Waffles and Wisdom

Date Published: September 6, 2026

Their familiar routine shifts when newcomer Myra Davis walks through the door.
Polished, watchful, and impossible to ignore, Myra brings new energy to the
café—and new questions. She charms Bill, unsettles Lou, and
begins asking about River Road, old land records, and the reclusive Deakins
sisters whose estate may hold secrets the town has tried to forget. As
Bill’s loneliness makes him vulnerable to the possibility of a second
chance, Lou’s instincts tell her Myra’s interest in Columbus is no
accident. What begins as small-town curiosity becomes a search through
courthouse files, faded maps, family rumors, and memories preserved beneath
pantry floorboards and long forgotten ledgers.

While Grant confronts a medical crisis that may pull him toward his daughter
in Madison, Bill risks his heart on a woman he barely knows, and Lou must
decide whether her suspicion is wisdom, jealousy, or an old wound warning her
too loudly.

As Myra’s connection to the Deakins estate becomes clearer, another
force emerges: preservationist Charles Pritchard, a man determined to protect
history even if protecting it means controlling who gets to claim it.

Warm, humorous, and gently suspenseful, Breakfast at Bernie’s: Waffles
and Wisdom is a story about friendship in the later seasons of life, the cost
of loving deeply, and the danger of secrets left too long in the dark. Set
against the comforting rhythms of a small-town café, it blends tender
character drama with a mystery rooted in family history, land, memory, and
belonging. At Bernie’s, every cup of coffee carries a story, every
argument hides affection, and every person at the table must decide what is
worth protecting—and what must finally be brought into the light.

About the Author

 Award-winning New England author, D. L. Norris is widely recognized for her
insightful contributions to literature and personal development. With a
prolific career spanning several decades, Norris has explored themes of
health, emotional wellness, family dynamics, and cultural history, earning her
a devoted readership. Her acclaimed novels, “The Long Way Home,” “Where the
Heart Is,” “Old Books and Faded Dreams: Collector’s Edition,” “Field of
Memories: A Tapestry of Heartwarming Short Stories,” The Intercessors: They
Walk Among Us,” and “Voyagers: Homeland to Heartland”—are celebrated for
their vibrant, oft-humorous stories and authentic portrayal of real-life
events and mindsets inspired by her beloved Scandinavian heritage. Norris’s
writing is characterized by its warmth, wit, and ability to capture the
complexities of human relationships, drawing from her own experiences and
family traditions. Through her work, she invites readers to reflect on the
importance of resilience, hope, and unconditional love, weaving together
narratives that resonate across generations. She and her husband, Quincy,
reside in the picturesque city of Hartford, Connecticut, where they continue
to inspire others through their commitment to storytelling and community
engagement.

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Gay Paranormal Romance

Date Published: October 9, 2026

Believing in love and in luck is something Gavin swore he’d never do
again — until he meets Ford.

After being left at the altar by his former fiancé, he’s a firm
disbeliever in good fortune and love. Though there’s an immediate
attraction between himself and Ford, they’re just too different to make
a relationship work. The sex is explosive and despite himself Gavin even grows
to like Ford’s quirky sense of humor and skewed view of life.
Isn’t that good enough?

Not for Ford. A happy-go-lucky diviner of fortunes and omens, he’s
sure from what he’s seen that Gavin is the love of his life and the man
he’ll marry. He makes it his mission to overcome Gavin’s doubts
and fears and teach him how to love again. Never giving up in his enthusiastic
pursuit of the once-burned twice-shy secretary, he brings Gavin back to life
and helps restore him to the man he used to be.

Ford makes Gavin want to believe in love again. But when Ford begins to
lose his faith, it’s up to Gavin to save the magic they have between
them and blaze the trail toward their happily ever after.

 

EXCERPT

 

“Something wonderful is going to happen today.”

“Were you talking to me?” A fun-sized blonde deliverywoman, no one
Ford had met before, juggled her armload of Flowers Fast! boxes to pop out her
iPod earbuds.

Ford grinned up at her from where he’d crouched to study the sidewalk
perpendicular to the museum service elevator he, and presumably she, was
waiting on. “Sorry, no. I wasn’t talking to you. Not that I
wouldn’t. Everyone I’ve ever known swears you can’t shut me
up for love or money. They’re usually right.”

The deliverywoman looked like she couldn’t decide between aww, cute and
running. “You’re a little crazy, aren’t you?”

