If Only Time Could Tell

Jamil Gammoh’s collection of short stories offers a vivid and detailed account of his childhood and Jordan’s history, enriched with fictional characters who either reflect real people he encountered or embody prevalent archetypes. Woven into each narrative is the author’s personal critique of socio-cultural, religious, and historical issues in the country.

Each story carries a distinct moral, seamlessly integrated into the plot through folk anecdotes, local sayings, and deeply rooted traditions—some still familiar to older generations. Gammoh’s writing blends cynicism, irony, and sarcasm in his critique of societal flaws, yet beneath the sharp observations lies a deep love for his country, its heritage, and its people.

With a mix of humor, nostalgia, and cultural insight, this collection brings Jordanian life to the forefront, capturing its traditions, folklore, and everyday moments in a way that speaks to universal truths.

“Many are those captivating stories that express the variety of human situations. They can be dramatic, moving, realistic, sarcastic, or even infused with imagination. They pass us by without documentation and so are lost in the folds of time. The author, Jamil Gammoh, did not wish for time to tell these stories; rather, he became the voice through which time-old tales were told, tales he had lived and experienced, in his collection If Only Time Could Tell.”

– Basem Al-Zo’bi

“We journey through the stories and their characters, diving deep into their souls. We travel through time like tourists, experiencing their emotions with raw authenticity—sometimes infused with the subtle and touching humor that is so characteristic of Jamil Gammoh. We see ourselves in them, as if life itself were a game woven from fragments of stories and memories. Every moment shapes us, reminding us that the absurdity and universality of existence are what connect us all.”

– Dalizar Damak

“Very impressive! I enjoyed reading the stories, the thoughts, and the challenges. The flowery style of writing reminded me of ancient stories from Persia, to which we had access many years ago. Situations and issues are well-described in a very personal way.”

– Els van der Wilden

“I must say, I really enjoyed the collection. It made me smile and think…so much wisdom may be found in the didactic stories.”

- Ulrike Kreysa

Choirs of Fire and Dust

In the tumultuous fires of the American Civil War, a young New York poet suffers a tumult of tense visions of past and future after a journalistic misadventure in the Holy Land. At the home of his ship chandler benefactor of Beirut, he meets his muse, the daring daughter. Back in New York, he is absorbed in her plot to sabotage her father’s gun-running operation. Self-sabotaged and lost, there is a hellish POW camp, some of the fiercest fighting of the war, and the hallucinatory wages of peace.

Uncertain Times

Times have changed since the grandiose days of Tampa, Florida, in 1890. The success that Quinn and Mika enjoyed at Henry Plant’s illustrious Tampa Bay Hotel changed as well. Twenty years saw the passing of Mr. Plant and the decline of his hotel and its standards, while Tampa’s cigar industry rose to international prominence. Also intervening was Mika, bearing fraternal twins. Marc, the elder by fifteen minutes, is dark-skinned like his mother. Ian favors his father in skin tone and disposition. Mika and Quinn have found that contriving time alone together has become a challenge.

Quinn is the 1910 St. Andrews Chamber of Commerce president. The tourist season is ending, and he, Mika, and the twins are once again off to Florida for the winter. As they prepare to leave St. Andrews, Canada’s trade union movement arrives and attempts to organize the town. Quinn knows nothing about labor negotiations and endeavors to avoid confrontation but becomes entangled in worker demands.

Arriving in Tampa, Quinn and Mika discover that the city fathers are locked in mortal combat with a new union movement called La Resistencia. Union walkouts lead to protest marches, people are killed, two are lynched, and the town is burned. Quinn, Mika, and the boys are caught in a riot; a hurricane wipes out Tampa.

Disasters at Sea

In October 1851, the bustling harbors of Gloucester, Massachusetts marked the onset of a promising venture as the American fishing fleet set sail towards the bountiful mackerel run in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, as they neared the waters off Prince Edward Island, Canada, an unanticipated hurricane engulfed them in a tempest of terror and despair, obliterating over 200 schooners and vessels. The calamity claimed the lives of over 100 seamen, a tragic toll that resonated across the waves.

Disasters at Sea unveils the poignant yet inspiring chronicle of the Prince Edward Island residents, who, propelled by compassion, rallied to extend a lifeline to the beleaguered seamen. Their unwavering aid echoed the noble deeds of the Newfoundland residents during the 9/11 crisis. With hearts brimming with empathy, they embarked on a mission of rescue, recovery, and honor for the fallen, manifesting an enduring maritime bond.

This narrative reflects on the ethos of neighborly duty prevalent in the 19th-century Maritime Canada, highlighting a stark contrast against the seemingly indifferent response of the vessel owners in the aftermath, who appeared to evade accountability for the lost souls and shattered vessels. Disasters at Sea navigates through the haunting whys of fate’s discernment amidst the storm, unearthing the profound human spirit that surges even amidst the darkest squalls, painting a timeless tableau of maritime valor and human resilience.

Thought Prints

“Birthed in a month, on a day, somewhere in time. Somewhere in history.

Somewhere in my past, I didn’t exist… But I was to be.”

“When I look back in time, exploring my mind, I realize I didn’t glance…

But I was to see…”

– from “A Letter to Myself.”

With intensity and emotion, Thought Prints reels the reader in instantly! Anyone who has the pleasure of reading this compilation of poems will surely find magic. A collection of poetry with a story to tell!

The Lost Words

From the gritty streets of Boston, Massachusetts to the warm and secure blankets that wrap up his children at night, John Cole has provided us with a collection of stories and prose that capture the essence of everyday working-class life.

