Monday, December 2, 2024

New Release: Until Italy: A Traveler's Memoir - by Debra VanDeventer

 

Find it on Amazon HERE

Her life was calm, comfortable, predictable… Until Italy


Debra has settled into a routine in retirement—planning meals in advance, scheduling laundry and grocery shopping days, and eating lunch in the same local sandwich shop. She lives her life in a bubble. A bubble that is slowly suffocating her. On the eve of a monumental birthday, she decides she must escape. Her ticket: Italy.

Along with an endearing cast of supporting characters—husband Ed and best friends Anne and Scott—Debra leaves familiar ground behind in search of adventure. How far is she willing to go? Travel with Debra as she swigs limoncello in Sorrento, ponders the mysteries of Pompeii, explores the Amalfi coast, copes with loss on the Mediterranean shore, abandons a sight-seeing bus in Sicily, considers Italian lingerie, and finds her way to sunrise over Venice.


Through Debra’s eyes, you will experience the challenges and adventures of an ordinary traveler transformed by an extraordinary country.




Debra VanDeventer is a storyteller. This skill, along with her passion for reading and writing, have served her well in her experiences as an educator. Now, she focuses her creative energy into writing. Her style can best be described as creative non-fiction as small moments bloom into words. Debra is the author of two books: "Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life" and "Until Italy: A Traveler's Memoir". She is an active member of the Oro Valley Writers' Forum and has published in both of their anthologies. In addition, her short stories have appeared in the "Desert Leaf" and "Oro Valley Style" magazines. "Out of the Crayon Box" was selected to be featured at the 2024 Tucson Festival of Books.

Visit Debra's Blog:  https://seamslikeastory.com/












Monday, November 25, 2024

New Release: OJ's MOON - Untold True Stories from the Other side - by B.T. Wedemeyer

 

Find it on Amazon HERE

A few years ago, Brian Wedemeyer, an elementary school principal in rural Arizona, is watching a documentary about the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman when a question suddenly pops into his head. He expects to get a quick answer on his cell phone, but it is nowhere to be found. A former journalist, Wedemeyer does not give up. However, as he painstakingly searches through court transcripts from both criminal and civil trials, he uncovers some unbelievable stories on the other side of O.J.'s MOON. These stories are unknown to most followers of the biggest murder case in America's history because public attention is often fixated on the bright side of the moon -- whether or not O.J. did it. You know, the usual ... gloves, DNA, 911 calls and Mark Fuhrman. However, as Wedemeyer will soon learn, there is plenty more to talk about on the flip side of the "Mezzaluna," which stands for crescent moon in Italian.

Wedemeyer is the only person outside of law enforcement to interview Tom Lang, Nicole's neighbor from down the street. Prior to his death in 2021, legendary attorney F. Lee Bailey describes Lang as the "most compelling witness" of the O.J. Simpson murder trial -- but, for some reason, never takes the stand. Lang, a highly successful general contractor tasked with helping rebuild Los Angeles after an earthquake, is a very credible witness who was standing on the corner of Bundy Drive and Dorothy Street just minutes before the murders take place. In this book, Lang reveals, first-hand, exactly what he saw that night, and what does not happen afterward.

Wedemeyer also goes beyond one of many conspiracy theories to figure out exactly what happened to Michael Nigg, a former Mezzaluna waiter who knew Goldman and even hooked him up with a job at the restaurant. Nigg, who left Mezzaluna for a job at a popular Beverly Hills nightclub, is shot to death by thieves on Sept. 8, 1995 while on a date with his girlfriend. Michael's case receives very little media attention over the years and remains unsolved to this day. Wedemeyer is hoping somebody out there knows something, and that justice for Michael will eventually prevail.

Finally, this book will also reveal for the first time publicly the tragic story of Peter Argyris -- one of Ronald Goldman's best friends -- who falls to drug addiction after he and his mother are charged with arson resulting in death and insurance fraud. Just days before his trial is set to begin, Peter overdoses on cocaine.

This is not a book about O.J.'s guilt or innocence, although some of its details might sway your opinion one way or another. Instead, follow Wedemeyer in his primitive spaceship to the flip side of the O.J. moon, where some very intriguing stories are just now becoming unearthed.




