Not My Life's Story

Not My Life’s Story is a poignant anthology of poetry, capturing the essence of transition from the brink of childhood through the turbulence of teenage years to the thresholds of young adulthood. Crafted over several years, this collection is an emotive journey, not bound by chronology, but rather woven through the myriad experiences and milestones that define growing up.

Within these pages, the poems traverse a diverse landscape of themes. They delve into the profound and often challenging process of coming out, the bewildering onset of puberty, and the complex feelings surrounding body image and dysmorphia. Relationships, in their many forms, are explored with raw honesty, alongside the poignant experience of leaving home and stepping into the unknown.

Nove

These nine stories, scenes from a now-faraway youth, necessarily would have been misremembered, truncated, and therefore come into the present morphed into an entity quite distinct and separate from what they once were; however, they still bear the better telling. Thus, memory often shall bend the tale into something new, and apart from mere fact. Still, their telling is well-warranted, since all nine tales, snatched away from Mercury, do knit and meld themselves together to form a better, more fanciful whole to create a most pleasing portrait of the distant past.

Novembers

It’s November and a savage murder has been committed in an affluent Toronto neighborhood. The brutality of the murder and the severe lack of evidence appears to indicate the perfect crime. This is something Sergeant Detective Aristotle Boyle will never accept, driving him to obsession, calling on all his hardened experience to lead his team in investigating this intricately planned homicide. The few clues embroil Boyle in a mystery involving BDSM and alternate sexualities, forcing him to look to his own life for answers: his love of Greek philosophy, Ouzo, and fine Cuban cigars.

An intelligent, riveting novel any lover of crime mysteries will not be able to put down.

Nowhere to Call Home

In many cities and small communities across Canada, the individuals and families that experience homelessness are often invisible to the greater community around them. People may walk by or see someone that is homeless, yet they feel a disconnection. They see homelessness as an experience that happens to "other people" not something that could ever affect them. However, Leah's work bridges the gap between "us" and "them" by bringing humanity to all the faces of these individuals. Leah does a wonderful job of highlighting the heart and the struggle that everyone can relate to. People that experience homelessness have families, they have favorite foods, pets, jobs, goals, and dreams along with their struggles. Leah's photographs capture the story of homelessness with all of its rich complexity in an image and through conversation. * Gail Hoekstra, Executive Director; and Carlin Dykstra, Housing Stability Support Worker, Welcome In Drop-In Centre

Nurturing Creativity Through Poetry Writing

After a few years of teaching high school English, Michael was disillusioned with uninspiring conventional curriculum. Good students simply tolerated the boring content-driven curriculum better than the less academically inclined students. He started reading about an old concept, through a new term: Emotional Intelligence. An epiphany struck: If emotional intelligence (EQ) development was more of an indication of future success than IQ and was vastly more teachable, why did schools not emphasize the development of emotional intelligence?

For the next 25 years as a high school English teacher, Michael drew and learned from vast resources to better understand, articulate, and embed Healthy Habits of the Mind in his everyday lessons. He developed a list of Healthy Habits of the mind which he could discuss with students. Appreciating a curriculum that became relevant and engaging, students invested energy and often discovered their own creativity and voices.

Eventually, Michael understood how developing writing skills and Emotional Intelligence strengthen and reinforce each other. Students who took more risks, succumbed to fewer fears, and developed a revision mentality were better at all life’s tasks, not just writing.

Ochala and The Pilgrims

As the Pilgrims anchor at Plymouth, ten-year-old Ochala becomes the first Native American to witness these intriguing newcomers. His discovery prompts him to rush back to his village and alert his family and the respected sachem Massasoit. Intrigued, the sachem sends Ochala and his father to discreetly observe the Pilgrims from the forest’s safety, seeking to understand these strangers.

Ochala and the Pilgrims places young Ochala at the forefront of key historical events that unfolded between the Pilgrims and his tribe. The story takes a significant turn when Ochala’s actions profoundly impact his life and those around him, following the disappearance of a Pilgrim girl in the woods — an event inspired by true history.

