Sheila Williams

The author of Dancing on the Edge of the Roof, now a Netflix film starring Alfre Woodard, returns with a riveting, emotionally rich, novel that explores the complex relationship between mothers and daughters in a fresh, vibrant way--a stunning page-turner for fans of Terry McMillan, Tayari Jones, and Kimberla Lawson Roby. Elise Armstrong, Carmen Bradshaw, and DeeDee Davis meet in a yoga class. Though vastly different, these women discover they all have one thing in common: their mothers have recently passed away. Becoming fast friends, the trio make a pact to help each other sort through the belongings their mothers' left behind. But when they find old letters and diaries, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee are astonished to learn that each of their mothers hid secrets--secrets that will transform their own lives. Meeting each month over margaritas, the trio share laughter, advice, and support. As they help each other overcome challenges and celebrate successes, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee gain not only a better understanding of the women their mothers were, but of themselves. They also come to realize they have what their mothers needed most but did not have during difficult times--other women they could trust. Filled with poignant life lessons, The Secret Women pays tribute to the power of friendship and family and the bonds that tie us together. Beautiful, full of spirit and heart, it is a thoughtful and ultimately uplifting story of unconditional love.

The Secret Women

The author of The Secret Women tells the story of a brave and enduring woman as indomitable as Ernest Gaines’ legendary Miss Jane Pittman, in a breathtaking novel that combines the epic romance and adventure of Outlander, the sweeping drama of Roots, and the haunting historical power of Barracoon. Things Past Telling is a remarkable historical epic that charts one unforgettable woman’s journey across an ocean of years as vast as the Atlantic that will forever separate her from her homeland. Born in West Africa in the mid-eighteenth century, Maryam Prescilla Grace—a.k.a “Momma Grace” will live a long, wondrous life marked by hardship, oppression, opportunity, and love. Though she will be “gifted” various names, her birth name is known to her alone. Over the course of 100-plus years, she survives capture, enslavement by several property owners, the Atlantic crossing when she is only eleven years of age, and a brief stint as a pirate’s ward, acting as both a spy and a translator. Maryam learns midwifery from a Caribbean-born wise woman, whose “craft” combines curated techniques and medicines from African, Indigenous, and European women. Those midwifery skills allow her to sometimes transcend the racial and class barriers of her enslavement, as she walks the razor’s edge trying to balance the lives and health of her own people with the cruel economic mandates of the slave holders, who view infants born in bondage not as flesh-and-blood children but as investment property. Throughout her triumphant and tumultuous life Maryam gains and loses her homeland, her family, her culture, her husband, her lovers, and her children. Yet as the decades pass, this tenacious woman never loses her sense of self. Inspired by a 112-year-old woman the author discovered in an 1870 U.S. Federal census report for Ohio, loosely based on the author’s real-life female ancestors, spanning more than a hundred years, from the mid-eighteen-century to the end of America’s Civil War, and spanning across the globe, from what is now southern Nigeria to the islands of the Caribbean to North America and the land bordering the Ohio River, Things Past Telling is a breathtaking story of a past that lives on in all of us, and a life that encompasses the best—and worst—of our humanity.

A Novel

Things Past Telling

The author of The Secret Woman tells the story of a brave and enduring woman as indomitable as Ernest Gaines' legendary Miss Jane Pittman, in a breathtaking novel that combines the epic romance and adventure of Outlander, the sweeping drama of Roots, and the haunting historical power of Barracoon. Things Past Telling is a remarkable historical epic that charts one unforgettable woman's journey across an ocean of years as vast as the Atlantic that will forever separate her from her homeland. Born in West Africa in the mid-eighteenth century, Maryam Prescilla Grace--a.k.a "Momma Grace" will live a long, wondrous life marked by hardship, oppression, opportunity, and love. Though she will be "gifted" various names, her birth name is known to her alone. Over the course of 100-plus years, she survives capture, enslavement by several property owners, the Atlantic crossing when she is only eleven years of age, and a brief stint as a pirate's ward, acting as both a spy and a translator. Maryam learns midwifery from a Caribbean-born wise woman, whose "craft" combines curated techniques and medicines from African, Indigenous, and European women. Those midwifery skills allow her to sometimes transcend the racial and class barriers of her enslavement, as she walks the razor's edge trying to balance the lives and health of her own people with the cruel economic mandates of the slave holders, who view infants born in bondage not as flesh-and-blood children but as investment property. Throughout her triumphant and tumultuous life Maryam gains and loses her homeland, her family, her culture, her husband, her lovers, and her children. Yet as the decades pass, this tenacious woman never loses her sense of self. Inspired by a 112-year-old woman the author discovered in an 1870 U.S. Federal census report for Ohio, loosely based on the author's real-life female ancestors, spanning more than a hundred years, from the mid-eighteen-century to the end of America's Civil War, and spanning across the globe, from what is now southern Nigeria to the islands of the Caribbean to North America and the land bordering the Ohio River, Things Past Telling is a breathtaking story of a past that lives on in all of us, and a life that encompasses the best--and worst--of our humanity.

