Undertow

Red grows up in the rarefied world of a privileged Manhattan childhood: a world of uniformed doormen, private schools, and elegant townhouses. This is also the world of the 1960s, when societal conflicts are disrupting previously accepted patterns of American life.

As author John F. Reinus reveals through richly detailed observation, there’s a powerful current beneath the surface, and the presumed advantages of his birthright come at a heavy cost, one that is amplified by the sorrow of an unacknowledged love.

The author weaves a tapestry of minute details, as seen in Red’s journey from childhood to adulthood, inviting us to compare what’s on the surface of our own lives to the hidden forces that shape us.

Undone: A Novel of Betrayal

Lydia Casselberry’s world comes undone when she discovers that her husband of almost forty years is having an affair. Needing time to grieve and to decide whether to continue the marriage, she decides to flee from her Tampa home to a place she hasn’t been in decades – her family’s lodge in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She tells no one where she is going, but writes two notes saying she needs to be alone. One is to her best friend; the other her husband will find when he returns from another of his continual business trips.

Healing begins in the solitude of nature and a place where she can rediscover herself. Memories of her youth and marriage flood back, but so do more questions. What she uncovers reveals that her husband’s betrayal is far deeper, and far more sordid, than she ever could have imagined. Her grief then turns to cold rage – and revenge that undoes his world.

Unfinished Novel

A young, aspiring writer is unexpectedly contacted by the widow of his literary idol, a beloved but enigmatic novelist. Entrusted with the secret task of completing an unfinished manuscript, he eagerly steps into the mystery-laden world of his hero’s final work. But as he begins piecing together the fragments, he uncovers secrets that shake his admiration and his dreams, leading him toward a startling disillusionment.

Unraveling Taboo: Love's Unexpected Pathways

In a world where sexuality, love, greed, and money take on new meanings, and death lurks around every corner, a captivating story unfolds. Father, a sophisticated and wealthy 60-year-old man, and his 34-year-old son both find themselves enamored with a stunning 27-year-old single woman. Initially, she becomes the lover of the father, a known adventurer with a penchant for beautiful, young women. However, when she meets his son, she falls deeply in love and marries him, perhaps driven by financial motives.

The tycoon, her ex-lover and now father-in-law, cannot and will not relinquish his love for her. He insists on continuing their intimate relationship, even resorting to pressure and ultimatums when she objects. Despite the husband’s suspicions, it is the wife herself who reveals the shocking truth: she has been regularly sleeping with his father, both before and after their marriage.

A war erupts between the three, as life teaches us to smile through the tears. Who do you think will be the first to die? Or is the human being simply a poor customer of life? Life on earth is a journey filled with people we encounter in all seasons. Some accompany us, while others remain behind. Those who stay with us will witness our happiness, smiles, sadness, and ultimately, our death. In a world that is absurd, full of wonders, and where death is ever-present, life is riddled with disappointment. We always need that breath of air to outlet our emotions, to breathe heavily and calm ourselves down.

‘There is no such thing as one hundred percent security in this life; there are always unforeseen events. Living is an art, and dying is an art as well.’

Unthinkable

Brady Johnson was looking forward to a peaceful retirement on a Northern Minnesota lake and in his St. Petersburg, Florida condo after decades of fighting Mexican drug cartels. He tried to forget the past, but the many bitter enemies he made in his years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in San Antonio Texas, did not retire, did not forget, and did not give up their burning thirst for revenge. They caught up to Brady in Florida.

Years earlier his wife’s rape and death at the hands of a cartel triggered a murderous rampage against all drug dealers, and when the same cartel murders a new-found love interest in Tampa Bay, it ignites the same rage that drove him over the edge the first time.

He finds himself teamed up with two women – a Mexican National former DEA agent, and a Native Canadian, both of whom had survived cartel assassination attempts – and when they venture into Mexico after the traffickers, they uncover a joint cartel/Muslim terrorist plot to inflict a series of horrific attacks on the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Attacks that would effectively destroy all three countries.

When the cartels realize that they, too will be destroyed by the Jihadist offensive, they renege on the partnership they had forged with the Muslims and eventually join forces with Brady’s small group. But, in trying to prevent the terrorist attacks, the trio uncover another, more sinister plot against the United States unfolding in Northern New York and Ontario. Their quest comes to a shocking conclusion in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River.

Useless Musings

As the hell year of 2020 was drawing to a close, and the collective anxieties of every able-minded person in America were making their threat whispers to never, ever go away no matter how many times you brushed your teeth, Jeffrey Eugene Hoch (the author of this book) had an idea. He would write a poem — or something approximating one — for every calendar day of the upcoming year of 2021. The main reason he wanted to do this was to keep his artistic conscience from atrophying across another potential year of emotional isolation, illness avoidance, and embarrassing cult stupidity.

