"Welcome to Mossy Creek the town you can count on ain't goin' nowhere, and don't want to" with these words you get the flavor of life in the small southern town of Mossy Creek. The people are fiesty, funny, sad, and loving. Each chapter is a different character's story. You learn the history of the dispute between Mossy Creek and the nearby town of Bigelow. Each chapter becomes a story unto itself while characters overlap occasionally in the tales. From Miss Ida, the guardian/mayor of Moss Creek who will go to jail rather than put up a new welcome sign outside of Mossy Creek (afterall it was written by a Bigelowan!) to Casey, an Olympic hopeful whose dreams are dashed while returning from her elopement, due to a car accident which leaves her paralyzed from the waist down, you will laugh and cry with the inhabitants of this marvelous town. Come on for the ride and enjoy a few moments in Mossy Creek. It is a fast read and powerful in its emotions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - lots of fun, quirky characters. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I read this book because I love Deborah Smith's work. I figured at least her stories in the book would be fantastic. I laughed so hard with the first story my husband finally asked me to share the joke. And it just got better after that. I can not wait for the next book to come out! The characters were all fun and lovable. It made me wish my small town was a wee bit smaller, Southern and full of Mossy Creekites!

I love true crime, but I approached this book with some misgivings after realizing the authors are close relatives of Debbie. I feared they might not be objective, might be overly emotional, and might not be very good writers. I need not have worried. Their prose is excellent and they stick to the facts of this brutal, horrifying crime. The writers do reveal the family's emotions from the time of Debbie's disappearance through the long quest for justice (just as we would wish them to do), but never with histrionics. The strongest emotions this book arouses will be those of the reader. You cannot help but feel tremendous sorrow and compassion for the victim and her family. Later, you will feel outrage as a Federal judge thwarts the administration of justice at every turn.

This is one of the best examples you will ever read of the infuriating imbalance in our justice system wherein the "rights" of convicted murderers are allowed to far outweigh the rights of their victims. Were it not for her courageous and determined family, Debbie would have been wholly depersonalized and forgotten--even as her cowardly and cruel killers were being fawned over and lavished with every excess of "rights" that our justice system can dream up. You will not be able to put this book down.

This is a story that has covered twenty-one years of a family's struggle to assure justice for the murder of a family member. If you feel comfor- table with our country's justice system and feel you, as an innocent citizen, are represented with all fairness and consideration, you really need to read this account. It is an indepth account of the planning, carringout, investigation, and trial covering the murder of Debbie Groseclose. It also covers an unbelieveable twenty year journey through our legal system.

What has happened in this case is of grave importance to each and every one of us. And, the story goes on as the men who were convicted of this murder are now being scheduled for a retrial - twenty one years later.

To read this book is to challange oneself to get involved.

The book is well written, and the facts are very sad. As in most criminal cases, by the time it goes to court, the public in general has forgotten the victims and are too caught up in the civil rights of the criminals. I read in the paper almost every day of some criminal in TN who is getting a new trial. Maybe the Federal Government needs to appoint a "special prosecutor" to handle the crooked judges in TN. It is one of the poorer states and yet they seem to have unlimited funds for new trials for murderers, and computers and on-line access. What is going on. I say after the trial and conviction, give them ONE appeal and then fry the sick SOBs. Stop draining the State funds that should go for Education, roads, buildings, and counseling for victims and their families that are left to struggle with their pain and memories while they work to make a living and care for their families. As long as there are judges on the bench like Nixon in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, none of us are safe.

