Abe's Place

Wannasea Island is a universe almost unto itself. A small independent island, 45 minutes from the mainland. Abe Stolz has spent the entire 70 years of his life lost within the history of his family and the island. Abe knows that he should move forward but fears doing so will disconnect him from his wife and daughter, who were lost at sea 23 years before. Abe’s primary goal has become seeing that his granddaughter, Beth, the only surviving member of his immediate family, does not have her life consumed by the island and family history in the same manner. Neither the progress of the island nor his granddaughter are in tune with Abe’s efforts.

Academic Overtures

For twenty-five years, Lola has endured a tumultuous marriage marred by her husband Jack’s infidelities and abuse. Despite his betrayals, she clung to the hope that things would change when Jack landed his dream job as university president.

However, Jack’s new position thrusts them into a sordid scandal involving the sexual exploitation of student athletes by the athletic director. Haunted by his own history of misconduct, Jack resorts to his usual tactics: bribery and cover-ups. But when one of his past victims surfaces as a faculty member, the web of deceit threatens to entangle them both.

As the stakes escalate, Lola finds herself at a crossroads. Will she continue to enable Jack’s misdeeds, sacrificing her dignity? Or will she summon the courage to break free from the cycle of abuse and help others find their voice?

Adonia

Humanity has made astonishing technological and scientific progress over the last century. But what risks being lost is a proper appreciation of how all progress came to pass, what made it possible. Many of the great minds who helped to propel us into the modern age did so through quiet introspection and deep thinking. Adonia offers the reader the chance to step back to this form of reflective engagement.

If we may only venture towards truth once we inherit the willingness to explore it, Adonia’s verses are a depiction of such an inheritance. The work itself is a collection of thoughts, all of which narrate discovery with unharmed truth. 

Adoption

Are all couples who want children able to have children on their own? Unfortunately, no. What happens when the people who have children, but for various reasons, don’t want them? What happens when the lives of innocent children become the object of transactions and the adoption process becomes a deceitful way of making money?

Richard Briggs, an honest lawyer (yes, some ethical lawyers still exist), thought his small adoption firm would make people happy and make enough money for a comfortable life in Columbia, SC. But his unscrupulous young partner, Max Hartmann, wants to bring children for adoption from Romania and forces the firm’s move into an expensive location, hiding the extravagant expenses from Richard.

Richard’s refusal to take a re-adoption case of a wealthy woman generates a series of treacherous situations created by Max, who jumps into the opportunity to make big money. Unluckily, the case proves to be complicated and dangerous, and Max’s string of mistakes jeopardizes not only the firm but the life of Richard Briggs, who barely survives an assassination attempt.

After the separation from his dishonest partner, would Richard decide to step aside from the dangerous path on which Max dragged him, or will he confront a network of drug dealers run by the local FBI boss?

Meanwhile, caught in an alluring web of corruption, deception, and a sexual encounter with a mysterious woman, Max Hartmann’s adventures in Romania shift from children’s adoption to perilous money-laundering for a local mogul with ties in South Carolina.

Set up in the pre-Trump, pre-COVID-19 era, Adoption is a fast-paced novel thriller about the destinies of two men tangled in the hidden past of a Conservative old-boys town, lies, corruption, and emotional adoption cases.

Adventures of the TSEA Ship the Admiral Byrd

Viktor Haas served with distinction during the Andevan Wars as Captain of the Sydney. The Sydney was a Deep-Space Class, Heavy Cruiser in the fleet of the Terran Space Exploration Administration, or TSEA.

Captain Haas takes command of a very different ship – the Admiral Byrd. The Admiral Byrd, affectionately known as the ‘Byrd,’ is a Scout-Class science vessel. The Byrd has been tasked with a mission that is very different to those Captain Haas usually undertakes.

Although Captain Haas brings certain of his Sydney crew with him, the crew on board the Byrd, and the ship itself, requires that the Captain embrace a very different command style than he usually employs. He has been told, however, that if this mission is a success, his captaincy of the Sydney will be revisited.

The Byrd is known throughout the fleet for having problems. Will Engineer Siksika be able to fix those problems and allow the ship to finish its mission?

In these pages is an adventure that takes you not only to different planets but to other places of interest in space where you will meet very different creatures and societies.

After the Before-Times

The story takes place at a picturesque inn on Orchard Lake in southeast Michigan. It features the couple who own the inn and seven very different, interesting, flawed and sometimes funny characters who all come together to help and support each other through the pandemic. Several minor characters also round out the story and provide depth and perspective to the novel. Actual pandemic developments interwoven with the fictional story add a high degree of realism.

This first novel for Leland is a carefully researched book which magnificently weaves together the events of the 2020 pandemic with gripping fictional events, dynamic believable characters, engrossing dialogue, and vividly beautiful descriptions. The novel provides a realistic but surprising answer to how life proceeds in the “After-Times.”

