A Life Through Books

The Merblood Saga Book 1

Middle-Grade Fantasy

Date Published: April 30, 2024

When the Tide Turns, the Merblood Rises...

In the quaint, windswept town of Madderly Bay, twelve-year-old Selena Flowers' dream of a peaceful life shatters as an eerie voice echoes in her mind, a reminder of the nightmarish encounter that awaits her beneath the waves: "Just relax. You can breathe easily. I’ve got total control over you."

Selena, newly arrived from the bustling streets of London, finds herself in a gothic mansion teetering on the edge of a coastal cliff, her mother Fiona's strange inheritance. But their new beginning turns into a chilling adventure when an undead mermaid, Faustina, crashes through Selena's window, heralding a descent into a dark, hidden world.

The once thriving zombie merkingdom beneath Madderly Bay, now a forgotten abyss, is Faustina's haunting domain. Cursed to eternal youth, this zombie mermaid queen is driven by a lonely, venomous desire to expand her ghostly army. When Fiona begins to show signs of a ghastly transformation, Selena knows the curse has found its newest victim.

Faustina's power stems from a mysterious ruby necklace, an artifact of untold magic and menace. Its dark magic can turn the tide of fate, offering salvation or doom. As Selena grapples with bullies at her new school and the complexities of a small town riddled with secrets, the necklace becomes her only hope to save her mother from a watery, undead fate.

With the help of her new friend Chloe, Selena embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the necklace's hidden past and its current whereabouts. The journey takes her deeper into Faustina's world—a world of betrayal, ancient curses, and underwater lairs.

As the clock ticks and Fiona's transformation accelerates, Selena must confront her deepest fears. Plunging into the murky depths, she faces off against Faustina in a heart-stopping struggle for the necklace. In this underwater chess game, every move could be her last. Will Selena retrieve the necklace and reverse the curse, or will she become another lost soul in Faustina's mermaid kingdom?

As Selena's story unfolds, she discovers that the true power lies not in a ruby's glow, but in the strength of her own heart. In a final, breathtaking climax, Selena must decide the fate of the necklace, balancing the weight of its power against the safety of those she loves.

"Selena Flowers and the Cursed Ruby" is a tale of magic, courage, and the unbreakable bonds of family. It is a story that reminds us that even in our darkest hours, there is always a glimmer of hope.

...For in the Depths of Despair, a Hero Rises.

About the Author

Ella English is a British author and illustrator who swapped afternoon tea for lattes to go when she moved from London to Baltimore, USA 23 years ago. She writes children's books, including the beloved Kitty in the City chapter book series about a singing cat in Manhattan, as well as the Merblood Saga which deals with magic and mermaids in Madderly Bay.

The inspiration for the Merblood Saga can be traced back to Ella's childhood holidays on the Kent Coast in the UK. With massive waves crashing against the seawall and the occasional freak wave pulling unsuspecting beachgoers into the water, young Ella's imagination ran wild. She began to wonder if a hidden community of mystical mermaids could be living beneath the surface, their lives intertwined with the ebb and flow of the tides.

Years later, those childhood musings have transformed into a middle grade series that will enchant readers. The Merblood Saga brings the magic of Ella's coastal daydreams to life, inviting readers to dive into a world where mermaids are real and adventure lurks beneath the waves.

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Dark Fantasy, Capture Fantasy, Action Adventure

Date Published: May 3, 2024

Advertising executive by day and novelist by night Gray Stewart has retreated to the country for a much-needed vacation.  She’s at the top of a mountain when lightning threatens to fry her to a crisp.  She finds shelter with a mysterious man who goes only by Rowan.

Rowan is the Lord of Storms, a super-human being who has power to minimize the damage of dangerous storms.  He works in secret, and his female visitor is a threat to that secrecy.  She’s also a threat to his equilibrium because as long as she’s around, his thoughts keep straying to sex… and love.

EXCERPT

Gray Stewart had reached the top of the world. Okay, she was only up about nine thousand feet, but her heart still raced from the climb, and her lungs were working overtime to suck in oxygen. She’d made it all the way to the top of Mount Richardson, the tallest peak in this part of California, and if she could breathe, the view would steal her breath away. Wait ‘til she told the wiseasses back at the office she’d mastered the climb. None of the macho types who treated women like weaklings could have kept up with her.

