A Black Girl's Truth

“The truth holds no lies. Lies are what ties you down and tapes your mouth shut. We can run away from all the things we fear. We can hide our troubles with beauty, but a lie will always catch you. The truth is the only thing that will set you free. I didn’t believe that until I wrote it. In this life, we will all face many questions, and sometimes we won’t find the answers. How do you know the difference between what’s real and what’s fake? How do you breathe when you are underwater? What’s the hardest part about goodbye?  Every story, every hope, and every word have a purpose. Pen against the pad was like me against the world. Told from not only my eyes, but my heart, and now the words are written for all to see. You can not only read my truth but also find answers to your own questions.”

– Destiny Gilchrist

A Black Rose for the Grave

After losing her brother when she was very young and having her family fall apart right in front of her eyes, Lisa Dewey has been through more than the average 17-year-old. After her parents’ divorce, Lisa, her sister Caroline, and her mother move to Norman, Oklahoma, where Lisa meets Alexander Johnson, a boy who has seen the worst of life.

Growing up with his grandmother, Alex has always been the victim of bullying, so severe that he even reached the point of ending his own life. He and Lisa become friends after he attempts to end his life for the second time. She becomes the person Alex turns to in times of need. There is a conundrum though; she has fallen for Alex, but he is never to know. Lisa has had one boyfriend, and that was during her freshman year of high school.  

Everything with Alex had been perfect until one day when Lisa is out with some of her girlfriends, she sees a familiar boy kissing a girl. Lisa had despised Alex’s girlfriend, Sara, from the beginning. Since that day, Lisa has not been with anyone.

English had always been one of Lisa’s favorite subjects in school. She wrote an essay on Roman mythology that her teacher was very impressed with. Her teacher commends her writing style and thinks she would be the perfect candidate for a summer program in Rome. Later that the day, students are told that prom tickets are going on sale during lunchtime. Alex asks Lisa to go to prom after remembering a promise they had made back in freshman year. Lisa is now stuck in a dilemma: will she go to Rome or will she go to prom with Alex?

A Blind Kinda Love

Imagine if we were both blind and we fell in love based on a conversation. I would not know what you look like and I would have no choice but to fall in love with the things you say, your journey and your story. We all have a story to tell, And I want ours to be the most inspiring.

I imagine two people who both want the same thing, and never having met each other, they aspire to share their dreams and life’s plans together. I believe there are still amazing and incredible people out there who have been hurt so many times that they may have locked love in a vault using heavy chains. They may still believe that the only key to unlock the vault will be given to that special someone. So grant me this opportunity for us to speak before you make all observations based on my physical appearance.

Hear my story and judge me by my conversations first and let's give love a different name based on the things we hear and not what we see.

A Book Without a Title

This story, rooted in the stark realities of life, narrates the journey of a woman who faces more than mere setbacks. Her struggles take her to a place of profound darkness, akin to an encounter with the enigmatic Lucifer. In this world, where death masquerades as laughter, her tribulations forge a resilience and strength within her that nobody anticipated.

Believed to be lost, with little hope left by those around her, she finds a formidable strength within her own existence. She channels her pain into a powerful resolve to fight back, symbolically forging a sword from her suffering. Her tale is one of perseverance and existence against the odds. The captivating element of this story lies in its basis in reality. This is just the initial part of her story, marked by a constant tussle between hope in the daylight and the haunt of dark forces at night.

A Boy and His Comet: Dancing Through the Rain

In A Boy and His Comet: Dancing Through the Rain, we meet a young man facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Dismissed and discouraged by his high school counselor, he’s told that college is a far-fetched dream. His senior year becomes a survival challenge, living alone in the woods without basic amenities, grappling with the shame of his situation and the painful legacy of parental abuse he’s forced to keep hidden.

At 17, free from the constraints of his tumultuous home life, he is confronted with temptations — drugs, alcohol, and sex — testing his resolve to maintain his personal values. This book is a poignant tale of an American boy who, against all odds, breaks free from a cycle of dysfunction to chart his own course to extraordinary success, ultimately becoming a self-made millionaire.

A Boy and His Comet is an emotional journey that will take you through the full spectrum of feelings. You’ll share in his laughter and tears, marvel at his resilience, and cheer as he navigates the trials of his youth, self-finances his college education, finds love with a kindred spirit, and together, they build their own version of the American Dream. This story is more than a read; it’s an experience of hope, perseverance, and the unyielding power of the human spirit.

A Boy Scout Goes to Spain... and Other Stories

In the midst of the harrowing Great Depression in 1934, a significant moment unfolded, bridging two cities named Toledo—Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain. A delegation from the American city embarked on a transformative journey to establish a bond of cultural exchange and ideas. Among them, my grandfather, chosen as the student representative, embarked on an adventure that would forever shape his perspective. Capturing every step of this remarkable voyage, he meticulously chronicled his experiences in an extensive journal, unknowingly documenting the events that would foreshadow the Spanish Civil War.

