Johnny Yesno

There are certain people in life who cannot be denied success, regardless of the conditions of their birth or the circumstances of their upbringing. They just seem to rise to the top of whatever they are doing, somehow defying the odds and using their innate skills as a pathway to success. They also have the ability to utilize the fortuitous circumstances that they find themselves in to their advantage. All in all, such people just seem destined to rise to the top.

This book is about one of these people named Johnny Yesno. While the name Johnny Yesno may not be identifiable among movie buffs, his life is nonetheless worthy of wider recognition. Johnny Yesno went on to star in several movies, most notably the Walt Disney classic King of the Grizzlies; hosted a popular radio program on CBC Radio entitled Our Native Land; and, among other distinctions, was awarded the Order of Canada in 1976.

The Taking of the M.V. Acamar

In 1964, Andrew Morrison joined a crew sent to Greece to retrieve the latest addition to his father’s shipping company, the motor vessel Acamar.

While transiting the Gulf of Aden, the ship was hijacked by attackers seeking to recover weapons hidden in one of the cargo holds. The entire crew was murdered, except for Morrison, who managed to escape on a liferaft, hoping to drift towards his island home thousands of miles away in the Indian Ocean.

Will a miracle save his life once again, or will fate decide otherwise?

Mackenzie's Deer Trouble!

Where are displaced animals supposed to live? Because their natural habitats are disappearing, they are sharing our yards and parks more every day.

For the last several years, we have encountered wild animals in our yard on almost a daily basis. That made it necessary to learn how to interact with these animals. We have had individual deer, does with fawns, and little groups of five or six deer in our yard looking for food and water. They come all year long, no matter the season.

The deer are adorable, look harmless, and do not seem to fear humans. You can take photographs of them and enjoy watching their little ones at play. They seem to tolerate our presence if we do not get too close to them or try to touch them.

But, for the safety of our children, they need to understand the difference between a wild animal and a pet.

Meet Leon and Maggie Cobb

Most of us, as children, perceive our parents as perfect. Ah, the confusing age of innocence! Do you remember, as a child, thinking of your parents as though they were born as adults – parents, fully formed – and never considering that they, too, were once children? Now, as the shoe is on the other foot, how often do we reflect on our lives from childhood to adulthood? Can you recall the mistakes you made as you grew up, collecting them as “life’s lessons,” shaped by experiences that molded and defined who you are today? Some of those experiences may have been painful, even traumatic.

But such is life’s grand design. In hindsight, our parents – just as we – never were, aren’t, and never will be perfect, nor should we set such unrealistic expectations for ourselves. It is more than enough to be kind and loving. After all, no one escapes life’s moral challenges, whether they lead to good or bad outcomes. ‘Perfect’ – a word so overrated!

Now, as you reflect on your own life, you may find yourself wondering what unspeakable deeds your parents may have hidden, and who they truly are. For many, it may be too late to ask; for others, it may be fear or respect that keeps those questions unasked.

Meet Leon and Maggie Cobb in this tell-all story!

Shift

Sean is a modern-day hero in the year 2087 – but in his own time, few would recognize it. Most of his work takes place in the past. As a time-traveling agent, he corrects historical wrongs. However, when his latest mission fails to take hold, he and his team are tasked with uncovering why. What they discover goes far beyond fixing the company’s accounting books. They begin to unravel a shift of power that threatens their present.

How far back in time will Sean have to go to set things right? The rules of time travel are designed to protect the agents themselves, but when the past holds what Sean cherishes most, what rules will he break to protect it?

Collecting Coconuts

“Great and terrible can mean the very same things. Yet, I now understand both.”
–Keiba

Some people pray for rain. Others pray for it to go away.

Anne Lu’akanitz, Hawaiian and Jewish by blood, finds herself amidst both prayers in the Hurricane.

Will she find her family? Her friends? The science and plants she dearly loves amidst the island? Some people seek research. Some breathe it.