She broke out her water bottle and took a swig and swung her small backpack off her shoulder onto the granite beneath her. Then, she sat, crossing her legs. The beautiful ham and Swiss sandwich the inn’s restaurant had made for her beckoned. She removed the plastic wrap and took a bite. With the tomato from the farmer’s market in the inn’s parking lot, nothing had ever tasted so delicious. In fact, the water tasted pretty damned amazing, too. Maybe she’d give up coffee.

No reason to get crazy about this, though. Pretty soon she’d be back in the city where you needed caffeine to face the morning. For now, she could gaze into the valley far below… at the tall pine trees that now appeared the size of toys for a model train set and the river shrunk to no more than a ribbon winding between rows of wine grapes.

A couple of days in the country, and her head was starting to straighten out. She’d left home for college, and for a little hick girl from a tiny town, that had been a shock. But then, she’d found the chance job of a lifetime as a professional writer. So, her art consisted of convincing people that Gloryshine toothpaste could give them a dazzling smile. Big deal. She made a good income at that and wrote the great American novel at night. Her life ought to be perfect. So, why wasn’t it?

She continued eating and feeling sorry for herself until she’d devoured the sandwich. Then, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her arms on them as she studied the beauty of nature. Unless… wait a minute… was that a… Lord no, please… a thunderstorm in the distance? Maybe it was travelling away from her. Lightning flashed, and she started counting the seconds before the thunder. It took some time and wasn’t particularly loud. A good sign.

Another flash, and this time the thunder came quicker. And louder. So, the storm was headed her way, after all. She was sitting at the very top of a tall mountain with no trees around her -- just like a lightning rod waiting to be hit.

Then, the wind whipped up, and clouds gathered. More lightning, followed by more thunder, now really loud. She had to get away from here and fast.

She scrambled to her feet and grabbed her pack before heading in any direction as long as it was down. Even city people knew you didn’t want to be the tallest thing around when lightning was looking for something to hit. She was moving too fast for the terrain, which you couldn’t call a path. Rocks underfoot threatened to trip her, and the gravel was even more uncertain. The rain started, slapping her in the face, blurring her vision, but she kept going. That blasted storm was chasing her, and either she reached safety, or she could get fried.

Her backpack slipped from her hand, taking her phone and the keys to the rental car with it. She kept going, jumping over obstacles and skidding in places. The way got steeper, and remaining upright took all her effort, and all the while, the booming got louder. How much longer before the spears of lightning would overtake her? In the end, something caught her foot and she fell.

Attempting to catch herself with outstretched arms only caused her to turn sideways and roll. Sky, dirt, sky, dirt. So fast she couldn’t tell up from down. Something sharp bit into her arm as she kept spinning down the side of the mountain. Lord help her if there was a cliff ahead because she’d never stop.

But she did stop. Suddenly, something dug into her side -- a boot, of all things. And it belonged to a man. From where she lay, he seemed as tall as a pine and as fierce as a bird of prey.

“What kind of idiot climbs to the top of this mountain ahead of a thunderstorm?” he said.

“Who in hell are you?” she said right back.

“Never mind. You’d better come with me.” He bent and scooped her up as if she weighed nothing at all. That was her last thought before the world went dark.

About the Author

USA Today best-selling author Alice Gaines has published several sensuous and erotic works. She prefers stories that stretch the imagination, highlighting the power of love and sex. Alice has a Ph.D. in psychology from U. C. Berkeley and lives in Oakland, California, where she sings in her church choir.

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Culture, Measurement, and Language

Nonfiction / Language and Physiology

Date Published: December 6, 2023

Publisher: ‎Mindstir Media

One way to understand self is through the skeletal frame. Skeletal bones hold many secrets which can be unlocked to tell stories of humankind; they become lessons for life. This book provides four perspectives on bone: culture, measurement of bones and body postures, grammar, and bone names. Word roots and definitions related to bone vocabulary allow the reader to gain insight. A major theme is to know oneself-to develop self-awareness. What can a person learn about self from bones? This book accompanies each person on their quest to know themselves, whether or not on a conscious or subconscious level. The current popularity of DNA kits that are being sold today-as well as the many websites offering assistance to people delving into their ancestry-validate this. Whether it is to delve into possible hereditary health conditions or to locate relatives and forge a connectedness to others in the world around them, people want to learn more about themselves. Bones provide such framework, for body and self.

