A Life Through Books

Date Published: April 10th 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

To Die For is a harrowing look into the life of a narcissist who refuses to take accountability for the damage she inflicts.

High school senior Dei Fields appears completely harmless, but she has a keen instinct for manipulation. When she first sets eyes on hot star athlete Mika St. John, she’s determined to have him … and Dei always gets what she wants. There are only three obstacles: Mika’s friends, his family, and his girlfriend. But Dei isn’t afraid to destroy relationships to satisfy her fantasies.

In a matter of weeks, she love-bombs Mika into thinking he has found his soulmate, but when Dei’s plans go awry, everything changes—including her identity. Will Dei get what she wants this time? Or will she finally get what she deserves?

Interview

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

The hardest part is finding time without distractions or interruptions. Once I’m in the zone and deep into a scene, I lose all sense of time, but I can be taken out of that zone by an unexpected delivery or phone call. This is why I prefer to write in the evening, as I’m in a calmer space.

 

What are your most played songs?

For “To Die For,” it was “Tainted Love” by Soft Sell, “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC, “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift, and “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon.

 

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

I really only share my work in progress with my husband and my sister, who is a talented writer in her own right and who has shared many of my life experiences. For me, trusting my own voice is essential. I think it can be harmful to an author to rely too much on what someone else thinks of their work, as that can lead to uncertainty or even paralysis about their own voice. As readers, everyone projects their own biases and insecurities onto the narrative, and I would rather not be influenced by their voices.

 

What book are you reading now?

I just read “Orphan Train” by Christina Baker Kline, who I recently met and who was a truly lovely person. Her book is beautifully written and meticulously researched. 

 

How did you start your writing career?

I have always loved to write but my professional writing career probably began when I was working in cable television as a producer, researcher and writer. The idea for my first novel came to me in my 20s, but it was only during COVID that I finally had the leisure to put all my energies into writing what was finally published in 2024 as “The Fallen.”

 

Tell us about your next release.

“To Die For,” which was just published by Acorn Publishing, is a harrowing look at a how a young narcissist is able to manipulate the people around her by using the classic tools of love-bombing, lying, gaslighting and isolation to achieve her ends. Most of the book takes place in San Diego, but the dramatic climax happens in Florida, where the forces of nature turn out to be even deadlier than her schemes.
 

 

About the Author

 

 Audrey Steidl is the award-winning author of the romantic thriller The Fallen. Her passion for storytelling began at an early age when she wrote scripts and performed them with her neighborhood friends in full costume and makeup. This love blossomed into a career as an actress and as a producer for cable television.

Now, when she’s not writing page-turners, Audrey is a hotel travel executive, a pilates fiend, and a lover of travel and art. A long-time San Diego resident, she shares her home with her husband Jamie and their mischievous Pomeranian Loki. Her latest novel, To Die For, is inspired by those who have the courage to walk away from narcissists and emotionally abusive relationships.

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Date Published: December 9, 2025

Publisher: Elite Online Publishing

In Trust Issues, veteran estate planning attorney Rick Durfee pulls back the curtain on the legal tools and legacy strategies the affluent quietly use to safeguard their assets, slash taxes, and keep wealth in the family for generations, with control, clarity, and confidence.

This isn’t theory. It’s a field-tested playbook built from decades of helping high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and family offices create dynasty plans that actually work in the real world.

Whether you're a successful entrepreneur, investor, or professional advisor, you’ll discover how to:

• Use trusts to avoid probate and dictate how wealth is used, even long after you’re gone.
• Set up business entities (like LLCs and FLPs) that shield assets from lawsuits and creditors.
• Build a dynasty trust designed to preserve family wealth for 100+ years.
• Legally minimize estate and gift taxes.
• Sidestep the most common (and costly) estate planning mistakes.
• Empower your children and grandchildren with wealth, without fueling entitlement or dependency.

Durfee’s approach is ethical, practical, and grounded in a simple belief: wealth should serve your family’s deepest values, not just their lifestyle.

If you’re serious about protecting what you’ve built, Trust Issues is your roadmap to a lasting legacy, on your terms.