The significant feature of this magnificent book - the last shape taken by an ongoing series of studies into the results of neo-liberal public policy by Roderick and Deborah Wallace - is that the authors know what they are talking about. Their expertise in statistical studies, developped in a completely different field of study (zoology) is such that, when they first by chance found themselves reading the so-called statistical arguments for expenditure cuts in fire prevention and other services, they KNEW - not as bleeding-heart liberals, but as professional statisticians - that what they were reading was incompetent, pseudoscientific, ideologically motivated nonsense. Since then they have waged, in a string of devastating publications, a truly heroic struggle against the powers of prejudice, governmental meanness and big business-motivated press disinformation; a struggle that, were the poor stupid general public that reads the newspapers and elects the politicians ever allowed to know about it, would make them among the greatest names alive; for their reason to do so had nothing to do with career (which was in another field, and which might have been at any rate endangered by their taking controversial stances on public matters), self-interest, or a thirst for fame (for they carried on for decades in spite of being completely ignored by the major media), but only out of pure civic passion and a sense of right and wrong. Therefore, known or unknown, the Wallaces are genuine living heroes, and their names deserves to ring as nobly as that of old Sir William of that ilk, who also fought for the downtrodden and ignored when there was nobody else to fight for them.

The Wallaces document the effects of the reduction in fire service and planned strinkage of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, I would have liked to see statistics included in how many fire deaths (civilian and firefighter), major injuries, families left homeless, etc. Another not to be missed book is Report from Engine 82: written in a totally different style, but brimming with empathy for the inhabitants of the area, it's the memoir of a fireman who fought fires in the South Bronx during this era.

This book gives a thorough analysis on how public policies were the catalysts for the socioeconomic destruction of low-income communities of color in New York City. Necessary reading for those who still do not realize that activism and organizing are important vehicles through which marginalized communities keep in check the forces that seek to further fragment and disenfranchise them.

This is the 3rd in the series of the deBurgh brothers and although, Geoffrey may always be my favorite (next to his father of course) the tale of the rough, gruff and total warrior Simon being felled at last by his Maiden - Warrior - Lover was a delight to read from the first to the very last page. Not only was it a delight to see Simon brought to his knees but it was probably the most humourous of this series so far. Okay, Ms. Simmons - I am definitely hooked - bring on the rest. Outstanding story - deserves all of these 5 staars and more!

I am a great fan of Deborah Simmons and have read almost all of her books. I have read all of the currently written books on the de Burgh males. I really liked that the young lady in this book gave as best as she got. I recommend this book as it is a great read.

Now, I am a great fan of Deborah Simmons and I have to say that Robber Bride was great. I enjoyed it immensley. I have kept up with Deborah's writing since first book and to this day my favorite is "Silen Heart." I have to tell anyone that if you wish to read a good romance, start with Deborah Simmons. You won't be able to put the book down. She is a icon of our time and I am glad she is here to entertain all us ladies who have dreamed of Knights in Shining Armour and their lady loves.

Don't even think of writing a book proposal without reading this book. Jeff Herman gives you everything you need to know. Buy this book and Michael Larsen's "How to Write a Book Proposal" and you will not get turned down...

This book gives excellent examples, with quick and concise advice on getting a proposal written. I sold my first nonfiction book, "In the Saddle: Exploits of the 5th Georgia Cavalry During the Civil War" in 1999 using "Write The Perfect Book Proposal." And last month I used it to prepare a proposal for my second book "Rebels, Saints & Sinners: Savannah Personalities of the Past." Yet, as useful as "How To Write A Perfect Book Proposal" is, I would also recommend reading one or two others to help flesh out more detail where Herman and Adams are somewhat vague. In this game the more knowledge you have, the better your chances of success.

I bought this book on writing proposals at the suggestion of my literary agent who told me my proposal for my first book *really* needed help. I studied the examples in the book and the suggestions in the text and re-wrote my proposal, using what I had learned. Six weeks later, my agent called to tell me she had four offers on my book. The information here is excellent, clear, and easy to translate to suit your own book. It will stimulate your thinking about your proposal in new ways. I frequently recommend it to people in my classes and workshops who ask for advice about how to get published. ~~Joan Mazza, author of DREAM BACK YOUR LIFE; DREAMING YOUR REAL SELF; WHO'S CRAZY ANYWAY?; and 3 books in The Guided Journal Series with Writer's Digest Books.

