Missing Beth, Missing Out

Beth and Joni are best friends. But when Joni realizes how much her friend is able to do (and have) that she cannot, Joni becomes angry at the unfairness of it all. In this heart-warming story, Joni and her mother help us navigate through one of life’s most common struggles.

Playlists

Music is something that, especially today, forms the background of our lives. We hear it daily. We feel it weaving the tapestry that we live our lives upon. In this collection of poetry and prose, author E. P. Jordan explores how the music she listened to in certain years of her life impacted the art that she created. As you read this collection, you will go on multiple journeys with the author, and will be invited yourself to examine your life through the lens of the music that has been with you along the way.

So Human

What if a single conversation could change everything you believe about yourself and the world? For Lana, that moment arrives when she encounters a man who is both a profound mystery and a catalyst for a journey she never expected. He opens her eyes to a reality where danger lurks behind every corner and the very nature of their existence is in question.

As Lana is drawn deeper into his world, she is forced to abandon her sense of reality and dive into the depths of the human condition. Their developing bond is a fragile lifeline in a story tangled with risk and uncertainty. It is through their shared journey that Lana begins to learn the invaluable lesson of connection and the transformative power of empathy. So Human is more than a story; it’s a dual narrative of discovery, revealing the quiet, beautiful truths that define us all.

Eyes Shut, Mouth Closed

This is the true story of my two-year journey to escape Vietnam, seven years after the end of the Vietnam War. At just nine years old, I was a naive village boy, knowing little beyond the only home I had ever known. Along with 27 others—including my father and older sister—I set sail on a small, overcrowded fishing boat, embarking on a perilous voyage that would ultimately lead me to America. The journey was marked by immense hardship, uncertainty, and sacrifice.

Our family was torn apart. My mother and two younger siblings remained in Vietnam, separated from us for 15 long years before we were finally reunited. The pain of that separation shaped me in ways I could never have imagined. Though I did not endure it alone, I learned to transform hardship into resilience, using each challenge as a stepping stone toward a better future. Along the way, strangers—some of whom I will never forget—offered help in ways I could never have expected.

My father’s courageous decision to flee with my sister and me was driven by hope—a belief in the promise of greater opportunities and a brighter future. But even after reaching America, our struggles were far from over. We battled language barriers, cultural isolation, and economic hardship, fighting to rebuild our lives from nothing. And after years of longing, we finally pieced our family back together.

I invite you to join me on this journey—a story of perseverance, hope, and the unbreakable human spirit. Through these pages, I seek to honor the voices of the countless Vietnamese "boat people" who perished at sea, never reaching their destination.

In sharing my experiences, I hope to inspire others to keep moving forward, to grow stronger with each challenge, and to uplift those who can no longer speak for themselves. No matter the obstacles, we must press on, turning pain into purpose and hardship into hope.

My Roots, My Self

Clutching a childhood photo to her heart, Jenny asks, ‘Who is the real me?’ before setting off to find the parents who abandoned her. Centuries earlier, Macuya channels the courageous spirit of his father to survive being kidnapped into a hostile world.

Thus begins My Roots, My Self, a gripping historical novel intertwining two epic journeys from 1975 Minnesota to the blood-soaked origins of the Italian Mafia and Spanish Inquisition. A fresh and engaging story about a dual search for self-identity: one character searching back to remove the stains of her crime family, the other striving ahead to forge a family legacy in a racist society.

Jenny’s search starts in Boston, where the FBI detains her after an ill-fated meeting with members of the Anguilo crime family, people of her blood. Threatened but determined, she heads to Sicily and meets a mercurial genealogist who unlocks the secrets of her lineage and her path to freedom.

Macuya, a native of the West Indies, is torn from home and family by Columbus and taken to Spain, where Queen Isabella adopts him as a mascot. Later freed with a baron’s title, he secretly marries Beka, the Jewish love of his life. Together, they move from country to country to escape being burned at the stake.

With six centuries of separation, the reader is plucked from the now and wrenched into the mysteries of the past as both characters struggle forward to find the freedom to honor their true selves.

My Roots, My Self will appeal to fans who were enthralled with the search for faith and home in Scherman’s The Mapmaker’s Daughter, who cherished the journey of self-discovery in Shapiro’s Inheritance and loved the historical intrigue of Cornick’s The Winter Garden.

“I received an advance copy of My Roots, My Self and wow what an emotional ride. Jenny’s struggle to understand where she came from hit me hard; it made me think about my own family stories and what’s been passed down to me. I loved how the book shifted between her story and Macuya’s in 1492. At first, I didn’t see how the two connected, but by the end, it all came together beautifully. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you close it.”

– Abraham Alejandro, Member, Oprah’s Book Club.

“I was lucky enough to get a copy of My Roots, My Self, and I have to say, it’s one of the most unique family sagas I’ve read. I loved the cultural details, the Slovenian pastries, the Taino rituals, the Boston immigrant neighborhoods; they made the story feel alive. Jenny was such a relatable character: restless, a little lost, but determined. And Macuya’s chapters absolutely broke my heart. If you enjoy books about family secrets, ancestry, and identity, this is a must-read.”

– Betty Burgess, What’s the Name of the Book? Book Club.

