A Soldier's Prerogative and Other Short Stories

A series of short stories that, in different situations, present characters facing unexpected challenges in unexpected circumstances.The different behaviour of two white men invited to a Navajo peyote church.An elderly man and a youth canoe for many years on Montana’s rivers, until the older man is no longer able to continue.A young college student, unfamiliar with Mexico, creates a disaster.A soldier in World War II is faced with a decision that cannot be ordered by his senior officer.A young man is introduced to his girlfriend’s father and finds himself searching for a dry place to sleep.A man questioning the value of life on a Grand Canyon hike finds himself in a life-or-death position.An art lover gets a chance for a fictional conversation with Vincent van Gogh.

Freedom Runner

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a nurse. It has now been so many years since I started being a registered nurse/BSN. I am getting close to retirement, but I still have a love of taking care of my patients. I usually work 3-4 days a week. I am presently working through the state of Michigan, which has the highest rate of neonatal and maternal deaths. I take care of pregnant women and babies.

During my spare time, I write novels and short stories. I play with our cats and a dog. I have four children and a granddaughter. I love taking them places, baking cookies, and watching movies.

Tayoltita, las Minas de San Luís

Fresh out of the University of Colorado with a degree in geology, the author found himself embarking on an adventurous first job as an exploration geologist for Minas de San Luís, situated in the quaint pueblo of Tayoltita in Durango, Mexico. Nestled under Bolaños Peak and in the heart of the Sierra Madre Occidental, the mine was a remote gem accessible only by a solitary road winding 3,000 feet up the mountain.

Beyond his duties at the mine, he was charged with the thrilling task of scouting the surrounding wilderness for new gold or silver deposits, offering potential expansion for the company. It’s in these explorations, traversing rugged terrains always on muleback, never horse, where the story truly unfolds.

His narrative richly details the culture, courage, intrigue, superstitions, wisdom, and escapades of the local inhabitants he met along the way. These encounters add a colorful depth to his experiences in Tayoltita.

Set against the backdrop of the early days of the drug cartels, this memoir not only recounts geological explorations but also captures a pivotal moment in history. After his return to the United States, the role of Exploration Geologist at Minas de San Luís remained unfilled, marking the end of an era in this secluded part of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

One Christmas Eve

Have you ever wondered what might happen to Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve? Get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure.

Follow Santa as he soars over the twinkling lights of Manhattan and steps into the iconic Radio City Music Hall, where an extraordinary surprise awaits him on stage.

With dazzling sights, unexpected twists, and holiday magic on every page, this heart-warming story will become one of your favorite traditions for Christmases to come.

Journey to Red Dawn

Despite his success as a Wall Street broker, a loving family, and a life others would envy, Altan is haunted by a recurring dream—one that tragically came true. On the brink of abandoning everything, he receives an unusual gift for his fortieth birthday: a veiled storybook. Drawn to its pages, he hopes to find solace and some answers, unaware that it’s an invitation to the mystical realm of existence.

Propelled by a series of strange events, Altan embarks on a breathtaking journey to the heart of Anatolia, following the threads of a supernatural mystery. What begins as a search for answers unravels into an odyssey beyond imagination—filled with peril, wonder, and revelations about humanity and creation itself. As he ascends through hidden dimensions of consciousness, courage, love, faith, and unyielding resilience guide him toward an awe-inspiring truth waiting at the journey’s end.

Journey to Red Dawn is an allegorical epic of the universal ‘Human’ story—a timeless pilgrimage back to the essence, where all faiths and quests for meaning converge.

Join Altan as he uncovers the secrets of life, death, and beyond. Through his eyes, witness a world where every step is a leap towards the truth, and every dawn brings new hope and understanding.

Are you ready to let the sun rise within you? Let your journey begin…

‘Questions that have found their answers are the ship's final arrival to harbor.’

Call of the Raven

This true story takes readers on an unforgettable journey into the untouched wilderness of southern Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska – a land of breathtaking beauty, where towering mountains meet the vast expanse of the North Pacific Ocean.

It offers a rare glimpse into Haida culture and the experiences of a young white couple from the Midwest as they navigate life in a Native American community. Arriving in Hydaburg as teachers, they soon realize that they are the ones being taught.

Through their experiences, they learn profound lessons – patience, the value of listening over speaking, what it truly means to be a minority, and how to let the word honkey roll off their backs like the ever-present rain. Most importantly, they come to understand the power of accepting people for who they are, rather than who we expect them to be.

You are invited to share in the trials and tribulations that changed their lives forever.

After the Flames Have Cooled

This magnificent novel is a fiction filled with passion, thrills, and adventures, and it includes a flair of religious beliefs—beliefs that demonstrate strong characteristics in the characters.

After over fifty-seven years of composition (intense meditation and creativity), the author brings to life a well-developed Beasley family saga (six generations) that relied on hard work, courage, dreams, and God to give them strength to escape impoverishment, deadly romances, triumphs, and tribulations. Female matrons paved the way as traditions molded passionate hearts. High expectations to rise above poverty with rewards (happiness and wealth) were driven via romance, strong family connectivity, and education. As they embarked upon new territory—internal and external to the Mississippi Delta—they survived floods and economic downfalls, wars and societal upheavals, untimely deaths, and heartfelt relationships resulting in pleasure and deep conflicts—even murder. The author was born in such an environment where only the strongest survived!

