Gail Shalan

All science classrooms discuss animals that hibernate during winter months, but few know about animals that estivate, a prolonged sleep during hot or dry periods. Learn about the reasons estivating animals become dormant, whether it's because warm weather threatens food supply or to avoid increased body temperatures. From the ladybug to the salamander, from the lungfish to the desert hedgehog, twelve estivating animals and their habits, both when...

While attending a month-long writing retreat at the estate of a feminist horror writer who issues a life-changing challenge, Alex, determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, ignores the strange happenings around her until the disappearance of a fellow writer leads her on a desperate search for the truth.

A dark and thrilling novel from the author of The Secret Garden sees a strong-willed heroine defy conformity, lunging head first into a world filled with violence, manipulation, passion, and murderSet in late 17th-century England, amid the ribbons and romance of courtship, this gothic tale tackles violence and manipulation, blackmail, and even murder. When Clorinda is born, the odds seem stacked against her. First and foremost, she is a girl like...

Struggling with grief over her uncle's death, twelve-year-old amateur astronomer Tuesday Beals makes a discovery that could save her favorite astronomy spots in Zion National Park from the threat of a new housing development.

During one unforgettable year in their twenties, best friends Emma, Fern, Carolina, and Andi make a pact to embrace whatever life throws at them, inspiring Fern to write a memoir detailing their escapades and the magical power of saying Yes. But fast forward twenty years and they have reached their bandwidth of responsibilities. Fern is a full-time writer struggling to pay the bills. Carolina is a fitness-obsessed workaholic. Andi is a disillusioned...

As a regular volunteer at North Dawkins Elementary, Ellie would never miss the annual Mother's Day breakfast-even if she has to tolerate the likes of Gabrielle Matheson. The rivals aren't exactly sworn enemies, though Ellie still thinks there's only room for one professional organizer in their small Georgia town. But when Gabrielle reports finding a dead body inside the supply closet, the two women form an alliance to teach a killer a lesson in justice... Ellie...

Organizational whiz Ellie Avery is prepared for everything, including a visit with her quirky in-laws. But a promising week sipping Alabama sweet tea sours when she learns her husband's Grandpa Franklin has passed away--and the police suspect very unnatural causes. Looking for motives among the mourners, Ellie gathers that quite a few relatives stood to profit from Franklin's passing. When a little more sleuthing reveals Franklin's mysterious ties...

Grace Coulter has been hiding in the kitchen of her family restaurant since she was eight years old. That's when the name-calling began. Stretch, skinny-minny, boy in girl's clothes, all because of the slender height that had her towering over even the tallest boys in the class.Now, nearly thirty years later, Grace is head chef of the failing restaurant and still hiding in the kitchen. Like many businesses during the current recession, Coulter's may...

At Coulter's Restaurant - Book 2 A Slice of Life Christmas - a novelette It's Christmas and there are wedding bells ringing around Coulter's Restaurant as they prepare to celebrate Rosalie and Michael's wedding. But the bride is hiding something, a secret that she won't even share with her fiancé, and that secret has Rosalie calling off the wedding. Can Grace, her best friend, intervene in time to save Rosalie from making the biggest mistake of...

Meet military spouse, soccer mom, professional organizer, and savvy sleuth, Ellie Avery! Moving four times in five years has honed Air Force wife Ellie Avery's packing and unpacking skills. But moving with a newborn daughter and husband Mitch in tow, during a heat wave, is enough to make her turn to chocolate for comfort. And when Ellie finds a local environmentalist dead on the side of the road, her instincts tell her this was no accident … Ellie...