Thrown Out of Eden

“Poetry is the soul’s melody; sometimes harmonious and flowing, other times stark and discordant, much like a symphony stepping out of time.”

Just as Thomas Paine’s words were essential to the American Revolution, so were the verses of luminaries such as Sophocles, Homer, and Tennyson, to Frost and Longfellow. With their profound insight, these poets captured the quintessential human truth, shaping it into timeless verse.

From ancient bards to modern-day wordsmiths, a poet’s voice must never be stilled. Silence seldom brings healing; it often breeds complacency and indifference.

My city, Dallas, stands testament to this, its heart still shadowed by the tragedy of 1963. Only through introspection, voiced through words, can we find reconciliation. As the victim of that fateful day once stated, “When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.”

Poetry, like a clarion call, resonates across ages, cultures, and oceans, weaving tales of humanity, imagination, and commentary.

Some writers perfect punctuation, others master grammar, but when I wield words, I strike with the might of a sledgehammer!

Dive into this collection at your pace, let it stir thoughts, evoke reflection, and gift you moments of sheer poetic pleasure.

Tides of Revelation

It’s been 10 years since Hanna, Derrick, Jane, and Pete have seen each other. They met in college but went their separate ways after graduation. Now they’ve reconnected and have decided to rent a secluded beach house to stay at for a long weekend of catching up. While they’re laughing and getting to know each other again, strange things start to happen that make them reconsider their life choices. As they reveal their secrets to each other, something big seems to be going on. What exactly is happening at the beach house? What does it mean for the four friends’ lives? Will they make it through the weekend, or will the tides change?

To Touch a Heart

To Touch a Heart is a heartwarming collection of poems that reflect the sincere joys and struggles of everyday life. With touching verses about family, friendship, childhood memories, and the passing seasons, this little pink book invites readers into quiet moments of meaning. While the wider world calls for our hurry and worry, these poems offer respite, beauty, and a tender glimpse of the humanity in us all. Readers will find humor and wisdom within these pages, and perhaps see their own story reflected. More than pretty words that rhyme, these poems aim to delight, to console, to inspire. For any seeking more gentleness in life or longing to be understood, To Touch a Heart offers a sweet retreat where poetry still blooms.

Today, Oh Boy

Today, Oh Boy is the tale of one day in the life of Rusty Boykin and Ollie Wyborn, juniors at Summerville High School. The year is 1970, and as a counterculture emerges in their conservative South Carolina community, a cast of characters find themselves in the throes of social upheaval: preppies, jocks, hippies, and belligerent country boys who don’t believe in giving peace a chance.

Tome of Infinite Darkness

Tome of Infinite Darkness further explores the cosmic evil, which amplifies the Luciferian to new heights of Satanic power! Through this work, the Black Magus further hones his Satanic magic to bend reality to his will.

Tome of Infinite Darkness is for those Satanic Practitioners that seek to overcome slave conditioning and slave religions and aspire to become the apex praetor of the Satanic race!

Transformation of a Village

In Transformation of a Village, experience the evolution of Adoma, an African village on the brink of change. When the elders alter the age-old system of selecting rulers, choosing merit over lineage, a ripple of discord sweeps through the community. Reluctantly crowned the new chief, city-bred John navigates a path of tradition and modernity, aiming to uplift his village through self-help projects. But as he soon discovers, the road to progress demands alliances beyond the village borders, pulling the Central government into their fold to accelerate Adoma’s journey towards a new dawn. Through a blend of suspense and drama, this tale explores the pulse of a community amidst a changing world.

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.

Tre

In the grand American tradition of agrarian writers such as Ken Kesey, Gary Snyder, William Kittredge, Wendell Berry, and Wallace Stegner, these three expansive stories follow a cantankerous and feisty farmer striving to make a decent living in the challenging terrain of California. The narratives, set against the backdrop of growing wine grapes and producing commercial wine, draw from real events and vividly capture the unpredictable nature of farming in this demanding state.Beyond the personal struggles of our protagonist, these tales explore the broader agricultural issues that plague farmers everywhere: government regulation, labor laws, land-use policies, irrigation standards, and the ever-rising costs of water, fertilizer, and fuel. Written with a humorous and comic touch, some readers might even find the stories veering into the realm of slapstick.

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.

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.

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.