(available NOW!!! from www.booksamillion.com, www.buy.com, www.target.com, www.amazon.com, www.oaktara.com )

Light at Summer's End...
It’s a hot Georgia afternoon, and Melissa has been dumped at a stranger’s house for the entire summer...just because she’s in the way at home. Worse, Miss Vellie, the owner of the farm, lives alone. Melissa is sure she’ll be bored to death. Then Melissa discovers that Miss Vellie didn’t even know she was coming!

Melissa cries herself to sleep the first night...and the next....and the next. Is Melissa just homesick, or is there something deeper going on? What on earth can an angry fourteen-year-old and a retired English teacher have in common?

Sneak Preview!  Click me.

Any questions? Write me at inkieballard@hotmail.com
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(available NOW!!! from www.booksamillion.com, www.buy.com, www.target.com, www.amazon.com, www.oaktara.com )

Julia's Quest...

An emotionally riveting tale
of
one woman’s courageous search for her true identity.

Julia Mason has searched for her birth parents since she was a teenager. Years later, lies, dreams, confrontations, and a confession from her adoptive mother lead Julia down a troubling path to find answers to the questions that have plagued her most of her life.

The trail will lead her deep into the mountains of North Carolina…into the heart of a strong family, burdened with a dark and painful secret.

Set in Appalachia, rich in folklore and simple lifestyle…
a world where using herbs and home remedies is essential and unassuming,
religion is inseparable from everyday life,
and art and craftsmanship are a means of living. 

Sneak Preview!  Click  me!

For information about this book and its release date, please click www.OakTara.com or email me at inkieballard@hotmail.com.

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Here's an experiment to see what you think.  Teasers or short stories to read--would that be good?  email me at inkieballard@hotmail.com with your opinion.  Here's the first one...

"A Sip of Tea" (a narrative self-portrait)

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Currently working on a novel (speculative fiction) exploring the benefit of memory transfer on perpetrators of capital crime in the attempt to effect remorse for the crime committed.  In this case, the perpetrator is a high school senior...

Also working on a series of dragon tales wherein a young princess befriends the last dragon.  On their adventures he tells ancient tales of chivalry and valor which parallel her life at home, providing insight into how to deal with her own struggles.

visit kim's weblog at www.blog.storykim.com

Now that Oprah has endorsed Kindle by Amazon and given everyone in her studio audience their own device, I am concerned about how this ebook and kindle business will affect authors’ royalties. It’s already slim pickens for us at about 10 cents on the dollar, and now books are even less expensive when bought and downloaded into the kindle. So since it’s a revolution I cannot change or win, let me just encourage you then that if you do have a kindle, download me.