I Want Freedom

I am now certain that my purpose is to be a voice for those who are suffering at this very moment from forced arranged marriages or stuck in cycles of abuse. My past made me who I am today, and while I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on anyone, I am proud of who I’ve become as a result. Fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, I need you: without your help, this is just an empty dream. Together, we can save some of these innocent young girls and women, who in some cases are as young as five years old. Without your help, I can’t bring them to safety and provide them with the education and life lessons that will allow them to reach a brighter future. This is an issue that affects millions of women all over the world, including here in the US; we are all human, and together we can make a change.

Illinois 1000

Illinois 1000 is a quick dive into the lives of the English and the Indians of the Upper Midwest a thousand years ago.

Building on The Year 1000 by British historians Robert Lacey and Danny Danzinger, the author moves from one side of the Atlantic to the other. The contrasts are as much from the past to the present as between the two very different cultures. ‘Primitive’ is often used to describe the Indians’ way of life, and not without at least some reason. So much of what characterized and made English life possible was entirely absent in North America.

Yet, centuries later, hundreds, even thousands of Europeans joined the Indians, preferring their way of living to that which they had known in Europe or colonial America. The Indians, the first people, survived and prospered in what was at that time not amber fields of grain but a very ungenerous landscape. If they were brutal, they were hardly unique. In their affinity to the earth they lived on, there were few like them.

Kat's Dilemma

Kat’s Dilemma is a work of fiction. Created out of bits and pieces of research into the social and cultural challenges encountered by women and men in America at the turn of last century. Only two of the characters are based on real life people in the history of my family. Katherine Gehm was my great grandmother. Some of the known family incidents and resulting emotions are reflected in the character Kat.

Johann Wuenderlich was a young German Lutheran who immigrated to the US, converted to Methodism, and returned to Germany to introduce and spread that Christian sect. A memoir of his experience came into my possession, was translated by my daughters, and provides the basis of some of that character’s words and actions.

The US Constitution and Bill of Rights were meant as a foundation of government for all American citizens. But, the men and women of that era (and ours), influenced by societal norms or religious dictates, have never fully understood its real meaning. Therein lies the promise and the struggle between principle and prejudice in Kat’s Dilemma.

Knysna Forest

Sparky, a 19-year old, quick-witted thrill-seeker, went hiking in the majestic Knysna forest in South Africa upon returning from the United Kingdom. After a series of bad decisions, driven by stubbornness, he tumbles off a cliff with no turning back.

Wounded, lost, low on supplies, and without any knowledge of survival, he is plagued by nature’s lethal attacks until he is too weak to carry on. As dusk and dehydration ominously takes its toll, he is faced with fears he never anticipated.

As death approaches mercilessly again and again, he must fight above willpower to stay alive. With every calculated risk, less calculated, hope, survival, and divine intervention, becomes a distant dream.

Knysna Forest is an epic, true miracle race-against-time survival-story that will leave adventurers astounded in anticipation.

“If you are reading this, it means that you are experiencing the result of a miracle, because how is it possible that I survived death, more than once?”

Labyrinth

When everyday people find themselves trapped in unthinkable circumstances, they discover reserves of courage that transform them in profound ways. This gripping tale pulls back the curtain on a hidden world, one where the influential and privileged prey upon the defenceless. As the characters navigate this treacherous maze, they are forced to confront the darkest corners of humanity and summon the heroism within themselves. Labyrinth is a heart-pounding exploration into the complexity of morality and the depths of depravity that will leave readers questioning where the monsters end and the humans begin.

Leaving Patriarchy Behind

Can we fight, and win, against an ideology that has been established and practiced for decades? In Leaving Patriarchy Behind, Leticia recounts her father’s disappointment at the birth of each daughter: “After each birth, Papa would turn to Mama and ask, ‘Mama, es un niño?’ But, out of 18 babies, Mama only had four boys.” With some challenging years behind her, Leticia considers the culture that informed her parents’ principles, those she knew she could not accept as her own. She realized from childhood that she was not one to follow the disparate rules set for boys and girls.

In these short vignettes, Leticia Aguilar recalls her life as a child in Mexico in the 1960s and as an adult in America in the ‘70s and beyond. Looking back, she reflects on her struggles as a girl, then a young woman, and the men who told her what she could and could not do. Instead, Leticia turned away from Mexican patriarchy, even as she was criticized and warned of her shortcomings in being independent. In a small mountain community in California where Leticia raised her family, she joined a variety of local organizations where she provided young women with a career, education, and family resources. Leticia’s memoir inspires others to rise above misogyny and racism.

