Best Selling Books by Loretta Ellsworth

Baxter Green isn''t like everyone else. While most people would forget about the little details of everyday life, Baxter never forgets-not pain, not hurt, not embarrassment. In fact, Baxter never forgets anything-including a string of account numbers, flashed before his eyes by his mother''s criminal boyfriend, Dink, for use in a credit card scam. Years after his testimony has locked Dink away, Baxter and his mother are in a new town, trying to forget the danger Dink brought into their lives. Baxter wants to hide his unique ability, but it becomes increasingly more difficult when he reconnects with Hallie, a girl from his childhood who has lived on in his memory long after she has forgotten him. Can Baxter win Hallie''s heart? Loretta Ellsworth''s newest novel is one readers will never forget.

A widow’s visit to a storied Iowa ballroom sparks memories of World War II and her fateful decision between true love and duty to her family. Lorraine Kindred’s most cherished memories are of the Surf Ballroom, the place where youth lost themselves to the brassy sounds and magnetic energy of the big band swing, where boys spent their last nights before shipping off to war—and where Lorraine herself was swept away by a star-crossed romance. Returning to the ballroom for the first time in decades, Lorraine enters a dazzling world she thought long vanished. But as the sparkling past comes to life, so does the fateful encounter that forced her to choose between her heart and her duty all those years ago—and Lorraine must face the secret she’s buried ever since. Along the way, she’ll rediscover herself, her passion, and her capacity for resilience. Set during the 1940s and the present and inspired by a real-life ballroom, Loretta Ellsworth’s Stars Over Clear Lake is a moving story of forbidden love, lost love, everlasting love—and self love.

On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Erin receives her long-dead mother''s diary, which reveals that she too revered Harper Lee''s "To Kill a Mockingbird" and wanted to be a writer, and Erin impulsively decides to take the Greyhound bus from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Monroeville, Alabama, to visit the reclusive author.

Set during World War II, an unforgettable historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty told in in the voices of two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis. 1942. Seven-year-old Martine hides in an armoire when the Nazis come to take her father away. Pinned to her dress is a note with her aunt’s address in Paris, and in her arms, a bottle of wine she has been instructed to look after if something happened to her papa. When they are finally gone, the terrified young girl drops the bottle and runs to a neighbor, who puts her on a train to Paris. But when Martine arrives in the city, her aunt is nowhere to be found. Without a place to go, the girl wanders the streets and eventually falls asleep on the doorstep of Hotel Drouot, where Sister Ada finds her and takes her to the abbey, and watches over her. 1990. Charlotte, a commercial airline pilot, attends an auction with her boyfriend Henri at Hotel Drouot, now the oldest auction house in Paris. Successfully bidding on a box of wine saved from the German occupation during the Second World War, Henri gives Charlotte a seemingly inferior bottle he finds inside the box. Cleaning the label, Charlotte makes a shocking discovery that sends her on a quest to find the origins of this unusual—and very valuable—bottle of wine, a quest that will take her back fifty years into the past. . . . A powerful tale of love, war, and family, The French Winemaker’s Daughter is an emotionally resonant tale of two women whose fates are intertwined across time. Loretta Ellsworth’s evocative and poignant page-turner will linger in the heart, and make you think about luck, connection, and the meaning of loyalty.

The moving story of a young girl''s struggle to face her mother''s death. "She traveled to our small white house near the Iowa border on a buckboard, her green bag caked with the dusty road . . . I knew that she was called "the Shrouding Woman" because I''d heard Papa use those words to describe her. I didn''t know what it meant but I knew it had something to do with death." It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie''s Aunt Flo-herself a shrouding woman-comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman''s ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother''s recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie''s life, her strong and sensitive presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl''s home. Set in the mid-1800s, this beautifully written story, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, touches on death and healing with sensitivity and quiet dignity.

St. Martin’s Press has established the careers of countless bestselling authors over the years, such as Jonathan Tropper, Dan Brown, Augusten Burroughs, Louise Penny, Lev Grossman, and many more. Find out who is next . . . with St. Martin''s First! The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable, Some Bright Morning, I''ll Fly Away by Alice Anderson, The Atlas of Forgotten Places by Jenny D. Williams, The Wardrobe Mistress by Meghan Masterson, The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka, The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash by Candace Ganger, According to A Source by Abby Stern, Stars Over Clear Lake by Loretta Ellsworth.

Tangle-knot is not a word, but it is Fia’s hair. And Fia thinks it’s perfect, which is why she refuses to brush it, even though her mom always complains it’s a mess. In fact, it’s more than a mess—it’s a nest for a mother bird and her three colorful eggs! Fia takes excellent care of her birds and shows off her tangle-knot everywhere she goes, attracting lots of attention. As the spectacle grows, so does Mom’s disapproval. But Fia’s commitment to being herself just might be powerful enough to change her mother’s mind. This whimsical story shines with lighthearted relatability, reminding us that even when our parents just don’t get it, they always want us to be happy.

For fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Lurlene McDaniel, In a Heartbeat explores the ties of family and the weight of regret when a mistake costs Eagan her life during a figure-skating competition. Left in the afterlife, reflecting on what she could have done differently, Eagan''s still-beating heart is given to Amelia who has been waiting patiently for a transplant. When their thought, feelings, and dreams begin to mysteriously overlap, Amelia knows she must search for Eagan''s family and find a way to give them all the closure they need move on. Praise for In a Heartbeat: "[A] dramatic story of loss and second chances. . . a highly satisfying read." -Booklist "Readers will likely come away teary-eyed and inspired." -Publishers Weekly

Uskotko kohtaloon? Kahden eri aikoina eläneen naisen tarinat kietoutuvat yhteen upeassa historiallisessa romaanissa, kun Charlotte alkaa selvittää vanhassa viinipullossa olevan merkinnän alkuperää. Juutalainen pikkutyttö, Martina, pakenee Pariisiin vuonna 1942. Hän saa taloudelliseksi turvakseen viinipullon isältään mutta hukkaa sen paetessaan. Pariisissa 1990 lentokapteeni Charlotte saa käsiinsä viinipullon, joka osoittautuu erittäin arvokkaaksi. Charlotte kiinnostuu pullon alkuperästä ja päättää selvittää, kenelle pullo oikeasti kuuluu. Dramaattiset käänteet pitävät lukijan otteessaan viinipullon johdattaessa vuosikymmenten jälkeen Charlotten yllättävään seikkailuun. Viininviljelijän tytär on kirja viineistä, natsien varkauksista, juutalaislapsen kohtalosta, vastarintaliikkeestä ja feminismistä 1990-luvulla. Se on nautinnollinen yhdistelmä jännitystä, romantiikkaa ja historiaa. Loretta Ellsworth on palkittu yhdysvaltalainen kirjailija, joka on kirjoittanut niin aikuisten kuin lasten- ja nuortenkirjojakin. Aiemmin espanjanopettajana työskennellyt Ellsworth asuu perheensä kanssa Lakevillen kaupungissa Minnesotassa.