“So I’m often told.” He’d bet this woman was one heck
of a character herself. She’d made some, er, interesting fashion choices
involving calf-length striped tights and patchouli hair wax. “I’m
Ford.” He offered her a hand from below. “Come down here and check
this out.”

“This isn’t some kind of cheesy pick-up line, is it? I’d be
flattered, but… okay, wow. From the look on your face, I can answer
that one myself. So not a pick-up line. If you were any less into women,
you’d be a gastropod.”

Ford laughed. “That’s a new one on me.”

“If the shoe fits. I’m Kayla.”

“Ford.”

“Like the truck?” The deliverywoman crouched beside him. Good.
Ford liked her, and her coming along for the ride was an excellent sign.
Something wonderful and something unexpected were set to happen today.
“You deliver for Rush Plus, right?”

“Packages where you want them to go as fast as you want ‘em to get
there. Or as fast as I can pedal.” Ford patted his heavy messenger bag.

“Pleased to meet you. I could use a pick-me-up. Delivering flowers is
surprisingly thankless work. What’s this good thing that’s going
to happen today?”

“I don’t know yet.” Ford waved up from their spot on the
sidewalk at the weird door to the external service elevator and the five
floors of refurbished mill-cum-museum it had to sledge its way down at the
speed of thick molasses. “It’s complicated. If you’re up for
it, there’s time for me to explain.”

“God, tell me about it.” Kayla scowled at the stubborn doors.

Ford had started to feel the burn of his crouch, the solid weight of his body
not really best designed for sitting this way, but he could take it a little
longer, and he had a good example right in front of him. A penny, less than a
foot away on the sidewalk. “Do you believe in magic?”

“Wait, what? Do you mean stage magic? Illusions and that kind of
thing?”

“Not exactly.” Ford nudged the penny with the tip of his finger
and waggled his eyebrows at her. He liked playing over the top. Made people
less nervous of the giant with his crazy talk.

“Ohh, I get it. See a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll
have good luck?”

“Exactly.” Ford levered the penny off the sidewalk.

“Ugh!”

“Hey, don’t knock it just because it needs a little TLC.”
Ford balanced the penny in his palm, where it looked lost and tiny in the
breadth and width of his hand. Or, depending on your point of view, safe.
Protected. “It’s heads up, even. Extra good luck.”

“Yeah, but where’s the proof?”

“You don’t need proof if you believe. And I do. Because it’s
true. This penny means it’s my lucky day.” Ford shifted and
winced. His knees had had enough of bearing all his weight. Time to stand.
“I need to stand up. Don’t freak out, okay?”

“Why would that tweak me?”

“You’ll see.” Ford stood slowly to give her time to adjust
to his size. At six feet nine with a proportionate build that could only be
described as solid, he liked to make sure people knew in advance he
wasn’t a threat.

Kayla’s eyes widened. She took a step back, then forward, her chin up.
“Holy cow. Sorry, just… wow, man. You’re huge.”

“And you’re itty-bitty. I won’t hurt you.”

“A gentle giant, huh?” Kayla studied him with her head tilted to
one side. “Okay. I believe you.”

“You’d be surprised how many don’t. Thank you. May I?”
Ford took her hand to kiss the back of it.

“Touché, Mister.” Kayla fiddled with a strand of her spiky
hair. “So you really, really believe in luck? What about omens and good
signs and that kind of thing?”

“Yes, yes, yes, and all of the above, yes. And you don’t,
right?”

When Kayla shook her head, a ladder of silver rings running along the outer
shells of her ears jingled. All positive signs that pointed toward good
fortune. Better and better. “Don’t shun me or anything. I’ve
just never seen any proof that all those old wives’ tales are more than
just stories.”

Ford grinned broadly at her. He loved it when someone was willing to be
convinced. “If it’s proof you want, I can do proof. Prepare to be
amazed.”

 

About the Author

A storyteller and a sewist, Will Okati has lived through a few Interesting
Times but come out the other side ready to roll. Looking for them? Look for a
keyboard or a vintage Singer. They’ll be there. They’re most often accompanied
by their beloved pair of orange-flavored felines: Hobbit (toothless, sweet)
and Onion (spicy, known to bounce off the literal ceiling in pursuit of a
ladybug).

Will likes to say still waters run deeper than anyone knows, and life — like
storytelling — is always a work in progress.

