New Releases by Greta Burroughs

"House on Bo-Kay Lane" continues the adventure begun in book one in this series, "Gerald and the Wee People." Gerald and Vernon believe their time with the wee people came to an end after they returned to their home world but begin to wonder when strange things started to happen at an abandoned house in their neighborhood. Ghostly images of familiar faces from the wee people village are seen in the windows, echoes of voices from the past haunt the boys'' dreams and an undeniable curiosity draws Gerald and Vernon to investigate the mysterious haunted house. What they find takes them back to the world of the wee people and a new adventure begins. In "House on Bo-Kay Lane," a mirror is found in a forgotten room in the far-seers'' training center. Sheela, a far-seer master and Alyson, an apprentice firestarter are unwillingly drawn into the depths of the mirror and wind up in the abandoned house on Bo-Kay Lane. Sheela uses her telepathic skills to enlist the aid of Gerald, Vernon and Gerald''s father, Andrew to help find the way back to the world of the wee people. That problem resolved, they try to unravel the secrets of the mirror and find that it is a portal between their two worlds, as well as to a time in the future and possibly even to a parallel universe. They also discover that someone is trapped inside the mirror and the decision has to be made as to whether or not to help the trapped soul escape the confines of the portal. Meanwhile, the wee people discover the origins of their world. That knowledge is not well accepted and leads to discord between them and the outworlders, Gerald, Andrew and Vernon. An uneasy truce paves the way to an understanding and acceptance of the unwelcome facts and eventually to a solution of how to deal with the man in the mirror.

Christmas is a special time for kids of all ages and in “Christmas with Patchy and Calico”, the lovable dog and cat discover the true spirit of the holiday season. Through their many adventures, the two friends learn that giving, sharing, and caring are just as much fun as receiving presents.In one story, making a snowman should be a fairly simple job, but not for these two. Patchy decides to show off and accidentally becomes the world''s first walking snowdog.Then when all the Christmas presents mysteriously disappear, Patchy and Calico become detectives. They track down the gift snatcher and come face to face with the bully who stole all the gifts from underneath their Christmas tree.In other adventures, the two friends find a wealth of chestnuts and are given lots of treats. What Patchy and Calico do with all the nuts and treats will teach children how simple gifts can make both the giver and receiver happy.Preschoolers up to elementary-aged children (and adults too) love the adventures and misadventures of the two title characters. The humorous stories, illustrations, and simple questions at the end of each story will entertain kids while teaching them valuable lessons on sharing, caring and giving while spreading Christmas cheer.Other books in this series include “Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat” and “Patchy and Calico''s Summer Vacation.”ExcerptThe next day, the two friends went for their usual walk, but this time the dog carried a bag with him.“What are you going to do with the bag, Patchy?” asked Calico.“I''m going to do some Christmas shopping. Daddy likes chestnuts, right?”“Oh yes, he really likes chestnuts,” answered the cat. “Daddy likes to roast them in the fireplace.”“I know where there''s a chestnut tree and I''m going to get some nuts for his Christmas present.”“That''s a very smart idea, Patchy,” said the smiling cat.When they got to the tree, the dog found a lot of chestnuts and filled his bag, full up to the top.On their way back home, Calico heard a strange noise coming from high up in a tree. She stopped and listened.“Patchy, it sounds like someone is crying. Can you hear it?”“Yeah, I wonder what''s wrong.” The dog looked up and saw a squirrel, a very sad squirrel. “Why are you crying?” he asked her.The squirrel looked down at the two friends and said between sobs, “All of the nuts I stored in this tree have disappeared. Somebody took them. Now I don''t have anything to feed my family this winter.”Patchy looked at his bag and then looked at the sad squirrel. “I''ll share some of my chestnuts with you. I don''t want your family to go hungry this winter.”“Oh, thank you!” squealed the squirrel, running down the trunk of the tree. She gathered a bunch of nuts out of Patchy''s bag and took them back up to her hiding place.She poked her head out of the hole and said, “My name is Sandy and I have a big family. May I have a few more chestnuts?”“Of course, Sandy,” Patchy replied.The hungry squirrel gathered up what she thought would be enough to last the rest of the winter. It did not leave many nuts in the dog''s bag.“Thank you for sharing with me,” said the squirrel who was now very happy.“Merry Christmas,” Patchy said as he waved goodbye to Sandy.The cat had been quietly watching her friend. “Patchy, I''m very proud of you for sharing your chestnuts.”“Calico, you were right when you said that giving presents is as much fun as receiving them. That''s what Christmas is all about: sharing, giving and helping others,” replied Patchy. “I''m going to go back and pick up some more chestnuts. There are still a lot of them on the ground. Maybe we can find some other animals to share them with.”So that is what Patchy and Calico did for the rest of the day. They gave Christmas presents to all of the squirrels, raccoons, possums and deer they could find.It took a lot of trips back to the chestnut tree to refill Patchy''s bag, but the two friends did not mind. They were pleased. Sharing and giving made them happy.

