Playlists

Music is something that, especially today, forms the background of our lives. We hear it daily. We feel it weaving the tapestry that we live our lives upon. In this collection of poetry and prose, author E. P. Jordan explores how the music she listened to in certain years of her life impacted the art that she created. As you read this collection, you will go on multiple journeys with the author, and will be invited yourself to examine your life through the lens of the music that has been with you along the way.

My Roots, My Self

Clutching a childhood photo to her heart, Jenny asks, ‘Who is the real me?’ before setting off to find the parents who abandoned her. Centuries earlier, Macuya channels the courageous spirit of his father to survive being kidnapped into a hostile world.

Thus begins My Roots, My Self, a gripping historical novel intertwining two epic journeys from 1975 Minnesota to the blood-soaked origins of the Italian Mafia and Spanish Inquisition. A fresh and engaging story about a dual search for self-identity: one character searching back to remove the stains of her crime family, the other striving ahead to forge a family legacy in a racist society.

Jenny’s search starts in Boston, where the FBI detains her after an ill-fated meeting with members of the Anguilo crime family, people of her blood. Threatened but determined, she heads to Sicily and meets a mercurial genealogist who unlocks the secrets of her lineage and her path to freedom.

Macuya, a native of the West Indies, is torn from home and family by Columbus and taken to Spain, where Queen Isabella adopts him as a mascot. Later freed with a baron’s title, he secretly marries Beka, the Jewish love of his life. Together, they move from country to country to escape being burned at the stake.

With six centuries of separation, the reader is plucked from the now and wrenched into the mysteries of the past as both characters struggle forward to find the freedom to honor their true selves.

My Roots, My Self will appeal to fans who were enthralled with the search for faith and home in Scherman’s The Mapmaker’s Daughter, who cherished the journey of self-discovery in Shapiro’s Inheritance and loved the historical intrigue of Cornick’s The Winter Garden.

“I received an advance copy of My Roots, My Self and wow what an emotional ride. Jenny’s struggle to understand where she came from hit me hard; it made me think about my own family stories and what’s been passed down to me. I loved how the book shifted between her story and Macuya’s in 1492. At first, I didn’t see how the two connected, but by the end, it all came together beautifully. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you close it.”

– Abraham Alejandro, Member, Oprah’s Book Club.

“I was lucky enough to get a copy of My Roots, My Self, and I have to say, it’s one of the most unique family sagas I’ve read. I loved the cultural details, the Slovenian pastries, the Taino rituals, the Boston immigrant neighborhoods; they made the story feel alive. Jenny was such a relatable character: restless, a little lost, but determined. And Macuya’s chapters absolutely broke my heart. If you enjoy books about family secrets, ancestry, and identity, this is a must-read.”

– Betty Burgess, What’s the Name of the Book? Book Club.

Barb Wire Bible

Morgan Maguire ranched with her family along the highline between Montana and Canada. She worked with her father providing guide services for hunters and also assisted the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue as a tracker to apprehend criminals and return the lost to their loved ones. This cowgirl spent many years learning to cope with the Irish legacy of ‘second sight’ with the help of her mentor Charlie Many Dreams, a Blackfeet medicine man. Her peaceful world was torn apart when the drug dealer she was tracking shot her longtime friend, who was riding for the Blackfeet Tribal Police. Swearing to find this killer, her quest brings her into the steel and cement canyons of New York to obtain justice. A place as alien as the moon to her.

The Search for Julia Garcia

A college student vanishes. Julia Garcia was last seen at a lakeside cottage on Seneca Lake, where she spent a weekend with friends. The routine police search comes up empty. Desperate, her parents turn to Frank Harris, a New York private detective, who takes the case, even though he doubts he’ll break even.

Harris suspects the police didn’t dig deep enough. But his decision to help isn’t purely professional. Having grown up in the Finger Lakes region, the case draws him back to his family. Yet both the search for Julia and his homecoming prove far more complicated than he anticipated.

As Frank follows Julia’s trail, he faces resistance from potential witnesses, including her new boyfriend and his wealthy family. It takes Frank time to grasp the background of Julia’s disappearance, namely the violent struggle between competing drug cartels. Was Julia abducted by gang members? Is she still alive?

Meanwhile, Frank’s return to his family gets him involved in the marital problems of his older sister for which he is unprepared.

Red Wolf and the Summer Flower

A thousand years ago, two Cherokee teenagers were forced to endure hardship, danger, peril, natural and unnatural disasters, and scorn for simply being teenagers.

They lived in an unforgiving world run by a harsh and dictatorial society but still managed to find meaning in their lives. They found that a good friendship provides strength, and loyalty to one’s friend ensures survival. Then, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, they learned that they had what it takes to be an adult.

This is a story about one short summertime in the lives of a boy called Red Wolf and a girl named Summer Flower.

The Scent of Wisteria in the Springtime

The fifteen stories contained in this collection are all individual. None of them are about the same characters or locations. Although they do share commonality: they are all based upon Southern personalities in various Southern locations. There is a slight bend towards autobiographical experiences in some of these stories. I’ll let the readers try to identify those particular stories themselves!

The author’s attempt in writing these stories is to illustrate the frailties, the strength, and the inherent goodness of the human species. To show that all of us are endowed with the capacity to love, to hate, to daydream, and perhaps, to make our dreams come true.

The story: Big Game Hunter is about a twelve-year-old boy in rural Mississippi who fantasizes of being a professional hunter in Africa. I know something of that dream and managed to actually participate in eleven safaris in six African countries. I lived my dream!

