The Way It Ought to Be

The Way It Ought to Be is based on the idea that life does not always happen the way we want it to and that the only things that are important are the relationships we experience along the way – those we can’t get away from, those we want but can’t have, and the one we hold with ourselves.

Winifred Simone is in love with the life she had as a young girl and with the people from that life: her lone, childhood friend, Casey, and her ever-present mother, Maggie. Winifred and Casey spend their days in the small, rural town of Hickory in 1940s Pennsylvania; free to roam the nearby woods and isolating themselves from the rest of the world. But what seems idyllic to Winifred was anything but for Casey, a boy who always felt unloved and unlovable, despite Winifred’s boundless adoration.

Neither one could perceive the events that take away their innocent outlook and, without a word, Casey leaves Hickory, shattering their bond. This propels Winifred on a six-year search to find her friend and love far beyond the comfort of her hometown. As the story moves from the canopied safety of the Pennsylvania woods to the exposed rawness of the California desert, Winifred continually relies on the wrong people in an attempt to find the life she is convinced she is supposed to have.

That is, until she meets two very different families, the Hixsons and the Quinns. With their help, she learns to accept and be grateful for the life she is actually living.

Drinks with God

Drinks With God is what you might get if you blended the wit of George Carlin, the satire of Jonathan Swift, and the quirky imagination of Kurt Vonnegut. In this irreverent and humorous narrative, the Supreme Being himself confesses to being a celestial klutz, making cosmic blunders from the dawn of time to the present day. From accidentally creating an upright squirrel in a jockstrap in his attempt to make the first human, to sending a swarm of hummingbirds instead of locusts to plague the Egyptians, this God is far from the omnipotent figure we know from the Bible.

Within the pages of Drinks With God, the reader is treated to an unconventional take on familiar biblical figures. From his ‘weirdo’ son Jesus, the amorous Holy Ghost, and the entrepreneurial Noah, to the not-so-virginal Virgin Mary, a sassy Judas Iscariot, and a chef Satan who has a flair for spicy cuisine – these characters are reimagined in a way you’ve never seen before. And where does God divulge these surprising insights? Not in a heavenly realm, but in the more earthly locales of New York City’s bars, coffee houses, and parks, revealing a deity who enjoys a good drink.

Reading Drinks With God might not sway your religious beliefs, but it’s guaranteed to leave you in stitches. Prepare for a hilarious, blasphemous, and utterly unique exploration of divinity like no other.

“Drinks With God has reopened my eyes to the truth that humor, maybe even blasphemous humor, is the only way to make sense of this distracted, click-happy, self-infatuated world.”
– Cornelius Walters, author of Fairy Snow.

“OMG! Millman’s latest book is divine – a heaven-sent blessing for atheists, unbelievers, heretics, and anyone who still has a fully-functioning funny bone.”
– Gary Allen, author of Galloping Gourmand.

“A round of hilarious irreverence from a unique writer!”
– Jim Christy, author of The Rough Road to the North and Scalawags.

The Taking of the M.V. Acamar

In 1964, Andrew Morrison joined a crew sent to Greece to retrieve the latest addition to his father’s shipping company, the motor vessel Acamar.

While transiting the Gulf of Aden, the ship was hijacked by attackers seeking to recover weapons hidden in one of the cargo holds. The entire crew was murdered, except for Morrison, who managed to escape on a liferaft, hoping to drift towards his island home thousands of miles away in the Indian Ocean.

Will a miracle save his life once again, or will fate decide otherwise?

Meet Leon and Maggie Cobb

Most of us, as children, perceive our parents as perfect. Ah, the confusing age of innocence! Do you remember, as a child, thinking of your parents as though they were born as adults – parents, fully formed – and never considering that they, too, were once children? Now, as the shoe is on the other foot, how often do we reflect on our lives from childhood to adulthood? Can you recall the mistakes you made as you grew up, collecting them as “life’s lessons,” shaped by experiences that molded and defined who you are today? Some of those experiences may have been painful, even traumatic.

But such is life’s grand design. In hindsight, our parents – just as we – never were, aren’t, and never will be perfect, nor should we set such unrealistic expectations for ourselves. It is more than enough to be kind and loving. After all, no one escapes life’s moral challenges, whether they lead to good or bad outcomes. ‘Perfect’ – a word so overrated!

Now, as you reflect on your own life, you may find yourself wondering what unspeakable deeds your parents may have hidden, and who they truly are. For many, it may be too late to ask; for others, it may be fear or respect that keeps those questions unasked.

Meet Leon and Maggie Cobb in this tell-all story!

Shift

Sean is a modern-day hero in the year 2087 – but in his own time, few would recognize it. Most of his work takes place in the past. As a time-traveling agent, he corrects historical wrongs. However, when his latest mission fails to take hold, he and his team are tasked with uncovering why. What they discover goes far beyond fixing the company’s accounting books. They begin to unravel a shift of power that threatens their present.

How far back in time will Sean have to go to set things right? The rules of time travel are designed to protect the agents themselves, but when the past holds what Sean cherishes most, what rules will he break to protect it?

The Portal

This is the story of Robert Pearson’s perilous encounters with a time portal. Robert begins his journeys as a twelve-year-old boy in 1955. During a blizzard, he discovers the portal as a means of escape. The catch is that while the portal saves Robert’s life in different time periods, it also always places him in jeopardy in another.

