Juxtapositions from the Good Vibe Lounge

JUXTAPOSITION: The act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side, often to compare or contrast or… to create an interesting effect.

Set in Central New Jersey, the Good Vibe Trilogy is a coming-of-age story following the lives of two young people raised in diverse yet dysfunctional environments during the late 1970s. When their lives connect, it impacts the destinies of their friends and family over a forty-year span.

Volume One, The Paradise We Create, introduces Andrew ‘Drew’ Reubens. As a teen, he is a girl-crazy, self-involved kid at the center of a clique of performing arts geeks. One of the many females in his sphere is unfiltered and misunderstood Alyona ‘Yoyo’ Zalenkov, being raised in a rural cult environment with warped family values.

The result of their unlikely relationship is represented in the modern-day events of the story, as Andrew hosts a celebration at his Central Jersey establishment, The Good Vibe Lounge. When the younger generation of his family expresses a desire to understand more about their back story, Andrew pivots, between modern times and 1977, his climactic senior year of High School to weave the story of Drew and Yoyo… and a collection of characterful events and relationships along the way.

With the help of some of his oldest friends, Andrew takes a tour of the often comedic, sometimes tragic.. but all-so-typical journey of adolescents faced with the transition to life as adults in the real world.

The Good Vibe saga is a forty-year history of characters who navigate thru the wonders, challenges, and destiny of human interplay. Along the way, they take on these dynamics, with juxtaposed tales of adolescent frivolity, dysfunctional family, enduring friendship, the depth of romance and sensuous love, criminal behavior, deception, success, failure, the thrill of knowledge, personal progression, and… a good dose of recovering from regrets.

And ultimately seeking to balance ‘what might have been’ with everything happening at the place where reality meets up with all of it… for a reason.


Meet Kaycee Evans

Diversity has been the center of Kaycee Evan’s life. His experiences have spanned from being a Musician, Composer, Actor, and Teacher to working as a Social Services Professional and in the Hospitality Industry. In the late 1980s, after transitioning to life in the Sunshine State, Kaycee became an activist for local anti-censorship organizations and a public speaker on social justice and homeless issues. He has authored three stage plays, ‘On the Air,’ ‘Frostproof Blues,’ and ‘But.. Who’s Counting’, the latter serving as the inspiration to author the stories of the Good Vibe Trilogy, his first offering as a novelist.

Born at the tail-end of the Baby Boomers, Kaycee is a Father and Grandfather who has always been amused and taken pride in his diverse interests.

“I can wake up to Jazz, walk the dogs, argue politics, analyze science fiction movies, scream at my Fantasy Football lineup, create a new cocktail and enjoy a bawdy Broadway Musical all in the same day.”

Vita Aeterna

With the fate of the world in the balance, one outlier could tip the scales towards salvation or disaster. Alex Barret lives in ‘the Quarters’, a set of broken-down slums surrounding a glittering walled-off city called the First Circle. Like all kids his age, on his sixteenth birthday Alex is scheduled for Appraisal, an unpredictable medical procedure with the potential to extend his lifespan. In a world where everything else costs, for some reason Appraisal is free. But no Appraisal scenario Alex has ever heard of has prepared him for his own experience – he’s abducted, imprisoned, and subjected to brutal medical experiments in a high-tech lab. He escapes and goes on the run, a heartbeat ahead of a ruthless army led by the most powerful man in the world. Piecing together the clues behind his kidnapping, he uncovers a treacherous plot that only he can derail. But to succeed, he must penetrate the First Circle, the forbidden abode of the ruling class.

Meet Jay Allan Storey

Jay Allan Storey is a musician, international traveler, and author. Jay has traveled the world, passing through many places in the news today, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Swat valley in Pakistan. He has worked at an amazing variety of jobs, from cab driver to land surveyor to accordion salesman to software developer. Jay is the author of THE ARX, the BLACK HEART series, the VITA AETERNA series, and ELDORADO, and a number of short stories and screenplays. Two new novels are in the works for 2023. His stories always skirt close to the edge of believability (but hopefully never cross over). He is attracted to characters who are able to break out of their stereotypes and transform themselves. He loves both reading and writing, both listening to and playing music, and working with animals. He’s crazy for any activity relating to the water, including swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Jay is married and lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Wanted By The Billionaire

Eight years ago, I was supposed to marry her.
Instead, I destroyed her family and then abandoned her.

Broken and hurt, she delivered me a savage blow in return.

Naturally, that should have been the end of us.

Except that I still want her.

Even after all these years, memories of her linger in a mix of pain and desire.

