The Nightingale Sings

On the Greek island of Lesbos, in the seventh century BCE, a young lyric poet hones her craft while navigating the world of love, loss, friendship and sex, after having suffered years of abuse by a member of her father’s household. After a series of attempts at a healthy relationship, all the while struggling with the effects of post-traumatic stress and profound grief, she is forced to leave her home for a faraway land across the sea. There she would make a name for herself as an artist that would spread all across the Mediterranean, continuing her search for love and friendship, and trying to raise her only child in a safe and nurturing environment – until her whole world is suddenly upended.

The Nightingale Sings is an imaginary tale of what might have been in the life of the historical Sappho of Lesbos, whose artistry would lead to her becoming one of the most revered poets of the ancient world, and would still be cherished today – more than two and a half thousand years after her death.

And so, the story begins with a simple celebration.

A birthday party for a nine-year-old girl…

Finding the Bones

Finding the Bones is a dark romance set against the youth rebellion and revolutionary violence of the 1910s—an era not unlike 1960s’ America—where idealistic young men and women seek to create a more just society but often fall victim to retribution or disillusionment. Charlie Everett, a journalist on the make, and Olivia St. James, an ardent feminist and journalist in her own right, find themselves caught in a deadly embrace from which neither can escape. “A fine, sophisticated historical novel from author Avery Russell in which she draws from her family history, especially the life of her journalist father who is Charlie Everett in the novel; her father’s first wife portrayed as Olivia St. James; and their mutual friend Maurice Hadley, in real life the early abstract painter Marsden Hartley. Russell’s omniscient narrator moves deftly among her substantial cast of characters, showing us the lives of bohemians and expatriates of pre-World War I and beyond. If there is any symbol of the partially thwarted lives that the central characters endure, it is in Hartley’s poem ‘Finding the Bones,’ which provides the title for the book, where the bones of a dead bird are found with its wings still on and its feathers attached, the last vestiges of a life and an ardor Charlie himself experienced among the bones he hid from everyone. ‘Fixed were the wings,’ Hartley wrote; now they are stiffened, and life has moved on to a ‘fresh history of stifled things.’” — Townsend Ludington, author of Marsden Hartley: The Biography of an American Artist (1992) and Seeking the Spiritual: The Paintings of Marsden Hartley (1998); Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English and American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

When Life Hands You Lemons

Marauding lions threatening the safety of early settlers in Rhodesia travelling by ox wagon were the order of the day.

Emma Bartlett, a young, petulant lady of aristocratic birth, followed Harold Watson, second son of the Earl of Adiston, whom she loved, when he left England to settle in Rhodesia.

Emma had to face hardship and trauma, but she was destined to become a formidable woman of strong character setting an example to the generations who followed.

Victoria Ward and the Gilded Age of the Hawaiian Kingdom

1889, Iolani Palace, O‘ahu: The majestic Hawaiian Kingdom teeters on the brink of oblivion. At its heart stands Victoria Ward, a woman of royal Hawaiian blood, bound by her lineage and duty. Armed with vast lands, ancient cultural rituals, and the unwavering loyalty of her villagers, she becomes the beacon of hope for a nation under threat.

But as the sands of time flow, will Victoria’s efforts prove enough to salvage the once-glorious realm she cherishes? Her legacy echoes through generations, influencing descendants who remain fiercely devoted to their roots.

Decades later, an invaluable treasure, left behind by Victoria, is discovered by her kin. Could this discovery be the key to resurrecting the splendor of the Gilded Age of the Hawaiian Kingdom? Join the journey across eras, where history and destiny intertwine, and the past might just shape the future.

Twelve Days of Christmas Stories

Each year, Christmas is advertised as a wonderful time for children. I know it was for me as I was growing up, but, at some point, the magic seemed to wear off. I didn't want it to, but there it was. As I grew older, this one thought stayed in my mind and just got stronger the closer it got to each and every Christmas. What kind of stories could I write that would keep young people and adults excited about Christmas? Sure, there were stories for children that demonstrated the magic of Santa, but what about the rest of us? Should we have to give up the joy of Christmas just because we are too "old" for it? Early on, I tried to figure out what kinds of stories would be appropriate for the 18 and above crowd. Through trial and error, the stories included in Twelve Days of Christmas Stories finally met my criteria. These stories could just as easily be real life for those invested in finding and enjoying the Christmas spirit.

To add to the fun, the dialogue in each story is such that it could be read as a play, with characters that come alive as the reader shares each story with his or her own family. Mama's Night Out is one of those stories that has many voices. There is a private eye, a lady in red, some elves, and many more surprises. I hope you enjoy reading all twelve stories to your family and friends this Christmas season and beyond.

Tusk

This story opens with the unfolding tragedy of a young woman coming to Alaska in 1957. Her life is marked with the birth of three children from three separate men - one who is her husband, one who takes her by force, and a third who becomes her common law husband in the wild north. In such a short period of time, Ella G dies a tragic death, but her children become the protagonists of the emerging story. Their characters are developed separately, and through their outrageous Alaskan trials, they ultimately meet at the 25th anniversary of their mother’s death at a graveyard in Anchorage.

