Here: Earthbound Fantasies and Futures

Eight stories where ordinary people discover extraordinary solutions. A preschool teacher protects children from dangers only she can see. A grad student misses a Metro train, and finds herself. A widow's grief transforms into a gift that seeds change. From a Michigan university library that has hidden depths to Maryland suburbs where justice arrives in cream-colored robes, these tales find magic in unexpected alliances and clever workarounds. For readers who believe the best resistance happens when people who "shouldn't" matter decide that they do. Nicky Penttila wrote her first story, a Mayan murder mystery, in seventh grade. But then came gymnastics, math team, and boyfriends. Later came husband, car payments, and a sleep-depriving work schedule at newspapers across the country. But the writing kept trickling out, a story here, a novella there, and finally, a real live novel. And she hasn't stopped.