After Words

Five friends embark on a cross-country train journey in America, unaware they are on the cusp of the COVID pandemic. Their voyage is marked by a captivating word game, where each draws a card corresponding to a letter and shares an experience inspired by an undisclosed word. The game, simple in its premise, becomes a gateway to unexpected memories and stories, evolving in real-time. As each friend takes their turn, readers are invited to guess the hidden word, immersing themselves in the narrative as if seated among the group.

This engaging game sets the stage for a tapestry of associations and reminiscences, pushing the boundaries of what can be spoken. The novel follows each character over three years, capturing their unique circumstances and experiences during the pandemic across various locales and moments. Readers get a new perspective through their lived challenges, joys, and dreams.

As the friends reunite for a second journey on a different route post-pandemic, the profound impacts of both the global event and the word game itself come to light. The narrative, divided into three parts, offers a looping portrayal of time: before, during, and after the pandemic.

Rich with atmospheric and lyrical passages, this novel invites its readers to delve into the intricate world of language, exploring the mysterious and transformative power of words.

Age of Ascent

The depravity is vanquished, the Biodome restored to its former glory. The existential virus is once again the moral authority of the new order. Sacrifices have been made that set the stage to alter the course of human history. But evil forces are rallying, banding together to unleash the dark side of humanity once again.

So long as the rot remains, there is always another way.

Everett Steele wakes from the coma, seemingly intact. Only she, and the notorious Dr. Draeger, know where she’s been. And what is looming. Undeterred, the evil patriarchy infiltrates the new order once again, this time striking at the heart of the Biodome. Everett discovers another agent with EV immunity, Pedro Ramon, and together, they end his reign of terror. But fear is a powerful manipulator. Draeger maintains control of the Biodome with nothing more than threats of retribution. The only thing standing in the way of total domination is Everett Steele, Jacob Domanso, and now, Pedro Ramon. And they aren’t backing down.

Ain't This a Bitch?

Permit me, if you will, to invite you to the land of plenty! Plenty of this, plenty of that. Plenty of ‘going to the mat’ for the cause célèbre du jour, or for something less. Plenty of ‘bullshit!’ Plenty of pet peeves and more. And plenty of moments where you’ll wonder, ‘Now, did that just happen?’

Ain’t This a Bitch? by J Sam takes you on a journey through the highs, lows, and in-betweens of navigating the all-too-common ‘isms’ that constantly challenge us. Indulge in every stanza and go beyond seeing yourself as a ‘victim.’ Let J Sam guide you, journey by journey, irony by irony, and smackdown by smackdown, through the ‘poetic justice’ of living in, and loving, America. This is the ‘land of the free’ where bravery about ‘difference’ meets its adversary: a beast, two-legged and ferocious, pandering to the irrelevant histories of less benevolent men.

Come one, come all, into this thrall, where complexity resides in the truths about the ‘socio-politics’ leading you to these pages. Pages that never fail to deliver, ‘on point!’ Pages that reject the notion of wallowing in the mud of ‘pretense,’ and instead, celebrate the beauty of the word in its magnificent expression!

This poet offers you contemporary and timeless literary excellence, not easily perceived by the eye (naked in its rush to judgment) nor the ear (given over to ‘the squeaky wheel’) in a nation under siege by the greasy freedoms of verse.

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?

All in a Lifetime

It has taken over 40 years to piece together the story of Anya, Willi, and the Icon, like trying to put together a priceless Faberge egg shattered intentionally without a clue as to how it once looked. Anna (Anya) and Wilhelm (Willi) lived in a small German village when we met half a century ago. Their remarkable life stories are the heart of this novel. Real life has many detours and contradictions, each piece of their stories led to another story. An Icon hung on the wall of the entry to their home and it was there that fact met fiction. Weaving related stories into this novel, preserving the memory of each individual and the times in which they lived, required some manipulation of facts. It is the story of a much-travelled Icon and a treasure (not an ARC “Traveling Treasure”) including the lives it touched. And it is a story of love found late in life.

All Men

All Men takes readers on a thrilling journey through the challenges faced by Mr. Alex Tremont, a Congregational minister who has recently transferred from the Midwest to a small New England community. In this new community, Alex soon discovers that perceiving the enemy is no longer a simple task. He is faced with a litany of problems, including investigating the sighting of a mysterious ‘monster’ that he cannot comprehend, and his church being designated a ‘sanctuary’ status.

As he navigates through these problems, Alex finds himself increasingly drawn to a young lady who is the driving force behind the sanctuary movement. However, opposing her could lead to dire consequences. And as if that wasn’t enough, the ‘monster’ that Alex has been investigating becomes the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of his predecessor, a murder that resembles a terrorist attack common in the Middle East.

Despite being only 28 years old, Alex is expected to earn his stripes and overcome these challenges. But as he faces the trials and tribulations of his new community, he realizes that not all men are equipped to handle the weight of the world on their shoulders.

All Men is a gripping tale of mystery, love, and self-discovery that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.