Spots on a Leopard

The title of this book was born the day I walked into my therapist’s office, believing that there was no hope of healing for me. The scars I carried were embedded in me from infancy, and I asked her: “Are we trying to change the spots on a leopard here with me? Are not some of these negative traits so deeply imprinted that we’ll never root them out, no matter how hard we try?”

And she replied, without a flinch, without hesitation, and with full confidence, “You were raised by leopards. Those spots were never yours to begin with. Those spots belong to them and we will root them out, one by one.” That moment changed my life. Right then and there, I turned a corner and faced the sunlight for the first time. There was hope. I could heal. I could become whole again.

St. Damon's Hall

This Young Adult novel takes place in a small New England town and is a coming of age story for Frankie Folinari and his friends. While all of these friends are special in their own way, Frankie’s many trials and tribulations tell the story of a particularly special young man. Frankie is not just the leader of the group, he’s an emerging 21^st century hero trying to understand and control his emerging powers.  This gripping novel tells the story of 6 friends whose lives were forever changed and their paths altered by their chance meeting. This adventurous tale takes many twists and turns as this group hunts for justice while some even find love along the way.

Stolen Inheritance

Stolen Inheritance has a universal appeal, but should prove to be of particular interest to those who are looking to connect or re-connect with the peoples of Africa and Eurasia. Peoples of these two largest and one of the most populous continents have traded, fought, and inter-bred since the first recording of human existence. Older readers may find some of the evidence provided difficult to accept, as it challenges some of their own taken-for-granted understanding of racial thinking, whilst young readers may be encouraged to explore the value of human diversity. But, whoever you are, it is hoped that you will enjoy reading this book, as you travel from Ancient Khemet (Egypt), through western and northern Eurasia, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the lands of the Americas.

Stranger in My Own Skin

After being medically retired out of the Marine Corps, Cody found himself separated from his wife and son, and struggling to deal with a brain injury that had fractured his personality and robbed him of all the things he thought he was. No longer able to stand the face in the mirror, he quickly fell down a rabbit hole of alcoholism, and self-loathing unable to forgive himself for the life he destroyed.

Even though he moved to a new city and tried to start over by going to school and doing the ‘right’ things, he still felt like an empty shell, a ghost living in skin that didn’t belong to him. It all came crashing down one summer afternoon when a still suffering from a massive hangover, he truly saw himself in the mirror for the first time, gaunt, broken, and pathetic. Staring at his reflection he knew something had to change. One way or another.

String Too Short to Tie

Told with humor and affection, String Too Short to Tie tells the story of the powerful ties of land and family. The author, called Dalinda in this memoir, rumbles down the dusty Texas road where she grew up, struggling with ambivalence toward proud family and friends who stayed while she left. Life has changed since the bustling time of the ’50s and ’70s when Buddy Holly was a sensation down the road in Lubbock and her rural town of Tumbleweed bustled with energy, plentiful water, and her beloved farm families prospered. What will she and her classmates have in common as they work to plan their 50^th class reunion? How will they feel about the Midwestern teacher she became versus the Texas farm girl they knew? How will she ever work with her headstrong sister to figure out how to honor their family farm?

Laugh and cry as Dalinda works to resolve conflicting values over land, entitlement and lifestyle, unearthing small nuggets of delight and redemption that come when each of us tumble back home and remember a time when we were all “raised with guilt and red Jell-O.”

Stripping

Embark on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance in Stripping - Taking Off Everything to Love What’s Underneath. Join me as I guide you through my personal odyssey from Point A to Z, a path marked by challenges, revelations, and triumphs. As a woman who embraces her unique identity, I invite you to delve into my world and understand the essence of who I am.

Stripping away layers isn’t just an act; it’s an art form of embracing one’s true self. This book is more than a story; it’s a manifesto on the power of self-love and the liberation that comes with it. Once you learn the art of stripping away external expectations and societal norms, you’ll find a profound freedom and an unreturnable transformation.

Discover the beauty beneath the surface, and learn to love the unadorned, authentic you. ‘Stripping’ isn’t just about removing what’s on the outside; it’s about revealing and cherishing what lies underneath.

Struggling to Survive

Telling your sons, you still don’t feel right for the past 20 years and you don’t know what is going on is hard to do. How do you assure them that their dad will be ok? He doesn’t want them to worry more and keep being upset.

Vinnie has had a hard life. He’s been through major health issues and had to battle them to survive. He’s had to deal with his demons to live for his sons. How does he do it? How does he live a life that isn’t a life?

