When is a family no longer a family? Gayle Fortman has built a good life for herself and her three sons in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Divorced from charismatic broadcast journalist Eric Fortman, Gayle has made a success of her bed-and-breakfast. She has even maintained a cordial relationship with Eric--for whom family was never a priority, even when they were still married. Luckily, her closest neighbor has been a loving surrogate father to...

Bonnie faces a bleak winter alone, with her divorce looming. A welcome escape comes when Claire invites her to Maui to help launch an exciting new business: a quilter's retreat set at a bed and breakfast amid the vibrant colors and balmy breezes of the Hawaiian Islands.

As each holiday season approaches, some revel in welcoming the New Year ahead; others quietly mourn the passing of time gone by. "We can't hold on to the past," says Master Quilter Sylvia Compson, "but we can keep the best part of 'Auld Lang Syne' in our hearts and in our memories, and we can look forward to the future with hope and resolve." As Sylvia, a late-in-life newlywed, has discovered, love can enter our lives at any age. Yet before she can...

When Elm Creek Quilts announces openings for two new teachers, quilters everywhere are vying to land the prestigious post. The impending departure of two founding members means untold changes for the Elm Creek Quilters. As they begin the interview process, a single question emerges: Who can possibly take the place of beloved colleagues and friends? "We must evaluate all of the applicants' qualities," advises Master Quilter Sylvia Compson. "Our choice...

Jennifer Chiaverini's popular Elm Creek Quilts series has been an international hit. The year is 1924. Elizabeth loves Elm Creek, but she's also dreamed of traveling the world. When her beloved Henry finally professes his love, he asks her to leave with him and move to a California ranch. Elizabeth must decide whether she can really leave her home behind forever. She may dream of travel, but she always envisioned herself ending up at Elm Creek.

In this entry from the popular series, five women meet at quilt camp and embark upon a project together. Over the next year, each woman must tackle a personal difficulty before adding her segment to their shared quilt. Despite the challenges they face, the women draw strength from their newfound sisterhood.

"When widowed Millie Fisher moves back to her childhood home of Harvest, Ohio, she notices one thing right away-the young Amish are bungling their courtships and marrying the wrong people! A quiltmaker by trade, Millie has nevertheless stitched together a few lives in her time, with truly romantic results. Her first mission? Her own niece, widowed gardener Edith Hochstetler, recently engaged to rude, greedy Zeke Miller. Anyone can see he's not right...

"An uplifting story of three grief support group dropouts--women united in loss and rescued through friendship. An accident has left Grace's husband in a vegetative state. Nan, a widow for twenty years, is feeling the emptiness now that her children are grown. Monica is reeling over her husband's sudden death and the revelation of his infidelity"--

The first book in the Apple Creek Dreams series. Jerusha Springer has spent months making the most beautiful quilt anyone in Apple Creek, Ohio has ever seen, and she knows it is going to take first prize at the Quilt Fair in Dalton. The prize money will be her ticket out of the Amish way of life-away from the memories of Jenna, the daughter she lost a year ago and Reuben, her tormented husband, who has been missing since Jenna's death. On the way...

The impending marriage of Elm Creek's most renowned quilting instructor prompts the stitching of a perfect commemorative bridal quilt, an endeavor that is challenged by closely guarded secrets among the Elm Creek Quilters.