Brian Wedemeyer is a former journalist now working as an elementary school principal in rural Arizona. He served as an Air Force photojournalist in Operation Desert Storm before working as a reporter and editor for nearly 20 years in Central California and Arizona. Wedemeyer had one question a few years ago about the O.J. Simpson murder case, and his search for the answer led him along an unbelievable journey and his first book, titled "OJ's MOON: Untold True Stories from the Other Side." He is a very active volunteer in his community, and serves as vice commander of his local VFW Post. He is a loving husband and father.



Monday, November 18, 2024

New Release: THE BUTTERFLY BUSH - by Josephine Defalco

 

Find it on Amazon Here



A gripping exploration of the enduring conflict between the past that defines us and the future that beckons us…

Growing up, and figuring out who you are, has never been easy. When Leandra’s mama yanks her off the family farm in Appalachia to fulfill her own big city dreams, Leandra learns that survival is best accomplished by pushing aside her country identity to fit into city life. Yet her Appalachian ways call to her heart, pulling her back to Mamaw, Papaw, the butterfly bush, and home.

While her rich, city boyfriend makes plans to start college, she struggles to find work while juggling family issues. As Mama turns to alcohol to ease her disappointment with her new husband, Leandra is left to look after her little brother burdened with trouble of his own. Soon she discovers she doesn’t belong in the city or the country and must see her journey to the end. But where that journey will lead remains both a mystery and a surprise, especially to Leandra.

“Josephine DeFalco gives us an unflinching, honest look at the struggles of the Appalachian people.”
Fannie FlaggActress, comedian, and author of the book and Academy Award nominated screenplay
Fried Green Tomatoes
.

“Prepare to get caught up in the twisting heart of a young girl on her journey from farm country life in Appalachia to the urban streets of New Jersey. A southern girl at heart, Leandra Barker must change to survive and thrive in her new environment. Ill-prepared for the difficulties that lie in store as she navigates a tumultuous home life, she finds the courage and resolve to create a life of meaning and ultimately realizes that following your dreams can get in the way of what is important in life.”
Susan Pohlman, Founder and Director of the Phoenix Writer’s network and author of Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought our Family Home.


Jo Lee Kennedy—writing as Josephine DeFalco—was born and raised in Arizona. Her work as a registered dietitian and registered nurse in maternal health, pediatrics, geriatrics, and hospice confirmed her belief that fresh food is the best medicine, and preventative healthcare is the path to a long, productive life. Her volunteer work as an EMT taught her that life can change in a heartbeat, and taking safety measures now can literally mean the difference between life and death. She divides her time between the Southwest desert and farm-living in south Wisconsin. More at www.josephinedefalco.com 

Monday, November 11, 2024

Why we write and read popular fiction - by Vijaya Schartz

 



New Release: ANGEL REVENGE, Blue Phantom Book 3 (standalone) - by Vijaya Schartz

Find this and more of my books at amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 

amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 


An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil pounding at the gate… What could go wrong?

Riddled with survivor’s guilt after Ragnarök, Valka wanders the universe as a bounty hunter. But when hired by angels to recruit warriors for the final battle against evil, she welcomes a chance at redemption.

General Konrad Lagarde, First Mate of the angel ship Blue Phantom, strongly rejects Valka’s methods. A stickler for discipline, he also considers this fascinating woman hazardous to his sanity, as she could make him forget all the rules.

Evil from another universe has infiltrated a secret society of former dictators hungry for power. Having massacred all the angels in his former world, the evil one wants to do the same here. The angels of this universe face their greatest challenge yet… destroy the evil one and avenge their fallen brethren… or the bringer of darkness will enslave us all.

WHY DO I WRITE AND READ POPULAR FICTION?

I always resented the authors who killed the protagonists at the end, after you invest your emotions in liking them. I usually never read another book from such authors, and I stay away from tragic endings. To this day, I cannot watch Titanic to the end although it is a true story, or suffer through the last episode of Castle. And I’m glad Shogun found a happier alternate ending in the most recent series.

If I want to wallow in sadness, I only have to watch the news. Life is difficult enough, complicated enough, hard enough, sad enough.

I read popular fiction to get uplifted, to forget about my problems, be transported to another world, another time, a place where it is safe to be scared and challenged, where justice will prevail… because I trust the author that the heroes will triumph and all will be well at the end.