Having worked with great pros like Dave Stockton, Lee Janzen and others, a psychologist and her husband work with more than 300 PGA pros comparing their mental game abilities with those of champions.

The areas considered are: focus and concentration, abstract thinking, emotional stability, dominance and competitiveness, tough-mindedness, self-assurance, self-sufficiency and opimum arousal and tension management.

On each section, they give a questionaire, which then you score and see your abilities comparative to those of champions. For example, on focus those scoring 8.0 and higher have good routine and focus on last round, while my score was 5.6. Suggests ways to improve.

As another reviewer pointed out, one can take more complete inventory and send in for assessment.

This book is definitely for the player who seriously wishes to improve their game with effort and persistence.

We spend so much time pounding balls at the range when we really know that most of our mistakes are mental?? I thought this book was GREAT! I followed it last summer and my handicap dropped from 12 to 8 and I played less practice rounds. Next spring I plan to continue working on the mental side of my game (with this book) and hopefully drop a couple more strokes. This book would also be a great read for the off-season.

As a professional golfer, I've found this book to be of great help. I plan to take the test Dr. Graham and Mr. Stabler write about to clear the cobwebs and play to my advantages. What a relief!!

Deb Raney has a way of gripping you by the throat with emotions and literally transporting you into the lives of her characters. After the Rains is her best yet and showed the way it's so hard to forgive ourselves for our sins. I lived every page with the characters. You've got to read this one!

If ever a sequel could surpass its predecessor, this book has done it. After the Rains by Deborah Raney is the story of Natalie Camfield, daughter of Nathan Camfield and his wife, Daria. In the first book in this series, we meet Daria and Nathan when they are missionaries in Colombia, South America. Daria is forced to deal with Nathan's untimely death, only to discover a year and a half later, after she is married to another man, that Nathan is still alive. Award winning, Beneath a Southern Sky is that poignant, stirring story of the choices Daria must make between two husbands.

After the Rains continues the story of their daughter Natalie and the tragedy that follows a moment of teenage rebellion. Can God forgive? And if He does forgive, will Natalie ever be free of the guilt and the harsh memories that dog her steps throughout her young adult years?

Deborah Raney is a master of asking the tough questions and showing the inevitable consequences of sinful choices. This story evokes much emotion - from tears to romantic yearnings to satisfying joy. I found this book to be a compelling read, which I highly recommend to anyone who loves a truly good story. But keep a box of tissues handy. Oh, and if you haven't read Beneath a Southern Sky, be sure to read that first. Both books excel in the craft of good writing - you won't be disappointed.

After contributing to the tragic death of her best friend, Natalie is unable to find a way to fit into her current life, so she joins her missionary father in Columbia. There she finds work among the Indians rewarding and challenging. What is more, she finds what she had never expected to, forgiveness and love.

***** This moving story will hold appeal to fans of all ages. The tough subject matter contains strong lessons for young people, yet is still interesting enough to hold the attention of older readers. Natalie gives us a heroine who is easy to relate to and empathize with her feelings. Though most people will hopefully never be in a similiar situation, everyone has to deal with learning to forgive the most unforgiveable person, one's self. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

The story of how a few great and nimble minds knocked relentlessly at the doors of established scientific thought and were, by dint of excellent work and bold imagination, eventually admitted.
From the painstaking, earnest and underappreciated Gideon Mantell to the flamboyant and eccentric Dean Buckland. From Sir Richard Owen, perhaps the finest comparative anatomist of his time, to the poverty-stricken fossilist Mary Anning here is a tale of fortunes won and lost and discoveries celebrated and forgotten, where brilliance walks hand in hand with heartache and madness...
Best of all, its true.