Will on Facebook

Will on Instagram

Will on Goodreads

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

Pre-Order Today

 

Date Published: October 24, 2025

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group

Superstorms flatten cities. Coastlines collapse. Climate change is no longer
theoretical—it is lethal. When a near-apocalyptic storm nearly kills
their family, teenage siblings Jimmy and Lizzie Marshall urge their brilliant
but reluctant father, nanoscientist Greg Marshall, to deploy a technology
before he’s brave enough to release it.

WhiteGrass—a self-replicating nanotechnology capable of removing carbon
from the atmosphere is the parent technology. It saves golf courses and ski
resorts and the towns they serve. Icarus could reverse climate change on a
global scale. It could also reshape global power forever.

To protect the technology, Greg and his wife Ginny, an elite AI expert,
reprogram the world’s most advanced humanoid android, Valada. Designed
as property—an object without rights—Valada begins to evolve,
developing emotional awareness, moral judgment, and something disturbingly
close to humanity.

As governments unravel and climate disasters accelerate, a covert alliance of
oligarchs, corporations, and political power brokers moves to seize
WhiteGrass/Icarus for themselves. Led by the President of the United States,
the syndicate will stop at nothing—surveillance, blackmail,
assassination—to control the technology that could save the world or
enslave it.

They deploy their own deadly android.

Now the Marshalls are trapped in a global sci-fi political conspiracy, hunted
by forces with unlimited resources, as skyscrapers fall, cities burn, and
artificial intelligence begins to ask questions no human is prepared to
answer.

At its core, WhiteGrass is a gripping near-future climate change thriller
about family survival, technological power, and the terrifying moment when
artificial intelligence stops serving humanity—and starts judging it.

Blending nanotechnology science fiction, AI humanoid emotional evolution, and
hard-science realism, WhiteGrass delivers relentless pacing, cinematic stakes,
and deeply human emotion. It is a story about parents willing to risk
everything to protect their children—and a world forced to confront
whether it deserves saving at all.

Perfect for fans of near-future disaster thrillers, technothrillers with
political intrigue, and science fiction where artificial intelligence becomes
human, WhiteGrass is a powerful warning—and an unforgettable ride.

EXCERPT

Mount Vernon Virginia

April 2048

Hurricanes don’t have preferred targets. Though sometimes seeming malicious, these mindless behemoths simply go where warm waters feed them and warm winds direct them. 

On April 1, 2048, Superstorm XXIII, lately a 200 miles per hour Category 7 hurricane, is now merely a 160 mph Category 51 as it heads towards dry land, aiming for a familiar target: the warm Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. In previous decades, hurricanes hadn’t advanced very far inland; but recently the most severe ones simply went where they went. This one was headed straight towards the home of the Marshall family. 

Virginia (Ginny) Marshall, scientist, scientist’s wife, and mother of teenagers, yelled at her husband over the storm’s din, “Greg, let’s get to the safe room.” 

Greg replied at the top of his lungs, “I already tried. The stairs to the lab and safe room are blocked by God knows what. And we can’t get through the storm by going outside. That would be suicidal. We have to go to the cis tern.” The family converged in the kitchen pantry and some descended into the dark, dank well, lifting the three-foot square tile out of the ornate marble floor. 

Greg said, “Jimmy, could you gather up your mom and Lizzie and tell them to hurry down here? We have to go down. Now. This storm isn’t close to over. It’s getting worse. Oh, and grab Uncle Emmett. And the dog.” 

“Daddy, please! Don’t make me go down there!” Fifteen year-old Lizzie Marshall was holding her father’s shins so tightly he couldn’t move. He was above her, still in the pan try while she was halfway down the ladder into the cavernous cement cistern. Why do I have to do this? she thought.

 Jimmy, Lizzie’s 17-year-old brother, and Emmett, her 98-year-old godfather, encouraged her to join them. She knew it was probably for her safety. But why do I have to do this? 

Greg held her tightly and they continued down the ladder into the dark, dank, frog-infested interior of the sub terranean room. “You’re doing great, Lizzie!” Lied Jimmy from below, “The water’s … fine.”

 This did nothing to assuage her fear, and because the waterlogged ladder was built for only one person at a time heading straight down, not for an off-center duo, a faltering step by Greg snapped a rung. The domino effect was instant, and Greg had to push himself and Lizzie away to where they were suddenly dumped into the cold, five-foot-deep water over seven feet below them. Greg was tall enough to touch bottom, but Lizzie splashed underwater and came up with her hair matted down, coughing up the slimy water.

 “You’re ok, sweetie, you’re ok. And the gunk will wash off.” said Ginny. “Thank god we have a good filtration system,” she said quietly.