It’s a secret pact between the author and the reader. No matter how bad it gets for the protagonist, even if a few secondary characters don’t make it, the hero or heroine will find a happy conclusion.

So, if I challenge my characters, if I make them suffer, be assured that it will all be worth it at the end. They will have matured, widened their understanding of life, and overcome their barriers to experience the rewards they deserve.

You can safely read my book, knowing that even if you cry a little, all will be okay at the end. 




amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 


amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 

Happy Reading

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo FB 

Monday, November 4, 2024

New Audiobook Release: Dervla Alarms the Nanas - by By: D.R. Ransdell Narrated by: Carol Wrobleski

 

Find it on Audible HERE


A morning jog, an unlocked door, and an angry lover add up to murder!

After Dervla’s boyfriend abruptly breaks up with her, she’s ready to kill him! His own grandmother and great-aunt are furious and applaud Dervla for throwing his stuff out the window. The next morning, however, Emil is wrongly accused of murder. The police are sure he’s guilty, so they can’t take time to investigate. The nanas call Dervla. She doesn’t want to investigate either, but once the elderly women accidentally trigger Dervla's other-worldly powers, she chases after the real murderer.


D.R. Ransdell lives in sunny Tucson but grew up in Springfield, Illinois, under the shadow of the third largest carillon in the U.S. This led to her travel novel, Carillon Chase. Her moonlighting in a mariachi group led to a series about violinist Andy Veracruz. In Brotherly Love he confronts his biggest challenge so far: teaching high school students! D.R.’s newest mystery, Party Wine, takes place in her cousins’ small village in Northern Italy. The villagers make their own wine, but why do they store it instead of drinking it?

http://www.dr-ransdell.com







Monday, October 28, 2024

Two New Releases by Lewis Kirts: PRICKLY PEAR and A TUESDAY SISTER

 

Find it on Amazon HERE

After decades of ranching, her father had made at least one vengeful enemy, and incarceration had only aided in festering that need for vengeance.

Then in 1886, Just before the age of twenty-one, Rebecca Morris' father passed, leaving her the Blanca Vista ranch.
Her husband of less than a year, wants the money they could make by selling the ranch.
But when Rebecca Morris refuses to sell, how will he react?
What will Rebecca endure to keep her ranch, acquire a new herd, and fend off enemies she never knew she had?




In this sequel to Texas in the Rear View, all is well… until it isn’t.

One phone call from FBI Special Agent Manny Waters disrupts the calm Arena Autry has found among friends.

It’s a familiar danger she has learned to escape… by running. But all those times in the past, she was running to save herself. Now, there are others to protect. Friends… 
and one man who could possibly be more.

To divert harm from those she loves, Arena runs toward the danger, confronting it, 
and putting her own life at risk.

What is it that Arena knows, and is more than willing to use, to try to bring her nemeses to their knees? But, will employing empathy to this task, 
bring about her own demise?

Take this perilous journey with Arena, as she goes off-grid to shield many from harm, 
while trying to save one person's soul.



Lewis Kirts was born in Maryland, where spring smelled like mud and winter was too cold for her comfort. With dairies on the matriarch side of the family, and orchards on the patriarch side, she claims to have been raised on peaches and cream.


She credits her love of western movies to her father, and her love of reading, to the English teachers of Poolesville High.

Years of working outside in Maryland had her longing for the warmer climate of Arizona.
She now resides in southeastern Arizona, with her husband, three donkeys, one mule, two ravens and a multitude of quail.

Visit her author page on Amazon HERE

Monday, October 21, 2024

New Release: INSIDE - a Howard Hamilton ride-along - by J.C. De Ladurantey

 