So be it as it was—mysteries unfold like unto “diamonds in the rough”—in this fictional publication. An in-depth creation of characters & events gives life to individuals trapped in an era of American history via which they are freed as readers are enlightened & entertained. A vivid imagination allows readers to peek into a “bittersweet,” mysterious realm where secrets are told—spreading like wildfire among tall cotton and catfish ponds.

An “Unclaimed Race” of people (Mulattos) created during slavery—survives enduring journeys in spite of many evils, triumphs, and tribulations. Before burials in soil from whence they’d risen (disappearing like unto dust whirling across a broad delta plain), four of life’s secrets to happiness became their golden treasures: (1) Eros Love; (2) Storge Love; (3) Philia Love; and (4) Agape Love—in “After The Flames Have Cooled.”

Isaiah Travels to the Great Water

The westward movement of Americans during the formation of the nation was one of adventure, great hardship, and ultimately, conflict with the native peoples who occupied the land.

Opportunity was the fuel that drove the westward migration. It began with the opportunity to farm the land, which had much fertile soil. At the same time the land was being harnessed for agricultural production, it was also being explored by trappers who harvested the abundance of animal life to feed a growing demand for fur products.

The westward expansion was populated mainly by people of European descent whose culture differed greatly from those of the native peoples, ultimately resulting in conflict.

The westward migration took many lives. The hardships were real, the dangers ever-present, and the necessity of self-sufficiency was a stark reality. There were no roads, only animal trails, and most travel was by foot.

This narrative opens a descriptive window onto the hardships of those travels.

Stories, Poems, and Secrets Beneath the Waterfall

Some call the Army Residence Community an “old soldiers’ home on steroids.” It is an unusual residence for veterans, spouses, and civil servants, some arriving here before they can draw social security. Most residents are active, referring to themselves as “inmates” (those who live in the Highrise) or “street people” (those living in Legacy cottages, or Lakeside homes). For the most part, they willingly revealed their secrets as did Count Rostov, “The Gentleman in Moscow,” living in The Metropol. Resident writers may have altered names and embellished some stories, creating a mixture of fact and fiction, but in truth ‘life is how we tell it.’ This is not a daily diary of events at a retirement home, as penned by Hendrik Groen in The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. Groen spoke of “weak tea and potted geraniums, exasperated by the indignities of aging…” and did not inspire this collection of stories.

These are stories of people who lived a life of service. There are more stories to be told by retirees and centenarians living among us, waiting to be discovered if only we listen.

Highway to Holiness

For God and country, after trying holiness in the seminary, I enlisted in the Navy. There, I protected others and my country while serving God. I discovered that both serving God in the seminary and serving my country in the military could lead me to heaven after my life here on earth. Both taught me about loyalty, courage, discipline, and putting the needs of others before oneself. At my old age, nothing stops me from finding my destiny with my Lord Jesus Christ as long as I follow my Highway to Holiness.

Season of Need

Some stories spring from pure imagination, mere reflections of an author’s perception of reality. Others, like this one, are forged in the mud and misery of actual conflict. In the decaying jungles and fetid rice paddies of South Vietnam, a diverse band of soldiers and civilians endures a harrowing year of combat that will continue to haunt them for more than three decades. Their season of need reveals not only the horror of war, but also the possibility of finding solace and purpose in the most unlikely of places.

In 1970, Captain Book arrives in Ba Xuyen Province of the Mekong Delta, supremely confident in his mission to help bring the Vietnam War to a swift conclusion. There, he meets his Vietnamese counterpart, Captain Nguyen Van Tranh, and a bond forms between them as they work side by side to restore public confidence in the South Vietnamese government. Surrounded by a unique cast of allies, they confront violence, heartbreak, and moments of profound humanity that lay bare the fragile fabric of human relationships. In the crucible of combat, their friendship becomes a testament to selflessness and sacrifice. Even in the darkest moments, solidarity and hope can rise from the ashes of war.

The Runaways

The Runaways is a humorous, philosophical, pre-apocalyptic tale told from the perspective of Jolson H. Kawasaki, a thirteen-year-old, West Virginian visionary from a broken home who longs for a life away from ‘the abhorrent horrors engendered by polite society.’

 Abandoned by his father, haunted by his mother's grief, and seething with his unquenchable desire for their mechanic's daughter, Addison Dixie, Jolson must confront his leviathan troubles as he plans to escape a life of poverty to lead an expedition west with his disciples, out of ‘The Gray World’ and into ‘a Paradise of Green.’

Is he a prophet? Is he delusional? Does Addison feel the same kind of crazy? What starts as a simple effort to evade responsibility turns into the inheritance of it all as Jolson – guided by fate and depended upon by many – contends with himself, the natural world, and his diabolical opposite on his unforgettable journey toward becoming a man – and perhaps something greater.