 The water was cool, and the air reeked of algae. As the hurricane howled above them, Greg and Ginny took comfort knowing that their extended family (and the dog) were safe. 

Greg thanked his lucky stars he’d had the good sense to build his otherwise ultra-modern and immaculate Mount Vernon house above the swimming pool-sized water-catcher. The concrete dungeon was 60 feet long, 24 feet wide and five feet deep, with another two feet above the water line for maintenance. Bigger than most backyard pools, still it induced claustrophobia. Windowless, the only light came from what daylight remained in the kitchen pantry and shined through the portal.

 Lizzie, short for her age, imitated their one-year-old puppy, Augie the 4th, with her best doggie paddle. It was hard for her, what with the tumult around her. The sound of tree limbs slamming into the ceramic shutters was deafening in the echo chamber they were in, yet they could all hear little Augie, who was too distracted by the large family of frogs who were engaged in a belching contest all around the chamber. The pup kept changing directions, hoping to find a froggie snack. 

Everyone had a moment of amusement. Except Lizzie, who was too cold and scared and tired, and Jimmy, who just stood there with water up to his chin. His face in a grimace, which usually meant he was trying to figure something out. Although he was a good athlete, he considered himself much more of a budding scientist than a football player. 

“Jimmy, what are you smiling about?” An up-to-her neck-in-cistern-water Lizzie asked her brother, knowing that he just figured something out. 

“I’m smiling because the storm is almost over.” 

“How do you know that?” Lizzie asked, irritated. 

“During the last big storm, I measured the time from the eye to the end of the big wind. I’m guessing we only have about fifteen minutes before we’re in the clear. The back end will still be rough, but we should be able to go back in the house.”

 “Whatever, stop showing off. You act like you’re a PhD in climate science.” 

Jimmy retorted, “I don’t need a degree to know about the climate. But this isn’t climate. It’s weather. They’re different. You know that.” 

“I know that sometimes you’re a condescending ass.” Then she added in a whisper, “Just like Dad.” They both broke out laughing.

 “James Marshall,” Ginny had had enough of the bickering, “stop talking down to your sister. And Lizzie, stop with the insults. Apologize. Both of you.” 

“Sorry, Liz.” Jimmy smiled. 

“Sorry, Jimmy.” Lizzie choked back a chuckle. 

“That’s much more civilized. Thank you, children.” 

Emmett Grayson was Greg’s best friend—had been for years, ever since Greg applied for his first research grant for WhiteGrass. Emmett was a congressman then (ND2-Virginia) and a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He was able to convince his fellow New Democrats to give Greg enough funding to launch his flagship product and grow his company from two employees to several hundred. And to make enough money to build one of the most beautiful, intelligent, and sturdy houses in the Washington, DC area. 

‘Uncle Emmett’, a gruff 98-year-old in a world where nearly everyone either looked no older than 45 or was quite elderly3, was almost always on the verge of a didactic explication of something. Everyone in the family loved him, but Greg and Ginny remembered him when he was … gentler … and a little less verbose. 

“When I was in Congress, nothing was ever accomplished through anger or insult. You see,—” A thundering boom, louder than any of them had ever heard, shook the cistern violently and stopped “Uncle” Emmett in his tracks, much to the relief of Jimmy who had heard Uncle M’s anecdotes hundreds of times. 

The sound abated quickly but the five of them just stared at each other for a very long minute. All they heard was the muffled roar of the retreating storm outside. That, and the terrified barks of Augie4, the fourth-generation clone of the original Augie (who also had never heard a sound like the one that terrified this little black and tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.) Augie quivered in Ginny’s arms. Jimmy flinched at the sound and vibration but continued to work on calculations in his head. And the frogs swam, singing of their freedom, caring not at all about the storm. 

Lizzie hoped Jimmy was right about the storm but thought, But he and Dad aren’t in control. No one is in control. The storm is in control. 

BANG!!!!!! 

An ear-splitting explosion of something massive hitting something even more so nearly blinded all of them. It was as if they were standing inside an enormous bell that had been hit with a cannonball. If Ginny had a chair, she would have leapt out of it. Instead, she dog-paddled over to her husband for comfort. Lizzie clutched her brother; Emmett took hold of Augie who had just peed in Lizzie’s arms.” He held the pup tightly, as Lizzie, too, unintentionally made her own water. The family reached their arms around each other’s shoulders as best they could while they all steadied their breaths. 

