More Than Words Volume 3: An Anthology

by Susan Wiggs, Karen Harper, Kasey Michaels

Five bestselling authors Five real-life heroines

They're your neighbors, your aunts, your sisters and your best friends. They're women across North America committed to reaching out and changing lives, one good deed at a time. Five of these exceptional women have been selected as this year's recipients of Harlequin's More Than Words Award. And once again five award-winning bestselling authors have kindly offered their creativity to write original short stories inspired by these real-life heroines.

Because of this year's recipients' dedication, thousands of tiny babies born into poverty are going home from the hospital wearing warm, hand-knit clothing. Inmates are raising pups to keep people safe and be loyal guide dogs. Special-needs kids finally have a sports league to call their own. Cancer survivors enjoy a week of relaxation and rejuvenation nestled in Canada's stunning cottage country. And high-quality, low-cost children's books in Braille are finding their way to the thousands of children who need them.

We hope More Than Words will touch your heart and inspire the heroine living inside you.

Thank you. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be reinvested in the Harlequin More Than Words program to support causes that are of concern to women.

Genres: Romance, Anthologies, Inspirational, Fiction, Contemporary

512 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based only on the story by Susan Wiggs.

This one really tugged at my heartstrings and I found myself with tears in my eyes while reading. I loved how Miranda decided to take back her life and her family after a year's battle with cancer. The time away was exactly what the family needed to find the relationships they had before cancer invaded their lives and changed them all for the better.

[Sandra Bensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stories, using real life people and their unique abilities and skills to create nonprofits for others to aspire to. Each author used their own writing abilities to create a story using or relating to each of these real life people's experiences. Great reading.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 5 stories in this book.

Homecoming Season by Susan Wiggs

I originally looked for this book because I started reading the Lakeshore Chronicle series by Susan Wiggs (so far I've only read #1 Summer At Willow Lake and #2 The Winter Lodge) and saw that the novella, Homecoming Season, would actually be book #2 in this series, but it really doesn't make too much of a difference. when this story is read.

Homecoming Season is about a woman named Miranda who is ending her rounds of chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. She will only need to come in for check-ups every three months and is thinking about an adjusting to this. She takes a good look at her family and the toll her breast cancer has taken on them all. Her friend, Sophie Bellamy, suggests she take a week away at her ex-in law's cottage at Camp Kioga on Willow Lake. The week that they spend together helps them all come back together as a family again.

Find The Way by Karen Harper

This story is about a Woman named Alexis. She was a school teacher who was stalked by a janitor from the school she worked in. She ends up falling down stairs in her apartment building after he chases her and becomes blind. Alexis learns of a program called Puppies Behind Bars, where inmates train puppies to become seeing eye dogs or explosive detection canines. She applies for a dog and enters the program. Throughout the process the detective who handled her stalker case has fallen in love with her and is slowly trying to gain her trust. He also is worried that her stalker will return and hurt her again.

Here Come The Heroes by Kasey Michaels

This story was more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be. Charlie is a fourteen year old boy who had a kidney transplant and loved baseball. So much that he kept trying out for the local little league team and kept getting shot down by the coach because of his being too small and because it was known he had a kidney transplant and the child was a liability to the team and because of insurance reasons.

Charlie's Mom, Laura, gets an idea to assemble a team of other kids like Charlie with special needs (seizures, spina bifida, blindness, etc.) The idea is that anyoen can play and they make their own rules for the game.

Laura learns of a program in Saint Louis, MO and contacts them for ideas. Soon she has land for them to build a baseball field on and many donations from local businesses to help support her idea. She just needs to convince her husband that this idea will all work for their son and the other children.

Touched By Love by Catherine Mann

This story is about librarian Anna Bonneau, her former high school boyfriend, now lawyer, Forest Jameson and his blind son Joey. Forest is divorced with custody of his blind son Joey. Anna introduces Joey to braille books, while Anna and Forest try to fight the feelings they still have for one another all these years later. The love and connection Anna has for Joey is very sweet.

A Stitch In Time By Tori Carrington

This story was about a divorcee ER nurse, Jenny, one-year divorcee Dr. Harry Gordon, and and idea Jenny has about helping new Moms who need warm blankets and clothes for their newborn babies. Jenny tries to fight the connection she feels with Dr. Gordon because she feels like it will complicate her single, divorced lifestyle even more. She consults with her Aunt Precious who lives in a nursing home to help crochet baby hats, booties, and blankets for the Stitches From The Heart Program she is trying to establish in her community.

I enjoyed some of the stories in this book more than others, but over all it was a very good book that I would recommend to others.

[Amar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories do a really good job of creating and setting up very emotional situations, which makes for some really moving moments. And when a story is able to bring tears to your eyes, you know that the author is doing a good job. On the other hand, a couple of the stories were dripping with romance, and I found those to be a little harder to appreciate. It's hard to rate a short story book with stories written by different authors, but on the whole, I would say that the book falls around a three and a half.

[Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of novellas each having a storyline involving surviving cancer, guide dogs, sports for special needs children, low cost childrens books in Braille and babies born into poverty having hand knit clothing. I obtained this book so i could read the story that was set in Avalon NY...which was the location of the Lakeshore Chronicles.

Anthologies are interesting because you can see if you like other authors writing style...

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great anthology put out by Harlequin every year. They take 5 extraordinary women who contribute to society and award their charity $10,000. Then, 5 romance authors write a story based on their work. Included in this book are charities for cancer survivors, braille books, knitted items for newborn babies, guide dogs, and sports for special needs kids. Warms your heart.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Touched by Love" by Catherine Mann. It was really good. You can't help but falling in love with little Joey who was a blind child and Anna who bought him braille books from the very real Seedlings Braille Books for Children. (www.seedlings.org)

[Marilyn Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great anthology of stories by two of my favorite authors--Susan Wiggs and Emilie Richards--and Sharon Sala whose work I'd not read before. (But I will again) The stories are fiction but inspired by real people. A great, uplifting read.

[Michelegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short little novella about a woman recovering from breast cancer and their trip to Willow Lake to bring their family back together. It was very sweet. I only read Susan Wiggs story.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly inspiring read. Made me a little teary eyed. Very sweet.