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In this lyrical coming-of-age story about family, sisterhood, music, race, and identity, Mariama J. Lockington draws on some of the emotional truths from her own experiences growing up with an adoptive white family. I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark. Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena-- the only other adopted black girl she knows-- for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda's sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can't seem to find one realfriend. Through it all, Makeda can't help but wonder: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me? Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world. For Black Girls Like Me is for anyone who has ever asked themselves: How do you figure out where you are going if you don't know where you came from?

Poetry; 45 pages. "...The Lucky Daughter digs deeps into the physicality of moving through the world as a queer woman of color. These poems about race, sexuality, families (found, formed, and inherited) are brutal in their honesty and beauty... The voices in these poems are constantly trying to grow themselves up despite a world determined to destroy them. Fresh and pungent from gardens, wet from internal and external rivers, and complicated by profound questions of existence, these poems trace their voices back to before conception, rooting themselves in the histories of both violence and hope, all the way back to Lucy, our oldest ancestor... This collection is full of wounds and, because we are lucky, it is also full of the most graceful seeds." -- Anthony Frame, author of A Generation of Insomniacs and To Gain the Day. “To read the poems of Mariama J. Lockington is to put one’s hands in the richest soil and feel grounded, even as its sacred churning remains unyielding in the face of time. The Lucky Daughter navigates the world in which the body is neither abandoned nor relegated to the metaphorical but laid bare in its pungent truth as a site of loss, healing, and resistance. These poems acutely confront the vulnerabilities of both transgenerational consciousness and the pain of fracturing from its holdings.” –Stephanie Kaylor, poet

An innovative publishing project from 826 National, the tutoring centre founded by bestselling author Dave Eggers, the co-founder Ninive Calegari co-author of the bestselling Teachers Have It Easy, presents a riveting book full of surprising insights from young people who have a lot to say to their teachers. Be Honest presents the first-person stories of senior school students from every ethnic and socio-economic group including an African American boy who talks about the social pressures that prevent him from asking his teacher for help.

The Celtic Brooch Series, book 1. She's searching for the most important thing... Can she find it before it's s too late? Armed with a mysterious ruby brooch and a duffel bag judiciously packed with modern conveniences, paramedic Kit MacKlenna swirls through time, appearing in 1852 on the Oregon Trail with only one goal in mind--find her birth parents before their murderers do. A serendipitous meeting on a wagon train with sexy lawyer Cullen Montgomery, who resembles the ghost who has haunted her for years, just might set her off track. Her desire for secrecy collides with his pursuit of truth. If she can survive the dangerous journey and thwart his attempts to expose her as a fraud, she might uncover the identity of her birth parents and return home to reassemble the shambles of her life. As the journey continues westward, a mutual spark of attraction ignites and grows too strong to resist, forcing her to question what she truly wants. When disaster strikes, she must decide whether to stay in the past with her heart, or return to her home in the future--a place she believes she no longer belongs?

The Celtic Brooch series, book 2. The enduring power of love can turn tragedy into triumph This is a stand-alone book that continues the story of Kit MacKlenna's godfather, Elliott Fraser, who was introduced in THE RUBY BROOCH. Meredith Montgomery, the first female president of her family's 160-year-old Napa, California winery, has her hands full with training for a marathon, problem employees, a nosy reporter, and launching a new wine when a health scare wiggles its ugly head again. She takes refuge in Scotland for a working holiday where she meets Thoroughbred breeder Elliott Fraser, CEO of MacKlenna Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Elliott is on crutches, recovering from surgery on his leg. Although she tries to keep her distance and avoid distractions, the sexy Scotsman reels her in and hooks her with entertaining dinner invitations and a trip to his family's castle in the Highlands. After a blissful night together, a crisis on the farm pulls Elliott back to the Bluegrass. When Meredith accepts his invitation to stop for a visit on her return to California, the next domino falls in an explosive chain of events that could threaten not only their hearts but their lives. One careless moment confronts them with a life or death decision that could destroy the MacKlenna family legacy forever (Add to your cart now ) Reviewer's Comments The Last MacKlenna is a great romantic read. You can't help but ooh and ah at the wealth that surrounds strong leads Elliott and Meredith. Lowry Logan elegantly and purposefully gives her readers a great taste of Meredith's life as president of her family-owned vineyard and Elliott's in the high powered world of thoroughbred race horses. These two broken souls fall deeply in love and we root hard for them to overcome their many obstacles. And I would be remiss if I didn't add that this novel comes complete with a gripping mystery--one that will make your heart pound. Along for Meredith and Elliott's journey are a fine group of quirky, strong and loyal characters.

