Many Roads TakenReal-Life Stories about Life-Changing DaysTime Out for Some Warmth and Hope! This photo-laced collection of thirty-three short stories tells about days that can change lives. Not the big ones like graduation days and wedding days, but days that start out to be ordinary and then just burst forth into something quite unexpected. These are the unforgettable days, like the day a venomous snake highlighted a most precious partnership, or the day a chance meeting of two women in Africa unraveled mysteries of the human spirit, or the day a child's remembered sorrow became the essence of a father's strength. These true stories about actual experiences in the writers' own lives bring inspirational characters and their admirable deeds to light. Some leave readers wondering just how many shining knights wear sweater vests on the weekends, or how many short-term disappointments lead to life-long friendships, or which childhood joys will forever cling to the heart. "The wall in question is a garden retaining wall, some eight feet tall, and built of brick. I was puttering about the upper garden in the late spring doing some weeding when...I noticed a snake sunning itself on the top of the wall...kind I had not seen before" "I know I am coming into my Michigan when the highways turn into two-lane roads and fancy SUVs give way to old Ford and Chevy pickups. The white welcome of Queen Anne's lace. A family of wild turkeys along the road" Other stories explore the ways success can shake loose during times of fateful struggle. "Like a fabulous magician, Martha transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary-the simple into the superlative" Some serve up humorous tales that romp through memories of shopping trips, eggplants at the dinner table, snoozing pets, hidden address books, parades, and handy ropes and pulleys. "As we were FLYING down the stairs, we saw it there on the third step from the bottom, a huge, and I mean HUGE spider!" The flashes of real-life courage, insight, and personal triumph featured on the pages of this book surfaced during times of conflict and times of contentment. The characters celebrated in this collection drew much strength from the embrace of family, friends, and even strangers, and were often inspired during moments of personal peace. Author InfoThis short story collection features the works of nineteen Ohio-based writers whose ranks include playwrights, poets, journalists, historians, educators, and novelists. The book is an outgrowth of the creative and collective energies of the Monday Morning Writers Group (www.monday-morning-writers-group.com). This writers group is open to the public and meets as regular as clockwork in Cincinnati, Ohio, to share support, literary criticism, encouragement, and boatloads of laughter. Available on-line: www.outskirtspress.com