Tracks from Nowhere

Tracks from Nowhere takes the reader into the remote and impoverished coal-mining community of New River Gorge, West Virginia. The year is 1936. Hank O’Neill, a ruggedly handsome coal miner, bears the burden of a promise that threatens not only his life, but his marriage to the lovely, Louise as well. She is discontented living in poverty and is desperate to escape; but in the isolated Appalachian Mountains of post-depression America, a way out is difficult to come by.

Gambling everything, Louise blindsides Hank in a risky plight to fulfill the destiny that haunts her dreams. Hank severs his promise and hops aboard a south-bound freight train to pursue the amazing woman he loves. His journey is a perilous one; but fate offers an unexpected opportunity. Melding history into the lives of absorbing characters, this engaging tale is full of heartbreak and survival sprinkled with hope and optimism.

Tangled in poignant emotions, Tracks from Nowhere weaves a beautiful tapestry of love, forgiveness, and the reward for having the courage to live one's dream.

Trapped in Heavens

Max Engler, our audacious protagonist, alongside his loyal colleague, Chou Wong, are pioneering physicians nestled within a reputable biochemistry department on the West Coast. Their invention – a sophisticated machine orchestrated by a network of lasers and magnets – holds the promise of unraveling the mysteries veiled within unknown substances. A serendipitous discovery propels them into uncharted territory, unveiling a novel physical transformation that disrupts the strong nuclear force within solid atoms, transmuting them into pure energy.

A twist of fate and a flick of a switch later, Max finds himself disintegrated by his own invention, vanishing into the unknown. The sudden disappearance casts a long, accusatory shadow on Chou, dragging him into a whirlpool of accusations and police interrogations. The ordeal intensifies as spectral attempts by Max to communicate further entangle the reality around them.

Eventually, a breakthrough: Max reestablishes contact, unveiling a celestial domain – dubbed the ‘Heavens’ – that he’s been traversing. His newfound ability to escort others through these ethereal realms via special arrangements unveils a vista of cosmic exploration. However, with knowledge comes scrutiny. As tales of Max’s celestial sojourns ripple through media and religious circles, a barrage of questions and incredulity follows suit.

Trauma, Drama, Love, and Loss

Poetry can be healing. It can break the heart and heal it. Let it touch you and you’ll feel it. The scars here are real, but may it guide you through your own struggles, let you see that you’re not alone, show solidarity, and, at the end, provide you hope.

Trouble Rumbles at Dawn

Welcome to the tranquil yet precarious town of Indigo Flats, nestled in the vast expanse of west Texas. Its peaceful façade shatters when a prominent businessman is brutally murdered, unearthing a cache of guns and drugs that send shockwaves through the region, putting the feared Mexican Ortega Cartel on high alert. However, the stakes intensify exponentially when a second murder rocks the town—a member of the cartel’s own family falls victim, igniting a relentless race against time for determined Detective Sharon Case.

With the relentless cartel crossing the border into Indigo Flats, Detective Case finds herself thrust into a perilous battle on multiple fronts. She must navigate the treacherous landscape of solving the murders while combating the vicious intruders and scrambling to safeguard her own family. As the clock ticks relentlessly, the line between right and wrong blurs, forcing Detective Case to make harrowing choices to uphold justice and protect all that she holds dear.

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.

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.

Two Arms and Ten Fingers

The fifth-century philosopher Plato was a beloved student of the great philosopher Socrates. In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato reasoned that one is presented with an incredibly distorted view of reality until released from deception by being placed in a clear-eyed position to see absolute truth.

As our lives unfold and present us with various issues requiring decisions, our character matters. Yet, sometimes people choose deceit rather than sound, principled reasoning, and the truth of their deception is never discovered.

In Two Arms and Ten Fingers, three well-respected professionals choose to create a distorted view of reality for their personal gain, only to experience the consequences of their actions. The truth, most times, has a strange habit of coming to light; however, “deceit can be beautiful – just depends on who benefits.”

In Two Arms and Ten Fingers, a doctor, a mortician, and a lawyer make life-changing decisions and share the consequences. Follow their journey from darkness to possible enlightenment.

Two Times Platinum

With a quarterback and two rappers trading autographs in the elevator and a film producer with secured funding and national distribution waiting in reception, it is another picture perfect day in the offices of Dex Randle’s Philadelphia entertainment and sports law practice. That is, until Val Clifton and organized crime boss Vince Carpozzi march through the glass doors with an envelope stuffed full of cash. An emerging pop star with killer looks and a voice destined for fame, Val's desires quickly rise to conflict with Carpozzi's devious scheming and control.

Soon love struck by her producer and fellow Dex client, Trolly Turner, the three must conceal a budding relationship from Carpozzi and his cronies. Following a gambling ploy gone awry and feeling a lack of appreciation from Val, Carpozzi vows to ruin them all. Blood is shed and lives are forever changed before Dex can salvage the day with a little help from some unlikely resources.

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.

Undying Spirit

Undying Spirit is a captivating novel that tells the story of a woman left alone to raise her twin daughters after being abandoned by her husband. Despite the challenges that come with being a single mother, she embarks on a remarkable journey that takes her through various government services and agriculture pursuits, including vineyards in two different countries.

This inspiring tale is a testament to the undying spirit of a mother’s love and resilience. The main character faces many obstacles along the way, but she never gives up. Instead, she harnesses her strength and determination to provide for her family and create a better life for her daughters.

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.’

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.