Ginny whimpered through chattering teeth, “Greg? What was ththtthat?” He was an engineering genius, but he hadn’t the slightest clue as to how to identify, much less fix, whatever had caused that horrific noise, catching them off guard just as they had thought the superstorm was waning.

 “Dad!” cried a startled Lizzie. “DAD! The water is rising!” 

It was indeed rising quite rapidly, and they soon were all unable to touch the bottom. Greg was completely lost in thought and obviously troubled. 

He mumbled to himself, “The hurricane has almost completely passed us by. The winds are probably down to 120, maybe 125 miles an hour. The rains may still be heavy but that wouldn’t cause the water in the cistern to rise this quickly.” 

“And it’s warm water,” Ginny noticed. She sniffed the air and then tasted the water. “And salty. The frogs are jumping around. What does this mean?” she asked Greg. 

“Gin, honey, don’t worry about it. Just please help Lizzie. Lizzie, you take Augie. Emmett, hold on to something. I think I know what happened. Jimmy, come with me.” 

Greg and Jimmy swam to the spot below the entrance to the house where the ladder had been. The opening was much closer to the hatch now and they were able to pull themselves out with no problem. The once immaculate home looked like a tornado had dropped out of the hurricane and rearranged everything. ‘Unbreakable’ glass was everywhere. Chairs were upside down. The cupboard was on top of the sideboard and the dishwasher was being violated by the refrigerator. But the two didn’t have any time to speculate or redecorate. Greg ran straight through the family room, through the library, down a hallway to the observation room, and out onto the lanai.

Richard H. Smith, MSc., is a futurist, technologist, and climate policy expert
whose career has placed him at the intersection of nanotechnology, artificial
intelligence, healthcare innovation, and climate change foresight for more
than three decades. Drawing on real-world experience working alongside
scientists, engineers, Fortune 50 companies, and Ohgovernment agencies, Smith
writes hard science fiction grounded in plausible futures, where technology
collides with political power, ethics, and human survival.

Smith’s professional background spans leadership roles in nanotechnology
R&D, AI-based medical diagnostics, strategic technology forecasting, and
science policy, including serving as research director at a major university
medical center and founding multiple technology ventures. He has advised U.S.
and international governments on emerging technologies and was formally
trained on climate change science by Al Gore, giving him a rare combination of
technical depth and policy insight.

Raised in Virginia, Smith built his career while raising a family—an
experience that deeply informs the emotional core of his fiction. Today, he
lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a coastal community already facing the
realities of sea-level rise. He teaches courses on climate change and coastal
vulnerability, witnessing firsthand how future scenarios are rapidly becoming
present-day realities.

WhiteGrass is Smith’s first full-length novel and the culmination of a
lifetime spent studying how advanced technologies shape—and
endanger—civilization. The novel explores nanotechnology, climate
collapse, political conspiracy, and artificial intelligence becoming human,
all through the lens of family survival in a destabilized near-future world. A
prequel, The Iliad Virus, is available now, with the sequel Icarus Rising
currently in development.

Smith writes with one driving purpose: to expose uncomfortable truths about
climate change, technological power, and political control—while telling
a story compelling enough to feel like a blockbuster movie unfolding on the
page.

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A Story for a Fractured Nation, Healing America’s Divide Through
the Redemptive Power of Shared Purpose

Nonfiction

Date Published: Coming OCT 6, 2026

Publisher: Elite Online Publishing

The day after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, a New York
Times reporter called trial attorney Edward Blackmon, Jr. with one question:

About the Author

During four decades in the Mississippi House of Representatives, Edward helped
lead legislative and judicial redistricting efforts that dramatically
increased Black representation in the state legislature and judiciary. He
broke at-large elections, drew maps that more than doubled Black
representation, and created Mississippi’s first majority-Black judicial
subdistricts. He won landmark verdicts—$177 million—and fifty
criminal trials without a loss. Twice named one of the Nation’s Top Ten
Litigators by The National Law Journal, he has received numerous honors for
his legal and public service, including the J. William Fulbright Distinguished
Public Service Award and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators State
Nation Builder Award.

Edward and Barbara married in 1986 and raised four children, two of whom now
serve in the Mississippi Legislature.

In 1992, she became the first Black woman elected to represent Madison, Yazoo,
and Holmes counties in the Mississippi State Senate—a majority-white
district. She broke barriers as the first woman named Vice Chair of the Senate
Finance Committee, the first woman and first Black senator to chair an
Appropriations subcommittee, and the first woman from the Senate appointed to
the Legislative Budget Committee. In 2003, she made history as the first Black
Mississippian to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.