The story, Requiem For A Romance That Could Never Be, is about the dark times in the South. The period that we all want to forget, that we wish had never happened. It’s about a sweet, biracial romance between teenagers when the South was segregated.

Lost At The Falling Waters details a young woman’s quest to find her father… a young Southern American soldier. Her teenage parents were separated in Vietnam when that country literally fell apart. Her dream was beautifully realized!

Aunt Sabbath Muggy and the Irreversible Hoodoo is a story about a Black-magic woman in coastal Georgia. Aunt Sabby brings two lovers together, inadvertently but very successfully!

Cry Me A River is a story set in New Orleans. A young romance fell apart, but they reunited in very different circumstances many years later. One of the greatest inherent attributes as human beings is forgiveness; it’s warmly illustrated in this somewhat-tragic story.

Whom Shall I Choose is about a young man named Jesse James Cuevas. He lived a hard life growing up, some of it in reform school and foster care. But when avaricious people tried to manipulate him, Jesse’s true character came through.

In addition to these six stories, illustrated above, there are nine more of them. I had a lot of fun writing them…. I hope that you enjoy reading them.

Jerry Edwards

Somewhere in the hills, north of Atlanta

Kabaslot

Life for Allison Johnson, a young girl growing up in the heart of a thriving independent capital city, was good. Part of a well-to-do Krio family, she and her siblings had enjoyed the best of everything, and Allison was quick to share her life with their new adoptive sister, an orphan from the provinces.

Just as she starts to discover love with an unlikely suitor, tragedy strikes. The Republic is in crisis. As events spiral out of control, Allison’s life as she knows it is turned upside down. On the other side of a vicious civil war, she must give up everything she has known as home, to seek safety in the United States.

Navigating the turn of events and her new life as an immigrant, she finds strength and resilience she had only heard about in the stories of her ancestors.

She immerses herself in a quest for spiritual restoration until a sudden shift puts her at the center of a plot to bring the decayed Republic back from the brink. She’s intrigued by the opportunity but must contend with ghosts from a dark past.

Love Hurts

Thomas Pry High School is a place where only the children of the elite study and interact with each other. A place where all the guys and girls fawn over Luke Finnegan, a fencing champion in his third year. But to Jack Whyte, the popular fencer is just another student passing through the halls. All he wants is to make friends and keep out of trouble at his new school.

When their eyes finally meet, however, Luke can’t seem to want nothing more than to be around Jack. So much so, that what was supposed to be a tournament afterparty ends up putting Jack’s life in danger.

Follow the students of Thomas Pry as they begin to learn about each other, and their newfound friendship begins to draw some attention to those closest to them.

The Comprehensive Anthology of Early 21st Century Arab Poets

The Comprehensive Anthology of Early 21st Century Arab Poets offers a rich tapestry of voices from the Arab world, transcending borders of geography, history, and culture.

These poets weave a diverse and intricate mosaic that reflects not only the multifaceted Arab realm with its myriad religious, political, and cultural nuances but also showcases them as enlightened, compassionate global citizens.

Dive into this collection and discover the vibrant heart and soul of contemporary Arab poetry.

Rewind Ranch

What price would you pay to reclaim the vigor and allure of youth? Four spirited Southern seniors are about to find out. Tempted by the promise of Rewind Ranch, a paradise nestled in Hawaii’s enchanting Hana hills, they embark on a journey that promises unlimited cosmetic enhancements, captivating company, and indulgent escapades.

As the ladies dive into a world of luxury, laughter, and liaisons, they soon discover that the ranch offers more than just superficial pleasures. Beneath the veneer of hedonistic delights, a darker secret lurks. As doubts creep in and stakes rise, they realize their dream vacation might be a trap they need to escape to ensure their very survival.

Join these fearless women on a roller-coaster of suspense and camaraderie, where beauty is more than skin deep, and friendship is the ultimate savior.

Tamara’s Gift

Tamara’s Gift, the enthralling sequel to Kennedy’s Ghosts, unfolds six decades later, tracing the extraordinary journey of a baby girl left at an orphanage doorstep, humorously claimed by the matron to be delivered by a ‘stork.’ This whimsical tale harbors a grain of truth as this enigmatic girl blossoms into a formidable force of modern times, spearheading a revolutionary paradigm of A.I. interfacing technology and beyond. But who is she? Possessing an intellect that’s off the charts and a mysterious celestial connection, could she be a harbinger of more global unrest or the key to long-awaited peace?

As the saga unfolds, weaving in characters and descendants from the first book, it challenges our notions of humanity’s place in the cosmic tapestry. From America to China and back, Tamara’s odyssey unfolds towards a sinister, yet enigmatic climax, seemingly guided by higher beings striving to steer humanity away from a precipice of annihilation. The uncovering of her genetic lineage unsettles the geopolitical balance, igniting a tussle between the forces of darkness and light.

Because of Eve: The Legacy

It is now 15 years since the accidental discovery of a parthenogenic drug that allows any fertile woman to conceive and give natural birth to a female child without any male intervention.The drug, Venex, has caused severe global turbulence socially, politically, and religiously. A deadly war is waging between those who believe that the use of Venex is a matter of a woman’s choice. Those opposing its existence warn that it heralds the extinction of the human male and thereby the human race… and that it must be banned and eliminated…at all costs.The anti-Venex M.A.N. (Men Are Necessary) forces will stop at nothing, including assassination and mass murder, to destroy what they consider a cataclysmic threat.The pro-Venex forces, led by PR powerhouse Gail Katz, risk their lives and the lives of their families and associates to preserve it as a viable woman’s option.It is a high-stakes war of global no-holds-barred danger and intrigue. The outcome could determine the future of the human race.