About the Author

 Rick Durfee is the founder and senior attorney at Durfee Law Group PLLC, based in Mesa, Arizona. Practicing law since 1988, Rick is nationally recognized for his expertise in estate planning, asset protection, and multi-generational wealth preservation. His firm serves clients across the United States, helping families “Live Well, Leave a Legacy™” through comprehensive and enduring legal strategies.

A frequent speaker at national events and author of Trust Issues: Why Traditional Estate Planning is Failing and What to Do About It, Rick combines deep legal knowledge with a family-centered philosophy rooted in his background as a former professor of world religions. He and his wife are the proud parents of eight children and seventeen grandchildren.

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Self-help, Psychology

Date Published: April 9, 2026

Manipulation has become a method of warfare. Gaslighting, triangulation, and psychological pressure are now tools of control. This volume teaches how to recognize them and remain composed under attack. This edition presents The Art of War in two forms. The first is the original text attributed to Sun Tzu, translated by Lionel Giles and preserved in its classical structure. The second is a modern rendering by Shuai-jan Change, written in the same disciplined style and directed toward the realities of contemporary psychological conflict. War has changed its form, not its nature. It no longer arrives only with force, but with influence, distortion, and control. These days, the adversary advances with toxic thinking, employing tactics such as gaslighting, triangulation, love bombing, character assassination, and calculated victimhood. The modern rendering is grounded in lived experience as well as study. Having endured emotional and psychological abuse, the author chose not to be defined by it. Through discipline and deliberate effort, that experience was transformed into survivorship and self-command. Across both works, the principles of strategy remain constant, but the terrain has shifted. The structure is preserved. The discipline remains. The interpretation adapts. These are not books of aggression. They are studies in recognition, restraint, and self-command. To understand strategy in one age is to recognize it in all others.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Traditions-Rendering-Psychological-ebook/dp/B0GX2HWPQN

Drawing from the style and structure of the original text, this work reframes ancient strategies for use in modern environments, where conflict unfolds not only through open confrontation but through distortion, pressure, and control of perception. This work is not written from theory alone. It is informed by lived experience. Having endured psychological and emotional abuse, I undertook a process of inner discipline to avoid adopting the same patterns of distortion, blame, and control. The objective was not to remain a victim; it was to avoid becoming what was opposed, to establish self-command, and to transform victimhood into survivorship. These writings are intended for those who seek to maintain composure under pressure, recognize manipulative tactics, and preserve their peace of mind without surrendering principle. The objective is not domination, but self-command. My literary work centers on psychological combat as it unfolds across professional, personal, and digital arenas, offering a disciplined approach to strategy, boundaries, and internal stability in an age of dysfunction and constant chaos.

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Memoir

Date Published: February 14, 2026

Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is a powerful and deeply personal medical memoir that chronicles the extraordinary survival of physician Craig H. Collison, M.D., who, at the height of his medical training, was suddenly struck by a devastating case of necrotizing fasciitis-commonly known as "flesh-eating bacteria."

Told through the rare dual lens of doctor and patient, this gripping narrative offers a day-by-day account of emergency surgeries, intensive care, organ failure, and prolonged rehabilitation.

Interwoven throughout the story are intimate bedside journal entries written by Collison's wife, family, and friends-capturing raw fear, unwavering love, and the strength of a community united by hope.

Beyond the medical drama, Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit is a testimony to faith, perseverance, and the indomitable human spirit. Biblical reflections accompany the journey, offering spiritual insight and comfort during moments of despair and uncertainty. The book also includes a patient- and family-focused appendix, making it both a compelling memoir and a meaningful resource for those navigating critical illness.

 

 

About the Author

 

 Craig H. Collison, MD grew up in central Pennsylvania, graduating from State College High School. He earned an engineering degree from Penn State University and went on to medical school at Wake Forest University. He then did his Pediatrics training at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, part of Case Western Reserve University. In the last months of his residency training, he had a surgery to remove a lipoma that got super-infected, causing necrotizing fasciitis and myositis (flesh-eating bacteria). The book "Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit" chronicles this illness and how faith in God and an incredible health team helped Craig and his family through the most difficult challenge of his life.

