The Clara Conjecture

The Clara Conjecture is a new interpretation of historical facts. In 1938 Germany occupied Austria. Professor Lise Meitner, no longer shielded by her Austrian passport from measures against Jews, was fired. An equal of Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein, she had led the world’s best theoretical physics institute for nearly 30 years. In Berlin she designed the experiment that would split the uranium atom to produce energy. Before it could be executed she fled to Sweden. Without the ability to continue her research, impoverished, fearing for her relatives in the Nazi Reich, she became depressed.

In the tiny community of women scientists in Stockholm she met a psychoanalyst, the Canadian Dr. Leone McGregor Hellstedt (alter ego “Clara”), who rescued Lise with psychotherapy and money. When her German colleagues performed Lise’s experiment, they asked her to explain the result: she did, in terms of Einstein’s E=mc², and called the new phenomenon “nuclear fission” in her article for Nature. Early in 1939 physicists everywhere grasped the menace of nuclear energy. From her former colleagues and students Lise received information about the Nazi atomic bomb program and relayed it to Clara, who then informed Allied spies including William Stephenson (“Intrepid”) of British Security Coordination and Ian Fleming of British Naval Intelligence.

Informed by this detailed knowledge of Nazi atomic bomb initiatives, the Allies were able to efficiently sabotage facilities, kill key personnel, deny resources, and thus cripple the German program that had begun more than two years before the Manhattan Project.

Goldie TAXI and the 3 Young Bears

What surprising, interesting adventure happens to three young bear brothers in a big city when they get lost at the bus stop on the way to their grandparent’s new house? What funny, chaotic events will take place in the strange location? Uh oh! Comical, goofy mishaps are sure to follow! When they meet a complete stranger, will she be difficult or upset or helpful?

How will they ever make it to Grandma and Grandpa’s house? What will they learn about following directions, being more alert and taking more responsibility?

The Journey

High-schooler Jack wanted to escape his life at home, so he moved in with a caretaker in a quiet town in the middle of Pennsylvania. At first, everything seemed normal – he was living an ordinary school life and even made some friends. However, everything changes when Jack encounters a mysterious woman who awakens a latent power within him that he never knew he had.

Determined to fight the evil lurking inside people’s minds, Jack embarks on a journey across Pennsylvania, seeking allies and battling dangerous foes. He joins a secret organization dedicated to combating these evils, but he soon uncovers its dark and shady past.

As Jack’s mission intensifies, he finds himself facing the son of a powerful and malevolent organization. At the same time, he struggles to keep his double life hidden from his girlfriend, Audrey, who knows nothing about his secret battles. As relationships begin to crumble, Jack is torn between his growing responsibilities as a hero and the personal life he desperately wants to protect.

Willey and Shelley’s Adventure Downunder

This is the second book in a three-part series where Willey and Shelley embark on an extraordinary adventure in the magical land of Australia. While many of us have seen movies or documentaries about this fascinating country, this story offers a fresh perspective.

When Willey transforms into a koala bear and Shelley becomes a kangaroo, they experience the breathtaking countryside and its unique wildlife from an entirely new viewpoint. Through their journey, they learn the importance of understanding others, helping those in need, and looking out for one another.

This story invites you and your children to explore Australia’s vibrant landscapes and encounter its remarkable animals in a fun and imaginative way. Hopefully, it will inspire you to embrace new friendships and see life through the eyes of others.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay curious and forever young.

The Beauty of Words

Life experience has a unique way of inspiring words and thoughts. It allows us to revisit moments, trends, and milestones that shape who we are. The sights we’ve seen, the people we’ve met – these complete our inner selves. A lifetime of such memories can spill out into beautiful words.

From a special friendship to the birth of a child, or a love you never expected, these are the things that stir the heart and deserve to be written about. I hope to evoke genuine emotions in those who read my work. Writing wasn’t something I planned; it unfolded in a way that even I found surprising, revealing truths I didn’t know I had to share.

Within these pages are smiles and tears, crafted to make you think, reminisce on days gone by, or dream of what’s yet to come.

I do not seek to make history or gain fame. My words are simple, yet thoughtful, with meaning to uncover. So, enjoy the rhymes, reflect on the truths, and immerse yourself in the heartfelt works within.

Pondside Park

Step into the charming world of Pondside Park Stories, set in the idyllic expanse of Pondside Park, nestled in the heart of ‘Every Town USA.’ This beloved park is a hub of activity, where children converge after school for playtime and families unite for festive holiday gatherings. The surrounding community boasts a diverse array of residences, from single-family homes and apartments to a few condos.

The children of this town each have their own unique tales to tell, resonating with experiences that mirror our own. Meet characters like Anna with her extraordinary life, Francis grappling with his name, and Eddie, whose fun is dampened by rain. Discover Barack’s proud self-identity, and join Cari and Donna in their enduring friendship, among many others.

