Barbara Schoener

Barbara Schoener, a proudly proclaimed reformed helicopter parent, saw a need to pass on some practical tips when it comes to navigating the very stressful college admissions process and the ensuing journey that commences once a college selection has occurred. A mother of two very different children, almost 6 years apart in age, she found these two journeys had some similarities that remained constant. She felt that a holistic approach to what transpires in the years leading up to setting up camp in a college dorm and then beyond could be beneficial in the hopes of helping ease this transition for other families. Looking back after steering her children in their selections of two very different universities, both several states away from home, this book came to fruition. She hopes that in some small way to be of service. She feels you can actually enjoy this journey, make some great memories along the way while navigating the process that will culminate in one of life’s biggest decisions for all involved. Fingers crossed that the right decisions are made all around!

In 19th century czarist Russia, Nikolai, a lower-level aristocrat, appeared to have it all. Looks, wealth, privilege. And yet he was adrift. As his 30th birthday had now come and gone, his father’s insistence that he find a wife and settle down and produce an heir were becoming unbearable. He attends yet another ball, and again, much to his chagrin, no one manages to catch his eye. While meandering the palace grounds, he happens upon Tatianya, the duke’s youngest daughter, sobbing as she had been forbidden to attend the ball. Barely more than a child, she unknowingly manages to tame the wild and dashing Nikolai. Although totally smitten with Tatianya, her vast blue oceans constantly gazing upon him, Nikolai is seduced into gambling that a single encounter with a vampire will bestow powers beyond his wildest dreams. He foolishly follows this siren’s call, risking Tatianya’s love and trust and so much more. He finds that a gathering held on the eve of Mardi Gras in New Orleans shatters their world. Unable to return home, the newly minted vampires join forces with an unlikely couple, also in need of finding a new life. Together they venture to Napa Valley and find a way to come to terms with the path that life has challenged them to follow.