An attorney, mentor, philanthropist, and lifelong advocate for education,
Barbara has received numerous honors for her public service. Together, she and
Edward have contributed more than $1.7 million to Tougaloo College and Jackson
State University and supported scholarships for dozens of students.

Blackmon & Blackmon, PLLC

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Date Published: October 9, 2026

London, 1816. Someone is killing vampires and their Hosts, leaving brutalized
bodies on display in the heart of London. Makoto Morinaga, minore and lead
hunter for the Baron of Colbourne, must find and stop the madman. Yet the
mission is in peril almost from the moment it starts. In despair over loving
his master’s Host, he breaks his oath and finds himself bound through
Compulsion to the last person he would choose as his Host — the flamboyant
young man who has spent years pining over their master. Makoto can ill afford
this appalling distraction while he hunts for a monstrous killer.

Will Carter is an experienced Host who has offered up body and blood to
vampires since reaching his majority. He spent years learning the duties of
the Colbourne Host, only to have his dreams crumble when his master finds a
man more perfect than Will. In his frustration, he taunts Colbourne’s
lead hunter into committing a forbidden act. His punishment? Being bound to
the last person he would ever wish to hold his contract — Makoto Morinaga, a
man whose body he knows well, but whose heart is a dark mystery and whose
stoicism grates on Will’s every nerve.

An unexpected emotional connection heats their hearts even as their Host bond
heats their bodies. Just as they begin to find common ground, the madman
strikes again. Finding the madman’s lair might end the violence, but the
price might destroy them both.

WARNING: Adult content, including references to physical violence and torture
which may be triggers for some readers.

Blood. Thickening blood, smoking and bubbling to a slow boil. The fire above
it flickered in the shadows of the darkened alley. Postnato watched as the
demon and its unholy servant writhed on the cobbles in purifying flame. Glee
and eager satisfaction suffused him as he and his brother awaited the lethal
culmination of their night’s work for the Inquisitio Sanguinis.

The demon’s mouth had pulled back from those inhuman fangs in a
satisfying rictus of pain. The foul beast still struggled to free itself,
despite sharpened stakes piercing shoulder and thigh, pinning it against the
bloodied earth. The agonized contortions of the monster’s corrupt human
slave had ceased, becoming the involuntary spasms of approaching death.

“Revertere ad inferos, Daemon,” Postnato whispered, condemning the
beast to hell with a sneer. “Ad dominum tuum infernalis!”

Yes, back to Hell with you, back to your infernal master, he thought savagely.

The creature’s demonic struggles strengthened at the words, the frantic
actions accompanied by a harsh croak of anguish. The renewal of its futile
struggles only served to drive the stakes deeper into its flesh, and to fan
the flames consuming it.

Postnato resumed his silence as Antenato raised a cautioning finger to his
lips. He subsided with difficulty, impatient for the inhuman beast to
surrender its last breath.

After another quarter hour, during which the human half of their quarry had
become nothing but a flickering corpse-light, the demon gave a final shudder,
slackening in approaching death at last.

With a grunt of satisfaction, Postnato bent for one of the buckets at his
feet, waiting to douse the remaining flames after his brother had completed
one more task, tearing a final, hoarse screech of pain along with the fangs
from the dying beast. Antenato held his prize aloft, eyes aglow as their
quarry expired. At this sign, Postnato heaved the contents of both pails over
the corpses, smothering the fires with rotting offal gleaned from the
butcher’s slop midden. The smoldering ruins sent up an instant reek, and
he smiled in unison with his brother. This had not been their sacred mission,
but chance had given them a demon and now there was one less to walk the
earth.

Now to find the leader of these abominations.

Autumn grew up loving history, mythology, and all things Japanese, not
necessarily in that order. This eclectic love affair has bled over into her
writing, and her stories are always well spiced with the taste of Japan,
strange mythological beasties, or the lords and ladies of the ton. Sometimes
all three, leading to dark desires and forbidden loves.

And after all, dangerous passions should lead to uninhibited love.

Author’s Website

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A Truly Believed Love Story

Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Date Published: April 30, 2026

 

In a time when mythology as propaganda shapes the systems of society and
government, two unlikely souls come together to question the reality of it
all—what’s going wrong in the world, whether anything’s
right, and their own perceptions of honesty, dishonesty, and who they are.