But the surprises of Pondside Park don’t end there. The local wildlife, including squirrels, goldfish, and ducks, not only share in similar challenges but also demonstrate remarkable problem-solving through reasoning, understanding, and acceptance. Delight in stories like ‘Sammy the Unhappy Duck,’ ‘Hazel and Harry’s New Home,’ and ‘Lisa and Louis’ Lesson in True Friendship.’ And don’t miss the intriguing tale of ‘The Trouble with Ginger,’ a companion dog.

Pondside Park is a collection brimming with heartwarming narratives, each as enjoyable and enlightening as the last.

Human Adjacent

What makes someone human? What makes them inhuman? What do you do when those lines are much more blurred than they at first seem to be? How do you reconcile with realizing that you might have more in common with the monster of the story? What do you do when you realize that the monster probably isn’t a monster at all? That many of the things you were taught to you aren’t true at all?

Human Adjacent emphasizes human nature by telling the stories of things that are non-human, of shared experiences, and stories that resonate with what it means to be human without actually being so. Follow nine different stories as they all try to paint a wide picture of humanity in uncommon places, each one set in a unique world with diverse characters all trying to navigate their very different, outlandish circumstances that may or may not be similar to your own.

Shugart: The Candy-Eating Dragon

Too much candy

Won’t be fun,

And the holiday season

Has just begun.

‘What to do with the excess?’

Grown-ups might ask.

This book has the answer:

(hint): A dragon’s up to the task!

“‘Twas the night before Halloween and all through the house,

a creature was stirring, but it wasn’t a mouse…”

The Way It Ought to Be

The Way It Ought to Be is based on the idea that life does not always happen the way we want it to and that the only things that are important are the relationships we experience along the way – those we can’t get away from, those we want but can’t have, and the one we hold with ourselves.

Winifred Simone is in love with the life she had as a young girl and with the people from that life: her lone, childhood friend, Casey, and her ever-present mother, Maggie. Winifred and Casey spend their days in the small, rural town of Hickory in 1940s Pennsylvania; free to roam the nearby woods and isolating themselves from the rest of the world. But what seems idyllic to Winifred was anything but for Casey, a boy who always felt unloved and unlovable, despite Winifred’s boundless adoration.

Neither one could perceive the events that take away their innocent outlook and, without a word, Casey leaves Hickory, shattering their bond. This propels Winifred on a six-year search to find her friend and love far beyond the comfort of her hometown. As the story moves from the canopied safety of the Pennsylvania woods to the exposed rawness of the California desert, Winifred continually relies on the wrong people in an attempt to find the life she is convinced she is supposed to have.

That is, until she meets two very different families, the Hixsons and the Quinns. With their help, she learns to accept and be grateful for the life she is actually living.

Drinks with God

Drinks With God is what you might get if you blended the wit of George Carlin, the satire of Jonathan Swift, and the quirky imagination of Kurt Vonnegut. In this irreverent and humorous narrative, the Supreme Being himself confesses to being a celestial klutz, making cosmic blunders from the dawn of time to the present day. From accidentally creating an upright squirrel in a jockstrap in his attempt to make the first human, to sending a swarm of hummingbirds instead of locusts to plague the Egyptians, this God is far from the omnipotent figure we know from the Bible.

Within the pages of Drinks With God, the reader is treated to an unconventional take on familiar biblical figures. From his ‘weirdo’ son Jesus, the amorous Holy Ghost, and the entrepreneurial Noah, to the not-so-virginal Virgin Mary, a sassy Judas Iscariot, and a chef Satan who has a flair for spicy cuisine – these characters are reimagined in a way you’ve never seen before. And where does God divulge these surprising insights? Not in a heavenly realm, but in the more earthly locales of New York City’s bars, coffee houses, and parks, revealing a deity who enjoys a good drink.

Reading Drinks With God might not sway your religious beliefs, but it’s guaranteed to leave you in stitches. Prepare for a hilarious, blasphemous, and utterly unique exploration of divinity like no other.

“Drinks With God has reopened my eyes to the truth that humor, maybe even blasphemous humor, is the only way to make sense of this distracted, click-happy, self-infatuated world.”
– Cornelius Walters, author of Fairy Snow.

“OMG! Millman’s latest book is divine – a heaven-sent blessing for atheists, unbelievers, heretics, and anyone who still has a fully-functioning funny bone.”
– Gary Allen, author of Galloping Gourmand.

“A round of hilarious irreverence from a unique writer!”
– Jim Christy, author of The Rough Road to the North and Scalawags.

The Way of Undoing

The Way of Undoing: Capitalism, Trauma, and the Return of Wonder is an intimate personal exploration of possibility and discovery through stories and adventures great and small.

The author’s search for reconciliation with a war-traumatised father traces the origins of transgenerational trauma from capitalist roots to today’s internet, where data, information, and misinformation streams have taken the place of dialogue and storytelling. Climate change and pandemics have thrust Western culture upon an emotionally stuck world and challenge the collective human story that we, and the author, are writing as we live.

Raised by Children

Raised by Children is a story about the impact of childhood trauma and PTSD, and a young woman’s resilience as she finds her voice and carves her own path.

Stepping beyond the suffocating backyard of her factory town in Kentucky, she discovers just how vast the world can be.