After many months in the hospital, he and his family then returned home to central Pennsylvania to work as a general Pediatrician with Centre Medical and Surgical Associates and Mount Nittany Medical Center, now combined as the Mount Nittany Health System. He lives with his wife, Michelle, his children, Taylor, Chase, Caroline and Lydia, and their dogs, Penny and Josie, in “The Simon Pickel House.” This 1833 stone house resides in the small village of Madisonburg, part of the Penns Valley area. He recently moved his practice to Mount Nittany Physician Group - Penns Valley to be closer to home and really take care of children in the Penns Valley area. His interests outside work include football, volleyball, golf, playing guitar and, most importantly, being an involved husband and dad.

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(Claimed 3)

Date Published: May 8, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press

Framed for a crime she’d never even contemplated, Lexa Mercer’s doing thirty days or death on the Intergalactic Broadcasting Channel’s hit reality show Nariasma. She owes her life to one of the show’s hottest contestants -- and a ghost of a man no one is supposed to know exists.

Roan of the Northlands is a man made famous by enduring his sentence on the space station Nariasma. Lexa has seen the rugged hunk on television, but she never imagined he’d be rescuing her from hunters who’ve paid to kill criminals.

Roan’s strange companion Jenner is convinced Lexa is the key to their freedom. Surviving and keeping her alive is just part of the challenge. Now Roan has more to lose than his future. He’s made the mistake of falling in love with Lexa, and that makes him the one thing he’s never been on Nariasma -- vulnerable.

Roan and Jenner will give all they’ve got to protect Lexa. Jenner’s convinced she’s the only one who can save them. But does she have the strength to change their reality?

Lexa's mouth felt dry. She tasted a bitter metallic tang on her tongue. For a few seconds she lay, hurting, with her eyes closed. Her head ached as she sat up. She didn't remember much at first, but then the horror of Dom's death and her sham of a trial came rushing back in a torrent.

She groaned and opened her eyes. The room was small. Bright light shone down from a single fixture in the ceiling. She was dressed in a dark brown leather corset and matching -- too tight -- leather pants. She ran her hands over her backside. The horrible pants weren't ass-less, and she was glad of that, at least. There was a black nylon utility vest over her shoulders. A row of silver and gold sequins sparkled on the hem of the vest. The combination of style and material was strange. Glam survivalist?

She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose in an attempt to clear her foggy mind. Her stomach rolled. Someone had seen her naked when she'd been at her most vulnerable. Shivering, she forced herself to stop thinking about how dirty having been stripped made her feel. Pushing herself up, using the wall, she managed to get to her feet.

The door slid open with a whoosh. Whoever designed the room had hidden the door so well she'd never even noticed it until it opened. A tall woman watched her mutely.

Lexa flinched under the scrutiny. "Why are you here? What's happening to me?" Lexa screamed the questions at the woman as her hysteria rose.

"You'll have a ten second head start. Go right to avoid the desert. Get to the trees, and you'll have a better chance. Here is your pack. It's all any of the contestants start out with. Inside you'll find a utility knife, canteen and matches. Millions of fans will be watching you. Take solace in knowing you won't die alone." The woman spoke without any hint of emotion or remorse.

"I don't plan to die at all," Lexa said. She hated how this woman had written her off. She wasn't doomed. She wasn't going to give up. Just because wealthy men had paid for a license to hunt her didn't mean she was automatically condemned. "I'm going to serve my time and return home."

Sympathy flickered across the woman's features, but she quickly covered the expression with a scowl. "Few have lived long enough to serve their time. No woman has left this place alive. Many find it easier just to walk out and wait for the end."

"I've never been good at taking the easy way out. I'll take my chances with the woods. Why are you giving me advice?"

"It's been a long time since we've had a woman as young as you on the show. I'd like to make the most of your time." The tall stranger's words held the ring of truth.

Lexa shrugged. "I'll do my best to outlast my sentence. I'd hate it if Interplanetary Broadcasting lost ratings due to my untimely demise. How bad can a month be?" Lexa spoke as sarcastically as possible. She didn't know if the cameras were already watching her, but she had a feeling they might be. Hatred for the mindless people watching her injustice boiled in her core. Until now, she'd been just like them.

The reality of how meaningless human life was hit her with shocking force.

The woman's eyes darkened. "May the enlightenment of justice guide your path."