Vinnie thought he finally conquered his demons but feels he is being pulled back into that world he thought he had left. On top of all that is going on, other obstacles have risen for him to battle. But he knows whatever comes his way, he’ll have to conquer these obstacles to be here and to keep being a father to his sons.

Struggling to Survive tells the continuing story of Vinnie’s life and what is going on now and what he is battling. His journey is still ongoing and he feels like it’s never going to end. How much more can a person take and deal with? The never-ending physical, emotional and mental feelings and pain still has a hold of him.

How is he surviving everything, how is he feeling inside? To know he is still dealing with everything for the past 20 years has Vinnie very tired. But one thing about him, Vinnie will never give up or quit in getting what he wants and getting to where he wants to be. What he is looking for is an end to this nightmare of a life and live the rest of his life pain-free, happy, and with his sons.

Vinnie’s saga continues. Let’s take a look on how this courageous man deals with life and how he is going to overcome this life that has been handed to him. The continuing battle he endures for himself and his sons and how he is set to end his story. No quit in him, he’s a warrior.

Vinnie says, “I feel compelled to continue telling my story in hopes of helping others who are struggling in life. I do struggle to survive. We are not promised tomorrow, so live your life to the fullest. LIVE…”

Sustained by Love Through the Wars

I hate war. War kills. War maims. War orphans. And it leaves a deep scar not only on the land, but also in the hearts of those who are affected by the war. I am one of those who carry a deep emotional wound to this day, more than sixty years later.

During WWII under Japan, my father was imprisoned because he was a Christian minister, who refused to bow down to the picture of the Japanese emperor. My elder brother volunteered to join the Japanese military in the hope of having his father released from the prison. He left home as a vibrant 15-year-old boy and returned home as a worn-out, injured, 18-year-old man; he died a year later. He was my best friend. During the Korean War, North Koreans took my father away. He never returned.

Sustained by Love through the Wars is a story of love, sacrifice, faith and suffering all wrapped in one package. The heroine in the story is my mother. Mother prayed without ceasing. Through her unceasing prayers, she was able to walk through the dark tunnel of trials and tribulations and lead us onward with love and grace, and absolute faith in God.

Take Me Home

Take Me Home is a collection of short stories based on the author’s experiences as a sports-loving boy growing up in Indiana in the 60s and as a practicing attorney in Florida. Each story presents vivid local colors and memorable characters. Many present-life passages are to be navigated and moral questions are to be pondered. Take Me Home is a light but worthwhile read that you will want to pass along to your family and recommend to your friends.

Tales For The Trivial

Life is hard, even on good days. We all know and accept this as a fact. But as we go through this journey and look around us, we tend to focus on the major obstacles in the way and ignore the tiny, trivial things. Even the most basic decisions we take for granted have deeper connotations than we realize in the moment. From trying to find the right shirt to wear to the gym as a male who is not built like a college athlete to dating as a single father and trying to do it in a way that does not damage the relationship you have with your wonderful children, the most basic things in life deserve to have some importance tied to them. By delving into this collection of thoughts and observations, you not only help me to feel like I have contributed something noteworthy to an otherwise simple life so far, but hopefully it can also remind you that you are not alone in the everyday thoughts you have as you navigate your own little worlds.

Tales of Agonies

Given the current Nigerian security quicksand, characterized by a plethora of human brutality seen in only very few countries of the world, the book offers coping resources primarily to Christians, who seem to be the most vulnerable group. Of course, these could be of help to non-Christians as well. This intervention has become necessary as people live in constant anxiety, fear, and apprehension and are, in fact, distressed. Consequently, human life is unprotected, miserable, and strained. The social, economic, and political life of the country is off-kilter. Only multiple intensive surgical interventions, such as those offered in the book, can save the day. Thus, a synergy of psychological and spiritual resources and techniques is considered robust enough for this purpose. In this way, they are conducive to effective coping and full functioning, not only in hostile environments.

Tears of Joy

This is the true story of my childhood in Vietnam, born into poverty after the Vietnam War. Through twenty-two attempts of escape, we had to withstand a lot of obstacles and hardships and risk our lives to be able to reunite with my father in America.

During the last escape, our boat, filled with seventy-three people, was caught in a big storm and we were in the middle of the ocean for three days and nights. We were surrounded by water and total darkness. Many times, the powerful wind and waves knocked against our little boat, trying to sink us to the bottom of the lifeless ocean.

This is one of the many stories of the millions of Vietnamese people who escaped from Vietnam for freedom and a better opportunity. This book will hopefully inspire and motivate the younger generation and I hope for them to learn to appreciate what they have and not take things for granted. This is my piece of history.