Trapped in Heavens

Max Engler, our audacious protagonist, alongside his loyal colleague, Chou Wong, are pioneering physicians nestled within a reputable biochemistry department on the West Coast. Their invention – a sophisticated machine orchestrated by a network of lasers and magnets – holds the promise of unraveling the mysteries veiled within unknown substances. A serendipitous discovery propels them into uncharted territory, unveiling a novel physical transformation that disrupts the strong nuclear force within solid atoms, transmuting them into pure energy.

A twist of fate and a flick of a switch later, Max finds himself disintegrated by his own invention, vanishing into the unknown. The sudden disappearance casts a long, accusatory shadow on Chou, dragging him into a whirlpool of accusations and police interrogations. The ordeal intensifies as spectral attempts by Max to communicate further entangle the reality around them.

Eventually, a breakthrough: Max reestablishes contact, unveiling a celestial domain – dubbed the ‘Heavens’ – that he’s been traversing. His newfound ability to escort others through these ethereal realms via special arrangements unveils a vista of cosmic exploration. However, with knowledge comes scrutiny. As tales of Max’s celestial sojourns ripple through media and religious circles, a barrage of questions and incredulity follows suit.

Trauma, Drama, Love, and Loss

Poetry can be healing. It can break the heart and heal it. Let it touch you and you’ll feel it. The scars here are real, but may it guide you through your own struggles, let you see that you’re not alone, show solidarity, and, at the end, provide you hope.

Trouble Rumbles at Dawn

Welcome to the tranquil yet precarious town of Indigo Flats, nestled in the vast expanse of west Texas. Its peaceful façade shatters when a prominent businessman is brutally murdered, unearthing a cache of guns and drugs that send shockwaves through the region, putting the feared Mexican Ortega Cartel on high alert. However, the stakes intensify exponentially when a second murder rocks the town—a member of the cartel’s own family falls victim, igniting a relentless race against time for determined Detective Sharon Case.

With the relentless cartel crossing the border into Indigo Flats, Detective Case finds herself thrust into a perilous battle on multiple fronts. She must navigate the treacherous landscape of solving the murders while combating the vicious intruders and scrambling to safeguard her own family. As the clock ticks relentlessly, the line between right and wrong blurs, forcing Detective Case to make harrowing choices to uphold justice and protect all that she holds dear.

Truly Said Devotionals - Volume One

Do you know you’re a just a bunch of stories? You are. And every one of your stories bears a punchline, or point, only the God’s Spirit reveals. When the Lord recites your narratives, He fires these epiphanic points that pour in light, resolving questions, dilemmas, and conflicts. Such illumination is what we refer to when we speak of 'ah-ha' moments. As a psychotherapist, I see this 'ah-ha' in my clients, as the Lord cognitively enhaloes truth in their trivial—or most idiomatically evocative—recollections. It’s a joy hearing, “What you said is so true!” and afterward the Holy Spirit’s own finishing quip, “Truly said, indeed.”

Truly Said Devotionals – Volume One is a book of my own stories and 'ah-ha' moments. I pray they inspire your relationship with that great teacher among us—Him who is the Holy Spirit.

Tubby Tilda Tooth Fairy

She is not your average girl fairy. She is an ill-tempered, funny, and red-headed young feminist. If you keep an eye open, she will try to get you to fall asleep. She is not good at waiting, so you better not be awake when she comes around.

Tucker the Turtle

Enter inside this picture book to join in on a day with Tucker and his friends. Enjoy a visual feast of gorgeous colors in a beautiful pond setting surrounded by tropical plants, cute animals, butterflies, and charming bugs. Your child will have many questions on all they see and learn of all the wonderful creatures we have in this enchanting world. Share their experiences as Tucker interacts with them throughout the day. Share playtime, a dip in the pond, and lunch.

You will also learn how animals watch and protect one another, bringing comfort to all in their tight little ecosystem they call ‘home’. There is a joyous surprise ending as Tucker’s life changes to one with more purpose, fulfillment, and love. The day will be like no other and will become a yearly celebration. You will adore the outcome, so please venture in and celebrate this fun-filled, happy and magical day.

Tugboats to Remember

This fine collection of extraordinary stories and stunning illustrations recount the harrowing rescues of ships and cities in distress.

“The sea is at its best at London, near midnight, when you are within the arms of a capacious chair, before a glowing fire, selecting phases of the voyages you will never make.”
—Henry Major Tomlinson

Tulip for Tebeau

Pioneers and their schools have long had a mutually beneficial bond. This symbiosis was eloquently articulated by a Duke University resident, Broadbent, at the dedication ceremony for the Samuel DuBose Cook Center for Social Equity: “You have led a remarkable life and we are today annexing your name to the fame of this school. Some might say we are honoring you by naming the Center after you, but everyone knows the truth - we are honoring ourselves and this Center by appropriating your enduring legacy.”