Find it on Amazon HERE


Policing the streets is less precarious than the intrigue and drama behind the balusters and bulletproof glass of a police station. The interaction with the public can be the escape our men and women in blue need to avoid the administrative bureaucracy that controls their actions and often dictates what they can and cannot do. Orchard Hill PD is not immune to the intrigue and changes that drive today's police departments. There are two things police officers hate. First is the way things are. The second is changing the way things are. Some try to hide on the graveyard or night shift to get away from the inside workings of a PD, but sooner or later, it catches up to everyone, even Detective Howard Hamilton. What occurs outside does not necessarily translate to what goes on INSIDE. Ride along with Detective Howard Hamilton as he unravels a series of mysteries INSIDE. • Was Detective Hamilton responsible for his Chief losing his job? • Why are his coworkers and family pushing him into a relationship he may not be ready for? • Are vice crimes victimless? • Are Hamilton's computer analytical skills up to the challenge of complex investigations? • Detective Hamilton and his team are propelled from a simple investigation into an international drug and human smuggling cartel that takes cooperation at the Regional, State, and Federal levels. • See how this intrigue unravels with a front-row seat in another Howard Hamilton Ride-Along.

With over 40 years of law enforcement experience at all levels, J. C. De Ladurantey combines street savvy and police department intrigue based upon true stories from a varied career. He served 27 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, attaining the rank of Captain. He was the Chief of Police of Torrance, Ca. for 5 ½ years. He was the Law Enforcement Liaison for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office for four years and completed his career as the Chief of Police in Irwindale, CA.


He holds a Bachelor's in Criminology from Cal State Long Beach, a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of La Verne.

Following the success of Cowards, Crooks, and Warriors, Twenty-Three Minutes, and Available Time, J. C. De Ladurantey has recently released the fourth book in the Howard Hamilton Ride-along series, INSIDE. His non-fiction books include Making Your Memories with Rock & Roll and Doo Wop, The Music and Artists of the Late 50s and Early 60s, and his doctoral dissertation, Creating Public Value Through Collaborative Networks.

Visit his website at: http://www.jcdeladurantey.com


Monday, October 14, 2024

They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat. - by Penny Orloff

 

