An Owl's Tales

Life is a trail of crossing paths, some barely noticed, others with profound impacts. Did Santa bring that special football or the right Barbie doll? Did you pass that tough high school teacher’s course? Remember your first love? Was the pound puppy with sad but hopeful eyes ever chosen? Was the homeless beggar on the corner worth helping? The paths of Santa and teachers and loves and others who need help influence the course of our path, some for good, others not so much. But all of your paths make you, you.

Is it better to know or to feel what we should do? Maybe it doesn’t matter as long as the trail is guided by the heart. One man’s journey through a lifetime of crossed paths is portrayed in An Owl’s Tales. Some paths will sound familiar; some will challenge; some will motivate, while others will touch your heart. The wise old owl who sleeps with one eye open observes everything, reacts to little, but remembers. When your race is run, what will have been your important paths?

Anarchy in Ohio

Father Ignatius Oosterhoff, the rector of a failing seminary on the banks of the Ohio River in Angel, Ohio, gets more than he bargained for when the school's national advertisements for a new type of student draws a beach bum from California, Sylvester Ammons, who is secretly on the run from the law. It soon becomes apparent that he doesn't fit in, especially when his girlfriend has an abortion. However, he witnesses a murder at the school and joins forces with Father Oosterhoff to solve the crime. Together, they both become something other than what they were when they started out, and change the school in the process.

Anathema

As we move through our lives, do we know what lies in our past? Do we understand the persuasions that cause us to do the things we do? Does the influence that guides us emanate from a long time ago? We presume to create our own destinies, yet, are there others that have preordained our fates? Is it possible for potent thoughts, empowered by unworldly origins, to cross the spans of time and bring ruin to the unwary? A hateful mind desires revenge against the one it despises the most, vengeance that condemns the soul of its disliked adversary and all of his family, energized by vilest of powers to leap the span of ages and push this influence through the generations to bring perdition to all. Can those affected intercede and allay the ominous malediction? It must be done lest the consequences be more dire than the fires of Hell.

Angela's Letter

They say one never forgets his or her first love. So, what does a man do when he receives a letter from his first love – over 40 years after they last spent any time together – suggesting they reunite now that both are single and in their 60s?

Angela’s Letter is about two people and the challenges and joys they face trying to see if they can rekindle the love they shared many years earlier. Jack is a successful, retired widower just beginning to think about restarting his life 15 months after his wife’s death. Angela is his high school sweetheart, recently widowed, and an independently wealthy businesswoman. Angela has decided to live her remaining years to the fullest, and part of her plans include the letter she sends to Jack to see if he might be interested in renewing their relationship.

While genuinely intrigued by Angela’s proposal, Jack’s interest is tempered by his adult daughter’s attitude. Seemingly not yet over her mother’s death, her overbearing ways are poisoning everyone around her. Unbeknownst to Jack however, she is actually haunted by a foolish act from years before. Now Jack must do all he can to avoid having his daughter destroy her own life, as well as his opportunity for a new life with Angela.

Anger Management

Have you ever felt disconnected, unsure of your place in the world? Have you ever felt that society glorified the imbecilic and that most civilized problems could be cured with common sense? Have you ever wanted to make your own justice for it and punish the corrupt and perverted that destroy our trust? What if you found a way to do it?

Follow an unnamed narrator, through his daily life of work drugs and violence, finding ways he can exploit the loop holes to his needs, his outlets, how a simple fender bender can change everything. Is he a hero for doing what should be done for the better of society or the villain causing it?

Anna's Story

Anna turned 21 years old on the day that she arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia. She felt twice that age. The mirror on the train reflected dark circles beneath her brown eyes and a thin face. Her overall appearance was only saved by her glowing, abundant hair.

A Jewish girl, she was emigrating from Glasgow, Scotland, with her husband and baby daughter. Her father, on her departure, had said: “You’ll live to regret this decision. You were always the one to chase wild dreams, wanting more than you had.”

“Isn’t a dream better than this?” she had asked, sweeping her arms to take in their surroundings.

It was 1922 and Canada was in the midst of Great Depression. When Anna was called upon to honor a commitment to a Jewish friend caught in pre-war Europe, she needed to balance a career that she had worked hard to establish so she could foster a nine-year-old child. Her dreams took a direction that she had never expected.

Anoka Stories

Anoka, a little town Northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is central to this collection of short stories. The stories span two centuries of history, including an Indian tribe’s conflict with intruding white settlers, and a civil war veteran’s souvenir that became a family heirloom. All of the stories have elements of truth; all have elements of fiction.

