"There on the road stood a child. Cora knew her at once. She had her father’s green eyes and her mother’s gorgeous face. Scuffing lines in the dust with the toe of her shoe, the little girl looked up at her. 'Ma’am,' she said, 'I’m here.'"In this beautiful debut novel from columnist Sharon Randall, we meet a woman whose family has been cradled for generations by a valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, where love and heartbreak and the bonds of family create a harrowing and heartfelt tale. Cora Lacy is born in August,1898, on a day that will be her mother’s last. She grows up a child of the mountains, loving the land beneath her feet like the mother she never knew. Her life will be marked by tragedy, but every loss brings gifts. One man will break her heart; another will never leave her. When her sons go off to war, she finds comfort in caring for her fiery, pregnant daughter-in-law. And when her first grandchild is born—and disappears—she suffers the agony of losing a child. Years later, when a little girl in a tattered dress shows up at her door, Cora finds new reason to live, and vows to stop at nothing, even risking her own life, to protect her. Told in a voice that sings of the mountains, this sweeping family saga weaves a story of hope with the ever-present thread of unwavering love that parents—and grandparents—feel for children, who to them, mean the world and then some. Praise for Sharon Randall "Sharon Randall's legion of fans, who've appreciated her syndicated newspaper column for years, have a new reason to celebrate her talent--her first novel. Talented writers who are also superb storytellers are rare, but Sharon is in that elite club. The World and Then Some is storytelling at its finest." --Thomas Walton, Retired Editor, Monterey Herald, California; Toledo Blade, Ohio "Sharon has the gift of writing about what everyone wants to read--everyday life! Readers laugh with her, cry with her, and smile with her as they reminisce about situations in their lives that mirror hers. That is exactly why she sells out events with the mention of her name! The audience feels as if their best friend is coming to town." --Nancy Brown, Executive Director, Hands to Hands Community Fund, Wichita Falls, Texas "To hunker down with the works of Sharon Randall is like spending quality time with a poet, and then learning that the poet is the sweetest person on earth." --Joe Livernois, Editor, Voices of Monterey Bay, vomb.org "Sharon has a way of connecting to readers unlike anyone I have ever known. Her life experiences are expressed in a way that touches your soul." --Steve Snider, Publisher, Carmel Magazine , California "Sharon makes me feel like I'm a member of the family, so when the joys of life give way to the pain, I never feel alone." --Mike Konz, Enterprise Editor, Kearney Hub , Nebraska "Sharon writes in the authentic voice of one who knows where people live their lives, the snapshots of joy and the quieter moments to reflect on what it all means. Her writing is full of knowing observations, but beneath it all is a generous and open heart that hears the stories of others. Life is made of moments--a child's party, a phone call with bad news, a visit with an old friend--and she captures their meaning framed with grace, grit, and hope." --Jeff Fox, Executive Editor, The Examiner , Independence, Missouri My debut novel, The World and Then Some , was inspired by count-less stories--factual, fabricated, or both--that I cut my teeth on as a child, growing up in a family of incorrigible storytellers, who refused to be hushed until all their stories were told.  I Sharon Randall is an award-winning writer and syndicated columnist whose work has been distributed to more than four hundred newspapers nationwide. She is the author of the essay collection Birdbaths and Paper Cranes .