"Anthology of original science fiction short stories published in conjunction with the MIT Technology Review"--

Tomorrow's Lovers, Families, and Friends

Entanglements

A Novel of the Spirited Women of the Six Triple Eight Central Postal Directory Battalion

No Better Time

Asimov's Science Fiction, October/November 2011

Asimov's Science Fiction September/October 2021

Asimov's Science Fiction, September/October 2017

Asimov's Science Fiction, September 2007

Dancing on the Edge of the Roof

Asimov's Science Fiction, November/December 2017

Cynthia Manson

A collection of seventeen science fiction stories by authors including Frederik Pohl, Isaac Asimov, Pamela Sargent, and Octavia E. Butler.

Short Stories for Young Adults

Tales from Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine

Isaac Asimov

From the award-winning pages of "Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine" comes a unique collection of new lycanthropic legends. These wild and wooly tales are written by today's acclaimed talents, including Suzy McKee Charnas, and Pat Murphy.

Isaac Asimov's Werewolves

Gardner R. Dozois

Leading science fiction writers--including Robert Silverberg, Terry Bisson, and Lisa Goldstein--explore the mysteries of love and the human heart, in an anthology of short stories originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine

Isaac Asimov's Valentines

The Weave - History, Mystery and Fantasy. A Romany Witch, a French Count and an English Author entangled in a lie told centuries ago... 1598: When Oskar, Comte de Tréville asks the witch Ombrine to save the life of his son, she demands a high price. Oskar must leave his family and his lands and travel with her, as a servant, to Barbaria.On his return to France five years later Oskar finds he is wanted for the murder of his wife. Unable to prove his innocence he allies himself with Ombrine who persuades him to take the Jouance - a life-prolonging drug.Three centuries later, Oskar, now wealthy and leisured uncovers the truth about the fate of his family. 2013: Debut author Richard Pease suffers from writer's block. He is also broke and bedevilled by fears of his own inadequacy. A chance encounter takes Richard to the Nonesuch Club, a writer's retreat in France run by Oskar and Ombrine. As he finds the block to finishing his book lifts he also begins to uncover the secrets within the club. He finds himself trapped in a centuries-old tangled web of deceit which leaves him not only fighting for his career but also for his life.

The Weave

From the award-winning pages of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine comes this new anthology of stories for All Hallow's Eve, featuring tales from noted authors Nancy Kress, Ian R. MacLeod, Esther M. Friesner, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and others.

Isaac Asimov's Halloween

What are you supposed to do with a restored spirit? Eventually, I got some answers. I just didn’t expect to get so many. When Juanita Lewis arrived in Paper Moon, Montana, courtesy of a Greyhound bus, she was just looking for a brief respite. Instead, she found a home, friends, and a man to love. But this leave-your-attitude-by-the-door woman made a promise to herself–one that she intends to keep. Now that she’s got a place to come back to, Juanita wants to see the world. A trip out West with her eccentric trucker friend, Peaches, leads to a cooking stint at a new age spa for skinny celebrities. Crazy, but its here that Juanita decides to take her talent for cooking to a new level . . . and make it her dream. She also learns something about life: It does turn out the way you planned it–just be ready to change the plan a few times along the way. Just as Juanita’s journey begins, she’s called back to Paper Moon, having inherited an old, slightly haunted B&B, as well as a mountain of decisions. There’s her self-centered, irresponsible daughter, insisting that she get some sense and come back home to Columbus, and a son who’s doing things Juanita can’t bear to think about. So how does a middle-aged black woman from the projects follow her heart when it’s heading in so many different directions? By asking the right questions, then listening with her soul.

On the Right Side of a Dream

A book of six lists of One hundred ways to tell if....These lists are humorous, but also serious. They may make you think more about your life. This book might make you think more about the decisions you are making, but this book is not a self help book. It might make you laugh, but some of the lists'contents have actually happened to some people. It is for any adults who have had some problems in their life, but keep laughing anyway. You have to laugh even if it is at yourself. The lists include ways to tell if you are in the wrong job, if your cat likes you, if you need to do more exercise,if your boyfriend or girlfriend isn't good for you, if you are eating too much chocolate and if you need to find somewhere else to live. Entertaining to read, especially with a bar of chocolate.

One Hundred Ways to Tell If .......Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend Isn't Good for You and Five More Lists, Including 100 Ways to Tell If You Are Eating Too Much Chocolate

Sheila Williams

About

Books

Join the club