Cook, a distinguished political scientist, made history in 1966 as the first Black professor to receive tenure at a predominantly White southern university in the United States. By affiliating themselves with his pioneering work, schools like Duke aim to share in the honor and social capital of civil rights icons. Yet as Broadbent suggests, the true beneficiaries of such naming opportunities are arguably the institutions themselves.

Tusk

This story opens with the unfolding tragedy of a young woman coming to Alaska in 1957. Her life is marked with the birth of three children from three separate men - one who is her husband, one who takes her by force, and a third who becomes her common law husband in the wild north. In such a short period of time, Ella G dies a tragic death, but her children become the protagonists of the emerging story. Their characters are developed separately, and through their outrageous Alaskan trials, they ultimately meet at the 25th anniversary of their mother’s death at a graveyard in Anchorage.

This book centers on the gold in the Alaskan hills, its mining and claim jumping, the rivalry between the antagonist (McKenzie) and the protagonist (Cayote) resulting in substantial violence – multiple gunfights, fist fights, arson, car crashes, and so forth. Ultimately, the protagonist loses his life in a plane crash exploring the mystery of the book (which will not be revealed here). The children have, however, gone their own way – RT becoming a politician, Bethra a criminal defense attorney, and Ernie a gold and ivory smuggler. They find a huge cache of gold in the midst of this adventure which is lost, stolen, found, and relocated, and in the middle of this they come upon a cache of woolly mammoth tusks. The remainder of this story concerns itself with smuggling these tusks out of Alaska to exchange them for weapons. While the vulgar culture, the street violence, and the crass relationships are the center of the story, the tusk found in the wild is the thing upon which it all centers.

Twelve Days of Christmas Stories

Each year, Christmas is advertised as a wonderful time for children. I know it was for me as I was growing up, but, at some point, the magic seemed to wear off. I didn't want it to, but there it was. As I grew older, this one thought stayed in my mind and just got stronger the closer it got to each and every Christmas. What kind of stories could I write that would keep young people and adults excited about Christmas? Sure, there were stories for children that demonstrated the magic of Santa, but what about the rest of us? Should we have to give up the joy of Christmas just because we are too "old" for it? Early on, I tried to figure out what kinds of stories would be appropriate for the 18 and above crowd. Through trial and error, the stories included in Twelve Days of Christmas Stories finally met my criteria. These stories could just as easily be real life for those invested in finding and enjoying the Christmas spirit.

To add to the fun, the dialogue in each story is such that it could be read as a play, with characters that come alive as the reader shares each story with his or her own family. Mama's Night Out is one of those stories that has many voices. There is a private eye, a lady in red, some elves, and many more surprises. I hope you enjoy reading all twelve stories to your family and friends this Christmas season and beyond.

Two Arms and Ten Fingers

The fifth-century philosopher Plato was a beloved student of the great philosopher Socrates. In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato reasoned that one is presented with an incredibly distorted view of reality until released from deception by being placed in a clear-eyed position to see absolute truth.

As our lives unfold and present us with various issues requiring decisions, our character matters. Yet, sometimes people choose deceit rather than sound, principled reasoning, and the truth of their deception is never discovered.

In Two Arms and Ten Fingers, three well-respected professionals choose to create a distorted view of reality for their personal gain, only to experience the consequences of their actions. The truth, most times, has a strange habit of coming to light; however, “deceit can be beautiful – just depends on who benefits.”

In Two Arms and Ten Fingers, a doctor, a mortician, and a lawyer make life-changing decisions and share the consequences. Follow their journey from darkness to possible enlightenment.

Two Souls, Tandem Journeys

For anyone touched by the complexities of mental or physical disabilities, know this: you walk a path shared by many.

Marrying young, the author welcomed a precious baby boy into her world. But as the months unfurled, a mother’s intuition whispered that something was amiss.

Journey alongside this resilient mother and her son as they navigate:

• The twists of misdiagnoses, culminating in the dual challenges of autism and deafness;
• Tense stand-offs with a school system too quick to prescribe life-long medications;
• Contentions with county officials reluctant to provide essential services;
• Heart-wrenching episodes leading to his stay in a state mental hospital, and the beacon of hope from a non-profit that restored his well-being;
• Advocacy battles against bureaucratic walls, tirelessly fighting for proper care for the multiply-disabled deaf;
• A transformative spell of acceptance and growth in the commune of Rajneeshpuram, and much more...

Embark on this deeply emotional odyssey, witnessing their struggles, their joys, and the profound lessons they learn along the way. Discover the unparalleled patience and gratitude that can bloom from a parent’s unconditional love. By the journey’s end, you’ll be reminded of the boundless power of courage, determination, and the belief that happiness is attainable, even against overwhelming odds.