The Celtic Brooch series, book 3. The long awaited sequel to the Kindle Time Travel Romance Bestseller THE RUBY BROOCH! The saga of the brooches continues in this Civil War Time Travel Romance... A Union soldier risks everything to save the life of Abraham Lincoln, while a Confederate surgeon races through time to preserve Lincoln's Legacy. Reenactor Dr. Charlotte Mallory has spent years perfecting the portrayal of her ancestor, Civil War Confederate surgeon Major Carlton Mallory. In the middle of the 150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek, she is hurled back in time and lands in the middle of the battle itself, and from there is catapulted into dangers that threaten her life and shatter her heart. Charlotte is captured by Union soldiers during the battle and hauled before General Sheridan. The General only sees a Confederate surgeon who can solve a challenging problem for him, so he threatens Charlotte with the destruction of her two-hundred-year-old ancestral home unless "he" agrees to rescue a Union spy from a Confederate hospital. To save her home and possibly her own life, she reluctantly agrees. After a harrowing journey to Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, she finds her target, a handsome, green-eyed spy with a Minie ball in his gut and is now at death's door. Without a thought for long-term consequences, she returns with him to the future, where she has the technology to save his life. While recovering from his gunshot wound in Charlotte's ancestral home, the spy, Major Michael Abraham "Braham" McCabe learns the man he works for, President Lincoln, was assassinated. Now Braham is determined to return to his century to prevent the assassination. When Charlotte refuses to help him, because it will change the future, he finds another way to get back to his own time. Now Charlotte must find the courage to follow her heart into the past, and fix the mess she created before it unravels and changes the course of history. What began as the rescue of a dying man explodes into an eight-month, terrifying, and spellbinding escapade that carries Charlotte across the boundaries of time, honor, and duty to protect history and those she loves, putting everything she cherishes at risk, her heart, her home, and her life.

The Celtic Brooch series, book 4. David McBain can do the impossible with one hand tied behind his back, but miracles take him a wee bit longer...Two deployments in Afghanistan couldn't prepare Major David McBain and Captain Kenzie Wallis-Manning for the week leading up to D-Day - June 6, 1944. From the bombed-out streets of London to the huts at Bletchley Park and an interview with Alan Turing to the 2nd Battalion Army Rangers and the beaches of Normandy, this high-stakes, time-travel World War II romantic adventure will keep you enthralled, awake into the wee hours, and racing toward the end, only to wish it had never arrived..West Point graduate Kenzie Wallis-Manning planned to make the Army her career, but after being severely wounded during her second deployment, and suffering from PTSD, she retires from the military and enrolls in law school.While studying in England, she receives a package containing an emerald brooch with a Gaelic inscription. As soon as she sounds out the words engraved on the stone, she is whisked back in time to May 28, 1944. When Elliott Fraser learns his friend's half-sister, Kenzie, has disappeared, he sends David McBain and Jack Mallory to the past to find her, and bring her and her soul mate back to the future. Will David discover the mission pits him against the best interests of Britain? Will Jack's penchant for getting in trouble put his life at risk again? Will Kenzie find her soul mate, or will she lose more on the battlefield of this war than she did in Afghanistan?

The Celtic Brooch series, book 5. When a brooch is broken, some of its magic is lost...When NYPD detective JL O'Grady is invited to be her brother's plus-one at Montgomery Winery's end-of-harvest gala, she plans to enjoy a fabulous weekend in Napa drinking wine, enjoying sunset dinners on the veranda, and watching her brother's high school basketball tournament. Instead, she's pulled into a murder investigation hauntingly similar to a New York City racketeering and drug case that nearly ended her career.The local cops insist she steer clear of their investigation, but JL's gut instincts - and fears for her brother's safety - drive her deeper into the case. With help from MacKlenna Corporation's irresistibly handsome and charming CFO, Kevin Allen, she searches for a connection between the two cases, while at the same time her connection with Kevin rockets from mild to scorching in a New York minute.When another crime hits too close to her heart, the stakes escalate and endanger not only JL, but the entire MacKlenna Clan as well.Now it's up to JL and Kevin - with a little help from David McBain, who is drowning in toddler hell - to solve the case. With time running out and danger closing in, JL and Kevin rush to discover the killer's identity before someone else is murdered, and while they're at it, they might just find what's been missing from both their lives for far too long.