Her sentence had begun. The cameras were watching. The woman's use of words made that clear. "Um, thanks, I'll make my own light. I've had a taste of justice, and it wasn't for me." Her new reality was a terrifying example of how deep a lie could burrow to masquerade as truth. She glared at the woman. No matter how afraid she felt she refused to let her fear show.

The emotionless expression taking over the woman's face made her shiver. "What happens now?" Lexa asked.

"Now you survive, or not. Either way, it'll be good TV."

Lexa's eyes widened as the woman shoved her out the door.

She ended up on an elevator and not in a hallway as she'd expected. As her brain kicked in, she realized it was now or never. With shaking hands, she took the items from the pack and shoved them in the few pockets her thin vest offered. She'd seen this show a few times -- enough to know the bright orange backpack was a good way to die.

Now she wished she'd watched more often. Her mother hated the show and always said it was low class and not what her daughter should watch.

Just as she put the last item into a secure place and dropped the bright bag, the elevator stopped. Her heart raced. Her heavy breathing was the only sound she could hear.

The doors opened and bright sunlight flooded the dark space to blind her. She took a shaky step and saw trees in the distance. She took the woman's advice and ran toward them.

In her mind, she started to count. One... two... three... The ten seconds would be over long before she reached the trees. She didn't look back, afraid of what she'd see. They'd be waiting. Men had paid for the privilege of killing her for the entertainment of bored television viewers back home.

A breeze ruffled her hair. Everything felt so real here, but it wasn't a planet. It was a space station. Terror hit her in the stomach so hard she stumbled. Horrified, she watched the ground coming at her face as she fell forward. She was giving her life to those bastards too easily. Her eager executioners would be upon her in seconds.

Eight... nine... ouch. She landed as her ten seconds ended. Rolling to her back, she sat up only to see three well-armed men wearing body armor aiming old-fashioned high-powered automatic rifles at her.

Death. She wasn't ready. Hands grabbed her roughly. The brutality of their grip caused her shock to turn into terror. She didn't scream or struggle. The raw panic kept her still. She was standing because those large hands hand pulled her to her feet.

"Run!"

She spun around and her breath hitched in her throat. He was glorious.

Roan of the Northlands, one of the sexiest men on TV, was rescuing her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward just as the first shot rang out. Dirt erupted next to her foot. "Go!"

About the Author

Ashlynn Monroe is a busy working mom. She loves her kids and family. Her greatest joy is creating stories to entertain others, and she hopes they bring a little more romance into the world. She's been writing since her teens for her own enjoyment but decided in her thirties to share her imagination with readers. Ashlynn enjoys biking, camping, reading, video games, and filling her home and life with love. If she's not working or chasing children, you can find her daydreaming up her next tale of romance.

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Mystery, Suspense

Date Published: 06-17-2024

Publisher: Adventure & Quest, LLC

Pap is a hard and difficult man, and the Llano Estacado—the Texas Staked Plains—is every bit as hostile. Charley would turn right around and go home except for the mysterious horse that shows up on the ranch. Things quickly spiral out of control when Pap vows to shoot the blind animal she believes came to the ranch to be hers. Now she can’t leave—who’s going to stand in the way of Pap’s bullet?

Against his orders, Charley turns to local veterinarian Dr. Ben for information about the horse, but his harmless reminiscing over her mom dismantles everything Charley thought she knew of her family when he portrays a mother she doesn’t even recognize, and innocently exposes the secret that split her family apart. Charley is the only clueless party: “Everybody in this little town of Quitaque knows your mother’s business,” affirms veterinarian summer assistant, cowboy-crush Brett Littleton. Except for Brett, the summer would be lost.

When Pap’s savage anger turns violent, Charley and her horse bolt for the open plains and flee for the very place she’s been warned not to go.

Nightflower of Comanche Mound is a contemporary action-adventure thriller steeped in conflict, tension, and family dysfunction between three generations.

2025 Western Writers of America Spur Finalist – Young Adult Novel

2022 Writers League of Texas Manuscript Finalist – Young Adult Action-Adventure Thriller

Excerpt

The plane touched down in Lubbock a little after three in the afternoon. Jet engines shut down immediately so I felt the scorching afternoon heat before I ever stepped onto the Staked Plains. The passengers had all filed off, but I sat rigid in the upright seat, a cynical thought sweeping over me, not for the first time: I’d made a colossal mistake.

