Showing results by narrator "Kate Rudd" in All Categories

On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay 21-year-old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard was lured from a bar by two young men, then savagely beaten, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, and left to die. Five days later, Lesléa Newman arrived on campus to give the keynote speech for the University of Wyoming’s Gay Awareness Week. October Mourning is Lesléa Newman’s deeply personal response to the events of that tragic day and its brutal aftermath.

Nina's once-sweet life has unexpectedly turned sour. Her marriage is over, her job is in jeopardy, and her teenage daughter is slipping away from her. Then her father dies and issues with Nina's mother come to a head; her estranged brother, Ray, comes home; and her sister, Lola, is tempted to blow a big family secret out of the water. They say the truth will set you free, but first it will make a huge mess of things.

Bad Medicine was one of television's most popular dramas, and Ethan Prescott was the show's biggest star. And somehow, Macy Tillman ended up sitting right next to him at dinner. Macy was a gifted artist and former resident of the Shower & Shelter Artist Collective. Macy made Ethan experience feelings he had never known. It was about more than just being attracted to her. Somehow, Macy inspired Ethan to want to be a better person. But those feelings were overwhelming, and they made it difficult for Ethan to decide whether or not he should follow his heart.

It's 1941, and tensions are rising in the United States as the Second World War rages in Europe. Eleven-year-old Gusta's life, like the world around her, is about to change. Her father, a foreign-born labor organizer, has had to flee the country, and Gusta has been sent to live in an orphanage run by her grandmother. Nearsighted, snaggletoothed Gusta arrives in Springdale, Maine, lugging her one precious possession: a beloved old French horn, her sole memento of her father. But in a family that's long on troubles and short on money, how can a girl hang on to something so valuable and yet so useless?

Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake. But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after 17 years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist - one last scavenger hunt.

It sucks being with Grandpa in this new town. It sucks that they left the old place without finding Rosco. Travis doesn’t want to do anything, especially try to get by in his classes, which never seems possible, anyway. He’s a Bluefish - stupid, angry, alone. Then, suddenly, there’s a girl. Velveeta. She’s up in his face and she’s not backing down. She is as loud as he is quiet, as outgoing as he is shut in. She’s pretty, in a funky, scarf-wearing sort of way, and she’s smart - way smart - smart enough to figure out that Travis has a secret.

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. Her dad is forever planning how to boost business at the family restaurant. Her mom is constantly going off to meditate. Her sister, Sarah, who’s taking a year off after high school, is too busy finding ways not to work, and her brother Holden is totally focused on his new "friend". And then there’s Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, and the center of everything. If it wasn’t for her friend Ran, there would be nowhere to turn. Ran is always calm, always positive.

Zoe Etheridge packed her bags and said goodbye to her small-town Texas life. Her dad's dying wish was that she followed her dreams in New York City, and she was bound and determined to make that happen. It was only a day or so into her trip when she realized she might have bitten off more than she could chew. Zoe assumed that the Shower & Shelter Artist Collective was open to any artist who needed a place to live in the city. She had no idea that landing a spot in the house was highly competitive.

When shy and reserved Maggie Ferringer is called for jury duty, she never expects to be kidnapped by an escaped convict. But when Cain Cannon, disguised as a prison guard, pulls a gun, she has no choice but to be taken hostage. Cain claims that he’s innocent of killing his girlfriend six years ago, and now he wants revenge on the people who put him behind bars. Soon Maggie becomes more than just a hostage to Cain. As they slowly begin to share the secrets of their respective pasts, Maggie discovers that she wants to fight for Cain’s freedom - because he just might be the kind of man she can love.

A heartbroken and humiliated Ricky Graves took the life of a classmate and himself. Five months later, the sleepy community is still in shock and mourning. Ricky's sister, Alyssa, returns to confront her shattered, withdrawn mother and her guilt over the brother she left adrift. Mark McVitry, the lone survivor of the deadly outburst sparked by his own cruelty, is tormented by visions of Ricky's vengeful spirit. Ricky's surrogate older brother, Corky Meeks, grapples with doubts about the fragile boy he tried to protect but may have doomed instead.

What do you do when your best friend calls and says she's getting married in a matter of days on a different continent? You hop on a plane and go to be with her, of course. Lu Osborne was doing precisely that. She boarded a flight that was headed for Ireland on only a few days' notice despite the fact that she had a lot of irons in the fire. Other than witnessing a fairytale wedding and maybe doing a little sightseeing, Lu didn't expect anything to come from the trip. She certainly didn't expect to fall in love with her best friend's brother, Joe.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Sarah Spicer took this saying to heart, at least where love was concerned. She had given up any hope in ever finding a decent man. She was convinced they had only one thing on their minds and were untrustworthy and unfit for relationships. This was exactly why she had a strict no-dating policy. That was before she met Collin Ross.

Evan Hunt had spent most of his adult life working as an environmentalist and living out of a duffle bag. It came as a total shock when his father suddenly confronted him about setting goals for his future. Evan wasn't much for following rules and his instinct was to simply ignore what his dad was saying. However, he decided it was time to set his sights on success just to prove to his family that he could do it. And that's exactly what he did. Just when it seemed like everything was coming together, Evan was involved in a serious motorcycle accident.

Julia's husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner, is about to bring criminal Nick Rossi to trial for drug trafficking, illegal gambling, bribery, and more. However, when a courthouse bomb claims several victims, including the prosecution's key witness, David is left critically injured. Julia's certain Rossi orchestrated the attack, but she doesn't have a strong case against him, and his power and connections run deep.

Everybody likes Chris Goodman. Sure, he's a little odd. He wears those funny bell-bottoms and he really likes the word ennui and he shakes your hand when he meets you, but he's also the kind of guy who's always up for a good time, always happy to lend a hand. Everybody likes Chris Goodman, which makes it especially shocking when he's murdered.

Charlotte Ritchie was traveling halfway across the world to attend her brother's wedding. She and a small group of family and friends planned on spending the week prior to the wedding volunteering at a rescue center in Kenya. Her new sister-in-law had grown up there with her missionary parents, and everyone thought it was the perfect way to celebrate the event. Falling in love might not have been on Charlotte's to-do list that week, but as we all know, life doesn't always turn out the way we plan.

It's been said that the best time to find love is when you aren't looking for it. Rachel Stephens was a prime example of that. She was solely focused on completing her last year of dental school and love wasn't even on her radar.

Having a crush on someone who barely seems to notice you is never easy. It only leads to heartbreak and disappointment. Mia Hunt occasionally found herself in that very situation. Fortunately, her dream guy lived all the way across the country and their encounters were rare. When they were in each other's presence, she made every effort to keep her distance and not get her hopes up.

The Problem of Prayer addresses the toughest dilemma every Christian faces: doubt. The world has conditioned us to crave results, demanding instant solutions to our problems. But that's not what faith is about. Faith in prayer is about surrendering to God's will - seeing things through his eyes, not our own.

It's a dream come true for Megan, who's jet-setting to Paris for Fashion Week with Gigi. Meanwhile, back in Concord, Mrs. Wong decides to run for mayor, so Emma and Stewart team up to make her campaign a success. Jess and Cassidy are also hoping for victories - Jess in the a cappella finals with the MadriGals, and Cassidy in the national hockey championships with her teammates. In the midst of it all, the girls - along with their Wyoming pen pals, who drop in for a visit over spring break - dive into Charlotte Brontë's classic Jane Eyre.