Bøger af Donna Winters

When retired schoolteacher and widow Betty Hanson learns that the 51st State of Superior is about to close Mossy Point State Park, she expresses her concern to Ray Engstrom, the head of the General Land Office. But Mr. Engstrom reveals a discouraging fact: Mossy Point State Park has never paid its own way since it opened back in 1959. And according to him, it "has the same chance of running in the black as a turtle has of flying." Determined to prove Mr. Engstrom wrong, Betty gathers help from friends and neighbors. A plan emerges to open a folk school, a place where students of all ages can come to learn a craft, and work begins to put Mossy Point State Park on solid fiscal ground. But not everyone is on board with the plan. At times, Betty almost finds herself side-tracked by dealing with her estranged daughter and grandson, who suddenly appear back in her life, and then there is her close friend Lee, who seems to want more than friendship. The State itself seems to have alternative plans for the park, and when an accident threatens to destroy both Betty and the park's finances, all of her plans could fall apart. What can possibly turn their fortunes around and make a turtle fly?

Jenny of L'Anse Bay, Special Edition in the series of Great Lakes Romances(R) is set in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan in 1867. Eager to escape the fiery disaster that leaves her home in ashes, Jennifer Crawford sets out on an adventure to an Ojibway Mission on L'Anse Bay. In the wilderness, her affections grow for a native people very different from herself-especially for the chief's son, Hawk. Together, can they overcome the differences of their diverse cultures, and the harsh, deadly weather of the North Country? Michigan's Upper Peninsula wilderness, its historic Ojibway culture, and the harsh realities of the northern woods come to life in this historical retrospective on the life of a young Christian missionary. Readers interested in the ways of the Ojibway, the challenges of remote wilderness living, and a gentle love story that crosses cultural barriers will enjoy Jenny of L'Anse Bay.

Mary Ellen Jenkins is a woman of rare courage and experience. One of only four females licensed as navigators and steamboat masters on the Western Rivers, she is accustomed to finding her way through dense fog on the Mississippi. But when she travels north for the first time in her twenty-nine years, she discovers herself unprepared for the havoc caused by a vaporous shroud off Sleeping Bear point. And navigating the misty shoals of her own uncertain future poses an even greater threat to her peace of mind. Self-confident, skilled, and devoted to his duties as Second Mate aboard the Lake Michigan sidewheeler, Lily Belle, Thad Grant regrets his promise to play escort to the petticoat navigator the instant he lays eyes on her plain face. Then his career runs aground. Can he trust this woman to guide him to safe harbor, or will the Lady Reb ever be able to overcome the great gulf between them?

Lily Atwood Haynes is beautiful, intelligent, and alone at the helm of a shipping company at the tender age of twenty. Then Captain Hoyt Curtiss offers to help her navigate the choppy waters of widowhood. Together, can they keep a new shipping line-and romance-afloat?

Soon after Rosalie Foxe arrives in the Queen City of northern Michigan for the summer of 1900, she stands at the center of a candy shoppe controversy. Accused of frittering away a gold coin meant for her aunt and uncle's candy shoppe mortgage payment, Rosalie learns they are about to lose their store and the apartment above which is their home. When Kenton McCune, a handsome, Harvard-trained lawyer comes to their aid, he responds with tart words to Rosalie's claim of innocence. Can her spun-sugar web of sweetness capture his confidence, and his heart?

Fayette Historic Townsite in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan offers visitors a step back in time to a nineteenth century company town. Here, nestled beneath a towering limestone bluff on Lake Michigan, the Jackson Iron Company operated two iron smelting furnaces. From December 25, 1867 to December 1, 1890, hot iron poured forth into casting houses, was cooled and separated into "pigs", and shipped to Ohio aboard schooners. Today, several original structures give testimony to Michigan's industrial past-from the laborers' log cabin, to the managers' salt box homes, to the "Big White House" on the bluff that was occupied by the superintendent. In the center of all these stands the working core of the once-thriving village-the furnace stacks, casting houses, company store, warehouse, town hall, company office, machine shop, and hotel. Through the pages of this book, tour this fascinating open air museum that offers million-dollar views of the harbor, bay, and quaint remnants from nearly 150 years ago. Quotes from newspapers of that era serve as captions, bringing the town to life. Fayette Historic Townsite is without a doubt one of the best-preserved company towns in America and a gem of Michigan history that is unlike any other.

At age fourteen, Violet Harrigan encounters two tragedies-the death of her father, and the resulting need to move several miles from home. The situation is more than she can bear. But a true friend sticks closer than a brother. Guy Legard visits Violet faithfully. Months turn into years, and the seed of friendship blossoms into love. Then Guy disappears into the woods for several long months and Violet turns her attention to a suave and debonair newcomer, Reggie Vanderveen. Will he steal her away to a new life of excitement in Boston, or can Guy rekindle the flame of enduring love?