An absorbing account of the pioneer 19th-century British geologists and fossil collectors. Our hero is Gideon Mantell, of a noble family long fallen on hard times. The son of a shoemaker, Mantell was smitten with fossils at an early age. Without resources but recognized as a prodigy, he was apprenticed to a surgeon and became a doctor in London. For the rest of his life he would balance his unenthusiastic practice of medicine with a passionate devotion to fossils. Enter one Mary Anning, who supported her family by gathering fossil "trinkets" from the dangerous coastal cliffs of Dorset to sell to tourists. Her keen eye led to her recognition as a prime "fossilist" among geologists and collectors, including Mantell. One of her major finds was the fossil remains of a giant sea lizard; little by little, other huge reptilian bones were unearthed by Mary and others, but not without controversy. Mantell waited years before the eminent Baron Cuvier in Paris agreed that he had found the remains of a huge herbivorous land reptile (reversing his earlier opinion that the fossil was mammalian). But the plot thickened with the appearance of the wicked Richard Owen, who rose to pinnacles of power within the Royal Society and the Geological Society, became a social lion, and was an intimate of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. At every step of the way he did his best to discredit and ridicule Mantell, at the same time claiming some of Mantell's fossils as his own. His comeuppance (and the recognition of Mantell's true worth) was the result of both his egregious behavior and his being on the wrong (creationist) side of the evolutionary debate as the scientific tide turned to Darwinian theory. "He lied for God and for malice," an Oxford don declared. "A bad case." A scholarly account infused with a rare drama and suspense: read it not only for the science, but to learn what happened to all these wonderful characters.

Deborah Cadbury does the burgeoning genre of popular science proud with this book. It has all the necessary elements. A human interest story with heroes and villians, an interesting historical setting and a good scientific foundation. The history and science revolves around the gigantic fossilized bones that were being discovered throughout southern England in the early 19th century. Paleontology and Geology were just beginning as sciences. Evolution was a concept but not yet a theory as this was pre-Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES. Indeed in 1812 when an uneducated and simple villager named Mary Anning found a gigantic skeleton on a beach under the Dorset cliffs, there was nothing else to call it but a monster. The word "dinosaur" didn't exist. It was coined in 1842 by Richard Owen, one of the principal characters in this story.

Mary's discovery started the great quest to identify, categorize, name and date these bones. We meet Gideon Mantell, the poor son of a shoemaker who by dint of hard work and education became a country doctor and a member of the scientific community. He is the sympathetic character this story revolves around and the author wants us to embrace him. Mantell was one of THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS which is in fact the more appropriate title used for this book's edition in Britain. Mantell was typical of these amateur paleontologists who were combing southern England in the hopes of making some great discovery. It's true that only some were eccentric but it's also fair to say they all shared an obsession for bones. Mantell filled his home with fossils, developing one of the finest private collections in England. His devotion to the world of dead creatures came at a cost. It drained all the life out of his marriage and his wife left him in 1839. Mantell did at least have some success, discovering the skeleton of what would later be named the Iguanadon. That's about the only success he had though and his life story as told here is one of disappointment and bitterness with a sad ending.

If Mantell is the sympathetic character then the opposite emotional responses should be directed towards Richard Owen. Cadbury paints a very unflattering portrait of the man (Sir Richard eventually) who founded the Natural History Museum, invented "Dinosauria", and was consulted by royalty, prime ministers, and academia on all things fossilized. The author says he was "instinctively predatory" and if Cadbury rather than her publishers chose the title for the book, then it's very appropriate as it's quite clear from her writing who she sees as the TERRIBLE LIZARD.

Mantell is reminiscent of William "Strata" Smith in THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. The same disdain as shown by the scientific elite and similar financial difficulties. Smith's story however had an ultimately redeeming end. Not so here. Mantell had to sell his fossil collection to the Natural History Museum and following a carriage accident which badly damaged his spine and left him with severe backaches he declined rapidly. He died from an ovedose of the opiates that he took to relieve the pain. Owen's success had been at the direct expense of Mantell as he had been quite willing to claim Mantell's work as his own. From his well connected position within the scientific community Owen was very effective in preventing recognition for others and garnering it for himself. A bit of poetic justice arrived by way of Thomas Huxley who discredited some of Owen's work (specifically his view on the differences between human and ape brains). In doing so Huxley did in large measure what Owen had done to Mantell. Owen had also argued that Dinosaurs were proof against evolution. He reasoned that since evolution said life progressed it was impossible then that ancient and extinct creatures should be more splendid than those living today. Since fossils proved that dinosaurs were in fact many times more magnificent that the reptiles Owen saw around him, then evolution must be wrong he said. If Huxley embarrassed him then Darwin's stunning and well reasoned theory of evolution published in 1859 pretty much put paid to Owen's arguments. He outlived Darwin but only to his chagrin as he finally accepted the reality of Darwinism and the sting of being bettered scientifically.