Haki Lindsgren, Swedish and American by blood, seeks both in the high tops of Aconcagua Mountain ranges amidst a snowstorm. He has a research partner, but where is she?

Will he find her? Will he finish his research? Or die trying?

How do they both fare?

“The trees quit dripping long enough to hear the silence.”
– Anne.

The Portal

This is the story of Robert Pearson’s perilous encounters with a time portal. Robert begins his journeys as a twelve-year-old boy in 1955. During a blizzard, he discovers the portal as a means of escape. The catch is that while the portal saves Robert’s life in different time periods, it also always places him in jeopardy in another.

Whenever Robert enters a new time period, it feels as though he’s lived there all his life; in most of them, he holds a position of authority. It seems that every place the portal transports Robert to is a potential trap. At times, Robert communicates with the portal, which is some kind of entity composed of both energy and matter, fluttering in and out of reality. While the portal never forces Robert to enter, it always leaves him with the same choice: flee or die.

In the hospital, Robert tells everyone about his experiences, but no one believes him. However, the portal has dealt Robert an “Ace” that he doesn’t yet realize he holds.

Señor Iguana’s Great Adventure

When Señor Iguana left behind his ordinary life in the jungle, he didn’t realize he and his newfound friend would encounter mystical and magical events and become the god of music and dance.

Little did Señor Iguana know that his adventures were just beginning.

Gullah Gravestones ll

Sheriff Bill Price, Chief Deputy Charles Wilson, and Steve Riley should have known better than to wander through the swampy low country of South Carolina to revisit an old, spooky graveyard.If they are not careful, they will stumble into a deep crack in the haunted land, plunging into an endless fiery pit teeming with the evil creatures of the dead. Trapped in an underground cavern with no clear way of escape, they find themselves in a place hidden by the devil himself – a realm designed for one purpose alone: to generate evil and spread death to any who dare uncover its horrific secrets.

The Eyes Have It

Carrie Lockhart is a young teacher in rural Australia, yearning for a fresh start after her beloved father dies suddenly. When at her most vulnerable, she finds herself caught up in a seedy and violent coercive-control relationship. When her sense of self-worth has all but crumbled, a mentor helps her find a way out.

Carrie escapes to a small rural community in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. It is a beautiful, peaceful setting, where she has the soothing presence of her horse and dog. It is here that Carrie finally begins to overcome the trauma of her previous life. Will she ever trust another man with her heart?

Carrie’s story is at times brutal and confronting. Share the heartbreak, the pain, and the elation, as she takes on the courageous journey to rebuild her life.

We Always Have a Choice – Mean or Kind

Although this book is written from the point of view of a ten-year-old, it is meant to speak to the child that still lives inside each of us.

The part of the brain responsible for decision making and understanding consequences does not fully develop until around the age of twenty-five. This is one of the many reasons childhood is so important. Some of us are forced to grow up quickly depending on the circumstances in which we are raised, and once we reach adulthood, many of us begin to focus only on ourselves.

The problem is that when we become self-centered or exclusive, we make it difficult for others to receive what they need. But imagine a world where we shifted that focus. What if we all made the choice to be kind, even to those who seem unkind?

No one comes into the world mean. Most of the time, there is something behind the behaviour. What if we paused to learn more before jumping to conclusions? In my own life, I have often encountered people who seem difficult or unkind. I have learned to listen first and only respond when they are open to hearing me.

Because most of the time, their actions are not really about us. They are about something much deeper inside of them.

What if God Had Been Sleepy?

Have you ever wondered how our world might be, if God had been sleepy when He made you and me?

This whimsical picture book about the seven days of Creation is a fanciful tale for God’s littlest angels at bedtime or any time. Children will love the pictures and the rhymes. They can read along with mom or dad, or just relax and let their imagination run wild with the illustrations.

Experience God’s wonder and His love on every page. And know that once this fanciful week of Creation begins, the smiles will never stop.