The Story of Walks with Bear and Bro'Ken

Spanning two quests across generations, this tale begins in the 1700s with Kenthaki, a Shawnee youth later known as Walks-With-Bear, who embarks on a journey with his father’s obsidian knife, a pouch of medicinal herbs, and a staff to find his life’s purpose. His confrontation with a bear and the subsequent adoption of its cub, alongside the transformative relationship with a Christian captive, shapes his future. Years later, his grandson, Bro’Ken, undertakes his own quest to locate his missing father, leading to profound changes. Inspired by the 2003-2006 Lewis and Clark re-enactment, this narrative explores life-altering quests and the impact of cultural intersections.

The Speculatores: The Men Who Spied for Rome

Over recent decades, scholars of ancient Roman history have begun to peel back the veils on the realm of intelligence within the Roman State, exploring its integral role in shaping Rome’s defensive grand strategy. While the consensus posits a noticeable shift from indifference during the Republic era (509-27 BCE) to a more engaged stance in the imperial epoch post 27 BCE, it particularly highlights the Dominate period (284-476 CE) as the ‘Golden Age’ of Roman intelligence endeavors.

However, a veil of ambiguity still shrouds Rome’s engagement in external or foreign intelligence operations, notably espionage. Amidst this scholarly dissonance, The Speculatores: The Men Who Spied for Rome embarks on an exploratory voyage to unearth the roots of this disagreement. With a keen eye on the historical narrative and a robust analysis, this book endeavors to bridge the gap in understanding, delving into the very rationale that questions the existence and extent of Roman espionage activities

As you traverse through the pages, The Speculatores unveils the clandestine world of those who might have operated in the shadows for the glory of Rome, offering a fresh lens through which to understand the unseen sinews that perhaps bolstered the mighty Roman machinery of statecraft and defense.

The Messengers

After numerous negotiations the Indigenous still remained scattered throughout the wilds of Northern Ontario, Canada. In spite of treacherously cold conditions, they remained steadfast to the land, refusing to give up their lifestyle while trying to survive from Mother Nature’s unpredictable temperament. Captain Jesse Burn’s illegitimate son was among them. Father and son, a pair of strong-willed rival enemies, co-existed in a strange and deadly kinship while getting caught up in a changing way of life that neither would accept.

It was during November 1898. when Jesse had received his orders as a dedicated, respected officer in the Armed Forces. He had a job to fulfill regardless of the number of lives lost during the process. After Colonel McEwan shook Jesse’s hand and walked out, Jesse stared at the closed door for a long time. He glanced at the document containing the list of names he was to apprehend, knowing that most of those men would rather die in battle than be taken alive. Jesse scanned further down the list and suddenly froze. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of whiskey hidden near the back. After many swallows, he leaned back in his chair; his eyes were pools of liquid blue. His son’s name was on that list. 

The Man of the Wilderness

For centuries, the First Jewish War Against Rome (66 – 70 C.E.) and the subsequent fall of Masada has been synonymous with implacable courage against overwhelming odds. This is the story of the courageous attempt of one determined man to live with integrity and die with honour. First century Romans, Jews, and Christians: the wise, the mad, the corrupt, and the saintly meet in this inspiring tale of intrigue, romance, warfare, and triumph.

The Last Vanishing Point

2013

Olivia discovers letters and a painting by her uncle William, an artist and WWII bombardier who vanished after being shot down over France just before D-Day. Inexplicably compelled, Olivia begins a personal quest to discover William’s fate.

1943

William says goodbye to his new wife, Maddie, a concert pianist in New York City, and joins the RAF to battle the Nazis in occupied Europe. He quickly comes to regret the death and devastation wrought by his bombing missions, in sharp contrast to his times on leave, painting landscapes of the English countryside. Unexpectedly, William is recruited as an agent for the Special Operations Executive by a mysterious woman at a manor in the Cotswolds and leaves for the Scottish Highlands. Based on her family connections with the Underground, Maddie embarks on her own treacherous journey that leads her to join the French Resistance in Paris.

The Last Vanishing Point is a compelling love story of mystery and intrigue, and of how the power of art and the enduring bonds of family can heal trauma and loss. The reader is transported through historical details and the author’s cinematic writing style will take you to another time and place where a heartfelt and timeless story unfolds.

The Incorrigible Rogue

Rochdale, Lancashire, England, 1885.