With her new husband, Harrison, lying helpless after an accident on stormy Lake Michigan, Aurora finds marriage far from the glorious romantic adventure she had anticipated. And when Serilda Anders appears out of his past to tend the light and nurse him to health, Aurora is certain her marriage is doomed. Maybe Cad Blackburn, with the ready wit and silver tongue, is the answer. But it isn't right to accept the safe harbor he's offering. Where is the light that will guide her through troubled waters?

Caroline Chappell practiced long and hard for her recital on the piano and organ in Caledonia's Methodist Episcopal Church. She even took up the trumpet and composed a duet to perform with Joshua Bolden, an ace trumpet player whom she'd long admired. Now, two days before the performance, it looks as if her recital will be upstaged by a hastily planned street concert by the Caledonia Band! Until Neal Taman steps in. With grace and ease, this urbane newcomer resolves the conflict between Caroline and the band. For this, she is grateful. But when he offers her comely cousin, Deborah, employment in a far-off city, suspicions arise. Is this supposedly overworked banker's son really seeking rest and a change of scene in the Village of Caledonia, or has he come to this small, rural community for some darker purpose?

This premier title in the Great Lakes Romances series takes readers to Mackinac Island, Michigan, in the year 1895. There, the prestigious resort, Grand Hotel, offers an opulent setting for Victorian romance. Victoria Whitmore, a 20-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan, native, travels to the island on a mission to rescue her father's furniture manufacturing business from certain financial ruin. Grand Hotel owes the Whitmore's money, and Victoria vows not to leave the island until every penny is paid. However, she has not counted on the elusive and manipulative nature of Rand Bartlett, the hotel manager. Accustomed to challenges and bent on making the struggling Grand Hotel a success, Rand Bartlett has not counted on the challenge of Victoria, and he certainly has not counted on losing his heart to her.

When Bridget Richards leaves South Manitou Island to take up residence on Michigan's mainland, she suffers no lack of ardent suitors. Only days after the loss of his wife, Nat Trevelyn, Bridget's closest friend and the father of a two-year-old son, wants desperately to make her his bride. Kenton McCune, a handsome, wealthy lawyer in Traverse City, showers her with kindness the likes of which she's never known. And Erik Olson, the son of her employer in Omena, shows her not only the incomparable beauty and romance of a Leelanau summer, but also a bravery and affection beyond expectation. Who will succeed in winning her heart? Or will tragedy swiftly intervene to steal away the promise of lasting happiness and true love?

When Vanda Mae Foxe's cherished mare takes sick and dies, she leaves a huge hole in the sixteen-year-old girl's heart. Thankfully, her daddy's expansive North Carolina horse farm has plenty of room for a new favorite, and her next-door-neighbor, Willy Jo Winthrop, offers to sell Vanda Mae the perfect horse for her. However, Willy Jo's father insists on selling the horse to an unsavory character instead. A dispute erupts, and Willy Jo gets kicked off the family farm he loves. He takes refuge with the Foxe family and his friendship with Vanda Mae prospers as they ride beside the Yadkin River. But horse trouble trails him. Can Willy Jo solve the horse problems, reconcile with his family, and win Vanda Mae's affection as well?

Deborah Dapprich's flighty ways had earned her the nickname, "Butterfly," in childhood. Now, as a young woman of eighteen in the year 1905, her impetuous wanderings brought unanticipated trouble. A marriage of convenience to her childhood friend seemed the only way out. Tommy Rockwell knew that life with his Butterfly would never be dull, but he wasn't prepared for the challenges of his new bride. From Caledonia to Calumet he pursued her, only to discover that he was running second to her first love, the theater. Would she ever light long enough for his love, and the will of God, to work their way into her heart?

The greatest passion of Flora McAdams' life has always been her love of animals. From girlhood she had made it her mission to care for orphaned wild creatures and hurting family pets in the pig iron town of Fayette. Now, at age eighteen, she has no lack of four-footed patients needing her skill, and no time or thought of romance, until a quiet Norwegian machinist comes to town. Sven Jorgensen hoped his first encounter with the feisty Flora McAdams would be his last. Whether at the village vegetable garden or the town racetrack, he can't seem to avoid her. But time works miracles. And after witnessing her transformation of hurting, homeless canines into healthy, loving pets, his thoughts of her are altered as well. Can he somehow convince her that he has much more than friendship in mind for their future?

Charlotte Richards' carefree world turns upside down on her eleventh birthday, the day her beloved papa dies in a spring storm on Lake Michigan. Without the persistence of fifteen-year-old Seth Trevelyn, son of South Manitou Island's lightkeeper, she might never have smiled again. He shows her that life goes on, and so does true friendship. When Charlotte's teacher invites her to the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Seth signs as crewman on the Martha G., carrying them to Chicago. Together, Seth and Charlotte sail the waters of the Great Lake to the very portal of the Fair, and an adventure they will never forget. While there, Seth saves Charlotte from a near fatal accident. Now, seventeen and a man, he realizes his friendship has become something more. Will his feelings be returned when Charlotte grows to womanhood?