For many readers in the late 1980s and 1990s, the cover of a romance novel was almost as important as the story inside. A single image could suggest adventure, emotion, and a captivating hero...
A man sits down on a bar stool and tells the bartender, “Pour me a drink before the trouble starts.” The bartender looks puzzled, but pours him a drink. The man chugs it and says, “Pour...
Late-afternoon light filled the bookstore when I saw her—a nervous teenage girl slipping a worn paperback into her bag. I followed protocol enough to stop her, but not enough to punish her. Through tears,...
An elderly Native American went to a bank asking for a $500 loan. A bank employee helped him fill out the application. “What will you use the money for?” the banker asked. “I want...
At my husband’s funeral, I thought the hardest part would be the silence. The stillness after the final hymn. The empty sound that follows when the last condolences fade and everyone eventually goes home....
Hugh Laurie, a well-known actor, was seen out in the sun walking his beloved dog. He didn’t look like his usual energetic self. Hugh had dressed warmly for the launch of his new sitcom,...
My father kicked me out when I was 18 for getting pregnant by a guy he said was “worthless.” That guy disappeared, and I raised my son on my own, working long hours and...
The brunette is driving while the blonde sits in the passenger seat. As they start going down a very steep hill, the driver suddenly realizes the brakes aren’t working. Panicking, she tells the blonde...
She believed this would finally be the night he proposed. The candlelight, the wine, and seven years together all seemed to be leading to that one unforgettable moment. But instead of a ring, he...
You check into a hotel after a long day, toss your bag down, and sink onto the bed — and there it is. That narrow strip of fabric stretched across the foot of the...
