Happenstance

Happenstance follows the ins and outs of young adults who make decisions that determine the fates of their hearts, at that moment in time.  
Lori returns home after one year of college, certain that age no longer presents an obstacle to pursuing Branson, the older gentleman she met the previous summer. Unexpected circumstances and moral roadblocks taint the possibilities and expose Lori's own immaturity, both spiritually and emotionally. Unable to find her definition of the perfect man, Lori moves her focus from guys to her career before entering into another relationship, complicated by its own set of challenges.
All seems lost until a chance encounter introduces her to the girl that holds the key to her happiness.

El Club de los Suicidas

La vida nunca es fácil. Es una lección que varios jóvenes aprenden al decidir e intentar tomarse su vida. Por medio de un acto insólito, estos jóvenes logran ver que la vida trae consigo muchas cosas, tal como personas que no solo se encuentran en su misma situación o similar, sino que también les abre los ojos y los ayuda a ver lo hermosa y variada que es la vida.

Earlier Fires

Earlier Fires chronicles the personal evolution of Adrian, a promising student, over 20 years as he leaves his prestigious New Jersey prep school to make his name in the competitive legal world of NYC’s corporate law firms. As a disillusioned 17-year-old, Adrian recognizes the entrapment of perpetuating his privileged socioeconomic status.

He excels academically but struggles to envision a purposeful future, feeling fate-bound to graduate high school and college before climbing the well-worn ladder of material success. Adrian grapples with whether meaningful relationships can endure in a culture consumed by globalized commercialization.

In his quest for purpose, he connects with Dominic, a like-minded rebel, and rekindles a childhood friendship with Delilah when she serendipitously re-enters his life.

Will Adrian break free from expectations to chart his own definition of achievement? Can these kindred spirits sustain bonds despite diverging destinies? Or will the cycle of reproducing class status subsume Adrian as its unwitting heir?

Dildo-Gate II

The Jenga puzzle continues. The story of our traveler, Andrea, her deep sense of place intertwined with thematic adventures and political tensions set in the backdrop of Eastern Europe.

Her cell phone begins to chime as soon as she returns to the mainland, and she texts back.

She agrees to a new trip. Nina wants her return and close friends Misty and Lori will join. Resuming her primping routine, she readies her look. Her and Nina plan out all the trip details.

Emboldened from her last visit, she packs new gifts. And Ahmed has softened his anger; she places her claddagh ring back on her hand.

Her plans go sideways as she is pressed for money, jealousies collide and the unwelcome Irina returns.

Deadly Assumption

When a young man witnesses the rescue of a woman’s body from the ocean, he is shocked to recognize the tattoo on her shoulder as belonging to his prospective fiancé, Sarah. Traumatized, he flees the scene, unaware of the ensuing homicide investigation into the suspicious drowning and its findings.

Having arranged his business schedule hoping for a reconciliation following their disagreement in England, he had planned on proposing to Sarah during her visit to Vancouver Island. Devastated by her loss, he relocates to Germany, committing to a life without his soulmate. Struggling with grief, he is persistently tormented by the circumstances of her death and how her body came to be floating off Vancouver, more than 100 miles from her intended destination. Homesickness eventually drives him back to England, where he learns the shocking truth about the homicide investigation and the twist of fate that forever changes his chosen path.

As the story unfolds, it reveals the dramatic impact the deceased woman had on those whose lives she touched, particularly the man suspected of murdering her. The characters are tightly intertwined in this generational, multicultural saga of suspected homicide, enduring love, emotional trauma, and the fight to recapture those closest to the heart. With its roots set in England, Deadly Assumption is a tale rich in history, encompassing Canada, Germany, and France, and spanning the period from the years prior to World War II into the 1980s.

Daler: A Novel

Daler is a coming-of-age story that follows a young man navigating life and relationships from his teenage years into early adulthood. Over the course of the nonlinear narrative, Daler experiences friendship and heartbreak, lust and love, wisdom and betrayal. He tries to make sense of a confusing world as he grows into his own. Though introspective and reserved, Daler has a kind heart and forms meaningful connections. The story provides a window into universal questions around purpose, integrity, and human nature. With vivid scenes and contemplative passages, Daler attempts to reconcile his ideals with reality.

Cherry Blossom Blues

Delve into a lyrical love story shared between two Afro-American men living in the District of Columbia during the ethos of the roaring 1920s and the Harlem Renaissance. In spite of their class differences, their clandestine affairs thrive among their respective travels, marriages, careers, and time itself. Experience exhilaration as the main characters intertwine with real-life figures: Al Capone, Marcus Garvey, Herbert Hoover, Stephanie St. Clair and Albert Khan in Harlem, Macon, Georgia and Paris, France. Get goosebumps observing the living commune with the dead during ritualistic and mysterious séances. Observe how history often repeats itself by encountering the ramifications of the Spanish Influenza, World War I, Prohibition, and the threat of rising fascism foreshadowing the Jewish Holocaust. Most importantly, glean the profundity of our interconnections with everything in the universe in order to achieve authentic bliss.

