Chasing a Dream

What can one do if he or she is trapped in an unwanted occupation with no way out? Eric J. Stones, a lifelong illustrator, enlists in the military to pursue an occupation as a medical illustrator. He finds his hopes dashed when he is assigned as a Fire Protection Specialist. Can he work his way back into the field of the creative arts? Or must he spend four years…Chasing a Dream?

Cherry Blossom Blues

Delve into a lyrical love story shared between two Afro-American men living in the District of Columbia during the ethos of the roaring 1920s and the Harlem Renaissance. In spite of their class differences, their clandestine affairs thrive among their respective travels, marriages, careers, and time itself. Experience exhilaration as the main characters intertwine with real-life figures: Al Capone, Marcus Garvey, Herbert Hoover, Stephanie St. Clair and Albert Khan in Harlem, Macon, Georgia and Paris, France. Get goosebumps observing the living commune with the dead during ritualistic and mysterious séances. Observe how history often repeats itself by encountering the ramifications of the Spanish Influenza, World War I, Prohibition, and the threat of rising fascism foreshadowing the Jewish Holocaust. Most importantly, glean the profundity of our interconnections with everything in the universe in order to achieve authentic bliss.

Chock Full of Fuckery

Chock Full of Fuckery is a captivating collection of poems, short stories, and musings told through the lens of a mixed, Gen X chick who is ridiculously sick of everyone’s shit. Including her own.

Blended with pain and humor, this book gives a glimpse into raw and often absurd aspects of her life, and offers a gentle reminder that life is a tapestry of experiences interwoven with darkness and light, tragedy and triumph.

Be ready to embrace the beautiful mess of one woman’s history. Why? Because this could be just what you need right now.

Chosen

In a gripping thriller that delves into the complexities of identity, murder, and the enduring question of nature versus nurture, Chosen follows Ted, a man whose quest to find his birth mother leads him to a chilling discovery: Chosen, his identical twin, separated at birth and raised in a starkly different world.

When a moment of uncontrollable rage leaves Chosen dead at Ted’s hands, Ted must make a life-altering decision: turn himself in or flee, erasing his ties to the fateful deed. As Ted navigates a dizzying maze of moral dilemmas, weaving himself into a new narrative, the authorities begin to unravel the mystery behind Chosen’s disappearance, unearthing a tale of twins divided by circumstance and a mother’s secretive past.

Through vivid and immersive prose, Chosen explores the divergent paths of two brothers, one raised in privilege and the other in poverty, casting a spotlight on the influence of upbringing on their individual fates. As the investigation deepens, readers become voyeurs into the tumultuous psyches of characters grappling with the weight of their choices, the elasticity of truth, and the undying question of what shapes us.

Christina's War

Growing up on a poor farm in Missouri and learning how to sing opera from her war-scarred father, young Christina Cross has no idea the powerful forces of good and evil, of music and war, will one day pull her into the maelstrom of the Second World War, compelling her to make life-or-death-decisions about who she is fighting for and the price she is willing to pay.

Like a masterful opera, Christina’s War deftly transports the reader to early 1940s Paris where Christina and her sister, Nicollet, are sent by their father to live a better life with their Grandfather, Philippe Pétain. Philippe, eager to please the Nazi regime, envisions Christina’s exquisite voice as a means to entertain Hitler and his officers. Yet, unbeknownst to him, Christina’s heart belongs not just to music but to Laurent Gauvion Saint-Cyr, the charismatic leader of the French Underground who had recruited her into the resistance.

When she defiantly refuses to sing, setting Hitler’s fury aflame, Nicollet becomes a pawn in a dangerous game of power and retribution. Now, Laurent must not only fight for their country’s freedom but race against time to save the two sisters from the clutches of a malevolent Nazi officer who revels in torture.

Circle of Stone

In Depression-era Arkansas, a group of Black individuals, weary of enduring relentless brutality and disrespect from white communities, form a covert alliance known as ‘The Circle.’ United by a vow to clandestinely resist racist oppression, they employ ingenious tactics to combat the injustices inflicted upon their town. As they skillfully orchestrate retribution, ‘The Circle’ begins to shift the power dynamics, much to the chagrin of their white oppressors. This stirring tale reveals the resilience and ingenuity of a community determined to fight back in the face of adversity.

Climbing the Stairs of the City & Other Short Stories

H. Lloyd Weston worked assiduously to create a compilation of short stories, some from real-life experiences, the others from the divine gift of the imagination. Each story is crafted with the author’s emphasis on originality and fluidity of thought and expression, keeping in mind the reader who will embark upon the same journey by finding enjoyment in reading these engaging stories. The author wants the reader to experience the same palpable joy and reward he received in the task of creating them.