The Celtic Brooch series, book 6. When Kit MacKlenna returned to her soul mate in the 19th century, Elliott Fraser thought he would never see his beloved goddaughter again. But when a message from Kit is discovered in a 135-year-old painting, Elliot must either ignore Kit's request for help or test the Legend of the Three Brooches. Will the combined magic of the ruby, sapphire, and emerald open a door to the past, and who will volunteer for an experimental trip? David McBain volunteers to go, but he and Kenzie are expecting a baby. Braham McCabe volunteers to go, but he died in 1869. Kevin Allen volunteers to go, but he's recovering from a recent gunshot. Jack Mallory volunteers to go, but he's in the midst of planning an adventure back to 1909 to rescue Amy Spalding. Elliott Fraser volunteers to go, but everyone tells him it's too dangerous and he can't go by himself. So... Nine adults and five children recite the magic words and appear on Kit Montgomery's doorstep at Montgomery Winery in 1881. Within a twelve-hour period, the travelers will be faced with decisions that could rip the clan apart. Hang on for a fast-paced time travel historical romance with mystery, suspense, and a bit of paranormal that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Celtic Brooch series, book 7. Baseball analyst is thrown a curveball when she is whisked back in time... And one of those curveballs is thrown by a blue-eyed pitcher! ESPN baseball analyst Amy Spalding is swept back in time by a magical brooch and finds herself in 1909 New York City. With only the clothes on her back, a phenomenal memory for New York Giants players and stats, and a brooch that won't take her back home, she does what she has to do, pawns her jewelry. When New York Times best-selling author Jack Mallory discovers Amy in the background of the iconic photograph of Ty Cobb kicking up a cloud of dirt as he slides hard into third base, Jack along with Kevin Allen, JL O'Grady, Connor O'Grady, and Pete Parrino launch a rescue mission to return Amy to the present before her boyfriend goes on trial for her murder. Can the time travelers hold out against stalkers, PTSD, phobias, and failing relationships long enough to find a thief and recover the stolen diamond brooch so they can all go home? And can Jack and Amy find the soul mate of their dreams on a voyage of lost hopes and new beginnings?

The Celtic Brooch series, book 8. Sparks fly and tension soars when a gutsy 21st century lawyer meets a 19th century Pinkerton agent in a Colorado mining town!Fast-paced Western adventure with a railroad war, gunslingers, dinosaur bones, and romance... Amber Kelly, mining lawyer and amateur paleontologist, visits her family's 19th century log cabin in the Colorado mountains, and discovers a puzzle box hidden in a 200-year-old loom. Inside the box is a brooch engraved with a Gaelic inscription. After reciting the words, an earthy-scented fog engulfs Amber and whisks her off to Leadville, Colorado, in the year 1878. Within minutes of arriving in the infamous boomtown, she witnesses a horrifying accident.Pinkerton Agent Daniel Grant, a widower on assignment to the Rio Grande Railroad, sees his son fall into the path of a freight wagon. Terrified, he knows he can't reach him in time. Amber sprints toward the boy, grabs him, and drags him to safety. Although Daniel is grateful to Amber for saving his son's life, he quickly becomes suspicious of her legal knowledge, odd passion for hunting dinosaur bones, and the inability to answer simple questions about her identity.Olivia Kelly, real estate Broker and former litigator, is distraught over her sister's disappearance. With the assistance of her client, former NYPD detective Connor O'Grady, they search the cabin for clues to Amber's whereabouts. Connor recognizes the puzzle box and is convinced Amber has gone back in time. But where? With the help of his friends, David and Kenzie McBain, they identify two possibilities: Morrison and Canon City, Colorado, in the late 1870s. A plan to rescue Amber is immediately put into action.The time travelers are drawn into the middle of two wars: a ruthless and competitive bone war between two noted paleontologists, and a desperate railroad war between the Santa Fe and the Rio Grande. Their involvement in these wars puts at risk the future of paleontology, the outcome of a sensational legal battle, and the health and hearts of two couples, a ten-year-old boy, and a dog named Ripley.

The Celtic Brooch series, book 9. Italian Artist Sophia Orsini is given a magical pearl brooch with the power to transport her back in time. She uses the power once a year for a two-week vacation in another century, where she commissions a famous artist to paint her portrait. This year, she plans to commission Marie Antoinette's favorite portraitist. Sophia's pearl brooch malfunctions and, instead of arriving in Paris in 1786, she is stranded in the city on July 14, 1789, in the middle of the revolutionaries storming the Bastille. Her vacation to find painting inspiration in another century turns into a desperate battle to survive. America's Ambassador to France, widower Thomas Jefferson, comes to her rescue and, as their relationship evolves, he wants Sophia to return to America with him. All the while, Sophia's lost love, Pete Parrino, and the rest of the MacKlenna Clan are searching history to find and rescue her. With her heart breaking as it's pulled in both directions, how will she choose where she really belongs?

The Celtic Brooch series, book 10. In 1814, I took a little trip... Due to the subject matter (pirates and war), this raw and intense story comes with a warning of PTSD, violence, profanity, and sensual love scenes. Starring Rick O'Grady and Billie Malone, with David and Kenzie, Pete and Sophia, and introducing Cajun Remy Benoit and special guest stars General Andrew Jackson and the pirate Jean Lafitte. In New Orleans to speak at the annual conference of the National Association for Catering & Events, former Army Ranger Billie Malone decides to swing by an estate sale, and can't resist buying a magnificent topaz brooch. Later in the day, while admiring her purchase, she triggers the magic, is whisked back in time to Barataria in 1814, and is drawn into the Battle of New Orleans, and the escalation of an ancient, ongoing war with powerful, global combatants.