Whenever Robert enters a new time period, it feels as though he’s lived there all his life; in most of them, he holds a position of authority. It seems that every place the portal transports Robert to is a potential trap. At times, Robert communicates with the portal, which is some kind of entity composed of both energy and matter, fluttering in and out of reality. While the portal never forces Robert to enter, it always leaves him with the same choice: flee or die.

In the hospital, Robert tells everyone about his experiences, but no one believes him. However, the portal has dealt Robert an “Ace” that he doesn’t yet realize he holds.

Gullah Gravestones ll

Sheriff Bill Price, Chief Deputy Charles Wilson, and Steve Riley should have known better than to wander through the swampy low country of South Carolina to revisit an old, spooky graveyard.If they are not careful, they will stumble into a deep crack in the haunted land, plunging into an endless fiery pit teeming with the evil creatures of the dead. Trapped in an underground cavern with no clear way of escape, they find themselves in a place hidden by the devil himself – a realm designed for one purpose alone: to generate evil and spread death to any who dare uncover its horrific secrets.

The Eyes Have It

Carrie Lockhart is a young teacher in rural Australia, yearning for a fresh start after her beloved father dies suddenly. When at her most vulnerable, she finds herself caught up in a seedy and violent coercive-control relationship. When her sense of self-worth has all but crumbled, a mentor helps her find a way out.

Carrie escapes to a small rural community in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. It is a beautiful, peaceful setting, where she has the soothing presence of her horse and dog. It is here that Carrie finally begins to overcome the trauma of her previous life. Will she ever trust another man with her heart?

Carrie’s story is at times brutal and confronting. Share the heartbreak, the pain, and the elation, as she takes on the courageous journey to rebuild her life.

Hanííbááz Rising

“Everything teenagers do seems silly when you have a family and a mortgage,” Jen said, “but to us, it’s life or death.”

Aaron has been in love with Jen for eight years. The problem is, he lives on the Navajo Reservation, which means nobody believes he has a future. She’s a popular preppy-turned-alternative girl being courted by several universities, hanging with her boyfriend, and living up the nineties. But when a werewolf disrupts a teenage bonfire, Aaron and Jen bond, and because of that bond, Aaron’s best friend, Mike, is bitten by the wolf.

A beautiful drifter will come to town and promise to prepare Mike for what is coming in four weeks. Jen and Aaron will get closer, much to the dismay of Mike, her boyfriend, and her entire social circle. The two of them must race against the moon to find a cure as innocent people are brutally slaughtered. They will have to face social persecution, Right Said Fred, an amateur werewolf hunter, curfews, a violent ex-boyfriend, and finals. With the help of a witch who calls herself a “goth,” and by “surfing” this thing called the “Information Superhighway,” the cure is within sight, but will they be able to use it in time?

And what if the wolves don’t want to be human again? What if they’re willing to kill to keep that from happening?

Welcome to Gallup.

The Malpais Legate

Ever wonder what life would be like if Russia and the U.S. actually launched their nuclear arsenals? Would mankind survive? What would that look like?

Follow the adventures of a young man navigating a post-apocalyptic desolation where he finds romance, adventure, heartache, and redemption. Along the way, he encounters a diverse cast of characters, from robots to the scum of the earth. In the scorching Texas heat, he witnesses the wonders of science and discovers the true meaning of love.

Join the journey of The Malpais Legate, a tale sure to entertain, excite, and tug at your heartstrings. Feel the crunch of the dirt underfoot and the sizzle of the sun on your neck as you travel with Joshua and his rescuer, Maria, in their quest to find a place to call home again.

Strangers and Friends

He was called a rhymer the first time he stood at an open mic.

Not mockingly – that was simply who he was and what he mistakenly believed was every poet’s way. But rhymers were rare then, and they remain so today.

Gentry’s only argument against free verse is that it has become the dominant voice, leaving few to march to a different beat. In this collection, he invites you to join him as he rhymes and meters against the tide, weaving tales where strangers are stranger than they seem, and true friends are all too few.

Black Swan Shock

Marla Case, an elite Olympic-bound athlete, finds her devotion to competition fading and chooses to step away. She considers becoming a medical responder and learns about the profession from a paramedic friend. Before committing to the rescue service, Marla accompanies her mother on an academic tour that ends abruptly when a massive earthquake strikes. The athlete reacts to save victims with her physical skills and newly acquired understanding of some emergency medical actions. She becomes a beacon of hope for the citizens of St. Louis, Missouri. However, personal tragedy affects Marla, as well, and she struggles to find catharsis herself. Black Swan Shock is the second book in Vettori’s Black Swan trilogy, although each of the three books can be read independently.

The first novel, Black Swan Impact, is a sci-fi political thriller that takes place in 2113. Having recovered from the devastation of World War III and reaching new scientific advancements, people believe only prosperity lies ahead until an emerging deadly pandemic threatens all of humanity. Dr. Syia (Sī-yuh) Case, National Institutes of Health Director of Epidemiology, is invited to advise US President Daniel Piper and the White House Crisis Action Team to try to mitigate the threat. Actions required to protect US citizens from the lethal virus become increasingly challenging. However, when Piper steers the country toward questionable courses, Dr. Case and the strident voices on the task force find there is more than a virulent virus to fight.

Black Swan Terror will round out the series.