About the Author

Lois Liggett is a retired physical therapist and a world traveler. She worked in Japan in 1990 as a geriatric rehabilitation consultant. She has an M.A. in gerontology and a B.S. in physical therapy from Russell Sage College. She has an avid interest in the interface of language with mythology, religion, and spirituality. She developed a method she calls “spiritual linguistics” to find common and essential meanings of a nomenclature using word roots and definitions. Her first book, Decoding Norse Myths with Pet Ravens, published by Mindstir Media, LLC in 2021, reflects this linguistic method, as does this book, Bone (& Body) Lessons.

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Memoir

Every perfume is a unique work of art, no different than a piece of music or a painting in its ability to evoke feelings in its audience. In 1976, Yves Saint Laurent fell in love with the idea of creating a new perfume that would convey the lush, sensual mood of the name he had already chosen, OPIUM.

Working with Yves, his personal and business partner Pierre, and so many others in the world of high fashion and fragrance could be exhilarating, infuriating, and often, a simmering pot-au-feu threatening to boil over. This narrative takes you behind the scenes, providing a glimpse of that fascinating world and the people who kept it spinning.

It is a highly personal story, and one I know well. It is my story.

About the Author

As a young boy, I was always absorbed in books about history—particularly that of the United States—and geography, yet still managed a healthy appetite of sports and a weekly outing to see the latest cowboy or adventure movie. Later, I was exposed to the Broadway stage and developed a great fondness for musical theater, at one point picturing it as a future career choice. But alas, as I grew older and realized I was not that talented, I became more serious about the future.

Fortunately, I wound up in a creative segment of the business world, which provided me the opportunity to travel the globe and stimulated my interest in world history. It also opened avenues into entertainment and politics. I found a home in the fashion industry and served as President of Charles of the Ritz Group, Ltd., then a wholly owned subsidiary of Squibb Corporation, where I also served on its Board of Directors. Here, I was deeply involved with well-known fashion designers, Yves Saint Laurent and Gianni Versace; Hollywood stars, Linda Evans and John Forsythe; and because of the success of the perfume, Opium, wound up in Washington meeting with senators, representatives and administration officials to obtain relief from gray market goods flooding the United States in the early 1980’s.

After my retirement, I wrote two novels based on my many years of experience in the fashion industry, and continually pursued my interest in history. Following a short break to write a non-fiction book on the relationship of taxes and jobs, I spent much of my time these past several years studying the biblical account of the rise of Christianity from the varying narratives of religion, history and archaeology. The results of that research were a source of information and inspiration for my wife, Leslie Schweitzer Miller, in writing her first novel, DISCOVERY.

Now my interest is in public policy on issues that affect the United States such as healthcare, taxes, job creation and foreign affairs, about which I will be commenting periodically.

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Nonfiction

Date Published: 07-08-2021

Publisher: Pageturner Press and Media

The parents and grandparents of William Rocky Brown, 3rd, who raised him, had roots in the southern USA. Along with that Southern upbringing came the ability to turn everyday activities or things of nature into wise sayings. His mother and grandmother had old down-home sayings that took him a while to understand. After talking to others, he realized he wasn’t alone in this beautiful experience growing up, so he compiled the wise sayings in his book, 800 Sayings by Old Folks Who Raised Us.

The wise sayings—to be passed down from generation to generation—in this book are pearls of wisdom that relate to the past generations, while the present and future generations may take time to understand, just as Brown experienced. It creates good family fun and memories. It can also be used in the form of an intergenerational family game. 

P R E F A C E

Let me begin by saying that God is the Head of my life, Jesus is my Savior and the Holy Spirit is my Comforter.

Our parents or grandparents, who had roots in the South, raised many of us. Now, along with that Southern raising came the ability to take every day activities or things of nature and turn them into wise sayings. My mother was from Greenville, North Carolina and my grandmother who raised me was from Mobile, Alabama. They both had old sayings from ‘Down Home’ that took me a while to really understand what they were saying. After talking to others, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who had this wonderful experience growing up, so I decided to compile these 800 sayings.

It is my hope that they will bring you fond memories and laughter and you will share them with your children and grandchildren.