Chillee and Gordie meet in Big Town, where their connection flourishes despite
the recognition that they could each be fatal to the identities they’ve
created for themselves. Chillee is a realistic idealist, a problem solver who
puts her faith in the truth. Gordie, too, is an idealist, but he thrives on
uncertainty, posing as a criminal to bring justice to white-collar crimes.
They vow to hold one another accountable, to push each other through the steps
to being a better person—the best person they’re capable of being.

In Chillee’s neighboring hometown, a county commissioner’s
election will determine the fate of the rural community—and unknowingly
put relationships to the test. When her best friend Willi asks Chillee to help
her run against her ex-husband, she returns to Colton Center with
Gordie…who has his own motives in mind.

As the couple continues to work with and against each other, Chillee and
Gordie begin to see the deepening cracks in the perceived rights and wrongs of
their world. No matter the outcome of the election, life as they knew it may
not be the life they continue to lead.

Truthful Lies and Bent Realities is a thought-provoking ride into learning to
understand the self and challenge the mind to keep asking the existential
questions: Who are we? Who do we think we are? Who do we want to be? And do
those identities intersect in the right places?

 

About the Author

 

Stephen Foehr, author of 14 fiction and nonfiction books, began his
career as a police reporter in Chicago. His nonfiction books examines the
relationship between music and culture, autobiography of the blues Taj Mahal,
and travel. His fiction deals with submission and how to resist.

 

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Historical Romance

Date Published: July 4, 2026

Who is he? Why did he desert his country?

His latest capture: a fine yacht. And its owner. . . Lady Victoria Grenville.

Who is she? Can an heiress to a fortune conform to harem life?

Amidst sea battles, kidnappings, and political menace from the Dey of Algiers,
Sinan and Tory start as captor and captive. But their fierce battle of wills
will transform them both.

Most importantly, if Tory can’t submit to him will he sell her at
auction? Or can she escape before he does?

Kismet has other plans.

In 1799, Lady Victoria “Tory” Grenville, a willful English heiress, is
captured at sea by Sinan Reis, a blond Barbary pirate captain secretly working
for a cause he can’t reveal. Aboard his xebec and within the walls of an
Algiers harem, captor and captive wage a battle of wills that becomes a battle
for the heart, set against real political intrigue between the new United
States, the Dey of Algiers, and the warring Federalists and
Democratic-Republicans of post-Revolutionary Philadelphia. Sweeping sea
battles, kidnappings, and court machinations build to a richly satisfying
historical romance grounded in meticulously researched 18th-century detail.

* New, expanded edition with a newly written epilogue extending the story into
the events of 1814, bridging to the author’s upcoming Regency-era trilogy.

* Bonus material: author’s historical notes, a detailed bibliography/source
list documenting the book’s research, and a preview/teaser of Shannon’s
forthcoming “Fire, Wind and Earth” trilogy (Ashes, Burning Bright; Whirlwind,
Burning Bright; Tiger, Burning Bright).

* Author Colleen Shannon was nominated by Romantic Times as Best New
Historical Romance Author and has won/been nominated for multiple industry
awards (including a Kiss Award) across an 18-novel career with over a million
copies in print.

* Limited deluxe hardback printing released to mark the U.S. 250th anniversary
with patriotic design features available on Colleen Shannon’s author website.

About the Author

She sold it herself to Berkley in less than a year, and at the age of 26 began
a new career and never looked back. The strength of her first book led to her
nomination by Romantic Times as Best New Historical Author. She went on to win
and/or be nominated for many other awards, including a Kiss Award for all
three heroes of her Fairy Tale trilogy written for Dorchester Books. One of
her six completed scripts is a modern, very different version to her Georgian
England set beauty and the beast novel The Gentle Beast. It has not been shown
as it needs heavy revisions but she moves easily between scripts and novels,
including original screenplays like Full Circle, currently revised after two
Blacklist evaluations. In the last two years, she has become one of Film
Freeways’ top winning screenwriters internationally, per Film Freeway
management.

Her 18 single title releases have appeared on many bestseller lists; she has
well over a million books in print. Colleen’s recent works include
thrillers and screenplays that combine her favorite novel story elements:
romance, suspense, history and action. Most recently, she published three
Kensington Lyrical Press romantic suspense. The first in the series, Foster
Justice, was released in December 2014 and ranked #1 on Amazon’s Western
Romance list. Colleen converted the story to a novel from the original script
version she wrote at UCLA’s Advanced Professional Screenwriting program.

Colleen Shannon graduated cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin
with a B.A. in Archaeology and more recently earned her Master’s in Real
Estate Development from the University of Southern California. She currently
lives in Austin, Texas.

