The Goatman

The Goatman…A Brief Synopsis

The Goatman is a coming-of-age fictional murder mystery set in North Georgia. The book weaves fiction with fact, integrating colorful characters from the author’s childhood. It is the story of Zeb Barton, a fourteen-year-old boy navigating the complexities of adolescence in a turbulent, increasingly dangerous era. The book threads together Zeb’s adventures with characters like his cantankerous, workaholic physician father (“Doc”), pugilistic friend Jake, gun-toting maid and mentor Thelka, and Wanda, the Sheriff’s daughter who’s wiser than her years and makes Zeb’s heart beat faster. Set in the 1960s, the aftermath of WWII casts a long shadow over the characters, with some haunted by the memories of combat and others grappling with death and loss. As Zeb and the other characters navigate their own internal struggles, a menacing presence looms over them all—the enigmatic Goatman, subject of murderous legends.

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SiP

SiP (The SiP Saga)…A Brief Synopsis

When an enormous red and white striped drinking straw appears in the Atlantic Ocean and sucks up his dad’s naval battleship, twelve-year-old Jim Moss is left with no choice but to face his fear of water and search for his father.
Teaming up with his wacky inventor uncle, a bunch of fishermen (who think they’re pirates), and a group of bizarre alien castaways, Jim’s incredible journey takes him from a sleepy village in Portsmouth, England across the Atlantic and into the very edge of space.

If that wasn’t enough, the President of the United States is trying to stop everyone from blowing the straw to pieces, while the Earth could well be doomed if Jim can’t convince the mysterious presence in orbit that the world is worth saving.
SiP by Marius Trevelean. The last straw for Planet Earth.

SiP is a science fiction mystery adventure for tween girls and boys thirsty for new and exciting books to read. Suitable for middle school kids ages 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 and even parents, teachers, grown-ups with a sense of humor, your Gran, anyone who loves adventure stories, science fiction, and funny books! All content is good, clean fun, and age-appropriate for school grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th.

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The Anomalous Isle

Anomalous Isle…A Brief Synopsis

Lonely nine-year-old MARVIN only recalls the last three years of his life in a run-down orphanage because of amnesia. A day escape takes the orphans to The Grand Anomaly, a wondrous and traveling circus/carnival.

The two dozen Grand Anomaly entertainers—who exile on Anomalous Isle in a distant galaxy— arrive through the secret portal to Earth. DALISAY, a teenager forbidden to join because of her heritage, longs to see Earth and finally sneaks through the portal.
Dalisay encounters the orphans who unknowingly follow her return and scatter to explore Anomalous Isle. LUCAS and his small entourage, residents against The Grand Anomaly, discover the orphans—except for the lost explorer Marvin—and worry the uninvited kids will expose their hidden world. Lucas desires portal closure, which the entertainers won’t allow. Lucas needs strength, so he forces the kids on a dangerous journey across the island to retrieve the powerful Crimson Stick that allows control of the lion-like beasts who guard it.
Lucas acquires the magical Crimson Stick, but a chain of events transforms the lion-like beasts to rabidly attack everyone on the island.  Dalisay disobeying her forbiddance finally catches up—the release of a catastrophic fire-breathing flying monster determined to leave the island and trapped inhabitants to ashes.
Marvin surprisingly emerges and mysteriously leads the beasts to capture the flying monster. Marvin’s locked memories gradually return to reveal he is Dalisay’s brother, who supposedly had died. The siblings set off to learn the truth about Marvin’s disappearance and his unique connection to Anomalous Isle.

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The Jake Matthews Saga: Ascension

The Jake Matthews Saga: Ascension…A Brief Synopsis

Jake Matthews is bored out of his mind. A blind, teenage boy with no purpose, no motivation, and relative peace and quiet surrounding him.

One night, Jake is dragged away to another dimension to a planet known as Figueroa. On this planet, he meets The White Figure General, X-Otropolis, who tells Jake he’s been chosen to stop The Great Figueroan War and defeat The Black Figure.

Jake finds himself learning swordplay and developing his might to save a planet that is more connected to Earth than he thinks as The Great Figueroan War spreads across dimensions, where Jake not only has to save two worlds, but enlist help from unlikely allies including Thalia, the girl he thought was lost to him forever.

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Mercy

Mercy…A Brief Synopsis

A century of political turmoil, military upheaval, cultural ferment, and Great Men, ultimately people of the 19th century call it The Century of Progress. Armies more massive than ever before march across continents and groups of refugees more numerous than ever before leave their homes, many losing loved ones. Some ancient values may change, perhaps disappear, some ancient evils may survive, perhaps thrive. Russians eye lands around the Black Sea, and enviable peace reigns in the Holy Land.

A Russian boy named Fyodor tries to make sense of his life in his village and of the larger world in that progressing century as he grows into young manhood, middle age, and older. He tries to maintain dedication to family, community, humor, and conscience. Fyodor suspects the greatest challenge a person has in life is to believe in the goodness of life but he struggles against mere blind faith in that goodness and against the heavy if not intolerable burden of the alternative.

