The 19th century or, as some would refer to it, the ‘asylum era’, was a time when insane asylums were expanded. In one of those asylums, a woman named Anne Stanbury is confined. She committed a crime but was determined to be certified insane and...

What does it take to get you to listen? What sort of tragedy might occur because you failed to listen? These questions are explored in the simple story of The Path to Reconciliation: A Christmas Story by Rita Pam Tarachi. When Anna’s daughter comes...

The Spark by John Kenny is set in the aftermath of a fire which claimed the life of one firefighter and left another, Donny, in critical condition. Slightly over a year later, Donny returns to work, doing the same thing as before, putting out fires...

In The Fairies of Turtle Creek, Jill K. Sayre has cleverly painted Claire Collins as a little girl on the threshold of something new. She is in the hiatus between girl and womanhood, in that last summer before high school and at her most impressionable....

Carol is not your average woman. In fact, she’s not a true woman at all, she’s a clone. But that’s only one of her problems at this point. The other problem is that people seem to be after her for no reason she can think...

Some time has passed since Carol not only learned who she really is and everything about herself, but also who her true friends and enemies are. People are not who they seem in this futuristic world and it’s up to Carol, Gen, Mionne, Vanguard and...

If you like reading page turners that keep you guessing, you’ll enjoy The Mangled Spoon by Joan Mauch. From the moment you read about the starving, dishevelled, and disoriented Miss Joan who is found scavenging for food in a dumpster in Chapter One, you will...

In Daryl Hajek’s Blood Blossom, Vivian Hutchins’ hope to reunite and restore her relationship with her younger sister, Christine, is ruined. Christine wants nothing but revenge – the dark feeling has not subsided, even after 22 years. She is hell-bent on going after their mysterious...

The Letter by N.D. Byma is a cute little story about a young girl who wants to write a letter to someone special but cannot put her words down on paper. She sits on her favorite bench in her favorite park; she tries going for...

The Essay is a children’s short story written by Isabell Niland and illustrated by Ashley Teets. Benjamin Stafford is a practicing attorney now, and he’s opened his own office complete with a sign created from an antique desk he inherited from his grandmother. It features...

The Uninvited Guest by Debi Graham-Leard is a murder mystery with a bit of amateur sleuthing thrown in for good measure. Gwen Andrews lost her husband, Parker, two years ago and, after retiring from the school, she takes up teaching music students in her home....

The Healing of Gaia by M.C. Nelson is a beautifully written book describing Earth's history with humans, and the planet's crisis that they have caused. It is an educational book with a message of hope and healing. It also serves as an inspiring call-to-action for...

The Adventurous Tale of Tiara Lee is a wonderful fable with a happy ending. Author D. Ryan Lafferty has written a moving story that includes many emotions like scary scenes, a sad past, and a happy ending. Written in rhyming form, the fable involves a...

In The War Blog by Glen Sobey, Crystal and her younger brother have been raised in Alaska by their devoted grandparents since the death of both their parents in a car crash 15 years ago. When their father suddenly makes an appearance, Crystal discovers that...

Alex Corso embarked on a new adventure by moving to Rome for a contract position with Zero Otto Marketing. His boss, Eleanora Persini, assigned him to work with Pernille Bjorn. Pernille, Scandinavia’s famous chef and cookbook author, was making her debut in Italy. Alex was...

Sierra was not at home that night and her car wasn't there in the driveway when her mother Laura reached home. Sierra was usually at home when Laura arrived. Her family had planned a family movie night to watch the latest Mission Impossible. Laura tried...

When you’re a writer, the characters you create become your best friends. You live with them, dream about them, obsess about their perks and anomalies and you help them, through words, to bring their stories to life. But when the characters surround a mysteriously lovely...

The Great Healing: Five Compassions That Can Save Our World by Stephen Erickson with Wendell Berry, Joel Fuhrman, MD, Jo-Anne McArthur, and Alan Lewis is an insightful book that will inspire readers to find their voices and use them; find their courage and take their...

The [New] New Patriotism by Jennifer Blackburn is an accessible book that brings to readers both American history and an analysis of the country’s political evolution. The book addresses core issues, ranging from the principles of democracy and liberty on which the American nation was...

To say that The Truth Effect (Rising World) by Anne Mortensen deserves to be the dystopian novel of the year would not be an overstatement - the premise of this near-future science fiction thriller is as close to happening in the same way the Doomsday...