The flight attendant was eye-balling me. I checked my hair in a mirror, dotted on faint-pink lipstick Mom had warned me against bringing. Drawing a deep breath, I held it in, thinking it would help settle my jitters. Time to get this show on the road. Pap will be waiting. Or he won’t. Either way, I had nobody to blame but myself.

* * *

I spotted him through the glass barrier, hands clasped casually over an ample belly. We locked eyes as I rolled through the revolving door. Did he have a picture of me? My grip tightened on the cheap ten-dollar flute Mom had given me to practice; she was proud I took an interest in music, and wanted me to keep my lips stuck to a version of flute that was less to lose. It suddenly felt more a lifeline than a companion.

It’s not true that all people shrink when they get old. Pap stood straight and tall under a light-colored, broad-brimmed hat that rested low on his forehead just above white, bushy brows. Deep grooves ran around his mouth and down a chin he hadn’t bothered to shave.

I didn’t exactly expect a warm snuggle from him—Mom had prepared me for that. Still, deep down I couldn’t help thinking she might be wrong. I had imagined I would run and throw my arms around him and all my doubts would fly away when he pulled me into a tight squeeze.

Instead, we squared off and studied one another, eyes never wavering.

I stuck out my hand. “I’m Charley.”

Weight lifted from my shoulder as he took hold of my backpack. “Heck of a name for a girl.” With a quick nod to the long cement aisle, he said, “Go that way.”

I’d like to think he held out hope that he’d passed inspection, as did I.

About the Author

Drawn to action and adventure that is grounded in real life, Katlyn finds inspiration in the wildness of the world around us. “Nature doesn’t care what we think. It’s wild and ferocious and unpredictable—a good reminder not to take ourselves too seriously. The downright ridiculous seems to call for a twist of humor. What I can’t see, I can imagine.”

Juggling family, work, and life, over the years Katlyn grasped whatever time she had available for a writing class when she could—poetry, creative, a bit of journalism. What she discovered was that stories come from deep within us…a moment. A memory. An experience or impression or dream. Only when they surface, can you add texture and color.

A late-bloomer by her own description, Katlyn’s writing kicked off when she joined Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), a community of like-minded people who selflessly share, uplift, and guide, one meeting at a time. “There’s so much to learn, just for the listening. Other writers energize me, challenge me to ‘say it better’. Everyone has a natural style, and it always amazes me how many ways there are to tell a story. From SCBWI to the Writers’ League of Texas (WLT)—where Nightflower of Comanche Mound was a 2022 Thriller/Action-Adventure Finalist in the Manuscript Contest—on to Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West (WWW), Katlyn has found that it’s networks of writers that encourage her “No matter what stage of writing skill, anyone, at any age, with a yearning to write should seek out others who love what you love. Don’t wait.”

A native Texan, Katlyn Bates lives near Dallas, TX, outside a small town that—like so many inter-connected communities, is quickly becoming absorbed by the sprawl. “As for me, it’s open skies and nature and landscape that frame a plot, and lend power to a story.”

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Children's Historical

Date Published: 10-21-2024

Publisher: Solander Press

Julia Archibald Holmes was not one to back down from a challenge, especially when it meant fighting for justice. Her journey to the top of Pikes Peak was just the beginning of her many adventures. In the mid-1800s, amidst the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains, Julia Archibald Holmes set out to make a name for herself. Her life was a series of daring escapades, all in the name of justice. Her involvement in the Underground Railroad, a perilous journey fraught with risk, was a testament to her unwavering commitment. Her later advocacy for Women’s voting rights was a continuation of this fearless spirit.

However, as Julia's diary reveals, her journey was not without its challenges. From facing dangerous obstacles to overcoming personal setbacks, her unwavering commitment to justice would be tested. Julia’s story provides a powerful message of determination, courage, and resilience that will leave a lasting impact on readers.

Bloomers on Pikes Peak won a Will Rogers Medallion Award and was the finalist for the Women Writing the West Willa Award.

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