From young adulthood to fatherhood, John Cole uses his own words to paint vivid emotional pictures of the blue-collar realism that exists for most of us during the earlier stages of the twenty-first century.

The weight of his words and the significance of his stories are delicate and powerful, and readers will handle these stories with the care and gentle reserve they ask for.

Tuk with a Red Scarf

Dive into a heartwarming journey of miracles, divine twists, and a dash of luck in this captivating tale. Meet Tuk, a charming black Labrador adorned with a red scarf, whose simple act of curiosity sets the stage for an extraordinary adventure when he wanders off through an open gate. Left behind is the irritable Scottish Terrier, Scotty, unwittingly embarking on a chain of events that intertwine fates and unveil the tender magic of serendipity. From mistaken identities to life-saving encounters, discover how a single inadvertent moment can unfurl a tapestry of heartening tales. Tuk with a Red Scarf is a true story which celebrates the unassuming yet profound impacts of everyday actions, promising to keep you enchanted till the last page.

House Ravenin - The Folded Path

The world is always changing, each step uncertain as the old ways and the new collide in a struggle for supremacy. Yet even the most well-paced paths sometimes turn in odd directions, the rumble of discontent along the western border leading to bloody clashes against the advancing world slowly encroaching upon the once open wilds.

As Crissone lies in flames and the tenuous peace between elven and human people threatens to collapse, the slaves taken in from the attack and sold to the estates are not what they seem to be.

It is here beneath the roof of House Ravenin that the lives of all hang in the balance, the arcing destinies of singular lives quietly merging together to decide the fate of an unsuspecting people. Each has their own part to play out, the Folded Path watchful upon all who grace its stones.

As poisonous secrets are revealed and true natures rise to the surface, careful hands begin to unravel a deadly mystery in hopes of staving off a greater, more sinister threat.

Into the Attic Darkly

Tom and Eddie are two young brothers, sons of Dan and Ellen Biggs – a high-powered attorney and his socialite wife – who head a dysfunctional family cobbled together by deceit and a thirst for success. Dulcie is their nanny, a young woman hired to take charge of the two boys, especially Eddie whose behavior is unpredictable at best.

After Eddie is sent away following an exceptionally violent outburst, Ellen falls desperately ill, prompting Dulcie to move into the house at Dan’s request. The two begin a torrid affair, but when Dan turns up dead, Tom is arrested for the murder after he is seen hiding evidence.

Refusing to finger who he believes is the real killer, Tom is brought to trial. But as the drama unfolds, the identity of the murderer becomes increasingly unclear, even to Tom who is left to fear for his own life. It is in the attic where all scores are settled, and so is the killer’s identity… once and for all.

McKenna Goes Home

The Civil War has ended, and McKenna is drawn back to Charleston, the cradle of her childhood and the echoes of a tumultuous past. As she steps into the post-war remnants of her once-beloved city, questions haunt her—does her home endure, or has it succumbed to the ruin? Are the ghosts of her youth lurking in the shadows of devastation, or will the rubble reveal secrets long buried? Returning to the city of her youth, now marred by the tragedy of conflict, McKenna must summon her resilience to confront the Charleston that awaits her, forever altered by the War’s relentless tide.

Death in the Tower

Isabel de Clare has grown up far from the intrigues of court life, but at 16, she is more than ready to leave behind a life in the countryside and finally begin to live. William Marshal is a seasoned knight who has seen enough of the word to be tired of it, and is now Henry II’s right-hand man in England. When a man is poisoned at the Tower of London, Henry is certain he was the one meant to die and tasks William with the job of unveiling the murdered. Richard, earl of Pembroke, is summoned to Henry’s side and arrives in London with his daughter, Isabel, his son Gilbert, and his niece, Alys. The de Clares and William are thrown together in the course of investigation, and the attraction between the Isabel and William is instantaneous. As sparks between them fly, bodies continue to fall. Will they be able to unmask the killer without ruining their chance at a life together?

The Unkindness of Ravens

In 1846, seventeen-year-old midwife’s assistant Caitlin Nee lives on a tenant farm with her family in County Galway, Ireland. She has two great ambitions: to become a wise woman like her mentor Bridie and to win the heart of handsome, mercurial Liam O’Shea. Then one night an unsettling dream about ravens—harbingers of death—proves prescient when a potato blight turns her halcyon world into a living nightmare. Starvation, sickness and loss will soon become a daily reality, and no one is spared from horrific events and heartbreaking choices. Caitlin’s own family—romantic Orla, proud Seamus, pious Colin, fey Mary, and her Mam and Da—will all be tested by the devastating Great Hunger.

The Nees, like many other Irish families, work hardscrabble land for the imperious Lord Wentworth. They live in constant fear not only of dying from want but also of being evicted from their cabins if they can’t pay the rent. For the landlord, hunger and poverty are the fault of the victims rather than neglect and inadequate relief measures on the part of the government. After accidentally hearing a conversation at Wentworth Hall, Caitlin is made aware of the cruel indifference of His Lordship that will result in tumbled homes and mass graves throughout his estate. Will her family suffer a similar fate?

Despite all of the sorrow and devastation around them, love grows ever stronger between Caitlin and Liam. They make plans for a future life together once the famine is over. But when tragedy and rebellion force Liam to emigrate to America, Caitlin must decide whether to stay in Ireland or to follow her heart.

Based on contemporary anecdotes, The Unkindness of Ravens: A Tale of the Great Irish Famine tells the story of a disastrous historical event through the eyes of a strong-willed young lass who embodies the resilience of the Irish spirit.