Knotted Pearls

<P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 12pt>The thirteen stories in this new collection by Karla Clark feature characters adrift . . . <SPAN style=LETTER-SPACING: 0.05pt>pearls of people facing knotty situations. A father away on a business trip who <B>misses </B></SPAN><SPAN style=LETTER-SPACING: 0.15pt>his wife and daughters more than they miss him. A newly married woman whose </SPAN>husband grandmothers her to death. A garbage man who refuses to define himself by his occupation. A college student who discovers her own beauty. An elderly woman <SPAN style=LETTER-SPACING: 0.3pt>who hasn't spoken to her best friend in twenty years. A Christmas tree grower </SPAN><SPAN style=LETTER-SPACING: -0.05pt>searching for his trees.</SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office /></SPAN></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify><SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 12pt>Combining humor with grace Clark teases out issues of the heart in the everyday lives of everyday <B>people. You'll </B>recognize the characters . . . they are people we all know <SPAN style=LETTER-SPACING: -0.05pt>and love.</SPAN></SPAN></P>