His obsession with executing a quality batch of stories came from his love of literature and the coterie of exceptional short story writers whose works he read along the way. Among these are writers such as Anton Chekhov, Katherine Mansfield, D. H. Lawrence, James Baldwin, Eudora Welty, Katherine Ann Porter, Ernest Hemingway, and Leo Tolstoy. The reader is swept away by the gripping power of these stories-tales that are original, imaginative, and adventurous.

It is hoped that the average reader will find things pertinent to their own life experiences within these poignant and suspenseful tales; stories that afford them the chance to escape the humdrum of daily life and the headlines of today’s depressing 24-hour news cycle. It is hoped that these stories will take each reader to a place of wonder and escape to the three different geographic locations within these stories.

Close Enough

Nicole’s life in the sunshine state of Florida was once warm and comfortable, having escaped an abusive marriage over a decade and a half ago. Her fulfilling career in the medical field provided stability, but the arrival of a new doctor named Mark would soon ignite a passion she had only fantasized about. As their paths intertwined at the prominent rehabilitation center where they worked, Nicole’s sexual desires transformed into breathtaking realities, surpassing her wildest dreams. Under the guidance of Anita, the managing director who had taken her under her wing, Nicole embarked on a journey of sexual exploration that revealed an unexpected array of colorful and edifying encounters.

Amidst the corridors of the rehabilitation center, the tantalizing encounters between Nicole and Mark fueled her imagination, igniting a creativity that soared beyond the confines of their working relationship. Their world became a wonderland of lust and love, each rendezvous fueling their insatiable appetites. However, their passionate escapades were abruptly halted when an angry patient intentionally struck Mark from behind with a chair, shattering their idyllic existence and plunging them into uncertainty.

In this sensually charged tale, Nicole’s pursuit of sexual enlightenment takes center stage, illuminating the depths of desire and the transformative power of intimate experiences. As they navigate the aftermath of the devastating blow that threatens to extinguish their flame, Nicole and Mark must confront the complexities of their connection and redefine their relationship in ways they never anticipated.

Cold-Blooded Waters

On the frigid coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, two families find themselves in the cold water of turbulent times. One, a human family, is immersed in a sea of misdirected emotions and the other, a killer whale family, is faced with the consequence of human interference. Both families are split apart on the rocks of life and heading straight for a collision course.

Young Charlie Newhook and his clan were struggling fishermen, who lived under a continual cloud of brooding storms brought on by blinded emotions. The immaturity of a son to understand his family’s situation and the inability by the father to express his feelings, introduces a perfect storm of discontent.

Cultis, the renegade killer whale, is the product of humanity’s quest for greed. Taken from the freedom of the sea, he becomes an uncontrollable force of terror, hell-bent on destroying everything in its path.

Blinded by the thirst for revenge, blood is freely spilled on the path of reconciliation, in hopes of shedding the weight of antiquated ways. In a sea of uncertainty, the Newhook clan and the pod of killer whales finally collide, to find unexpected redemption upon the cold-blooded waters of Newfoundland.

Collections of a Filthy Heart

I have a filthy heart.

It’s been bruised,

and broken,

and houses secrets best left in the dark.

These are its collections.

Courtney Jones lives in downtown Toronto, working in content creation and digital strategy. An avid lover of the written word, she prefers to pass her free time reading a good book while enjoying a glass of even better red wine.

Columbus, Slave Trader

Columbus, Slave Trader delves into an eye-opening exploration of history as it uncovers a seldom-told truth: the initial transatlantic slave ships did not traverse from Africa to America with captive Africans. Instead, the journey took a different, darker turn. The very first slave ships embarked from the New World to Europe, carrying a harrowing cargo of 500 captured Native Americans. Their enslaver? Christopher Columbus himself.

As the narrative unfolds, we confront the chilling reality of this early chapter in the slave trade, where these Native Americans, originally destined for Seville’s slave auction, endured unimaginable hardships. Only 80 would emerge as survivors, highlighting the heart-wrenching toll of this historic voyage.

Columbus, Slave Trader is a stark, essential and accurate historical fiction account that challenges prevailing narratives, shedding light on a pivotal moment in history and reevaluating our understanding of Columbus as not just an explorer but also a slave trader.

Come Out of Her

I became a Christian about five years ago. Before that, I was a New Age guru and a practitioner of the occult science of Alchemy. My whole life, I have been fascinated with all things supernatural, spiritual, mystical, and psychic—if you look up the definitions of each word, you will see that they all have the same basic meaning.

He looked at the crowd and said, “How did I get into Alchemy? As I studied everything mystical, I came across a book that explained the science of Alchemy and its history. It sparked interest in me, and I did what I needed to do to find any manuscript on Alchemy. I was around 13 years old when I bought my first book on the subject. Now, what is Alchemy? For me to answer that, I need to first reference Genesis chapter 3. I’m not going to read the entire chapter; I will summarize what it says. We will be analyzing a few key verses to gain better understanding. The serpent goes to Eve and convinces her that if she eats from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, she will be a god as God is. Here is where Alchemy has its roots—why do I say that? Let me explain further...”