Antibiotics were born about the same time I was. Suddenly, bubonic plague and spinal meningitis and syphilis and other fatal bacterial infections were history. Wiped off the face of the earth. All these decades later the resistant little progeny of that tiny percentage of the bugs that antibiotics couldn’t kill are still here, refined through the determination of their exterminators to an unfathomable degree of resilience and bad-assery. Survivors. And armed to the teeth.
On the anniversary of last year’s October 7 slaughter of more than 1400 people, with the resulting conflict still upon us, I find myself musing on survival. In December, as every year, my family will assemble for the first night of Hanukkah— a thousands of years later, annual remembrance of the Maccabees, a resistant little family of Yids (their name means “hammer”) who, by a miracle, survived a lengthy siege designed to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. An ancient iteration of Hitler’s Final Solution.
Most Jewish holidays are exactly the same: They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.
Babylon, Egypt, the Romans, the Spanish Inquisition, the Cossacks, Vilna, and worse... And all these centuries later the resistant little progeny of that tiny percentage of Jews that even Hitler couldn’t kill are still here, refined through the determination of their exterminators to an unfathomable level of resilience and bad-assery. Survivors. And armed to the teeth. If you’ve got mischief on your mind, you don’t wanna cross paths with an Israeli. 
Left unmolested we’ll dink around and amuse ourselves with literature and astrophysics and medicine and music and – oh – comedy. But after thousands of years of unintentional genetic engineering, threaten us at your peril. 
What is that indomitable thing? What is that resilient stuff my family is apparently made of that has survived to remember the Maccabee brothers, and light the Menorah, and recite the Kaddish for our dead, and then sit for hours scarfing latkes and chopped liver? With so many of our ancestors cut down by so many enemies—or by the diabetes and heart disease and cancer that plague such an inbred little tribe—how did we survive? 
My mother was an only child. Her mother got off the boat at Ellis Island with her little tribe of parents and siblings and grandparents, the battered and scarred sole survivors, the last remnant of a final pogrom that took out the rest of the shtetl. For all our PTSD and hypervigilance and mishegas, what is it with my family? How are we the ones still standing? Why us?
She was a lonely little girl in Toledo, Ohio, my mother, until the age of five when she met Eleanor on the first day of kindergarten. At last, little Ruetta Zimmerman had a sister. Eleanor and Ruetta were inseparable for three and a half years. 
When they were in 3rd grade, Eleanor’s family moved away. My mom was heartbroken. She carried the grief of that loss for years. 
Eight months after my mother married my father, in the summer of 1947, two months before my sister Tami was born, he took her to a boxing match. Dad greeted Bernie Lubin, another middle-aged Jew with a much younger, very pregnant wife. Eleanor Lubin took one look at my mom and screamed, “Ruetta!!” For the next 56 years the girls were inseparable. 
Eleanor had three boys—Bobby, Marty, and Stanley—and then a girl, Shelley. My mom had three girls—Tami, Penny, and Rikki—and then a boy, Mike. Eight kids in six years. Eleanor’s first born, Bobby, was the oldest; my brother, Mike, the youngest. Our families lived three blocks apart. Because our mothers were always together, the eight of us grew up almost as siblings.
It was L.A. in the 60s... drugs, sex, and rock and roll, Baby.  
Eleanor’s 2nd, Marty, was devastatingly handsome. All the girls had a crush on him. Marty committed suicide by drug overdose before the decade was out.
A year later, while we were all still reeling from that loss, Eleanor’s youngest, her daughter Shelley—my sister Rikki’s best friend—came home stoned one night, went to sleep, and stayed there in a coma for three months. When she woke up she had the mind of an infant. She couldn’t speak or be toilet trained. Eleanor took care of her in the family house for the rest of her life. 
Eleanor’s much older husband, Bernie, died of a heart attack at the age of 63, leaving Eleanor to cope with Shelley. She had help. Bobby—by now a millionaire clothing manufacturer—and Stanley were there every single day. Stanley never did find work, but his mother and brother supported him in style. Stanley had a heart of gold; he was cheerful and funny. Wherever he was, there was sunlight. 
Stanley died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 53. Now it was just Eleanor and Bobby. And Shelley in the next room. A few years later, in late December of 2002, Bobby was murdered in his palatial Hollywood Hills home. They never found the killers.
Eleanor hung on another year, her stage-4 cancer feasting away at her while she struggled to survive, unwilling to surrender because her death would mean Shelley would finally be “put away.” But, ultimately, the cancer won. 
We buried them one at a time. My mother and father and all four of us siblings and my parents’ seven grandchildren, our little tribe buried Eleanor next to Bernie and Marty and Stanley and Bobby. No children or grandchildren will ever recite the Kaddish for them. The end of that family. Just—gone. 
The famous Jewish guilt is survivor guilt. 
All eight of us kids came up in the same Los Angeles. We went to the same schools, we took the same drugs and crashed our cars and hitchhiked and courted the same dangers. Now well into our 70s, my siblings and I remain in robust health and vigor. My parents’ seven grandchildren are all healthy and successful. There are five great-grandchildren. Every July, the tribe gathers to recite the Kaddish for my parents on the anniversary of their deaths. 
Three thousand years ago there were perhaps three million Jews in the world. Today there are 14 million Jews in the whole world. That any of us, at all, have survived is a miracle. Jewish guilt is survivor guilt. And we who survive—we atone. Our penance is memory. We live on to tell the tales, to remember, all of it, everything, every year. 
They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat. 
For those of my race who have forgotten, I remember the four Maccabee brothers. I remember the slaughtered in Babylon, in Egypt. Slaughtered by Greeks, by Romans. I remember my ancestors tortured in Spain. The pogroms, Vilna, the Camps. October 7, 2023. Last month’s murder of hostages. The stabbings last week, and yesterday. Mom, Dad, Eleanor and Bernie—I recite the Kaddish for you all.  


Penny Orloff was a working actor and dancer in Los Angeles when a Juilliard scholarship took her to New York. She sang more than 20 Principal Soprano roles for New York City Opera, and she played featured roles on Broadway under directors Harold Prince and Joseph Papp. Theater, concert, and opera engagements took her all over the US, Europe, and the former Soviet Union. Her solo show, “JEWISH THIGHS ON BROADWAY" –based on her novel of the same name—toured the US for a decade, including a successful run off-Broadway in 2005. Her current show, “SONGS AND STORIES FROM A NOT-QUITE-KOSHER LIFE,” is on hold until the theaters open again.


She is the author of "Art as Lifework, Life as Artwork," a creativity seminar and workbook offered nation-wide since 1991; and is still procrastinating on her new book, "Who Would You Be If You Had Nothing to Bitch About?" A Tarot reader for over 50 years, Penny has used the cards in her counseling practice for decades.

