The Musician’s Brain

“As in his earlier novel, The Players Brain, Love and Soccer, Antonio exercises his natural gift of translating hermetic neuroscientific concepts into colloquial language without belittling them for the sake of simplicity. Readers will be taken to the edge where fiction meets reality, pointing to the infinite possibilities now within our reach to give life back to legions of people who have lost all hope and, worse, their dignity. The Musician’s Brain is an ode to music, faith, and creativity.”

– Dr. Ricardo de Oliveira.

Maestro João Carlos Martins demonstrates resilience and a deep love for music throughout his more than 70-year career as a successful musician, sharing his journey of overcoming Musician’s Dystonia.

Young Vincent

Young Vincent offers a sweeping and intimate exploration of the life and loves of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, tracing her journey from a latchkey child to a defiant Vassar graduate and literary icon. In this compelling work, Hood masterfully blends fact with imagination to present a uniquely personal portrayal of Millay’s creative process, gritty personal struggles, extraordinary strokes of luck, and her complex bisexual romantic life. Drawing from first-hand interviews with her sister Norma, lover Catherine Filene Shouse, and other close friends, as well as the poet’s letters, journals, and poems, this book vividly captures the essence of Millay’s remarkable world.

Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century, Millay’s story resonates with the challenges of our own tenuous times. The forces that sought to stifle free expression, limit opportunities, and deny civil rights echo through history, allowing modern readers to better understand Millay’s transformative era of groundbreaking art and technology. Through her struggles to reconcile her bold nature with the rigid constraints of her society, Millay becomes a timeless companion, inspiring empathy and reflection in today’s rapidly changing world.

Bounty of Beauty

The Bounty of Beauty explores the societal differences between the families of Mackuel, the cattle keeper, and Maluaac, the fisherman. When their sons, Nguac and Nguoi, both fell in love with an elegant Atuot girl, each proposing to marry her, a rare traditional marriage competition sparked a fierce rivalry and divided the community in two. Mackuel’s family, with their staggering wealth in cattle, won the race by arranging to marry a daughter from their rivals, Maluaac’s family.

Beyond his large family of 17 sons and daughters, Mackuel’s immense wealth in cattle was a symbol of great influence and fame. He arrogantly proclaimed that no one in the community had the power to challenge his son Nguac in marriage. Stubbornly, he declared, ‘A hatchling is no match for a calf,’ comparing himself to a calf and Maluaac to a hatchling. By this, Mackuel meant that fishermen held no social, economic, or political standing to win a marriage competition within the Atuot community or beyond.

Unfortunately, Mackuel’s extreme remarks became public, generating negative sentiment toward his family. Fearing the damage these sentiments might cause, Mackuel’s wife grew anxious and believed something must be done to change the public’s perception. She called a meeting with elders and her family members, proposing an extravagant dowry of 250 cows to be paid to Maluaac’s family for their daughter, Monica Ichut. She presented this as a way of retracting her husband’s harsh words during the intense competition between their sons, Nguac and Nguoi.

The elders from both families agreed to the marriage of Maluaac’s daughter Monica Ichut, and soon the community, once divided, witnessed a vibrant traditional wedding celebration.

Lost Boy

After being kicked out of his childhood home, Jamie Perkins finds refuge with local Presbyterian pastor Pete Gailey and his wife, Meg. Impressed by Jamie’s work ethic and character, Pete offers him a job at the church. Life seems to settle into a peaceful rhythm… until people in the community start dying.

Jamie has an unsettling habit of being the last person to see many of the deceased, particularly the elderly, alive. As suspicions grow, Pastor Gailey must uncover the truth. Are these deaths acts of murder, or could they point to something far more mysterious… and miraculous?

Set in a small Appalachian town nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Ohio, Lost Boy introduces readers to a cast of eccentric and unforgettable characters. With humor and heartfelt poignancy, this story explores what happens when God’s presence defies expectations, challenging both faith and understanding.

Full of Grace and Mischief

From the moment they meet at a Catholic summer camp in Savannah, Georgia, Mary Margaret and Theresa, polar opposites, become inseparable. Each summer, they embark on wild adventures, exploring waterways, pulling pranks, and challenging boys to daring contests. But one prank too many gets them banned from camp, and the nuns can’t shield them from the real world forever. As tragedy strikes, their friendship is forged in both joy and hardship.

The girls carry their bond to the beaches of Tybee and through the trials of a Catholic high school, where they face bullies, first romances, loss, and heartbreak. As their lives begin to diverge, Mary Margaret and Theresa struggle to hold onto the friendship that once seemed unbreakable. Can they find a way to salvage their connection as they enter the unpredictable world of adulthood?

The first in a generational trilogy, Full of Grace and Mischief vividly captures the coming-of-age experiences of two young women in the Deep South, celebrating their resilience and the enduring strength of friendship.

