Elizabeth Ridley – författare

“I fell in love with Sadie as you will, too.”—Fern Michaels Joal Derse Dauer was donating blankets at a local no-kill shelter when an injured and despondent dog caught her eye. With three “fur babies” already at home, Joal wasn’t looking to adopt another dog. But there was something special about Sadie . . .   With patience, hope, and plenty of love, Joal saw her canine companion grow in strength and joy. And before long, she discovered that sweet Sadie had transformed her life in ways she never could have imagined.   Joyous and inspiring, Saving Sadie is a triumphant story about the power of unconditional love and second chances—for humans and animals alike.  “A triumphant tale of second chances that shows how patience, hope, compassion and love can truly transform lives.” —Modern Dog“An uplifting story with tremendous heart. I couldn't put it down.” —Helen Brown“Saving Sadie will lift your spirit and open your heart. A must-read.”—Jodee Blanco“What a wonderful book—moving and inspirational, touching and heartwarming.” —Sue Pethick

GET READY TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ONE INCREDIBLE DOG … Marika Meeks fell in love with Stella the moment she saw her. The adorable pit bull puppy had been abandoned in a cold field in winter—but her warm, friendly eyes and boundless affection could melt anyone’s heart. Even so, Marika wasn’t sure she was ready to adopt a dog. As a busy entrepreneur, wife, and mother of two daughters, Marika’s life was crazy already. She was recovering from stage-three breast cancer, and her family was still reeling from her brush with mortality. But Marika couldn’t deny the way Stella made her feel—the pure joy of this sweet-natured dog’s unconditional love—and she knew in her heart what her family needed … In a leap of faith, the Meekses welcomed Stella into their home, and thanks to this incredible dog, the daily pressures of work, stress, and Marika’s health problems seemed to slip away. As Marika’s cancer receded and her family found renewed vitality, she began sharing Stella’s story with the world. Now an international social media star, Stella helps Marika  to spread their heartfelt message of advocating for pit bull breed awareness,  explaining the benefits of pet ownership,  and supporting shelters and other organizations that save animals’ lives.  If you’ve ever experienced the joy that only an animal can bring—or felt the healing power of a pet’s unconditional love—you’re going to adore Incredibull Stella.

U.S. Marine Sergeant Tim Fortner survived 14 months in Vietnam as a door gunner in a CH-46 helicopter. Completing 27 strike flight missions, he was awarded the Air Medal and Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat. Like many veterans, his real battle didn't begin until he returned home, where he struggled to adjust to the "new normal" of American life in 1969, still haunted by his experiences during the nation's most unpopular war. His memoir describes his military training, his unit's harrying missions inserting and extracting troops over landing zones under enemy fire, and his four-decade struggle with service-connected PTSD.

“Fat girls have fewer choices in life. This is painful but true. You’ll never be the center of attention; never the belle of the ball. No one gives fat girls the benefit of the doubt. Skinny, pretty girls get the best of everything. We get whatever’s left.”   So warns the mother of Wilma “Sunnie” Sundstrom, a bright, precious, overweight 13-year-old whose lifelong dream is to meet her idol Johnny Carson, and appear as a guest on The Tonight Show. The year is 1978, and Sunnie a straight-A student and aspiring filmmaker deals with constant teasing from her eighth-grade classmates by dreaming of Hollywood accolades and writing a screenplay, “Girl on the Lam,” which she is certain will star teen sensations Kristy McNichol and Robby Benson.   Sunnie lives in suburban Milwaukee with her banker father, her stay-at-home mother, her sullen older sister, Ingrid, and her brilliant younger brother, Max. Sunnie’s closest friend and confidante is Grannie Lassen who encourages Sunnie’s show-biz dreams. Grannie’s own tap-dancing ambitions were cut short by the untimely death of Grannie’s younger sister, Wilma.   A devastating loss plunges Sunnie into despair and her family packs her off to an all-girls summer “fat-camp” in Northern Minnesota, where her days revolve around skimpy meals, calisthenics, and humiliating daily public weigh-ins on the camp’s livestock scale. Love enters Sunnie’s life in the form of a dashing boy from the Pentecostal Bible camp across the lake. When his late night canoe visits suddenly and mysteriously cease, Sunnie and her friend Cherise take matters into their own hands, with nearly tragic results. Rather than return home in shame, Sunnie takes a desperate leap of faith and embarks on a cross-country journey. Challenged more deeply than she ever expected, she discovers the unorthodox ways that dreams really can come true.

Following a serious automobile accident, 17-year-old Branda Raggan wakes up at the hospital a stranger in her own skin. Therapy for her injuries has little effect, so the doctors send her home with her mother, Margaret, a hard-drinking, tough-talking former country-and-western singer who runs the local tavern, The Bloody Mary, above which she and Branda make their home.

Tenacious, novice banker, Rian Reston, rises from a broken family to be bilked out of an immense sum in a small Colorado mountain town. He''s fired. Without money, friends or family, he contemplates suicide. At the last moment, he gets menial work on a failing cattle ranch. While there, he meets his mentor, Reggie, who hires Rian. Unbeknownst to the two, the bank employing them is owned by Scaratucci, a mobster using it to launder money. While working at the bank, Rian meets tree-hugger Missy and her friend, Tablita, a Native American woman and US Senator. Meeting Missy changes everything Rian knows and feels about love.Then, a long nation-wide power outage hits America. It inspires Rian to seek a solution to the fragile bank payment system, Rian uncovers ancient deep layers of bank deception in plain sight, with bankers pretending to take in deposits they lend in their communities. Scaratucci''s bard-quoting hitman is turned loose when Rian learns how to prevent payment pandemonium in predatory banks, as happened in 2008. To carry it out, Rian and Missy start a political movement.Tablita presents Rian''s idea to Congress and his testimony before them, raises his stature in the media''s eyes. Following his idea, the legislation threatens to end the mafia''s money laundering and banks harming people. Congress and the vacillating President are caught up in the public''s protests who are mad as hell. Public protests demand Congress pass the proposed Public Payment Act, creating a secure payment system without private banks. That spark turns Rian''s grassroots movement into a raging prairie fire that sweeps the county.