Cara Sue Achterberg

It was a Tuesday like any other. And then it wasn't. A simple encounter at a supermarket changed Carin Fletcher's and Leann Cane's lives – literally. Suddenly Carin, a pretty, self-absorbed, underemployed college graduate, finds herself living as Leann, an uneducated, perennially poor, obese checkout clerk, and vice versa.Carin is at first horrified: she's enormous, she can barely make ends meet, her husband is an abusive loser, and she's saddled with the kid Leann had when she was a teenager. Meanwhile, Leann is initially thrilled: she's escaped destitution, she looks like a model, and people treat her completely differently.But as the days pass, it becomes clear that life isn't clear-cut for either woman. Carin finds herself attaching to Trevor, Leann's precocious son, and developing feelings for Jimmy, a fellow employee who treats her with the respect few others bother to give her because of her appearance. At the same time, Leann is living a life she's always wanted in a body she's always dreamed about, but that doesn't mean that all of her problems have gone away...and a new one is emerging with Carin's sometimes-boyfriend.Both women are facing unknowable futures that neither could have imagined. Are they destined to live this way forever? And if so, where will it all lead?A brilliant, nuanced, and surprising tale about the way the world sees us and the courses we are on, I'M NOT HER is a remarkably assured first novel that introduces a profound new storyteller.

Meet the Turners - a socially awkward genius child, an adolescent cat burglar, a philandering husband, and a doormat wife in desperate need of a backbone. The Turners are doing their best to craft a happy life and face down a history they have no control over in a neighborhood where only the houses are similar. And when relationships sprout from seemingly nowhere and secrets begin to unravel, practicing normal becomes harder than it's ever been.

Combining her trademark combination of wit, insight, and tremendous empathy for her characters, Cara Sue Achterberg has written a novel that is at once familiar and startlingly fresh.

Dani, Meg, and Charlotte have bonded over babies, barbeques, and backyards, but when they escape for a girls weekend away, they can't bring themselves to return to lives that don't seem to fit anymore.
Harried Dani can't explain why she feels so discontented until she meets a young gallery owner who inspires her to rediscover the art that once made her happy.
Dependable Meg faces up to a grief that threatens to swallow her whole and confronts a marriage built on expectations.
Flamboyant Charlotte, frustrated with her stagnated life and marriage, pursues a playboy Irish singer and beachside business opportunities.
All three of these women thought they would be different. None of them thought they'd be facing down forty and still wondering when life starts. What they do when they realize where they're headed is both inspiring and wildly entertaining.

GIRLS' WEEKEND is a fun, yet poignant romp through the universal search of who we are, why we love, and what makes us happy by an author who is quickly emerging as one of our most incisive storytellers.

A warm and entertaining memoir about what happens when you foster fifty dogs in less than two years―and how the dogs save you as much as you save them.

When Cara felt her teenaged children slipping away and saw an empty nest on the horizon, she decided the best way to fill that void was with dogs―lots of them―and so her foster journey began.

In 2015, her Pennsylvania farm became a haven for Operation Paws for Homes. There were the nine puppies at once, which arrived with less than a day’s notice; a heart- worm positive dog; a deeply traumatized stray pup from Iraq; and countless others who just needed a gentle touch and a warm place to sleep. Operation Paws for Homes rescues dogs from high-kill shelters in the rural south and shuttles them north to foster homes like Cara’s on the way to their forever homes.

What started as a search for a good dog, led to an epiphany that there wasn’t just one that could ll the hole left in her heart from her children gaining independence―she could save dozens along the way. The stories of these remarkable dogs― including an eighty-pound bloodhound who sang arias for the neighbors―and the joy they bring to Cara and her family (along with a few chewed sofa cushions) fill the pages of this touching and inspiring new book that reveals the wonderful rewards of fostering.

When asked how she can possibly say goodbye to that many loveable pups, Cara says, “If I don’t give this one away, I can’t possibly save another.” Filled with humanity and hope, Another Good Dog will take the reader on an journey of smiles, laughs, and tears―and lead us to wonder how many other good dogs are out there and what we can do to help.
16 pages of color photographs

Tired of being a standby passenger in this world and watching as her family’s health and stress level spiraled out of control, Cara Sue Achterberg set out to create a healthier, happier life for herself and her family. Presented in a friendly, often humorous and always down-to-earth manner, Achterberg shares stories, resources, and recipes to help anyone live more intentionally. The book brims with over 65 challenges to help the reader make simple changes that will lead to a healthier, happier life. Divided in five sections, Live Intentionally invites you to a life lived on purpose. Eating intentionally means knowing your food – where it came from, what’s in it, what to avoid, but more importantly what to include so that your body can function optimally. It offers information and recipes for making your own processed foods like peanut butter, bread, applesauce, even chicken nuggets and pop tarts from simple healthy ingredients. Creating an intentional home means uncluttering, organizing, and learning to clean naturally with nontoxic ingredients. Achterberg shares secrets for a more efficient home and a lifestyle that strives to be less of a burden on our planet. Parenting intentionally involves making thoughtful decisions about chores, allowance, screens, exercise, and free time. Here you will find strategies for encouraging creativity and compassion, and a plan for raising competent adults who know how to cook a meal, keep a bathroom clean, and not just enjoy, but value family time. An intentional garden is organic and purposeful. Achterberg’s contagious passion for gardening encourages the reader to grow a garden in any space – even a pot in your window. Celebrating intentionally infuses holidays with more meaning and less stress, more joy and less excess so that the true purpose of the celebration shines through. An intentional life is a life lived on purpose. It is not complicated. It asks you to cease being a standby passenger in this world and begin making decisions for your life, your health, and your family that are not dictated by the media or the masses. It is living a life that requires no excuses.