And who is following him?

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Immortal

Immortal…A Brief Synopsis

Ellie and Brandon are two detectives at the Porting City Detective and Vampire Hunting Agency who happen to run into Vanguard, an immortal and owner of the agency, one night while hunting a vampire.

The three meet formally the next day and Ellie and Brandon’s world change completely. Ellie finds out Brandon is not who she thinks and, hurt by his betrayal and lack of trust in her, seeks the truth which is far darker and uglier than she thinks.

Brandon, a man bent on revenge for the death of his parents, lives in Consumer Central where vampires reign in the night and hunts them down to find his parents’ killers ends up letting his thirst for vengeance endanger the only person alive he cares about and has to work with Vanguard and others to make things right before it is too late.

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My Father's Suitcase

My Father’s Suitcase…A Brief Synopsis

A gripping tale of resilience and survival that offers hope to others who have experienced family violence and suffered at the hands of a sibling.

A deeply personal and heartbreaking memoir that explores the
troubled relationship between Mary Garden and her younger sister, Anna. (Anna died in 2023, after a short illness.)

Mary unpacks her life of growing up in New Zealand in the 1950s and 60s, before making Australia home. She reveals complex layers of intergenerational trauma, including the baggage of her eccentric, deeply flawed father and the secret her mother kept from all of them, revealed only after her death. Mary deals movingly with her sister’s long battle with mental illness and how she once saved Anna’s life.

As she unravels these narratives, Mary touches on the guilt and shame familiar to anyone who has had to deal with secrets, violence and ‘madness’ in their family. She also shines a light on sibling abuse, the most common form of abuse in the context of family violence ‒ occurring up to five times as frequently as spousal or parental child abuse ‒ although it is often dismissed as ‘sibling rivalry’. This form of abuse causes far-reaching, long-lasting harm and trauma.

‘Writing with insight, restraint and compassion, Mary Garden shines a clear, unflinching light on her own family, and herself.’ – Maurice Gee

‘Mary Garden roars against injustice … a raw and unguarded account of a reckoning, a story a lifetime in the making.’ – Michelle Tom, author of Ten Thousand Aftershocks

‘With searing honesty, Mary Garden combines memoir and deep research to explore the complex nature of sibling relationships.’ – Nicole Madigan, author of Obsessed

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Bella's Fables

Bella’s Fables…A Brief Synopsis

Poor Bella is one tired Momma Dog! Her active puppies play all day and all night. She needs to find a way to get them to go to sleep!

Step into the enchanting world of Bella’s Fables, where a wise and gentle dog named Bella puts her own spin on classic fables to lull her energetic puppies to sleep. This charming children’s chapter book takes readers on a magical journey as Bella shares the timeless tales of the Tortoise and the Hare, the Ant and the Grasshopper, and more, all from her unique canine perspective.

As Bella’s puppies, Abby, Emma, and Freddy, listen intently, they learn valuable lessons about honesty, perseverance, and the perils of being too boastful. Bella’s charming personality shines through as she engages in conversations with her pups, putting her own twist on these age-old stories. Along the way, the pups discover the joys of snuggling up with a good story and the comfort of a loving family.

Join Bella, Abby, Emma, and Freddy on their unforgettable adventure through the world of fables and uncover the timeless wisdom and wonder that lies within. Perfect for any animal-loving child seeking a heartwarming bedtime story, Bella’s Fables is an absolute must-read.

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Pebbles and the Biggest Number

Pebbles and the Biggest Number: A STEM Adventure for Kids…A Brief Synopsis

The book follows Pebbles the butterfly as he travels the world in search of the biggest number. The story begins with Pebbles feeling bored with counting the same small number of objects in his garden. Eager for a change, he embarks on a quest to find bigger numbers. Along the way, he visits a variety of different ecosystems and encounters diverse animals, including a camel, an electric eel, and a frog. These creatures introduce him to larger and larger numbers related to their respective habitats, such as the temperature of the sun or the voltage in a lightning bolt. Despite facing several natural disasters such as an earthquake, an avalanche, and a tsunami, Pebbles perseveres with the help of his animal friends. The story concludes with Pebbles discovering that there is no “biggest number,” as numbers are truly infinite. Fun facts about numbers and nature are included throughout the book, along with a glossary and number chart at the end.

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Leave No Choice

Leave No Trace…A Brief Synopsis

In a daring, brutal act of terrorism, an explosion rocks and topples the Statue of Liberty. Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service is awakened by his boss with that news and sent to New York as the agent-in-charge. Not long after he lands, he learns two things – one that Gina Delgado of the FBI has been placed in charge of the investigation as the lead of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and two, that threats of a second terrorism attack are already being called into the media. While barred from the meetings of the Joint Task Force for his lack of security clearance, Walker finds a young boy among the survivors with a critical piece of information – a video linking the attackers to the assault.

As a radical domestic terrorist group, led by a shadowy figure known only as Jeremiah, threatens further attacks against America’s cultural symbols, powerful forces within the government are misleading the investigation to further their own radical agenda.

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