Susan Plunkett and Krysteen Seelen are sisters and neighbors in Manchester, Washington, near the San Juan Islands. Susan, the author of twelve books, is a RITA finalist and the winner of the National Readers Choice Awards. Krysteen is a part-time bookseller. This is their first book together.

Books by Susan and Krysteen:
Whispers through the Trees
 

Ellen Harris is a Southern writer whose short stories, written under the name Brynn Bonner, have been featured in numerous mystery anthologies and in publications such as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Futures Mystery Anthology. Harris was born in Alabama, spent a number of years in Michigan and now lives with her husband and three children in North Carolina.

Books by Ellen Harris:
Flight of the Raven
 

Patricia Lorenz, the mother of four grown children, has discovered over the years what is important in life and what isn’t. She enjoys sharing the fruits of what she has learned through her many writing and speaking engagements. She has written for Guideposts magazine since 1982 and for Daily Guideposts since 1987. She is the author of Stuff That Matters for Single Parents and A Hug a Day for Single Parents.

Lorenz holds a degree in English from Southern Illinois University and currently resides in Largo, Florida.

Books by Patricia Lorenz:
Life's Too Short to Fold Your Underwear
 

Judy Baer is the author of more than 71 books for eleven publishers, including her popular The Whitney Chronicles (Harlequin) and Cedar River Daydreams Young Adult series (Bethany). In addition to the 28-book Cedar River Daydream series and the Live! From Brentwood High books from Bethany House Publishers, she has also written young adult books for Willowisp and Silhouette. Judy has received numerous awards for her writing as well as the North Dakota Professional Communicators Woman of Achievement award and her alma mater Concordia College’s Outstanding Alumni Award. Visit Judy’s website at www.judykbaer.com.

Books by Judy Baer:
Tales from Grace Chapel Inn: Recipes & Wooden Spoons
 

Evelyn Bence is a former editor of religion at Doubleday publishing and managing editor of Today’s Christian Woman magazine. She is the author of several books, including Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns (Zondervan, 1997), Prayers for Girlfriends and Sisters and Me (Servant-Vine 1999), and the award-winning novel Mary’s Journal (Zondervan, 1992). She has also written essays for The Washington Post, Christianity Today and Discipleship Journal.

Books by Evelyn Bence:
We Hear the Christmas Angels

Marion Bond West has been writing for more than 30 years and is the author of six books, including Out Of My Bondage and No Turning Back (Broadman Press, 1976 and 1977), Learning To Lean (Doubleday-Galilee, 1980) and The Nevertheless Principle (Revell, 1986). She has also published many pieces in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Reader’s Digest, Today’s Christian Woman and The Atlanta Journal & Constitution.

Books by Marion Bond West:
Praying for My Life

Melody Carlson is the author of more than 150 books, including The Gift of Christmas Present (Revell, 2004), Finding Alice (Waterbrook, 2004), Angels in the Snow (Revell, 2002), Looking for Cassandra Jane (Tyndale, 2002) as well as several successful Young Adult series. She earned the 1998 RITA Award for her book Homeward (Multnomah), the 1999 ECPA Gold Medallion for her book King of the Stable (Crossway) and the 2003 Helen Keating Ott Award. Visit Melody’s website at www.melodycarlson.com.

Books by Melody Carlson:
Tales from Grace Chapel Inn: Back Home Again

Sharon Hanby-Robie is an acclaimed interior design professional and the author of several books, including My Name Isn’t Martha, But I Can Decorate My Home and My Name Isn’t Martha, But I Can Renovate My Home (Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, 1998 and 1999) and Beautiful Places, Spiritual Spaces (Moody Publishing, 2004). Sharon is the resident home décor expert for QVC Home Shopping Network. She has been featured extensively as an industry expert for both radio and television programs, appearing on The Today Show, PBS’s Handy Ma’am, HGTV’s Decorating with Style and Interiors by Design as well as The Maurey Povich Show and The Gale King Show. Visit Sharon’s website at www.sharonhanbyrobie.com.

Books by Sharon Hanby-Robie:
The Spirit of Simple Living: The Simple Home and A Simple Christmas
 

Sue Monk Kidd, award-winning author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair, published by Penguin, has garnered high acclaim throughout her writing career. She has penned five books, including God’s Joyful Surprise and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, (Harper Collins). Selling more than 4.5 million copies, The Secret Life of Bees spent over two years on the New York Times bestseller list and was awarded the 2004 Book Sense Paperback book of the Year, while The Mermaid Chair received the prestigious 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction and reached the #1 spot on the New York Times list, with 1.5 million copies in print. Visit Sue’s website at www.suemonkkidd.com.

Books by Sue Monk Kidd:
Firstlight