Anya

Anya, a modern romance novel, follows the story of a young woman from Russia who comes to the United States for college. Despite her fluency in English, her accent makes her a target for bullies. As she struggles to adjust to life in a new country, she meets Peter, a wealthy student who takes an immediate interest in her. Despite the challenges of navigating a new campus and dealing with romantic competition, Peter remains devoted to Anya, even going so far as to help her cancer-stricken mother in Russia. As their relationship develops, Anya must navigate her own conflicting emotions and desires, ultimately leading to a dramatic conclusion. The outcome of their love story is left for readers to discover.

Anything but Ordinary

Two members from a small circle of friends set off for a fun trip, split into half business and half pleasure. The whole town of Calhoun is excited for them, especially the art group. On their way to the airport, the pair of friends vanish.

The police are baffled and the case is moving too slow to satisfy the art ladies. Just a few months later, while one member of the group is participating in an art show at a shopping mall, a college student goes on a shooting rampage. The art ladies think this will happen again and again until the root of the problem is addressed, and they decide to take matters into their own hands. Tragic and complicated situations do not discourage this little band of feisty middle-aged artists. They are church-going, family-oriented, and strong-willed. Plus, they have a talent and passion for art. The same critical and analytical eye they use for detail in their paintings is applied to the cases they are determined to solve. The art ladies bring a wide spectrum of life experiences to the group, and their personalities are as different as light and dark. But the things they all have in common are a zest for life and loyalty to one another. Love, humor, suspense, integrity, and snappy dialogue play a large part in this story. Despite what they think, their little painting group and daily activities are not commonplace. In fact, everything about them is quite the opposite. Their lives, all the way around, are anything but ordinary.

Are You Free?

The Morettis are a Sarasota family of Cafeteria Catholics, (rejecting some Vatican doctrines—mainly pelvic issue ones). Widower Dante goes to his first Confession in decades. He confesses gossip: telling his two daughters of his brother Nick’s fling with the caterer for his wedding vow renewal with Nick’s then-wife Rosemary. An unusual Penance surprises Dante. Tantrums of Nick’s ex-wife Rosemary impact events. Dante wants another good woman to love, but dating yields only stories that amuse his girls.

Dante’s gossip is repeated, changing with each teller. Floridians talk about freedom (yet yearn to mate). An undreamt-of source for finding love and fulfilling Dante’s Penance offers challenge and hope. Her name is Abigail.

Soon they’re doing everything in a pandemic. How could anything go right?

Are You Free? offers a witty rumination on family, religion, and the search for love in many forms – grief, longing, regret, surprise.

Arlington

In Lisbon, 1941, an all-American boy, Manny, falls for a captivating French girl, Mari. Their whirlwind romance leads them to the heart of France, where they join the resistance against Nazi occupation. Together, they foil a German general’s plot to loot precious art and treasure, but their fight is far from over.

Mari, now pregnant, returns to her hometown to aid her father, a newspaper editor secretly forging documents to save Jewish lives. Meanwhile, Manny continues the struggle, first with the resistance and then as a soldier in the U.S. Army.

Arlington is a heart-wrenching and emotional tale, yet moments of humor, hope, and resilience offer respite, further immersing readers in the lives of both soldiers and civilians caught in the crossfire. The novel paints a compellingly honest portrait of war, expertly balancing thrilling twists and turns with profound emotional depth, leaving readers on the edge of their seats until the final, hopeful moments.

At its core, Arlington is a poignant love story set against the backdrop of war. Given the current state of global politics, it also serves as a timely and cautionary tale about the enduring fight for freedom and justice.

Around the World in 51 Illustrated Poems

Have you ever visited the “High Flyer Show” in Jurong Park of Singapore? A trained bird picks up the wallet of a visitor, flies for a while, and then returns it with the signal of the trainer.

The world-famous, 183-foot “Leaning Tower” of Pisa in Italy, with four degrees bend, never topples. What is the mystery behind it? The theory of gravitational pull is the answer.

Get a touch of the romance of Romeo and Juliet with a glance at “Juliet’s balcony” in Verona, Italy. It is worth the visit.

The “Colosseum” in Rome is a historical treasure trove which hosted gladiator fights. Why not visit the amphitheater to explore the architecture and enjoy the seventh wonder of the world.

You will be lauded and speechless to watch the beauty and vastness of “Niagara Falls” in Canada, the best surprise of the world! Discover the “1000 Islands” after enjoying a cruise ride in the Saint Lawrence River.

Look at the famous gigantic “Three-legged Broken Chair”, “Einstein House” and “Rose Garden” of Switzerland, teeming with millions of visitors. Those are historical sites.

You must survey the Australian surprises of “Glass Bottom Boat”, “Kiama Blowhole”, “Glory of Twelve Apostles” to explore the wonders of the sea. 

Apart from the travelogue, this book of poems is a wonderful collection of other miscellaneous aspects of human life and society at large. It leaves whispered instructions to lovers of poetry to enjoy humor, history, art, education, and inspires them to recite the poems.