She is a regular contributor of stories to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and has worked for a dozen years as an arts journalist for various online and print media.

Monday, October 7, 2024

New Release: ANGEL REVENGE - Blue Phantom Book 3 - by Vijaya Schartz

 

An unruly Valkyrie on a possessive flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil pounding at the gate… What could go wrong?

Riddled with guilt at missing Ragnarök, Valka wanders the universe as a bounty hunter. But when hired by angels to recruit warriors for the final battle against evil, she welcomes a chance at redemption.

General Konrad Lagarde, First Mate of the Blue Phantom, strongly disagrees with Valka’s methods despite the results. A stickler for discipline, he considers this intriguing woman dangerous, especially as she could make him forget all the rules.

Evil from another universe has infiltrated a secret society of former dictators hungry for power. Having massacred all the angels in his universe, the evil one wants to do the same here. The angels of this universe face their greatest challenge yet. If they fail to avenge their brethren, they’ll condemn this entire universe to eternal darkness.



Brace for an epic adventure through space, alien planets and space stations, battles between angels and demons, Cyborgs, a ruthless crime lord, an evil sect worshipping a red devil from another universe, and a dictator bent on building an empire. Add to this a determined Valkyrie riding a flying tiger, stealing dying warriors from battlefields and illegal slave markets.

All my Azura novels stand alone, but this is Book 3 and last of the Blue Phantom series, featuring a powerful angel as hero. General Konrad Lagarde, First Mate of the angel ship Blue Phantom, is an Avenging Angel serving the Formless One. He is disciplined to a fault, vegetarian, ascetic, and only knows duty in the service of good… but will he be tempted?

Do not forget Sultan, the formidable genetically engineered flying tiger, telepathic and capable of mind-talk. Although he likes angels in general, he resents Angel Konrad and displays aggressive tendencies towards him.

Here are the two previous novels in this series, although, they all stand alone.

amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

Also in the same universe, the Byzantium space station series: 

amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

I hope you enjoy the read. And if you like this kind of story, don’t miss the other epic space novels set in the Azura universe, with human, alien, and angel characters… as well as telepathic cats.  

amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

Happy Reading!


Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats


Monday, September 30, 2024

New Release: Ember of War - by Daniel Dickinson

Find it on Amazon HERE

 

Three heroic tales from the Kingdom of Xonthian.

Ember of War

Life was complicated, but Korrith had the love of his life by his side. Together, they thought they would be safe from the growing hatred that Mages faced on a daily basis. When Korrith takes a supposedly easy job with his friend Edrin, it turns out to be far more insidious than they had imagined. Now, they are thrust into a fight for their lives as tensions between Clerics, Mages, and Kingdoms flare. Can love survive? Or will they become pawns in a much larger scheme?

Voyage of Tears

With the Mages now struggling to survive, the kingdom of Xonthian has taken a stand. Cain, a soldier in the Swords of Justice, is tasked with exiling them to the Fire Isles, a harsh, unforgiving chain of land. What should be a simple voyage turns into discovery, tolerance, and purpose. But will Cain and his crew make it back home? Or is something waiting for them in the waters?

Battle of Smoke and Fire

Driven by the thrill of life, Roaric teams up with a motley crew of rebels intent on saving Mages from being exiles to the Fire Isle. Their goal is simple, to cause as much terror against the Clerics of Gate'har and rescue as many mages as they can. Can they save themselves and the prisoners, or will they be caught and executed?



Daniel Dickinsons’ writing first appeared in an annual publication with his short story “Escape from Ogre Island.” He has self-published two other stories “Gathering Tide” and the newly released "Aggression Factor." He is a frequent contributor to the Arizona Author Association's quarterly newsletter.

At the age of ten, he began creating a realistic realm, Xonthian, in which his characters come to life, allowing the reader to become a part of that diverse world. Xonthian continues to evolve. The heroes Tiger and Bree, begin their sagas alone until circumstances bring them together. Future projects include a weird wild west tale, set in the world of Xonthian, and a novel featuring the titular heroes Tiger and Bree.

Daniel is a proud father with a beautiful wife. He enjoys traveling and photography, as well as food and art. One of his many hobbies is taking his daughter and grandkids camping at least twice a year.