Martha Anne Ashworth is in trouble in school, once again. The precocious and gifted 10 year old daughter of mill owner John Ashworth has, for the umpteenth time, tried school and parental patience and now legal authority with her quick wit, sharp tongue, impudent defiance, and certain determined independence. With her mother dying, and her father drowning his woes in whisky, young Martha Anne’s wildness leads to her eventual arrest as an Incorrigible Rogue; all seems to be spiraling out of control until an uncanny friendship with the village wise woman, Betty Nuppy, helps guide Martha Anne on a path to salvation, if not, at least, redemption.

The Golden Scepter

In this gripping historical novel, follow the story of a mysterious woman whose true identity is shrouded in secrecy. Despite being just a woman, she faces the daunting task of challenging the most powerful men in the known world, with the fate of an entire people resting on her shoulders. As she grapples with the weight of her mission, memories of her humble beginnings in the slums of Susa haunt her, reminding her of the power of her faith in Yahweh.

Guided by the wisdom of her mentor Mordecai, she must navigate the treacherous politics of the Persian court, where danger lurks around every corner. Despite the odds stacked against her, she draws on her faith and courage to stand up for what is right, even if it means facing her death.

As the tension builds, the stakes become higher than ever before, and she must rely on her unwavering faith in Yahweh to see her through. Will she be able to turn the heart of the King, her husband, in her favor and save her people, or will she perish in her quest for justice? Find out in this thrilling tale of bravery and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.

The English Priest

Dive into a tale that resonates deeply with the human experience. Explore the essence of humanity, the push and pull between our innate drive for goodness and the shadows of greed and power that marked the eras of the 16th to 20th-century colonization. This narrative doesn’t just recount history: it challenges us to reflect on our collective legacy and responsibility.

The Corisco Conspiracy

The Corisco Conspiracy is the story of the Gunpowder Plot (the “conspiracy” of the title) as related, in crystal-clear prose, by William Shakespeare. It has long been suspected that the Shakespeares of Stratford-upon-Avon were crypto-Catholics. In this tell-all memoir, William, the first son of John and Mary Shakespeare, not only authenticates that suspicion, but also reveals significant events that happened in the Catholic underground of Elizabethan and Jacobean England.

The most noteworthy of those events is the first meeting of the conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot. It took place in Corisco, an island in present-day Equatorial Guinea which figures prominently in Shakespeare’s narrative. That was in November 1585 – twenty years before the plotters’ historic gunfight with security officers in Staffordshire.

Corisco was not Shakespeare’s only link to Africa. Some of his fellow “Jesuit messengers” were Afro-Europeans. He himself wrote only one of the plays for which he is famous. The rest were supplied to his acting troupe by a different spy: a Portuguese-African princess, who was instructed to write in them encoded messages for Roman Catholic theatre-goers. The Bard married twice. His second wife, the hitherto unidentified Dark Lady of the Sonnets, was a Muslim from the Kingdom of Malabo. So, he embraced Mohammedanism. His confidants, a London couple of Malian descent, were also Islamic members of the Church of Rome.

Many more Catholic rebels were implicated in the Gunpowder Plot than have thus far been listed in history books. Shakespeare does justice to them all in his account.

The Chaplin River Letters

In this gripping account, M. L. Jordan unveils the raw truths of the Civil War era. Beyond polished tales, dive into a world filled with desire, mystery, and chaos. Personal letters shed light on passionate love, deep betrayals, and unwavering faith. Experience America’s pivotal moment through the eyes of those on the battlegrounds and in whispered secrets. This isn't just history: it’s the heart and soul of a nation at war.

The Brave Ones

Rampant social and racial discrimination in the American Southwest during the 1940s offered little opportunity for a community of Yaqui miners from Sonora, Mexico.

The choice was clear: labor in the dangerous copper mines like previous generations and dream of someday making it big on the baseball diamond.

One group of men and women, however, had the courage to challenge the status quo and forge a new way of life.

The Brandy Mud

The year is 1840 and the perilous trade of whaling threatens to dash both fortune and sanity against the rocks for seasoned schooner Captain Stanley Knowles. Professionally adrift and beset by passionate entanglements, Stanley charts a course through hazardous waters, seeking to salvage his affairs while clinging to personal morals amidst mounting turmoil.

When ship and shore alike promise danger, every decision carries gut-wrenching risk. Stanley’s path requires outmanoeuvring lethal storms, hostile pirates, political schemes and amorous pitfalls alike with equal dexterity. One false move could reduce all – his principles, his mind, and his crew’s very lives – to flotsam in the winds of fate.

This steamy and exciting historical saga captures the adventures of a desperate captain warring within while struggling to steer crew and lovers toward a better life. Yet time and chance wait for no one. On the waves or in the sheets, one thing is certain: explore forbidden treasures at your own peril, lest the rising tide swallow you whole.