There was some distant hope that something positive would come out of the process, but that something was unknowable and not even particularly hoped for by the author. A year of video games, whiskey, dates, and deli orders later, Useless Musings was “finished.” More accurately, it could just no longer be truthfully worked on because 2021 was over.

Anyway, the results of this year-long whatever-it-was are documented here for you to read and maybe have some sort of emotional reaction to. These “musings” felt pretty “useless” as I was writing them (Hi, it’s me, Jeff), but maybe you’ll enjoy them. That would be cool.

Varied Verse of WWA

Ogden Nash was the master of humorous poetry. His clever use of language and puns made many of us smile and see each day in a brighter light. While not all of his poetry was light-hearted – he could be somber and address disturbing topics – his writing was mostly joyful and witty. We still quote many of his beloved lines, like ‘Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.’

This book contains a collection of his largely humorous poems, filled with frequent puns. Occasionally, you may come across a more serious selection that might make you pause and ponder. We hope some of these phrases resonate with you and perhaps stick in your mind for future use. Enjoy the poetry!

Venus - A Point of Expression

The monsoon rains come to our desert in the summer, when the temperature is highest. The winds shift to the SE, bringing moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California. The rains come as huge, black, thunder storms over the mountains, driven by vivid lightning and high winds. It also provides a magical drop in temperature. The magnificent odor of the desert after a rain is a rich, organic experience.

After the storm I sit on my patio, in the cool fall of night – watching the shadows changing on the mountains as the sun declines. Recently, after such a storm, the sun is dying in various shades of ocher and vermillion… The crescent moon rises, and the planet Venus soon follows. Venus is a bright diamond in the now black sky. I write in my notebook: Venus is a Bright Point of Expression in the Sky. Thus, a poem is born.

Victims and Perpetrators

Dive into the mischievous world of Victims and Perpetrators: Light Verse Judgement on the Criminally Inclined, where the lines between lawbreakers and law enforcers blur in the most whimsical ways. Through the masterful pen of John Gentry, a humorist poet with a penchant for the peculiar, this collection of poems invites readers on a rollicking journey through the underbelly of society, all from the safety of their armchairs.From the tale of Felony Fred, whose criminal escapades are as endearing as they are egregious, to the saga of a hapless diner in Hard Rock, Idaho, Gentry crafts a universe where crime does indeed pay – in laughter and wit. Each poem is a vignette, a snapshot of life on the other side of the law, told with a twinkle in the eye and a tip of the hat to the absurd.So, whether you’re a seasoned criminal mastermind looking to take a break from your nefarious activities, or a law-abiding citizen with a love for the lyrical, Victims and Perpetrators offers something for everyone. It’s a reminder that, in the end, we’re all just characters in the grand, ridiculous story of life – some of us just have better alibis than others.

Waifs and Strays

These are short stories presented in poetic form. The cadence of poetry lends air and space to a story and heightens anticipation. There is war, loss, love and redemption in this work.

Accompanying these poems are some gritty short stories with twists as unexpected as a Twilight Zone episode. They are at times stark and unforgiving.

We The People

Joanne S. Duffin’s poetry is a captivating fusion of the personal and the universal, delving into the depths of the human experience. Her verses touch upon matters of the heart, offer insightful observations of the world, and fearlessly tackle the pressing issues of our time, both within the United States of America and on a global scale.

As you turn the pages, you’ll find yourself immersed in the wonders and interpretations of the natural world, the joys of family, the treasure of discovered love, the journey of self-discovery, philosophical musings, political commentary, patriotic reflections, and the pursuit of justice. Duffin’s poetry also explores the complexities of friendship, the pain of loss, and the inevitability of death.

This groundbreaking work of fiction will captivate your mind as you traverse space and time alongside the author, who fearlessly delves into the very essence of self-expression. Throughout her poetry, Duffin never loses sight of the profound impact and influence of the past, acknowledging the experiences that have shaped her as both a writer and a human being.

Embark on this transformative literary journey with Joanne S. Duffin, and allow her unique voice to guide you through a landscape of beauty, understanding, and introspection, as her thoughts and words weave a tapestry of the human condition.

What's Love Got to Do With It?

A world of love, a world of death, a world of insanity. These four stories are distinctly different from each other in tone and substance, but is love the defining factor?

What would happen if we refuse to accept defeat, even in death? Would the spirit of love carry us forward? And if we could somehow find the courage to move forward, would love never die?

The four stories, together, encompass a wide range of life and death experiences, as different from one another as night from day. And yet, a similarity exists within the protagonists of each story: an overwhelming loss of hope. Perhaps they’ll each discover, as we all must at some point in our lives, that a new beginning is simply the resurrection of hope; and that love, indeed, has everything to do with it.