shoeadmin

I’m an old man, but I fondly remember my teddy bear, although it was a large rabbit. Big deal. But those bears teach us something as we face the trials of growing up. We need to love and be loved, especially in the dark of night. And so, after we are grown and our teddy bears have fallen apart, we find ourselves keeping our eyes open for a human teddy bear to snuggle up to on a cold night.

Often cynics lament, “Life is cruel!”  While this can be true, it doesn’t have to remain so. This is a story of two young people, living 3,000 miles apart, who could have made that lament their theme song. One was born with a horrible facial disfigurement; the other was born to a woman who didn’t want him, but couldn’t figure out a face-saving way to get rid of him. These are their stories about how love made them victorious over their difficult situations. You will cheer with them over their triumphs.

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Michael Nickel, from the day that he was born, knew that he was loved. This was made possible because of the love he got from his mother’s parents. Although he lost both his parents as a child, he was determined to follow in their footsteps. His grandparents were simple rice farmers, just north of Sacramento, California, and their capacity to love would last Mike a lifetime.

Mike was taught how to love by example. And so, he quickly gave it and found it, again and again. But as he found it, it kept being taken away from him. Where it would have destroyed most men, in the end it didn’t stop him.

His story began upon graduation when he got hired by a Sacramento TV station as an in-the-field reporter. From there he built an impressive life, despite being forced to deal with heartache and grief. Come along and see what the world tried to do to him and how he fought back and won.

Everyone who knew him would say that Jonathan Billings was A Good Guy, but the last guy you would expect to emerge as a mover and shaker in the affairs of his community.   Yet that is exactly what he became.  This is his story and how he met the responsibilities that were dumped upon him, almost from day one.

He didn’t start out seeking the power and influence that came to him, but you will enjoy seeing how he ends up using it. He and his mentor become rascals, co-conspirators who together give their community many improvements, despite the opposition of the “good old boys”.

This is a story laced with friendship, perseverance, and love; father/son, father/daughter, mentor and student, and yes, between a young man and his woman.   Because he is A Good Guy, you will find yourself rejoicing with him over his victories, victories over sadness, grieving, and even the threat of death.

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He grew up in his father’s clothing store. He began with a broom and ended up building a chain of stores. This was quite a feat, and he accomplished this while raising his two boys alone.

They were Bob’s Boys, but they were very different in make-up and their goals for life. They were oil and water, and no matter how Bob tried to make them love and respect each other, neither was going to let it happen.

As the story builds, you see it coming; Bob’s Boys will part in anger, and cause their father great grief. Yet, he never abandons hope, stops loving them, or gives up trying to bring them back together again. Despite the drama and struggle in this story, there is love and laughter interspersed. In the end, Bob will become the hero of his boys.

This story is about Ervin MacBride, simply known as Mac, and the house that was built by his great grandfather, whose name he shares.  The home was originally built in a plum orchard when rural San Jose, California was an agricultural paradise. But then came the builders of the Silicon Valley and gobbled up all the orchards, creating the largest city in the San Francisco Bay area. Involved in all of this were the developers who believed that what they wanted, they could have.

And so, it happened! The decision was made that Mac’s beautiful Victorian house had to go. They called it “That House,” and those who wanted it gone marshaled money and political influence to accomplish their goal.

But they didn’t take Mac into account! He was a fighter and was not going to be pushed around by anyone. You will enjoy his tactics, and laugh at how he stood up to them and what he did to protect That House.

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This isn’t a story of the Hatfields and the McCoys, but they had a lot in common with the families of the Ables and the Barnes. Two young men were the products of their fathers and grandfathers, who raised them to be just short of being enemies. Now they are the owners of side by side cattle ranches in the foothills of Stanislaus County, California. Frank and Vic were young men who now had the sole responsibility of hundreds of acres, a large herd of beef cattle, and the duty to carry on a hatred that spanned four generations.

These young ranchers made choices that would begin taking the hatred away. They fell in love and married women who were very loving, intelligent, and worse for them, who became best friends. What follows is a story, often humorous, of how two combatants would end up doing more than just make peace. Woven in between the humor is sorrow, struggle, and beautiful love.

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Boot camp drill sergeants are not usually thought of as love objects. Sergeant Major Ben musters out and begins to follow a dream. Time after time, he would see his charges go into town on leave; then he would end up rescuing them from themselves and sometimes a jail cell.

His dream is to provide a place for young people to gather and have fun, but do so in a safe and friendly environment. To the surprise of everyone, Ben’s Barn becomes a safe sanctuary for college students and the young of the community.

The Barn becomes the place to go; Ben is loved and respected as their father away from home. His army background isn’t left behind, as he runs his dance hall like he did his unit. Visiting rowdies quickly discover, the hard way, that they don’t belong! That being said, his staff and clientele love the Barn, as does a young widow who is introduced to the Sergeant Major. Ben’s Barn produces side stories which will intrigue you, make you laugh, and warm your heart.

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Far up in northern Minnesota a widowed father raises his girl. She emerges as a beautiful, educated woman, who remains a Daddy’s Girl. She gains a master’s degree, but then discovers that she must delay any future plans to come home and help her father.

Heidi comes home to Lake George, takes over their family’s fishing resort, only to discover that their unspoiled community is under attack by big money developers. At once she is involved in a township’s fight to save the beauty of where she grew up. As she leads this struggle, two men come into her life; they both decide that they want to win her heart.

If her life hasn’t become complicated enough, their community suffers the murder of one of their children and everything is turned upside down. Join up with Heidi and see how she faces all of these difficulties, solves them, and finally finds the man whom she will love.

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OK; the author admits it. This is an unabashed love story where two women come into a man’s life, and two horses solve the dilemma. Adam loved his father so much that he set aside his profession to come home and help him save his store. Together they build a prosperous business and have a great time doing it. At the same time, he buys a small ranch and raises two beautiful horses.

In the midst of all of this, David becomes captivated by a beautiful, exotic woman, who is also very much in love with herself. Then along comes a young woman and her horse, and life gets complicated. In contrast, this woman fits the image of “the girl next door!” Now, what to do??? He is a man who needs a woman to love, and to love him. But which one? It’s not a love triangle because these two women don’t know the other exists.

Ambivalence and confusion descends on our guy as he struggles with this predicament. To add to the confusion, he must also deal with a mystery. In the end, two Morgan thoroughbred horses help him find his way. You will enjoy traveling along with this man as he figures things out and choses the right woman.

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It is said that swans mate for life. If one loses his mate, that part of his life ends. This is a story of two swans who grew up just across the road from each other. However, in their senior year, he discovered that she was the love of his life. That’s when the boy became a man, and that is when the two swans mated for life.

These lovers had grown up working in their father’s peach orchards in central California. Their families were so close that the two men incorporated their ranches, and basically became one family. And then, one day the surrogate brother and sister became lovers.

What follows is a life that is infused with times of sorrow and tension. Central to this is a deep wound in the heart that has to be healed. The drama which follows will pull you right into their lives and you will be totally surprised at the heart-warming ending to this story.

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