Jim's stories:

“Marcy and the Moon Pie.” The narrator is a songwriter-guitar player marked by hard work and hard times; and betrayal and lost love. If his life sounds like the substance of a country song, you're right in tune.

“The Welcome Wagon.” People get themselves and those around them into trouble, and protective laws can do little about it until after the fact. The police are the conscientious clean-up crew, no matter how long the messy job takes.

“The Golden Harp.” The musician here, unlike the previous professional in “Marcy,” cannot play—until on one very special occasion he finds that he can, only to come to a realization that his fanciful talent is short lived.

“The Courier” doesn't swindle or steal, but his clients do. They pay him well for moving their commodities secretly around the world. For him, it's a dangerous game. The reward: excitement . . . and a healthy offshore bank account.

“The Treasure of Vulture Valley” chronicles the adventures, setbacks and rewards of a crusty old miner and a mule in the badlands of The West, but it's not another Lost Dutchman tale.

“The Hyena.” An American businessman in modern-day South Africa gets caught up in a murder for hire arrangement, and after completing his part of the morbid bargain, is betrayed by his accomplice.

“The Muddling Musketeers.” Dumas gave the world three; Hollywood sometimes made it four, but the rallying motto of the musketeers—literary, cinematic . . . or homegrown—is constant: All for one, one for all.

In “The Call of the Sandpiper,” after a lifetime separation, a young couple finds one another and lasting love, but come dangerously close to finding a love that cannot be.

Carol's stories:

“Deadline Dilemma” shows just how far an author will go to make her characters come alive. Rebecca Star is the star and her galaxy includes a wayward priest, a willful psychic, and a pair of Broadway's fading stars.

“A Matter of Life and Death” looks at another aspect of show biz, different from “Deadline Dilemma,” above, but filled with an equally bizarre array of rising, falling—and shooting—stars.

“Mistaken Identity” takes identity theft to new highs, and to new lows. It all comes down to the conclusion that if you don't keep your focus, sometimes you simply can't believe your eyes.

“The Listing Appointment” opens new doors to the joys of home ownership, and to the buying and selling of those home-sweet homesteads.

In “Doubting Thomas,” meet the good Christian people who operate a storefront mission, along with some of their more memorable staff and guests—and every one of them has a story.

“Counterfeit Charlie” is another colorful and transient resident of the Union Rescue Mission introduced in the previous story of “Doubting Thomas,” and the same good people are still doing their good works.

Sometimes a pair of red “Dancing Shoes” is an important piece of a young woman's coming of age and gaining her independence, but that independence does not mean she's no longer Daddy's little girl.

When you're in deep trouble, you latch on to the “Lifeline” that's thrown, and no matter who's on the other end pulling you to safety, he can only be thought of as a hero.