This book is dedicated to my mother Gwendolyn Regina Carraway Brown and my grandmothers: Ethel-Mae Knight Brown (Mother-dear), Halease Moore Wooten-Reid and my great-grandmothers Willie-Mae Knight and Carrie Skipper. My grand’s are the women on the cover and that’s me at 2 months old. (By the way, that’s a design on the chair and not a ribbon in my hair. lol)

Special thanks to my friend Ellen Graham, my Bethany Baptist Church members, my Facebook friends and the contributions I found that were posted on the internet by others who also enjoy these sayings.

Enjoy my friends!

WRB, 3rd

About the Author

The Honorable Reverend Dr. William Lewis Rocky Brown, 3rd, was born and raised in Chester, PA. He has three daughters and three grandchildren. Dr. Brown received his Bachelor’s from Cheyney University, his Master’s from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate from Jameson Christian College. He studied at the MLK Jr. Center in Atlanta and the University of the Virgin Islands and completed The F.B.I. and D.E.A. Citizens Academies.

Dr. Brown is an ordained 45-year Baptist Minister now serving at the Bethany Baptist Church in Chester, creator and host of Saturday Night Live Prayer & Praise Weekly Service, and a Master Police Chaplain. He’s also the author of “800 Sayings By Old Folks Who Raised Us” and The 3N1: A Trilogy Of Spiritually Filled Motivational Messages”. He has a weekly column in Scoop USA and a daily Blog on his website: www.yourspiritualmotivation.com. In the 80s and 90s, he traveled around the country, motivating youngsters to stay in school and to say no to drugs and violence, using the art of Rap. Thus, he was affectionately known as the “Rappin Rev.” He is a former elected member of the City Council of Chester. He was also elected twice as Chester City Controller and was elected in 2021 as a Pennsylvania State Constable.

Dr. Brown has been involved in numerous community and civic organizations. He is a Prince Hall 33-degree Mason, Past Master, Grand Chaplain Emeritus, Past Grand Worthy Patron, and an Elks and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity member. He has received over 200 awards and commendations.

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Fantasy

Date Published: 08-10-2022

Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing

Ramulas' peaceful world as a farmer is shattered when he is pulled into the midst of a magical civil war between two worlds. With the appearance of a mysterious young woman, Ramulas starts to unravel some of the mysteries of his forgotten childhood and secret ability to communicate with animals.

He starts to fear for the safety of his family when his daughters reveal that they too, have unexplained abilities, and the intrigue only deepens when he discovers that the very existence of their world is under threat and that he may be the key to avert impending doom.

Other Books in the Series

With the help of the king's magician Shigar, Romulus and Pip avoid capture and Race to Sanctuary to find Oriel. War with the legion is coming, and Oriel sends out a call across the kingdom for help, which is answered by thousands who come to Sanctuary.

While the people train for the battle and dig into the mountain to free Oriel, Remus and his warlords weave magic to cross into this world and ravage everything. But king Zachary angry with Shigar for joining Ramulas, and his people worshipping the escaped prisoner, prepares his army to march as soon as his agents locate Ramulas.

Their only hope is to defeat the legion and an enemy closer to home.

The people of Sanctuary are recovering after narrowly defeating the kingdom army. Remus has brought the first legion into the kingdom, he has made a deal with thousands of Symiaks and plans to use the kingdom army to help him get Oriel.

Ramulas needs to free Oriel before the legion arrives, or everyone in the kingdom will suffer the wrath of Remus.

About the Author

Adam was born in Melbourne in 1970, and from his earliest memories was always captivated by reading, he fell in love with fantasy in his early teens and discovered a way to escape into a new world.

He attempted to write novels from the age of twenty-two and couldn't find the way to piece it together properly. Then in 2015 one of the main characters of The Ramulas Chronicles came to Adam, followed by other characters and the rest of the fantasy series.

He has found something that he loves doing and has the characters of this series constantly running throughout his mind. Adam lives with his son and his dog, and is extremely happy to be able to share his world with lovers of fantasy.

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Poetry

Date Published: May 21, 2024

Publisher: Holy Cow! Press

A poet and female commander in the Israeli Defense Forces creates an original perspective from the war-torn front lines of the Middle East conflict.

