Maggie, the Dog with a Heart: Book 4

What’s so special about Maggie? She looks pretty much like most other dogs of her breed with one exception…there are two large black spots on either side of her body that join together to form a heart when she curls up. That’s why she’s also known as “the dog with a heart.”

“Furry Friends” is a charming story about Maggie, a special Jack Russell Terrier puppy. After being adopted by her forever family and settling into her new home, Maggie realizes she is not always going to be the center of attention. Sometimes, her family doesn’t have time to spend with her as they go about their busy lives full of work, school, and sports. Maggie is left alone occasionally, trying her best to play the role of “watchdog.”

Maggie observes the enjoyment the family’s children experience when they have “playdates” with friends. Hmm...she wonders if she could have playdates as well. But first she must find some friends.

Everyone needs friends…even dogs. Read this heartwarming story to discover the friendship tips Maggie learns as she embarks on her quest for friends.

Misadventures of Licorice and Black Jack

The Misadventures of Licorice and Black Jack

In the mid-1700s, two mischievous brother cats, Licorice and Black Jack, and their clever companion Pepper, a black-and-white African parrot, sailed the seas aboard the Fair Winds. Known for their unmatched rat-killing skills, they were beloved by their owner, Captain Benjamin Schiff.

But when a rat chase goes awry, the duo accidentally embarks on an unexpected journey far from home. Chaos follows as they cross paths with a mysterious wizard and his bright assistant, leading to several wild adventures.

It is a light-hearted tale of mischief, magic, and high-seas adventure. The Misadventures of Licorice and Black Jack is a journey where trouble and fun are never far behind.

Wise Mind Thinking for the Classroom

I have been a teacher for 30 years. I have noticed over the years that at all levels and in all situations, students are coming to us more anxious and emotionally unregulated each year. Many are struggling with overwhelming emotions and act out because of them. Kids with overwhelming emotions often deal with their emotions unsuccessfully and need assistance. Sometimes overwhelming emotions are an issue for our whole classroom as one student struggles. The lessons in this book will provide you with a year of teaching coping strategies.

Avery’s Bravery

Eight-year-old Avery was on his way to school on the bus. He didn’t know that a surprise adventure was around the next corner. Would Avery be brave enough to face it? Read on for this exciting story and find out.

I'm Brave and Ready! Bye Bye Tonsils!

The key to a successful outpatient surgery outcome is Preparation! By sharing this fun, witty, and fact-filled story with your child prior to the day of surgery (several times is best), can help decrease any possible fears, apprehension, and anxiety that might otherwise occur.

This fact-filled kid’s story is charming, funny, and heartwarming. Amber and Nash are 4-5 yr. old best friends. When Amber informs Nash, she has to have her tonsils out, Nash is fearful for his friend and has so many questions. Listen to their question-and-answer discussion describing her complete surgery journey. Amber read her Tonsillectomy book with her parent several times and is now very prepared and excited about having her outpatient surgery!

‘Parent’s Corners’ are boxed-in areas found throughout the story just for parents. Here, what is being read to the child at the time, is explained with more details in adult terms. and includes additional, pertinent information.

This book is the most thorough, comprehensive, and informative guide you will find to best educate and prepare you and your child for any pediatric outpatient surgery at an Ambulatory Surgery Facility. Your child will want to read it repeatedly!

This book is for educational purposes only and not to be suggestive of the exact course of events or, facility procedures. Facilities may vary in how they manage decisions relating to medications, IVs, surgical time frames, and others. The book content can be utilized as a guide to prepare for any child-related outpatient surgery, but all Tonsillectomy and home care instructions must be disregarded.

Journey to Freedom

Journey to Freedom is the compelling true story of a family’s quest for prosperity across three continents. First, as refugees from Indonesia, an island chain in Southeast Asia, to Holland, a tiny country on the continent of Europe, and finally as immigrants to the United States, a world power country in North America. These exceptional people, made strong by the horrors they survived during Indonesia’s War for Independence, passionate by their optimism and fearlessness to create new beginnings, were the backbone of my Dutch-Indonesian family and the significant influence of my childhood and identity as an adult.

Journey to Freedom is a tribute to my mother and grandmother whose sacrifices and bravery gave my sister and me resilience, determination, and the best of everything in life.

Although the dates may sometimes not be historically accurate, the experiences are true, and consequently, the deep emotion with which I composed these chapters was genuine and gut-wrenchingly heartfelt.

The Islands Are Not Lonely II

“I have had the privilege of engaging with the literary world of Yonah Jeong. His work evolves in parallel with his life’s journey, reflecting his experiences with striking authenticity. As an immigrant navigating bilingual expression, his dedication to English poetry is deeply admirable. His poetry is both intuitive and richly layered, offering immediate resonance while inviting deeper contemplation over time. I encourage readers to approach his work with an open mind, free from preconceptions.