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Finding Freedom from Body Image Struggles Through Faith, Motherhood, and
Surrender

Religion / Christian Living

Date Published: July 28, 2026

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

Hello Peace is a faith-filled journey for women navigating body image
struggles, identity, and the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy and
motherhood. Through a raw and honest personal story, this book invites readers
to move from fear, comparison, and control into surrender, renewal, and
lasting peace in Christ.

Blending Scripture, reflection, and practical journaling prompts, it equips
women to break free from shame, rediscover their worth, and anchor their
identity in God—not in appearance or performance.

For any woman who has ever felt at war with her body, this book offers hope,
healing, and a reminder that God is not calling her back to who she
was—but forward into who she is becoming.

 

EXCERPT

I was fourteen years old when my eating disorder began. I can’t point to one single moment or trigger — it was a slow unraveling, a quiet shift, one that started in my mind long before it ever showed up in my body.

What I can say is this: it came on with stealth, dressed in discipline, perfectionism, and control. At first, it looked like I was just trying to be healthy and gain better athleticism as I headed into high school sports. But without even realizing it, it turned into a desire to be smaller, better, and more in control.

Under the surface, it was never about food. It was about fear — fear of being too much, and fear of not being enough. Fear of being unseen, and fear of being fully known. And so I tried to control the one thing I thought I could: my body.

Looking back, it’s hard to put words to how trapped I felt. On the outside, I appeared strong, high-achieving, healthy. But on the inside, I was exhausted and empty. Every decision — every bite, every mirror glance, every scale reading — became a judgment of my worth. I was considered one of the lucky ones and technically “healed” by the time I was fifteen, but the truth is, I had only learned how to function with the demon still inside. I hadn’t dealt with the root. I hadn’t let Jesus in. And because of that, the chains remained — not always visible, but always lingering.

Over the years, those chains looked different. In college, they showed up again — quieter, more sophisticated, harder to identify. They hid under my collegiate athlete training schedule,

calorie-counting apps, and fitness goals. And even when I became a registered dietitian and began helping others overcome their own eating disorders, I still had moments when I felt like a fraud. I was guiding others toward freedom while secretly battling my own thoughts. I could tell them the truth, but I wasn’t always walking in it myself.

Fast forward several years of wrestling with confidence — and along came the moment I had longed for yet feared the most: marriage and the discussion of starting a family.

I had always wanted to be a mom. But I also feared what pregnancy would do to my body. I feared the weight gain, the stretch marks, the postpartum unknowns. I feared the loss of control. And maybe most of all, I feared that the eating disorder — the one I thought I had buried nearly two decades ago — would find its way back in.

But here’s what I’ve learned: God does not waste our wounds. He doesn’t ignore the brokenness. He redeems it. And pregnancy, the very thing I feared would destroy me, became the very thing God used to set me free.

The freedom didn’t come all at once. It wasn’t clean or easy. It came in layers — in whispers of truth louder than the lies. It came in Scriptures I had read a hundred times before, suddenly coming alive. It came in moments of surrender, one small choice at a time. It came when I finally stopped relying on my own strength and started relying fully on His.

And it started here — with recognizing that the chains still existed.

The Bible tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed — and that it equips us for every good work. Not just the work of motherhood or ministry, but the work of healing, of transformation, of confronting strongholds. If we want to walk in freedom, we cannot rely on our own willpower or discipline.

We must rely on the Word. Because it is Truth that breaks the chains.

About the Author

 Beth McCall is a registered dietitian, sports nutrition specialist, and
founder of Purposeful Fueling, where she helps individuals fuel their body,
mind, and life with purpose. With over a decade of experience working with
high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, Beth is passionate about
supporting both performance and whole-person wellness.

A devoted follower of Christ, her work is deeply shaped by her personal
journey of healing from an eating disorder and finding freedom through
God’s truth. Hello Peace is her debut book, inspired by her experiences
in pregnancy and motherhood and her desire to help women anchor their identity
in Christ.

Beth lives with her husband, son, and daughter, and enjoys running, hiking,
and spending time with her family.

 

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Instagram: @bethmiller_7
@purposefulfueling

 

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An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her
spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz
witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led
by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals
weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others
doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz,
innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows
Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who,
despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of
Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a
colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even
chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some
damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten
everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species
alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of
governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is
the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board
of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity
for all living beings.

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a
member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he
created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to
clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000,
McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by
the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for
Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from
Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology
companies.

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