Gerald and his best friend, Vernon discover a mysterious spot in the woods where Gerald visualizes a miniature village complete with wee inhabitants. He enjoys going back to that spot and watching the day to day activities until trouble starts in the village and he tries to convince Vernon that the "visions" are real and the wee people need help. While trying to prove that the whole thing is just Gerald''s wild imagination, the boys literally fall into the new world and get caught up in a war. The boys come up with ways to keep the invading force from entering the village but another solution has to be found in order to put an end to the conflict. Along with a few companions from the village, Gerald and Vernon embark on a quest to face down the deranged forest god who instigated the mayhem. The dangerous path is laid out by an ancient prophecy, but not everything goes as planned.Excerpt This time it was no illusion. The walls burned their hands; the hot air burned their throats. The floor was sticky with some kind of hot substance, burning their feet through their shoes.They began to hear a distant sound like the laughter they had heard earlier. Cian fell to his knees and cried out in pain as the scalding liquid burned his skin. “I can''t go on, just leave me here to die,” he screamed.Tomas reached out to his brother trying to help him up. It was no use; he was too weak and exhausted. In a very weak voice he said, “You all go on. I''ll stay with Cian. I can''t go another step anyway.”No one else said a word. The others were too tired to talk, too tired to walk, too tired to care. This was not supposed to be happening. Gerald did not remember this from his nightmares. Something was wrong.He yelled to whoever was listening, “Did we take a wrong turn or something? Stop it Miach, stop it. You want me, leave my friends alone.”That just made matters worse. The scampering, unseen creatures came out of nowhere. They did not just run past this time but stayed and started pinching and biting the legs and arms of Gerald''s companions.For some strange reason though, the creatures did not bother him.All four of his companions were down, rolling around on the ground trying to fight off the shadowy figures. The screams intensified from his friends as the burning liquid covered their bodies and the creatures'' biting turned to gnawing.Gerald could hear pieces of flesh being torn away as the other boys were being eaten alive. The laughter was all around them now bouncing off the walls and echoing through Gerald''s head.“Stop it, stop it now. Please, I''ll do anything you want, Miach. Stop the noise, stop torturing my friends.” Total silence fell; all the gnawing, screaming and laughter were gone. Gerald did not know if the total lack of sound was worse than all the noise.He noticed a light shining above him. He looked around and realized he was all alone.A voice spoke inside his mind and said, “Anything I want, huh,” followed by a soft, haunting chuckle.

Patchwork Dog has a knack for getting into trouble and his best friend, Calico Cat usually winds up right in the middle of the mess with him. Calico would rather spend her days sleeping in her nice comfortable bed, staying safe and worry free. She knows better than to follow Patchy when he is out looking for a new adventure, but she tags along anyway just in case... On the other hand, Patchy is very curious and is always investigating new sights, sounds and smells. He follows his nose wherever it goes. Sometimes that leads to trouble but other times it gives Calico a chance to play a trick on her not so smart friend. Join the two lovable creatures as Patchy tries to fly like a bird and finds out that soaring through the air is fun but the landing hurts too much. In another adventure, the little dog gets caught sneaking around an airplane. In the other three stories, Patchy and Calico eat too many apples, confront a not too friendly skunk, and take a magical ride into town. Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat has illustrations at the beginning of each chapter that hint at what the new adventure will be about. Other pictures are included at the end of each story along with some questions for the child to answer. Older children can read the stories themselves or it would make a wonderful bedtime story book for younger kids. The five tales will entertain children of all ages with the antics of the title characters and hopefully teach youngsters some valuable lessons on sharing and working together.

"But I don''t feel sick. Why do I have to stay here in the hospital?" I stubbornly asked the emergency room doctor, and he replied in an exasperated voice, "Because you are one sick chick. Your platelets are down to 2000. You are going upstairs to PCU and you are going to stay there until I say you can go home." I (Greta Burroughs) was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called ITP (Idiopathic or Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura) in April 2005. At that time, I knew very little about platelets, CBC''s, corticosteroids and other factors that would play a significant role in my well-being for the rest of my life. Since that time, I have researched autoimmune disorders and ITP and have spoken with a number people who also suffer from this chronic blood disease. I kept a journal describing my relapses, treatments, successes and failures and wrote up all this information so that I could share it with others who are also fighting this illness. Heartaches and Miracles is a combination biography, research information and pep talk for anyone suffering with ITP or for family members and friends who want to understand what this disease is all about. There are excerpts from other ITPers who have been on or are still on the never ending roller coaster ride of steroids, surgery and other types of medications and treatments. There are no cures for ITP or for any autoimmune disorder for that matter. The treatments and medications can have terrible side effects, but the disease can be controlled in most people. It can be a hard road filled with relapses and disappointments but with a positive attitude and support from friends and family, there is hope. Heartaches and Miracles was written as a form of chicken soup for the ITP soul to give encouragement and strength to those affected by this blood disorder. Reading how others have coped, hopefully will give those newly diagnosed a glimpse of what to expect and give everyone with ITP a new hope for tomorrow.