Some connections grow stronger with time, while others are shaped by distance. I believe that my connection with him stems from a shared literary curiosity and a philosophical perspective. It is the beginning of a unique relationship—one that transcends age, distance, and time, where we respect each other's path, never intruding, only offering quiet encouragement.

For example, he's been writing poetry like three meals a day since he published his first book of poetry, as well as another thousand or so philosophical one-line poems. Of course, not all of them are at the level of a work of art, but I believe that they have the potential to be, and his perseverance and persistence is what keeps our relationship as poetic comrades.”

– Jun C. Kim, CEO of the Korean Literature Society of America.

Perspective

Perspective: Wouldn’t you rather live in more than three dimensions?

There has to be more, right? A way to do it all, have it all, be it all – and, most importantly, to smile at the true beauty of life as you discover your unique place within it.

The key lies in understanding perspective: its definition, application, and significance in every situation you encounter. Life is a delicate balance, and finding that balance in how we interpret, establish, and maintain perspective can transform everything. A shift in perspective might just be the key to unlocking a better, more fulfilling life. No downside to that, is there?

Join me as we explore the pervasive role of perspective in the pursuit of the good life.

Choirs of Fire and Dust

In the tumultuous fires of the American Civil War, a young New York poet suffers a tumult of tense visions of past and future after a journalistic misadventure in the Holy Land. At the home of his ship chandler benefactor of Beirut, he meets his muse, the daring daughter. Back in New York, he is absorbed in her plot to sabotage her father’s gun-running operation. Self-sabotaged and lost, there is a hellish POW camp, some of the fiercest fighting of the war, and the hallucinatory wages of peace.

What to Do When You Don't Know What You're Doing

Do you feel stuck? Like you’re not where you want to be and have no clear picture as to where to go or what to do next? Like you don’t know what you’re doing?

You’re not alone.

Stephen Covey, Mark Manson, James Clear, and many others have authored some pretty fantastic books in the realm of personal development and self-help. The principles of self-help and personal development are all strikingly similar. Each author, or “guru,” takes the principles and adds their own spin. Reading these wonder guides is meant to inspire you. But unless you go forward with that inspiration, it will just be short-lived.

To actually change your life and see results, you need to put work in.

“What To Do When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing” is not a regular run-of-the-mill self-help book; it is a self-discovery journey, which has you put in the work. Ultimately, inspiring yourself and taking your magnificent discoveries to put a plan together to help you achieve things beyond your wildest dreams.

Uncertain Times

Times have changed since the grandiose days of Tampa, Florida, in 1890. The success that Quinn and Mika enjoyed at Henry Plant’s illustrious Tampa Bay Hotel changed as well. Twenty years saw the passing of Mr. Plant and the decline of his hotel and its standards, while Tampa’s cigar industry rose to international prominence. Also intervening was Mika, bearing fraternal twins. Marc, the elder by fifteen minutes, is dark-skinned like his mother. Ian favors his father in skin tone and disposition. Mika and Quinn have found that contriving time alone together has become a challenge.

Quinn is the 1910 St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce president. The tourist season is ending, and he, Mika, and the twins are once again off to Florida for the winter. As they prepare to leave St. Andrews, Canada’s trade union movement arrives and attempts to organize the town. Quinn knows nothing about labor negotiations and endeavors to avoid confrontation but becomes entangled in worker demands.

Arriving in Tampa, Quinn and Mika discover that the city fathers are locked in mortal combat with a new union movement called La Resistencia. Union walkouts lead to protest marches, people are killed, two are lynched, and the town is burned. Quinn, Mika, and the boys are caught in a riot; a hurricane wipes out Tampa.

Rethinking Race

Rethinking Race: A Memoir was written as an act of compassionate antiracism. The book invites people to better understand their role in fighting racism by calling them into the struggle rather than calling them out. It is the true story of everyday challenges and triumphs that an African-American mother and her husband, who is identified by most as white but is a citizen of an Indigenous tribal nation, encounter as they try to help their son develop a positive multiethnic identity. Rethinking Race illustrates how one person’s thinking evolved from taking race for granted, as an immutable part of our identity, to seeing it as a very impactful illusion. It is a story of how we can move beyond the false dichotomies of black and white, shaming and blaming to better articulate our rich individual uniqueness while acknowledging our common humanity. The book raises the possibility of becoming aracial, not through colorblindness, but rather by examining racism more closely and coming to understand how each of us creates race every day.