This book is a facinating look at what one loving family has to deal with when looking straight at a child stricken with schizophrenia. It is hoped that this book would shed light on those today who may have a child with schizophrenia. As you read this book, you are drawn right into Nancy's family and are given a very revealing look at what the whole family had to deal with. This book sheds truthful light on a controversial human being and the notorious way she made herself to be

i really thought this book was amazing it reminded me so much of my childhood with my brother, he had many of the same problems as nancy and i remember what it was like to go through all that. i grew up in the same town as nancy and went partly to the same schools shes gone to. and frm what i know from everybody around here who knows the whole story is that they know nothing about nancy they only saw what was in the tabloids not what she was really like, this book really brings it out in the open, i have met her mother when i was younger when she came to our school to talk about the program she starte with the familys of murder victims, she talked about her other program tho, it was ending violence in school, never would i relize who i was actually sitting in front of, this book willl definitly tell u who the spungend really where

i give deborah spungen very much credit for having the courage to write this book...coming from a virtually indentical childhood...it made me realize just what i had put my parents through...mrs spungen was villified for the actions of her child in nancys later life and was left raw for the whole world to see after nancys death... i can understand, being a child like nancy once. the reasons and the motives for the spungeons doing what they did. this is one of my favorite books of all time, and has been for the past 6 years. i would reccomend it to anyone who wants to know more about this infamous woman or to a samller degree the impact punk had on not only the entire world, but the small towns that these anti-celebrities cames from...

This is really an essential book for any teaching assistant, especially if the feel overwhelmed with the task at hand. The book is aimed at educators, a gap that was left open by many other drawing books. Any faculty overseeing graduate students would be well advised to recommend this book to their students. I think that it has one of the strongest sections on teaching perspective that I have encountered. There is little however that encourages experimentation or media exploration. It does offer a clear approach to teaching perceptual drawing. The book also provides sample syllabi, a teaching philosophy, and examples of letters of recommendation. This may be the essential book for someone attending the College Art Assoc. for the first time.

I am presently an art student working toward my degree in teaching college level art. This book is a wonderful source of information for both art students and teachers. The topics are covered very thoroughly and in an understandable fashion. Some of the topics covered in this book are: sighting (excellent content on sighting), principals of composition, value, space and depth, the human figure and anatomy, gesture drawing, portraiture, perspective (very, very well done), establishing a classroom environment, preparing group critiques, diagnosing problems in student work, suggested homework assignments, preparing a slide library, building a resume, and much, much more. Every chapter is extremely well written and contains a wealth of information. It presents a solid foundation for those of us who will be entering the teaching field of art, and for those of you already in it. This book will help you reinforce your art skills, along with prepare you for the ability to teach the knowledge that you have to others. I would give this book 10 stars if it were permitted.

When most artists attend graduate school they are thrown into the position of teaching freshmen level art courses with little or no preparation for doing so. Luckily, Professor Rockman has come along to provide in her book a clear and concise education on the teaching of foundations level art. I was lucky to have been a student of Ms. Rockman's and only survived my experience as a Teaching Assistant by having had her example as an instructor to draw upon. Now anyone who picks up this book can draw upon her reservoir of experience and insight. "The Art of Teaching Art" is a tremendous resource, one that no TA or new art faculty should be without. I cannot recommend it highly enough!