Barb Wire Bible

Morgan Maguire ranched with her family along the highline between Montana and Canada. She worked with her father providing guide services for hunters and also assisted the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue as a tracker to apprehend criminals and return the lost to their loved ones. This cowgirl spent many years learning to cope with the Irish legacy of ‘second sight’ with the help of her mentor Charlie Many Dreams, a Blackfeet medicine man. Her peaceful world was torn apart when the drug dealer she was tracking shot her longtime friend, who was riding for the Blackfeet Tribal Police. Swearing to find this killer, her quest brings her into the steel and cement canyons of New York to obtain justice. A place as alien as the moon to her.

The Search for Julia Garcia

A college student vanishes. Julia Garcia was last seen at a lakeside cottage on Seneca Lake, where she spent a weekend with friends. The routine police search comes up empty. Desperate, her parents turn to Frank Harris, a New York private detective, who takes the case, even though he doubts he’ll break even.

Harris suspects the police didn’t dig deep enough. But his decision to help isn’t purely professional. Having grown up in the Finger Lakes region, the case draws him back to his family. Yet both the search for Julia and his homecoming prove far more complicated than he anticipated.

As Frank follows Julia’s trail, he faces resistance from potential witnesses, including her new boyfriend and his wealthy family. It takes Frank time to grasp the background of Julia’s disappearance, namely the violent struggle between competing drug cartels. Was Julia abducted by gang members? Is she still alive?

Meanwhile, Frank’s return to his family gets him involved in the marital problems of his older sister for which he is unprepared.

Red Wolf and the Summer Flower

A thousand years ago, two Cherokee teenagers were forced to endure hardship, danger, peril, natural and unnatural disasters, and scorn for simply being teenagers.

They lived in an unforgiving world run by a harsh and dictatorial society but still managed to find meaning in their lives. They found that a good friendship provides strength, and loyalty to one’s friend ensures survival. Then, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, they learned that they had what it takes to be an adult.

This is a story about one short summertime in the lives of a boy called Red Wolf and a girl named Summer Flower.

The Scent of Wisteria in the Springtime

The fifteen stories contained in this collection are all individual. None of them are about the same characters or locations. Although they do share commonality: they are all based upon Southern personalities in various Southern locations. There is a slight bend towards autobiographical experiences in some of these stories. I’ll let the readers try to identify those particular stories themselves!

The author’s attempt in writing these stories is to illustrate the frailties, the strength, and the inherent goodness of the human species. To show that all of us are endowed with the capacity to love, to hate, to daydream, and perhaps, to make our dreams come true.

The story: Big Game Hunter is about a twelve-year-old boy in rural Mississippi who fantasizes of being a professional hunter in Africa. I know something of that dream and managed to actually participate in eleven safaris in six African countries. I lived my dream!

The story, Requiem For A Romance That Could Never Be, is about the dark times in the South. The period that we all want to forget, that we wish had never happened. It’s about a sweet, biracial romance between teenagers when the South was segregated.

Lost At The Falling Waters details a young woman’s quest to find her father… a young Southern American soldier. Her teenage parents were separated in Vietnam when that country literally fell apart. Her dream was beautifully realized!

Aunt Sabbath Muggy and the Irreversible Hoodoo is a story about a Black-magic woman in coastal Georgia. Aunt Sabby brings two lovers together, inadvertently but very successfully!

Cry Me A River is a story set in New Orleans. A young romance fell apart, but they reunited in very different circumstances many years later. One of the greatest inherent attributes as human beings is forgiveness; it’s warmly illustrated in this somewhat-tragic story.

Whom Shall I Choose is about a young man named Jesse James Cuevas. He lived a hard life growing up, some of it in reform school and foster care. But when avaricious people tried to manipulate him, Jesse’s true character came through.

In addition to these six stories, illustrated above, there are nine more of them. I had a lot of fun writing them…. I hope that you enjoy reading them.

Jerry Edwards

Somewhere in the hills, north of Atlanta

A Bean Story

A tiny, little, nothing seed can grow big if you just give it a little love, attention, and lots of water to drink. Grandma told me that the beans would grow, but she never told me it would be so stinky!

How can a non-good plastic cup grow such a big plant? My magic hands of course. Now it is like I’m a farmer, I can grow anything and so can you.

The Toad and His Warts

In this endearing Clarke Fable, a young toad finds great delight in counting his glorious warts, but runs into trouble when he tries to count all of them. He remains persistent in his goal, never giving up, and finally finds a solution to his problem. Be sure to look for the beautiful dragonfly as it flits throughout the pages! This book has a repeating chorus that will be helpful to young children who are early readers.

Abby May and the Very Big Day

Embark on a heartwarming journey with Abby May’s First Day, as Abby steps into a new school, eager to make friends despite feeling a tad different.

As she hops onto the school bus with hopes soaring high, little does she know, a world of discovery awaits.

Through the lens of youthful camaraderie, explore the beautiful tapestry of diversity and the magic that unfolds when children embrace the uniqueness within and around them.

Together with her newfound friends, Abby May uncovers that communication, inclusion, and acceptance can unfurl delightful surprises, making the world a smaller, happier place.