Suitcase of Memories

I was destined to be a peacemaker. Doesn’t every family have one?

My family, with its traditional values, loving grandparents, and family heirlooms, has always provided a comfortable base and a home. My expectations were that my home and family would be safe, cozy, and unwavering.

What of words translated by a peacemaker, certain it was for me too? No protests, make a loving family, keep the peace. I was convinced it would be mine.

What of words from love, prideful of my values, celebrating my accomplishments, joyful for my happiness, and hopeful for my future?

Seasons change, years pass. I remember joyous moments of splendid solace with so much hopeful anticipation. I’ve learned one can search for serendipity, but it cannot be contrived. I remain hopeful beyond possibility.

What of words of hurtful intention—stinging, humiliating, torturous, and demeaning, as intended?

I am the peacemaker.

I must not be defeated.

All My Wishes For You

“I have found that a majority of our wishes do come true, but we have forgotten them because we have found other wishes that are more recent.”

All My Wishes For You, is the story that gently brings to the mind of any mother or child the wishes they make as well as the magic of a dream’s eventual fruition.

As a mother and child read through this story together, it can start a conversation about their current wishes and thus create a deeper bond by sharing all they are thinking and dreaming about. No characters in the book are named, allowing a mother and child to personalize the story as they read along with each other.

Seven Brief Lessons on Computing

Have you ever looked down at your phone and wondered, “What’s going on in there?” If you’ve ever wondered how modern computers and digital devices work, Seven Brief Lessons on Computing takes you through an entertaining and educational journey of mankind’s desire to count, compare, and compute our world.

My Time with Astronauts

In this candid, courageous, and often unexpectedly funny memoir, Faby Kushner invites readers into a world of rocket launches, astronaut encounters, and the delicate art of rationing shrimp at cocktail parties.

But behind the glamour of shuttle missions, personal ties to space icons, and visits to NASA lies a deeper story, one shaped by challenge, reinvention, and quiet resilience. Faby faced unrelenting workplace gossip, the pain of divorce, and moments when life knocked her flat. And yet, through each setback, she rose, rebuilding her life piece by piece, discovering not just how to survive, but how to thrive.

This isn’t a story of perfection. It’s a story of perseverance. Of daring to believe that the best chapters might still lie ahead.

If you’ve ever found yourself staring down a version of life you didn’t ask for, this book offers more than just a glimpse of hope; it’s a witty, heartfelt reminder that reinvention is always possible, and joy can reappear when you least expect it.

Trapped but Not Forgotten

Sandra travels from Chicago to Gulf Shores, Alabama, all alone and never tells a soul where she is heading. Taking a wrong exit off the highway into a vicious storm. Fearing now for her life, she ends up in a diner. Not aware she will be trapped in the diner with eleven hostages, including an infant. Will Sandra and the hostages survive? Will it end in total hell?

Ivy Jones and the Pirates of Mermaid Cove

Seven-year-old Ivy Jones never imagined that a simple trip to the beach would change her life forever.

But when she wanders from her parents and meets a curious mermaid named Sereia, Ivy is swept into a hidden world beneath the waves: the magical kingdom of Aqualithia. Here, mermaids live beneath shimmering coral arches and along seashell streets, protected by King Thalassor and his royal guards.

But peace in Aqualithia is under threat. A ruthless gang of human pirates has stolen the Miraluna Pearl, a glowing relic said to be the source of the mermaids’ magic.

With Sereia and a loyal dolphin named Shimmer by her side, Ivy must journey through a dangerous underwater world to recover the pearl and save Aqualithia.

But time is running out! Will Ivy discover her true courage and outsmart the greedy treasure hunters before the ocean’s light is lost forever…?

An Unlikely Gold Rush

Dave is a journalist who embarks on a thrilling treasure hunt. In a new town, with a new job and new friends he meets, Dave finds himself amid disreputable schemes set up by a deceitful group of hoodlums, who notoriously remain unchecked by the law in Clairmont County, a small place near Oregon.

Using his investigative reporter’s talents, Dave uncovers their duplicitous plot, but only to find how it puts his and his friends’ lives in danger. The only way out of their debacle is to go on a perilous hike to recover some lost relics and treasures in the dark and gloomy mountain caves.