Within these pages lies not only my grandfather’s account but also the intimate records of the first two months of his World War II draft. The weighty burden of conflict descended upon him, and his journal bears witness to the trials and tribulations of that pivotal time. Additionally, my own father’s personal encounter during a fateful night of the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War finds a place within these sacred journals.

This extraordinary collection weaves together the narratives of my grandfather, father, and myself—a tapestry of familial reflections, diaries, and astute observations spanning over 35 years of international events. These firsthand accounts offer a unique lens into the shifting tides of history, transporting readers through the vibrant tapestry of 1930s Spain, the tumultuous era of World War II, and the haunting echoes of the Vietnam War.

A Brainy Book about Neurons and Beyond

The brain is one of most exciting and complex organs in the universe. In this interactive book, you’ll learn what the brain is made of, what it does, and how it works!

This book includes cool trivia, real and lively illustrations, and fun-filled do-it-yourself activities.

A Branch Named I'Lean

Embark on a visual and intellectual exploration unlike any other with this inspiring book, an ode to the creativity and consciousness of the younger generation. Through an intricate blend of evolving imagery and a kaleidoscope of color, readers are drawn into a world where youthful vision and compassion dance in harmony.

The book’s pages unfold a journey that celebrates the thoughtfulness, empathy, and environmental stewardship of young minds. Each illustration and narrative piece showcase their profound connection to our invaluable planet, their desires to protect it, and their dreams of a sustainable future.

A Buzzard's Beef

Little Billy Buzzard is sick of eating dead things. When he complains to his mother, she wisely sends him on a journey to find tastier tidbits to eat. Billy meets friends along the way who are eager to help him, but obstacles keep getting in his way. His hilarious adventures lead him to a surprising conclusion.

Can you imagine what Billy discovered?

A Cat Named Freddie

In the depths of the forest, a tiny, injured kitten fights against the odds, left alone and abandoned. The reasons behind its abandonment and its crippling condition remain a haunting mystery.

This compelling tale unravels the extraordinary journey of Freddie, as he faces personal loss and learns to navigate the harsh realities of survival. But hope flickers amidst the darkness when a remarkable bond forms between the timid feline and a compassionate soul. Enter Mrs. J, a truly extraordinary person whose heart overflows with kindness and empathy, as she takes pity on the little ginger cat.

Through patience, understanding, and unwavering compassion, Mrs. J gradually earns Freddie’s trust over an extended period. And within this fragile trust, an enduring friendship begins to bloom—one that defies the boundaries between species. Their extraordinary connection, witnessed by an inquisitive observer who becomes an integral part of Freddie’s life, showcases the transformative power of even the smallest acts of kindness.

Within these pages, readers are immersed in a tale that celebrates the incredible bond that can arise from a compassionate gesture—a bond that blossoms into unwavering loyalty and forever friendship. With its eloquent and evocative prose, this book beckons both young readers and seasoned storytellers alike, offering a poignant insight into the transformative potential of love and compassion. Complemented by stunning illustrations that breathe life into every page, this enchanting tale is destined to become a cherished treasure for generations to come.

A Closer Look at Antinutrients in Food

The evidence is clear, a whole foods diet nourishes, protects, and satisfies the human body. It provides intact nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals essential for optimal health. But there’s more to this optimal eating lifestyle than meets the eye. A Closer Look at Antinutrients in Food lets the reader discover how whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and vegetables are also capable of wreaking havoc in the human body. Discover what antinutrients are, and how they function to potentially cause damage, nutritional imbalances, and deficiencies among other adverse health effects in the body of animals and humans. Whether you are a parent, student, healthcare provider, or into personal health, everyone should learn how to best deal with whole nutritious foods through easily applied kitchen rituals and home processing methods that minimizes antinutrients present in food to safely consume them in the diet daily.

Reap the benefits of optimizing nutrient absorption and palatability through these traditional food preparation practices and learn how to select optimal whole food products to bring out the best in whole foods nature has to offer to us.

A Cold Case

It is a story about time and memory. The protagonist pieces together meaning from the evidence he encounters over a thirty-year time span: the first-person narrative that moves back and forth between the last years of the Cold War and the present. The novel explores overlapping milieus in Frankfurt whose uneasy coexistence sometimes erupts into violence: competing elements in the German underworld, the personalities and bureaucracies of German policing, American military personnel and military police, German and American academics. The reader shares the immediate experience of the American investigator, a former officer of the American Military Police who was once stationed in Frankfurt. The reader shares his reflections, as well, as the older man’s accumulated experience becomes a lens through which he views his younger self. The dramatic and violent events of the first investigation, interspersed with the calm and reflective atmosphere of the second search, create the novel’s particular rhythm.