And now the sassy girl who once set my world on fire is suddenly in my city, curating art she has no idea that she inspired.

Her body still ignites under my touch, but her eyes hold a cold, hard resolve to never re-engage with her family’s arch-enemy.

To prove to Sabrina that I’m not the monster she believes me to be, I’m determined to confront the past she avoids at all costs.

In my relentless pursuit for answers, I uncover a web of lies and deceit so shocking, it threatens to tear us apart again.


Nineteen Hundred Days

Twelve-year-old Ben panics when his parents don’t come home from work one day, while his timid six-year-old sister Lucy clings to him for support. Having been raised to believe that the police and Child Protective Services are considered the enemy, the children will do anything to avoid ending up in foster homes. Unfortunately, their incredible journey to evade the authorities brings them into contact with people who may not have their best interests at heart. The lessons Ben learns in his nineteen-hundred-day journey, as he tries to get his own life on track and protect the lives of others, serve to prepare him for what lies ahead.

Meet Florence Osmund

After a long career in the corporate world, Florence Osmund retired to write novels. “I strive to write literary fiction and endeavor to craft stories that challenge readers to survey their own beliefs and values,” Osmund states. In addition to her store of published novels, Florence wrote “How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Novel” which offers substantial advice for new and aspiring writers including how to begin the project, writing techniques, building an author platform, book promotion and more. Florence lives on a small tranquil lake in northern Illinois, where she continues to write novels and enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer.

Warlock & Wyrm, Book III of The Oxbow Kingdom Trilogy

Jetsam abandons his mentor Seryn to rescue the abducted princess. While Seryn struggles to cure the poisoned royal couple, Jetsam discovers a legendary warlock commands the kidnapper. Can Jetsam save the heir and warn Seryn of the warlock’s advancing horde, and will they stand a chance against the Grimlord’s forces?

Meet C. M. Skiera

C. M. Skiera currently lives in the American Southwest, a long way from Michigan, where he grew up, graduated from Michigan State University, and started a career as an environmental engineer. He and his wife are devoted dog-lovers who share their home with rescue Chihuahuas. Crimson & Cream is C. M. Skiera’s debut epic fantasy novel. He started writing Crimson & Cream in 1999, and after many twists and turns, 13 drafts, plenty of rejections, the arrival of the 21st Century and the advent of online self-publishing, the ebook was self-published in 2012. After that, Mirrors & Mist (2015) and then Warlock & Wyrm (2017) followed as the second and third books of The Oxbow Kingdom Trilogy.

Crimson & Cream

Hounded by watchmen, trolls, goblins, and a relentless bounty hunter, Jetsam dreams of the day he’ll no longer have to run to survive. Crimson & Cream is the story of a 13-year old orphan who finds himself a victim of circumstance, his life more difficult each day. A series of life-changing events force him to boldly decide his future, while trying to sort out the mysteries of his troubled past.

Meet C. M. Skiera

C. M. Skiera currently lives in the American Southwest, a long way from Michigan, where he grew up, graduated from Michigan State University, and started a career as an environmental engineer. He and his wife are devoted dog-lovers who share their home with rescue Chihuahuas. Crimson & Cream is C. M. Skiera’s debut epic fantasy novel. He started writing Crimson & Cream in 1999, and after many twists and turns, 13 drafts, plenty of rejections, the arrival of the 21st Century and the advent of online self-publishing, the ebook was self-published in 2012. After that, Mirrors & Mist (2015) and then Warlock & Wyrm (2017) followed as the second and third books of The Oxbow Kingdom Trilogy.

The Swish

“Properly interesting – a teen novel about creativity, confidence and upcycling clothes. About time!” – Dawn French Screw waiting for life to hand me a fairytale… I’m gonna earn it! Kat is broke. Bullied by ‘mean girls’, blanked by her cool boy crush, and trapped between her warring parents, she has one escape: to sew. From scraps and cast-offs, she creates gorgeous designs she models for her mates down their dingy backstreet. But when her parents can’t afford the heating bills, dare Kat sew her own gown for the Winter Wonderland Ball? Or will the haters rip her to shreds? The Swish is a funny, honest story of one girl’s attempt to transform herself through hard work, creative cheek and the flash of a needle. Turning rags to (kinda!) riches, can ‘alley Kat’ storm the catwalk – and rock the ball? Free to download from Friday the 28th of July until midnight on the 1st of August 2023!