Catherine, Child of the Night

Fourteen-year-old Lady Catherine Thibeault leads a privileged and charmed life. She is heir in her own right to the title and demesne of Dove Castle. Whether picking daisies for the May Day festivities with her best friend Master Robert de Valiens and her beloved cat, Frere, or racing through the countryside on her Arabian stallion, Chimere, Cat’s life is perfect. Little does she know that her peaceful happy existence is about to come to an end with the unexpected arrival of her betrothed, knight extraordinaire Sir Geoffrey de Valiens. Catherine has never bowed to convention and has never given her betrothal much thought. Life at Dove Castle with her father and her companion, Mistress Drucilla, is idyllic and she has no wish to change it.

Sir Geoffrey not only reminds her of the dreaded realities of marriage and the eventual necessity of leaving Dove Castle but he also introduces the quagmire of politics that is the reality of the first decade of the Fourteenth Century during the reign of King Edward II of England. With war raging in Scotland and discontent rampant between England and France, evil elements emerge who will threaten the lives of not only Catherine but of everyone whom she loves.

The deadliest of Catherine’s enemies is her own cousin, Giles Thibeault, who upon learning that Dove Castle is no longer entailed swears vengeance on not only Catherine but on her family as well. If he cannot inherit Dove Castle then no one will.

Are You Free?

The Morettis are a Sarasota family of Cafeteria Catholics, (rejecting some Vatican doctrines—mainly pelvic issue ones). Widower Dante goes to his first Confession in decades. He confesses gossip: telling his two daughters of his brother Nick’s fling with the caterer for his wedding vow renewal with Nick’s then-wife Rosemary. An unusual Penance surprises Dante. Tantrums of Nick’s ex-wife Rosemary impact events. Dante wants another good woman to love, but dating yields only stories that amuse his girls.

Dante’s gossip is repeated, changing with each teller. Floridians talk about freedom (yet yearn to mate). An undreamt-of source for finding love and fulfilling Dante’s Penance offers challenge and hope. Her name is Abigail.

Soon they’re doing everything in a pandemic. How could anything go right?

Are You Free? offers a witty rumination on family, religion, and the search for love in many forms – grief, longing, regret, surprise.

Always My Forever

In her captivating second novel, Always My Forever, acclaimed author Lorie O’Brien masterfully tells the poignant story of Kristin and Britt, childhood sweethearts whose love was once unbreakable. However, as they embarked on separate paths after their post-college breakup, their hearts were left shattered and their souls yearning for what they had lost. Two long and arduous years passed, filled with countless questions and restless nights.

Fate, with its mysterious ways, intervenes when a chance encounter unexpectedly reunites them. As they cautiously re-enter each other’s lives, they must confront the lingering shadows of their past and the unresolved emotions that still tie them together. Will their newfound connection be enough to reignite the flames of their once-unbreakable bond, or are they destined to remain forever apart?

Alchemy's Reach

Jennifer Murphy, deputy sheriff in a small town in New Mexico, has closed her heart to love. She throws herself into her job as well as running the ranch she and her brother, Ethan, inherited from their parents. Ethan’s wanderlust has taken him away in search of odd jobs. When he returns home, Jennifer entices him to stay for a while by telling him about Alchemy, a ghost town, once drowned by a reservoir, but now exposed by drought. Local barflies think there is treasure buried there. Others believe it is cursed. Intrigued, Ethan packs up his dog, Fi, and heads to the town. What happens at Alchemy will change Jen’s life forever, but will it open her heart to love?

Afterglow

I met Ava when we were teenagers. She was hanging from a cliff, and I rescued her. We were young, naïve, and fused instantly. She was mine from that moment on. We secretly snuck around every day for a whole summer. Then she was gone, never seeing her again for twenty years. I never moved on, no matter how much I convinced myself that I had. Years later we collided, literally, and looking into her eyes unleashed the old memories. I lost her once, I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose her again.A fresh start? Yes, please!When fate brought us full-circle, memories flooded as our eyes locked once more. I had lost her before, refused to lose her again.Seeking a fresh start, I never expected my past to collide with me - But in returning to Vilamor, I found Nick waiting too. We were carefree youths then, with bright futures and innocent love. As adults we couldn’t avoid each other, and I soon yearned to reconnect. Accepting his sudden proposal felt too real, too soon, the façade overwhelming me.Can a long-dormant love truly blossom once more?An emotional second-chance romance portraying grief, personal growth, and the transformative power of rekindled connections – ultimately leading to a satisfying happily-ever-after.