Three-time thru-hiker J. R. Tate explores the traditions and lore of the Appalachian Trail.

Recollections of grueling climbs, knee-wrecking descents, mountaintop thunderstorms, snakes underfoot, and the myriad characters encountered on an AT thru-hike.

For years a single desk at Grandview Elementary School has sat empty, avoided by every child who passes through its classroom. Across town, a mother waits for a daughter who didn’t return home. And from a distance, a young woman mourns the sister she lost. Only Melinda Gordon can communicate with the spirit of the little girl who occupied the empty desk. Alone and afraid, the child harbours a secret that is stopping her from moving on, and it is up to Melinda to help the child resolve her past and bring closure to those she loved. Based on the hit television series Ghost Whisperer, the new novel The Empty Desk continues the story of Melinda Gordon, a young woman with the extraordinary ability to see and communicate with ghosts, who uses this gift to help spirits cross over into the spirit world.

In the bestselling tradition of Rosemary Altea and John Edwards comes the memoir of Mary Ann Winkowski, the real life "Ghost Whisperer" and consultant on the Top 30 CBS show "Ghost Whisperer" starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Lights flicker on and off for no good reason. You feel drained and inexplicably irritable. Your four-year-old is scared to enter her bedroom. Tell these things to Mary Ann Winkowski, and she'll tell you that you have a ghost. A happily married, devout Catholic, suburban mother and full-time paranormal investigator, Mary Ann Winkowski has been able to see earthbound spirits, spirits that are trapped on earth and haven't "crossed over," since she was a little girl. Mary Ann works with these spirits to help them make peace with what keeps them here - whether it be people they can't let go of or homes they love. In When Ghosts Speak, Mary Ann will tell the amazing story of growing up with this gift, and will share tips on how to recognize when you're not alone, and what to do if you are in the presence of a ghost.

Since she was a little girl, Melinda Gordon could talk to the dead: "earthbound spirits" as her grandmother called them. Melinda came to understand that the spirits are trapped, and in need. She listens, tries to understand what keeps them from crossing over, and helps them find what they need to be free. It's not easy, but with time and patience her gift allows her to come to bring those spirits to peace. The sound of a mournful lullaby has been haunting Melinda in her sleep, the song of a ghost who doesn't seem ready or willing to accept her help. Knowing that earthbound spirits are often confused and troubled, Melinda feels that with time she will make a connection. But there is no time; the melodic tapestry that the ghostly singer is weaving with her words -- meant to comfort a child -- has become a trap, lulling the young listeners into such a deep sleep that no one can ever awaken them. It takes one child, then another and another, until all across the town children are drawn in by the gentle song, their lives slowly slipping away. Even Melinda, with her knowledge of the spirit world, finds herself being pulled into the beautiful snare, where she nearly loses herself. Only then does Melinda begin to worry that this is a spirit so troubled, so heartsick, that it may be beyond her help.

Just an ordinary day in Grandview with customers at the Village Java looking for that perfect caffeine fix and lookylous being transformed into buyers by the eclectic assortment of antiques at Same As It Never Was. But there's nothing ordinary about the blur of activity at Jack's Dry Cleaning, where shirts are spinning on the racks and dresses are dancing without their owners. A spirit has taken up residence in the store, and although Melinda Gordon usually can sort out what's keeping a spirit from crossing over, this particular one is frustratingly uncommunicative. After a week of trying, the store owner is convinced that Melinda will never succeed. Then self-acclaimed spiritual consultant Wendy King comes to town, guaranteeing success in moving spirits to the afterlife...for a fee. But Wendy's methodology involves trapping and forcing spirits into the light. And she pays no heed when Melinda tells her that what she is doing is wrong and dangerous. After a young couple inherits the old Ray mansion and asks for help selling the antiques that fill the house, Melinda pushes aside her concerns about Wendy. But the old house holds a terrible secret and a spirit that Melinda cannot budge. The frightened owners turn to Wendy King, who forces the spirit to cross over, despite Melinda's pleadings. But Wendy's actions release an evil, unyielding spirit, one who promises to release a flood of disease and terror on the town, starting with the people closest to the Ghost Whisperer.