The Dove That Didn’t Return tackles the canon of war poetry, an almost exclusively male-penned body of poems. In the book, biblical stories, verses, and fragments are rewritten through the eyes of a female lieutenant in the Israeli Army. It is a contemporary poetics on the revelations of war from an Israeli perspective never before told—a woman, and a soldier at that.

This debut full-length collection follows upon the publication of her critically acclaimed chapbook, Between Sanctity and Sand, from Finishing Line Press.

About the Author

Yael S. Hacohen earned a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. She has received research/teaching fellowships from Tel Aviv University and Bar Ilan University. She has an MFA in Poetry from New York University, where she was an ‎NYU Veterans Workshop Fellow, International Editor at Washington Square Literary ‎Review, and Editor-in-Chief at Nine Lines Literary Review. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in The Poetry Review, Ploughshares, The Missouri Review, Bellevue Literary Review, LIT, Prairie Schooner, New York Quarterly Magazine, Colorado Review, and many more. ‎Hacohen published her chapbook Between Sanctity and Sand with Finishing Line Press in 2021. Hacohen served as a lieutenant in the 162nd Armored Division of the Israeli Defense Forces. She lives with her family in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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A Chandler Billionaire Romance, Book 1

Contemporary Romance

Date Published:  March 2024

Every male in the family has scaled the marriage mountain only to take catastrophic tumbles.

They’ve dubbed it The Chandler Curse.

Angel Harris has been sitting on the sidelines since her husband’s death three years ago. Her long-held dream of having a family of her own is slipping away because grief left her frozen in time.

Winston Chandler will do anything for his friend and business partner’s widow. By helping her move forward, perhaps the survivor’s guilt he suffers because of his friend’s death will ease. He believes a makeover will show both Angel and others an external transformation has taken place.

Trouble is, he’s too good at the job. Win is drawn to Angel 2.0. They cross the friend line, but Winn isn’t the man to complete the perfect life she envisions. Chandlers and romance are a volatile mix that end in one way. Disaster.

What will it take for Winn to challenge his family’s legacy of failure and conquer The Chandler Curse?

Celebrating family, friendships, and the power of love. Stories with heart, heat, and humor.

*Playing to Win is the first book in A Chandler Billionaire Romance series. All the books have interconnected characters, no cliffhangers, happily ever afters, and can be read as standalones.

*A billionaire, fake dating, friends to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden romance.

About the Author

Lynn Mapp is a daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, teacher, writer...obviously a multi-faceted diamond, princess cut.

Lynn was a navy brat, born in San Diego, California. While she was born in California, her Idaho roots are deep. Her mother and grandfather were Idaho natives.

She has always looked for happily ever afters, the light after the darkness. Families and humor are central in her life and her stories.

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The Mind Sleuth Series #7

Mystery; Spy Thriller

Date Published: 04-25-2024

Publisher: Mind Sleuth Publications

When Jesse Bolger ran into an old acquaintance from his high school days, Robert Gleason, he wondered if the man still had an imagination that was unencumbered by reality. His question was answered in the affirmative that evening. After insisting they talk inside his homemade, electronically shielded room so no one could listen to their thoughts—no tinfoil hat was good enough for Robert—he confided that he’d stumbled onto two KGB-era Russian spies intent on destroying the United States. And he wanted Jesse’s help to stop them.

Jesse was certain, of course, that it was just a hoax, but he played along. It didn’t prove to be one of his better decisions, however, as the next thing he knew, he was being detained by the FBI under suspicion that he was a double agent. And where was Robert Gleason, the man who had started this whole fiasco, the unemployed eccentric who lived in his grandmother’s basement in a retirement community while he was learning to talk to self-aware computers? He was nowhere to be found.

Knowing he was out of his league to investigate a missing persons case, Jesse hired private investigator Rebecca Marte, hoping she could unravel a case that one minute looked like a spy spoof and the next, a terrorist plot that would plunge the United States into financial pandemonium.

About the Author

Bruce Perrin has been writing for more than twenty-five years, although you will find much of that work only in professional technical journals or conference proceedings. After receiving a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and completing a career in psychological research and development at a major aerospace company, he’s now applying his background to writing fiction. Not surprisingly, most of his work falls in the techno-thriller, mystery, and hard science fiction genres, examining the intersection of technology and the human mind now and in the future. Besides writing, Bruce likes to tinker with home automation and is an avid hiker. When he is not on the trails, he lives with his wife in Aurora, CO.

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