This book centers on the gold in the Alaskan hills, its mining and claim jumping, the rivalry between the antagonist (McKenzie) and the protagonist (Cayote) resulting in substantial violence – multiple gunfights, fist fights, arson, car crashes, and so forth. Ultimately, the protagonist loses his life in a plane crash exploring the mystery of the book (which will not be revealed here). The children have, however, gone their own way – RT becoming a politician, Bethra a criminal defense attorney, and Ernie a gold and ivory smuggler. They find a huge cache of gold in the midst of this adventure which is lost, stolen, found, and relocated, and in the middle of this they come upon a cache of woolly mammoth tusks. The remainder of this story concerns itself with smuggling these tusks out of Alaska to exchange them for weapons. While the vulgar culture, the street violence, and the crass relationships are the center of the story, the tusk found in the wild is the thing upon which it all centers.

Through the Eyes of a Little Village

A riptide of circumstances engulfs the maritime Atlantic fishing village of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada. It’s a time of peace and war, love and loss, life and death, all amidst underlying racial temperatures. Time moves through three generations. Memories of the past submerge the present. And stories are born. After a pilot boat went down in March of 1940, people in the fishing villages remember that fateful night over all of their years, generation after generation. And the fates of others are carried into the war years of WWII as the all-black community of Africville comes to play an important role in all of the times that move along with Herring Cove and its characters.

The Three Americans

It is 1917. Janet Defoe never planned for the day German biplanes would appear and blow her world away. With her French home in shambles and only a derringer for protection, she finds her way across the war-torn town. She meets a band of tattered French survivors and together they form a plan for escape. Before they can reach their rendezvous point, they are overtaken by German guards. With blood on her hands, Janet sets out on her own. She doesn’t know what lies around the corner, perhaps death perhaps another chance at life.

Meanwhile, three Americans named Douglas, Teddy, and Burke, fresh from the trenches, pursue the Germans across the scorched French landscape. They have one goal and that is to kill the enemy. When they are overcome and taken prisoner, they take the matter of their rescue into their own hands. Ultimately, Douglas and Teddy make away with German guard uniforms and return with rifles to retrieve their companion. Upon their escape, they run into a French youth who was drafted by the German army named Jeannot. Together they patrol the town in search of food, ammunition, and shelter against the German presence.

Bianca, a French girl who has lost everything to the Germans, soon finds her way into the lives of the four soldiers… and young Teddy’s heart. With their band complete, the only thing for the five of them to do is survive the occupation. Days pass, perhaps weeks. Jeannot reveals a shocking secret to the others. Planes appear in the sky, but they are not German planes. The liberation of Beau Chateau is at hand. Janet and the three Americans hit the streets in their “grays” and clear a path for the allies with their rifles and grenades. The war for them is about to be over.

The Things He Lost There

Vietnam. The word still resonates with powerful emotions: death, lost souls, devastation – both human and material – shattered men, and a country equally broken and horribly divided.

Into this turbulent backdrop steps Jack Houston, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina. Thrust into the heart of the conflict, Jack’s journey encapsulates the grim realities of the Vietnam War and the crucial role of the surface Navy. After fierce combat in places like Phu Quoc, Rach Gia, and Hue during the Tet Offensive, Jack’s ship, the highly-decorated Black River, faces a new challenge. A new commanding officer, Cork, takes over, driving – what the crew calls ‘corkscrewing’ – the ship into both operational and morale disasters.

This narrative explores the impact of Captain Cork’s leadership on Jack and the crew, filled with moments of profound sadness and unexpected hilarity. The climax comes with the Black River, now under Jack’s command, confronting six Chinese gunboats in the Taiwan Straits: a hopelessly mismatched battle, given the ship’s unsuitability for naval combat. The survival of Jack and his ship hangs in the balance as they navigate this deadly encounter.

Parallel to the war story is Jack’s poignant love affair with Melanie Lawton, a spirited graduate student back in Carolina. Through her perspective, we witness the defining events of 1968 and 1969: antiwar demonstrations, the chaotic 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, Woodstock, drug culture, and political assassinations. One devastating decision made in the midst of war shatters Jack and Melanie’s relationship, leaving Jack to question if he can ever reclaim what he lost in Vietnam – his love, his peace, his future.

The Sweet Revenge of Marcus Aurelius

The Sweet Revenge of Marcus Aurelius is based on the true story of a talented and ingenious slave who sold his master. When he was still a young house boy, Marcus Aurelius was taught to read and write by the plantation owner’s rebellious twelve-year-old daughter, who also instilled in him a passionate desire for freedom. She even encouraged him to escape, which he did – three different times – thus setting in motion his ultimate and sweetest revenge. His story, even without fictionalizing, is a wide-ranging, swash-buckling tale of a fittingly just revenge set against many venues: the cruelties and dehumanizing effects of plantation life, a year in a unique community of escaped slaves in the Great Dismal Swamp, Paris high society in the Second Republic, duels, an enduring love affair, bad dogs and violent slave catchers, crime-ridden New Orleans street life, and even a stint as a passenger on a pirate ship.

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.