eighth grade and Drew's days seem like business as usual, until one night after closing time, when she meets a strange boy in the alley named Emmett Crane. Who he is, why he's there, where the cut on his cheek came from, and his bottomless knowledge of rats are all mysteries Drew will untangle as they are drawn closer together, and Drew enters into the first true friendship, and adventure, of her life.

Synopsis: Meridian Sozu is a Fenestra—the half-human, half-angel link between the living and the dead. She has the dark responsibility of helping souls transition safely into the afterlife. If people die without the help of a Fenestra, their souls are left vulnerable to be stolen by the Aternocti, a dark band of forces who disrupt the balance of good and evil in the world and cause chaos.

Having recently lost her beloved Auntie—the woman who showed her what it meant to be a Fenestra—Meridian has hit the road with Tens, her love and sworn protector, in hopes of finding another Fenestra. Their search leads them to Indiana, where Juliet, a responsible and loving teenager, works tirelessly in the nursing home where she and several other foster kids are housed. Surrounded by death, Juliet struggles to make a loving home for the younger kids, and to protect them from the violent whims of their foster mother. But she is struggling against forces she can't understand . . . and even as she feels a pull toward the dying, their sickness seems to infect her, weighing her down. . . .

Will Meri and Tens find Juliet in time to save her from a life of misery and illness? And will Meri and Tens' own romance weather the storms of new discoveries?

Synopsis: When Natalie Shelton and her family move from Minnesota to Beverly Hills, more changes than their zip code. Natalie's mom accepts a position as pastor with the Church of Beverly Hills—and Natalie's along for the ride. Before she can blink, she's living in a mansion once owned by Ricardo Montalban, going to school with hot young Hollywood stars, and partying in the park with kids who know no limits. It's an amazing new life—but if she doesn't watch out, Natalie could find herself seriously messed up. Natalie has values . . . but how long can she hold on to them?

Synopsis: Sylvia never expected to be at the center of a landmark legal battle; all she wanted was to enroll in school.
 
Aki never expected to be relocated to a Japanese internment camp in the Arizona desert; all she wanted was to stay on her family farm and finish the school year.
 
The two girls certainly never expected to know each other, until their lives intersected in Southern California during a time when their country changed forever.
 
Here is the remarkable story based on true events of Sylvia Mendez and Aki Munemitsu, two ordinary girls living in extraordinary times. When Sylvia and her brothers are not allowed to register at the same school Aki attended and are instead sent to a “Mexican” school, the stage is set for Sylvia’s father to challenge in court the separation of races in California’s schools. Ultimately, Mendez vs. Westminster School District led to the desegregation of California schools and helped build the case that would end school segregation nationally.
 
Through extensive interviews with Sylvia and Aki—still good friends to this day—Winifred Conkling brings to life two stories of persistent courage in the face of tremendous odds.

Synopsis: Book Two
Fall of Eden
Myths are but shadows of a greater truth.

Fall of Eden is the second book in the epic trilogy, the Healing Crystal, suitable for ages 14+.

This book continues to follow the band of young Survinees as they are forced from their home by Narvin, a madman who desires the Healing Crystal no matter the cost. As the story unfolds questions also unfold:

At just sixteen, can Kairma protect her band of refugees from Narvin as he chases them through deserts and mountains and protect them from each other when the true nature of the crystal is revealed?

Will the rogue Colin win Kairma or be forever banned from her by religious law, by his wanderlust ways, or by the evil carried in Kairma's blood?

Will Kinter forever lie in the shadow of her sister Kairma or will a twist of fate bring her almost everything but what she most desires?

With the death of their companions will Naturi once again lose his father to depression, and, when the true nature of the crystal is revealed, as one's faith crumbles and the other's is renewed, will the gulf between them become impossible to cross?

Will Zedic and Trep ever see home and the women they love again?And what of the colony of Survin and those left behind?

Fall of Eden received the Editor's Choice award and Heir to Power, the first book in this epic trilogy received the Top Choice award from Flamingnet, a national YA book site.


Praise for The Healing Crystal Trilogy

The characters are real, drawn with psychological precision and expert dialogue, so clear that I feel I'd recognize them if I saw them on the street. --Eva F. Kosinski - Colorado
I could not put it down! This is sure to be a Best Seller. --Beth Duensing - Indiana

Synopsis: December 21, 2012

According to Mayan legend, the human age is scheduled to end today. That's what the Belizean tour guide tells Michelle's family as they paddle canoes out of the solstice sun and deep into the mysterious, dark cave system. The Earth trembles. The cave crumbles. Michelle is thrown back in time, away from everything she knows and everyone she loves, into an ancient world of palace politics, bloody warfare, and human sacrifice. Men Ch'o, second son of the ruler of a small Mayan city-state, has always stood in the shadow of his elder brother, but the unexpected arrival of the goddess Ix Chel in human form will shift the fulcrum of power and upset the balance of his heart.

The unlikely intersection of their lives just might change everything.