Licorice and Black Jack

This fable is about Licorice and Black Jack, twin seafaring cats that lived on the Clipper Ship “The Fair Winds” during the mid-1700s. These brother cats were famous for catching rats throughout the Seven Seas. One night, they were kidnapped by a dishonest, disgruntled crew member who sold them to a witch. After ridding the old harridan’s hut of rats, there was nothing left for them to eat, so they snuck off seeking freedom, food, and hopefully their ship. They then had the misfortune to be discovered by a disreputable merchant who sold them for their beautiful pelts. Their troubles took a turn for the worst from that moment on.

Life of the Party Girl

Life of the Party Girl is a raw and inspiring debut memoir of a top wedding planner reflecting on the moments that define us as human beings, both the traumatic and fantastic.

The author and subject, Megan Estrada, isn’t your typical wedding planner. She is tattooed, assertive, stylish, and doesn’t take no for an answer. She is reflective and decisive, in bringing a fresh and unique perspective to the special events industry. Estrada is a trailblazer in the event industry and harnesses her past experiences to create momentous occasions.

Before Megan Estrada became a nationally recognized wedding and event planner, she spent forty-years navigating a life of unexpected circumstances, one that was dictated by a twisted series of trauma and celebration. From enduring a school shooting, an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and a difficult marriage, to landing a record deal, becoming a mother of two, and leading the special events industry through the Covid-19 pandemic, Life of the Party Girl follows Estrada’s journey to self-worth and self-discovery.

Life on Ice

Ever wonder what life is like on a touring ice-skating show? How many people travel with the show, how do you pack two fifty-pound suitcases with a year’s worth of clothes, shoes, and supplies? Do you pay your own hotel and transportation? Speaking of pay, what do they pay? How do you cook in a hotel room? And who is hooking up with whom? This semi autobiography is a humorous look into the world of a traveling show about how to live this type of life on the road. It is a coming-of-age story where quirky characters become family, fall into and out of bed—I mean love—go on adventures, and grow up.

Little Zuri Lynn, Where Have You Been?

Little Zuri Lynn is one child whose imagination is truly limitless. When this young lady goes wandering, there’s no telling where she may turn up.

She heads for places that she knows and loves, but she also ventures to destinations that she can only see in her mind’s eye.

Join little Zuri Lynn on a wonderful journey to fabulous places near and far, proving that a child’s imagination can take her anywhere. You’ll be amazed by what you find inside this youngster’s mind!

Love Bites...Sometimes

Imagine a night out celebrating a friend’s birthday, hopping from bar to bar, when you bump into someone, and not just anyone. The moment you lock eyes, you’re convinced he’s the one. What happens next?

When you encounter him again, would you seize the opportunity, even after discovering he’s not what he seems? He has a secret, cleverly hidden in plain sight. Do you take the plunge into this uncertain romance, or cautiously test the waters?

Fairy-tale love stories are often fraught with obstacles before the ‘happily ever after.’ This is the beginning of my journey with Bryce, a mesmerizing dark brunette with piercing green eyes and a smile that can stop time. Love can bite, and sometimes you want to bite back. But every bite has its price. Are you willing to pay it?

Dive into a love story that’s as thrilling as it is mysterious. The question isn’t just whether love conquers all, but whether you’re willing to pay love’s toll.

M.A.X.X.

Marie Winterfield founded and directed the S.N.O.W. agency, a group of advanced investigative search and rescue specialists, is world renowned for cracking the toughest cases. When a massive power outage in New York City compromises the FBI, CIA, and NASA; Marie takes on her hardest case ever; taking on a top-secret agency that was believed to be shut down, but has actually gone global, kidnapping, killing, and framing innocent people for crimes they did not commit.

When things get out of hand and people start dying, Marie realizes that even her closest friends and colleagues have been corrupted, and her enemies are everywhere. She isn’t safe at home, at work, she isn’t safe… anywhere. Can Marie stop this group of computer criminal masterminds before it is to late or are they even the real enemy? Hold tight in this nonstop futuristic thriller with all the twists and turns that come with it.