Overpowered by the gangsters, Dave and his girlfriend Melissa have to go to the cave accompanied by them. In the thrill and suspense of their youthful journey, they try to find the light of day.

Foxfire

It is June 1940. With the German occupation of Norway complete and Paris falling, Europe is in chaos. Refugees are fleeing in all directions, finding all exits blocked. There is one way out: the Arctic harbor town of Liinahamari, a forgotten port on Finland’s northern coast. Among the refugees fleeing up the Arctic Ocean Highway are the Crown Princess of Norway and her three children.

A ship, The Queen of the North, will be waiting for the refugees at Liinahamari, arranged by personal order of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who has developed a fondness for the Crown Princess of Norway that will last until his death. The Queen of the North is scheduled to depart on August 16, 1940. The ship will also be expecting an item of significant interest to the US Navy. Smuggled from a Swedish armament works by an unlikely group of Anglos, Swedes, and Poles, an object is to be concealed in its hold that could very well change the course of the war in the Atlantic...

Based on real events, Foxfire is the story of a military operation that actually took place in 1940. Part spy thriller, part love story, and part celebration of an extraordinary landscape, Foxfire will take you on an epic journey up the Arctic Ocean Highway to a place now lost to history.

Good Friends Are Forever

Age is not a number but rather an attitude. Imagine, if you dare, what might occur when four men (F Bomb, Mad Dog, Cujo, and Oppie) who have known each other since the first day of kindergarten decide to attend a weeklong summer camp in upstate New York. Camp Pheidippides was specifically created for men and women seventy years and older.To say “expect the unexpected” would be an understatement. The best advice is simply, “Saddle up and enjoy the crazy ride!”

An Extra Curly Tale

Hungary managed to avoid war in its homeland for significantly longer than its neighboring countries and remained one of the safest places until late in the war. After the Nazi occupation in 1944, that all changed. The Hungarian army invaded Yugoslavia and Russia, but after massive losses of Hungarian soldiers, Hungary was now in Russia’s crosshairs. The story’s first half chronicles the life of a young girl named Anoosh, who lived in Hungary during World War II. She experiences things no child should ever endure. Anoosh and some friends and family members are eventually forced to leave the only home her family has ever known and start a new life in America.

The simple life of living on a farm in a small village may have been idyllic until the horrors of war came crashing in. The young girl was to suffer what we now call PTSD. Certain sights and sounds would trigger these bad memories well into her old age.

 Follow Anoosh’s fascinating journey. You’ll sometimes smile, perhaps laugh at her special moments with her beloved pets. Her remarkable pig with an extra curly tail will highlight many milestones throughout her story. Other times, you’ll be sad, even angry. It’s a journey worth taking.

You’ll also meet an assassin with a heart of gold, who is essential to the family’s survival in Hungary and Germany. The Tale continues in America, featuring both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments in the Hungarian woman’s life. Many of these people could be someone you know. We hope you enjoy the surprising turns in this extra-curly tale.

Vanished Beauty

Trials and Tribulations.

These are the things life is flooded with: disappointments, heartbreaks, and setbacks. These things can be quite annoying and bewildering.

However, it is not necessary to pick up arms and fight against the current. A shift in perspective with a calm mental attitude can be a more promising guidance.

Endeavor to stop and think. Re-evaluate what and where things spun out of control. Life is always in perpetual motion, just like the rise and fall of the ocean waves. To be steadfast is to view circumstances, both pleasant and otherwise, with revered detachment.

Fire Within

Ava Celeste Hennessey's Fire Within is a poignant and stirring memoir that delves into the tumultuous life of a family striving to keep afloat amid the challenging times of the 70s and 80s. Set against the contrasting backdrops of New England’s biting cold and Maui’s embracing warmth, this narrative unfolds through the innocent yet perceptive eyes of a child, Ava.

Ava’s childhood is marked by a series of escapes from literal and metaphorical fires, painting a vivid picture of a family often ensnared in chaos and struggle. Despite the hardships, her story is not just about the trials but also about the unyielding spirit of a young girl. Ava’s perspective, tinged with a child’s tendency to romanticize, provides a unique lens to view the odd and sometimes disturbing behaviors of her family members.