The Right Oath

What will you do for the person you care about most? How about what you’ll be willing to sacrifice to make amends? Gabriel Ern has committed himself to a troubled life all for the sake of one person. What it ultimately leads to is more tragedy than he has already experienced. He finds himself haunted by his own actions, all done with the best intentions, and is continuously haunted while awake with a girl named Raven he lives at home with. Gabriel wants to do what is right; he wants to feel he is doing the best he can. Instead, the sins he commits only pile up, and the only means of escape is through the truth, which would cost him dearly. For Gabriel, the question isn’t how far he will go, it’s now how much further in the hole he will bury himself in.

Two Wars Raging

The war of 1812 is raging. Buck Stephens, notorious privateer, is interested in only one thing – driving the British from the eastern seaboard. He is sidetracked by Marianne Primrose, an insistent and opinionated schoolteacher. Their purposes collide, so a compromise is grudgingly made. The combative relationship between Buck and Marianne slowly evolves into a burgeoning love affair until malicious former love interests vow to separate them. Despite the intrusion of the outside world, Buck and Marianne find their way back to one another time and time again. But in the end, will their love be strong enough to fight for and win the wars that could destroy their happiness?

The Vicissitude of a Femme Fatale

“This can’t be happening! This can’t be happening!” are the words Gloria murmurs to herself constantly, until her thoughts of guilt deliver her to an area where she intends to toss the fate of her existence into the wind in a desperate act to commit suicide. When such an attempt fails, Gloria unwittingly embarks on the path of reinventing herself as an assassin to escape the tumultuous circumstances that she was once forced to suffer! A must-read!

The Thin Liners

Don Cammond was a successful businessman and an excellent athlete who, as a result of pain caused by a sports injury, becomes trapped in OxyContin and alcohol addiction. He manages to regain his sobriety but loses everything and winds up living on the edge of society with what he calls ‘thin liners’. Thin liners are not criminals per se but are walking on the thin line between honesty and criminality. Despite his best intentions, as he lives with them, he is drawn further and further into their lifestyle. Finally, as with his sobriety, he must find a way out.

The Journey from Hope to Healing

This is a story of the human spirit overcoming the ravages of a brain altered by horrible, traumatic experiences. With the help of his equine therapy horse, Johnny has learned to live again. Now, he seeks to find a way to help other veterans learn how to live happy and productive lives after being left helpless by their experiences in war. The outcome is a story of how a man driven to help others creates a place where veterans, severely mentally disturbed with PTSD, can recover. Here they can find their way back from horrible circumstances to living their lives again. Each veteran’s war story is different as is the manifestation of their post-traumatic mind. Every veteran in the story requires a different approach but all in a supportive and therapeutic environment that Johnny creates. Hopefully, this story provides a blueprint for caring for our veterans who return with invisible wounds that too often destroy their lives. It is a story of the drama and pain endured by these victims of PTSD and one of hope as they learn to live positive lives again.

Statues in the Dark and the Celebration

When I began writing this book, I knew what the ending would be. I feel God took me in an entirely different direction. I thank Him for that. The story is about an old man who gains the ability to hear and converse with statues. The prologue brings you from the birth of Buck Thompson to the present day, which is sixteen years after the death of his wife, Rose. Buck talks with the statue of Moses, George Washington, Philip Schuyler, and others. He manages to save a lot more money than he previously thought possible. His cousin’s wife, Olivia, suggests he spend some money on getting a statue of Rose made so he would be able to talk with her on his visits. Some bizarre events occur at the Bronze Company, which shock those involved. Buck has accomplished something which hasn’t been done in over two thousand years; this has caused God to smile and could set us on a path for world peace.

Soul Like a River

The year is 1959, and the winds of change rip through the bucolic river town of Jordan, South Carolina. On the cusp of the civil rights movement in America, ethnic tensions reach a boiling point within a cauldron of clashing ideologies and faiths. A devout family – one intimately connected to the land – awaits the homecoming of the eldest son from up north. He has been away at the seminary for some six years. In a highly anticipated event, he arrives home with none other than the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, himself. Potent hallowed symbols of The Confederacy, etched in granite, loom large in the very center of the town square, and in the hearts and minds of the denizens of Jordan. In the tumultuous weekend that follows, the mighty King electrifies Jordon with the gospel of freedom and integration. But amidst the larger social conflict, another contrasting mindset intervenes, that embodied by the fiery young protagonist, Jimmy. A product of the mean streets of an urban ghetto, the precocious intruder is steeped in the militant ethos of Malcolm X, and his worldview amounts to a bombshell within this isolated, genteel community, a potent source of moral confusion that will wreak havoc, threatening to rip little Jordon asunder. “It’s a good read.” Wendy Williams, syndicated television and radio host. “A treat for lovers of fiction.” RAWSISTAZ reviewers. “Make note of the name and make sure to digest this important work. His is a new, refreshing literary voice.” Curtis Bunn, Founder National Book Club Conference.