Written by Stacey Bess
Illustrated by Melissa Ricks

Planting More Than Pansies is a resonant story of love, repentance, and rebirth. Based on true experiences, this moving account reminds us that when parents plant well, their children can weather the severe storms of life and return to a safe harbor even if they stray for a season.
Planting More Than Pansies offers hope that children will return to their teachings, and reminds them of the magic of faith as it leads them there.
"It was a pleasure for our campus to host the Midwest premier of Beyond the Blackboard. It was an inspirational movie and our community and campus audience were treated to a great evening. Beyond that, Stacey appeared in several campus venues with students and faculty. She is an effective communicator of the values and techniques of great teaching. She has been where the toughest educators labor, and did it with skill and passion. Southern Nazarene University would welcome her again as she shared values of genuine care and concern for students that we try to teach. I highly recommend her to any audience who wants to understand the challenges of education today, and who wants to hear from a person who knows how to get it done, even in the most difficult circumstances." -Southern Nazarene University
"Stacey Bess captivated a group of close to 400 women at our event for Nurture Home, a homeless shelter. The event, called Hearts for Hope and Homes, was an idea to inform our audience of the needs of homeless mothers and their children as well as inform our community of the mission of Nurture Home. The experience of working with APB and Stacey was smooth and not at all intimidating as this was our first event of this type. Thank you for your role in our successful event!" -Mental Health America of Aiken County
"The event went very well! Stacey is that rare combination – a consummate professional with a great big heart. As a public speaker myself I admire the careful crafting of her talk, yet at the event it sounded as fresh as if she were telling it for the first time to a group of friends. More than a few listeners had tears in their eyes." -Client