The book vividly portrays the Wampanoag way of life, from their skilled woodcraft and agricultural practices to hunting methods, tribal customs, and even their language. It offers insights into how the Wampanoags lived in harmony with nature, in stark contrast to the Pilgrims’ initial attempts to settle in Plymouth. The first Thanksgiving is featured near the end of the book.

Featuring historical figures such as Massasoit, Squanto, Samoset, and William Bradford, Ochala and the Pilgrims delves into themes of friendship, jealousy, decision-making, and patience.

Authored by Michael Tougias, an esteemed expert on this historical era, this meticulously researched tale provides young readers with a unique, enlightening perspective on the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth. Tougias has been recognized for his balanced portrayal of both Native American and Pilgrim cultures, earning accolades from Native American groups and the Mayflower Society.

October Moon

Trumpet player Jeffrey Lewis Dean visits Israel on tour with his jazz band during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. His tour guide is the beautiful of Aviva Darr, who is there to guide and, unbeknownst to them, protect, the band.

As they tour Israel, the known terrorist Jialdi is terrorizing the country through bombings while evading the military no matter how hard they try to stop him.

As tensions rise, Jeffrey gets entangled in a situation beyond his control, while falling in love with the woman who could save him in more ways than one.

Of the Sun Fire

Moonlight glints and winks with a soft hum as girls in soft satin dresses dance around the fire. I can taste notes of empty forests and flowers smeared with blood on my tongue. Different reasons of their betrayal plague my mind. I opt to scream inward and swallow the lump in my throat. I see the candles lighting the wooden staircases of the haunted castle as I step in. The sight reminds me of when I was a child and held bears made of cotton tightly out of fear when I was left alone. I look down at my feet to see pictures of old loved ones crushed under them like worthless blossoms. Do I feel happy? Sad? Gloomy? Maybe all of them at once. I guess that’s the life of a dandelion girl.

The poems and pictures in this book represent the struggles I felt as an outcast and how I learned to find an exit for myself in the wonders of the world. I tried to capture the feeling of being rejected and later accepted into a new world in the poems and pictures I gathered. I hope people with similar experiences can read my book and feel a little less alone than they did before. I hope they realize things will get better. Your wings of fire will emerge.

Ogmond

When the problems with the Earth’s inhabitants’ civilities, humanity and care for the planet reached it limit…

When pollution, greed, selfishness, and lawlessness created a universal problem…

One man had answers and took necessary actions, applying his special skills, discoveries, and knowledge to save and restore the civilizations and the planet.

This man’s name was Ogmond.

Oh no, Joe!

A smooth-sailing bike trip to the store is abruptly stopped in its tracks. A bewildering situation requires swift investigation. What a predicament!

It’s not all fun and games, as one determined youngster with an uncalculated plan, attempts to match wits with a four-legged culprit named Joe.

Oh no, Joe! is a fast-paced and fun time, read in rhyme.

A celebration of unconditional love between a boy and his dog… because kind little people grow up to be kind big people.

Oil & Gas Design Engineering Guide Book

Oil & Gas Design Engineering Guide Book consists of a set of valuable practices applicable to design engineering services, such as: Projects Engineering Design House Requisites, Guidelines for Technical Package Writing, Quality Assurance Management System, Typical set of Project Design Deliverables and some prevalent Design Engineering Software. It also includes guide notes for various oil & gas facilities, such as pipelines, piping, tanks, pressure vessels, rotating equipment, heaters, heat exchangers, effluent water treatment systems, and flares. It is noted that the documents and articles included in this book will surely be of assistance and value to the readers and specifically to engineers in the Oil & Gas field.

Olive Everything

Olive is a young girl who loves everything. She loves all her clothes and wears more than she needs. She loves all the things her mother makes for breakfast and asks for some of everything. Rather than making a choice, Olive says yes to this, yes to that, and nothing is left out. This becomes a problem when she starts school and is expected to wear one outfit, have one breakfast food, and there are so many other things she must choose. Choosing one thing over another feels like something is being lost, and Olive worries that she’ll never get a chance to have the things she didn’t choose. Her father helps her see that making choices is a privilege, not a loss.