Meet Tash Bell

With a career presenting for TV and writing for the national press (tashbell.org), Tash Bell relishes the chance to create buzz for an issue she cares about. Her previous writing has garnered acclaim (‘Impossible to read without laughing out loud’, Tony Parsons. ‘Cheeky, sassy and very readable’, Lorraine Kelly). Sustainable fashion is a hot topic for today’s media. But while celebs trips over themselves to appear ethical on the red carpet, Tash wants to inspire teenagers to do it for themselves. At a time when we’re all learning to do more with less, she hopes Kat’s funny, feel-good story will empower readers: work hard, and you can be your own label (whatever that looks like). Tash plans to put a healthy chunk of book revenue towards funding her fashion upcycling workshops for cash-pressed kids and young carers, and has already started work on the sequel. She wants The Swish to inspire teenagers take fashion back into their hands – where it belongs!

Muskets & Masquerades

Jack and Annalisa are married only five months when, enroute to France, a shipwreck separates them. On different shores, each believes the other dead. But when Annalisa learns Jack is alive, she returns to America and discovers much has changed. After a betrayal, she flees town as her alter ego, Benjamin Cavendish, and joins the Continental Army.

Unbeknownst to Annalisa, Jack has also joined the Continentals, harboring shameful secrets from his days in mourning. Against the backdrop of war with Britain, façades mount between Jack and Annalisa, and the merry minuet of their adolescence dissolves into a masquerade of deceit, one which threatens to part them forever.


Meet Lindsey S. Fera

LINDSEY S. FERA is a born and bred New Englander, hailing from the North Shore of Boston. As a member of the Topsfield Historical Society and the Historical Novel Society, she forged her love for writing with her intrigue for colonial America by writing her debut novel, Muskets & Minuets, a planned trilogy. When she’s not attending historical reenactments or spouting off facts about Boston, she’s nursing patients back to health. Muskets & Masquerades is her sophomore novel.

Saudi Champagne

Jeddah, the former capital of Saudi Arabia, is hardly known as a “gay haven”, and John certainly didn’t think so. At least at first. Determined to uncover the truth, John immerses himself in extensive research, expecting to unearth a bleak reality of persecution and fear. However, what he uncovers is quite the opposite. Instead of horrifying tales of queer individuals facing gruesome fates, he discovers a different narrative—one of hidden identities and the art of preserving oneself. Discover the surprising tale of John as he ventures into uncharted territory and embarks on a transformative journey of self-discovery and cultural exploration in the vibrant city of Jeddah. In “Saudi Champagne,” experience the clash of cultures in a place known for anything but its growing LGBTQ+ community. Uncover the truth behind the misconceptions and stereotypes as you immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Saudi Arabia’s hidden stories and diverse cultures. Join John and his family as they navigate the complexities of a society shrouded in secrecy, and witness the resilience and strength of the human spirit. Witness their trials and triumphs as John learns the remarkable truth about love, acceptance, and the pursuit of happiness in the unlikeliest of places. Open your heart and mind to a world of possibilities. Don’t miss out on this thought-provoking novel that will inspire you to embrace change, unleash newfound passions, and appreciate the beauty of imperfections. Take the first step towards a captivating adventure by grabbing your copy of “Saudi Champagne” today.

Meet Nadia Sakkal

Nadia Sakkal grew up in Saudi Arabia, where her parents’ interreligious marriage had to stay secret. When she pretended to be Christian in Ramadan and Muslim in Lent to avoid fasting, her classmates discovered her secret, and their innocent questions only made her more confused about who she was. Nadia is still on a journey of self-discovery and has written this book for anyone who’s ever had to keep their identity hidden and to celebrate friends and family who’ve accepted them the way they are. Make sure to show her some love on Instagram and TikTok (@ifyouwannabemywriter).

Between Shadow and Flame

With a past shrouded in mystery and a childhood spent constantly on the move, David Rose has lived a life without consequences or connections. The last thing he cared deeply about was his friendship with his barely-remembered brother he hasn’t seen since he was seven. When he discovers his mother burning a letter from the estranged family they’ve been running from, David ignores his mother’s warnings to reclaim what he lost. What awaits him is a fog-shrouded castle full of threatening strangers and dangerous secrets. Torn between the meaningful relationships he’s always yearned for and his own sense of morality and self, his only hope lies in a power he never knew he possessed.

Meet C.T. Bryce

C.T. Bryce is the pen name for the writing partnership of two authors who are also partners in life. They have been creating stories together for years and have decided to share them with the world. This is their debut novel and the first in the Guthanderkaz series. They currently reside in Santa Cruz, California. They love cats, foggy days, the songs of corvids and all things gothic.