It’s been two years since the Siberian Flu killed nearly everyone on earth. Ellie starts out alone and afraid, living in the freezing upper Midwest. A terrifying incident propels her to move south to warmer weather. She travels the empty land, trying to avoid the lawless gangs, surviving as best she can. Along the way, she collect companions, friends, and a new family. This is Ellie’s story of overcoming, not only a globally decimating pandemic, but her own fears and doubts. She grows and becomes confident and dependable. The members of her group, as well as others they encounter, see her as a leader. Soon, she must see herself the same way and lead her group to safety, ensuring the survival of her people and the trust, family, and community they create.
Meet Jackie Woodman
Jackie Woodman lived most her life in Iowa. She loves the outdoors and outdoor life. She now resides in Florida with her husband and cat. Life: The Sequel is her first novel. Jackie is a lifelong outdoorswoman. She loves to hunt, fish and garden. She has experience in self-reliance, nature, and survival. A lifetime of reading has taught her about wilderness medicine, as sometimes, when on a hunting trip, the hunting party can be far from help. She binge-watches survival shows, and usually will end up yelling at the TV “that’s not how you do it!” Her friends tell her that in the event of the zombie apocalypse, they are on her team because she will survive. Jackie is a born storyteller and trivia enthusiast with a slight coffee addiction. She can often be found entertaining friends and family with an engaging tale. Out of her life’s experiences, Jackie has created a riveting story of one woman’s endurance, survival, and liberation. An adventure that will take you to another place and time, make you laugh, make you cry and make you sorry you have reached the last page.
Unleash your imagination and join Emily on an incredible rhyme-filled journey with The Magic Suitcase! Emily is a young girl with a love for adventure and a magical suitcase that takes her on incredible journeys. In this enchanting tale, Emily discovers the hidden powers of her suitcase and embarks on a journey to a strange and unfamiliar place. As Emily travels through different dimensions, she encounters challenges and obstacles that test her courage, resourcefulness, and problem-solving skills. Along the way, she makes new friends, learns the importance of imagination and belief, and discovers the true magic within herself. With charming and captivating rhymes, “The Magic Suitcase: Emily’s Incredible Journey” is a delightful story that sparks children’s imagination and encourages them to believe in themselves. This first book of the series is perfect for young readers who love adventure, magic, and the power of imagination.
Meet Poppy Rainbow
Poppy Rainbow is a whimsical and imaginative children’s book writer known for her enchanting storytelling and vibrant illustrations. She crafts tales of adventure, friendship, and the power of faith, drawing from her own experiences. As a child, Poppy would create imaginative stories to entertain her siblings and friends, igniting her passion for captivating young minds through storytelling. Her tales take readers on thrilling adventures, featuring brave young protagonists who embark on magical quests, overcoming obstacles and discovering their inner strength. Through her narratives, Poppy instills valuable lessons about trust, loyalty, and believing in oneself. Her love for vibrant illustrations shines in her books, bringing her imaginative worlds to life. With each turn of the page, young readers are immersed in the wonders of her stories. With her warm smile and boundless imagination, Poppy Rainbow brings joy and wonder to children worldwide. Her delightful books inspire young hearts to dream and explore the limitless possibilities of their imagination. Emphasizing themes of adventure, friendship, and the power of faith, her stories guide children to embrace their unique journeys and believe in the magic that surrounds them.
Six lifelong friends endure a range of trials and tribulations upon entering their sophomore year of high school. Terminal illness, the sinking ship that was once a booming generational family business, and a brush with maniacal killers are only a few examples of such adversity that these young men are faced with. They rely upon one another to conquer each obstacle placed before them; grievances that no adolescent boy should be tasked with. But can their bond and their trust in one another be sufficient to emerge from their respective plights unscathed? And if so, at what cost to their psychological well-being?
Meet NATHAN GARCIA
I began laying the groundwork for what would become “Castalia Boys” on January 1st, 2022. This was my first attempt at writing in a “professional” capacity at the age of twenty-seven, nonetheless. I have two children, with one due in June of ’23. These bundles of joy have inspired as well as annoyed me since the conception of the book. I wouldn’t have it any other way. My fiancée has been a beacon of encouragement and has served as my primary editor throughout this entire process. I am eternally grateful to her. Tomorrow, as well as many tomorrows after, I will be expected to report to my “real” job and reclaim my title as “Electrical Maintenance Technician.” It’s a fine career path; it’s just not as fun as writing. Now, I’ll have to rip out this page of my boss’s copy of the book, should he choose to buy one. Seriously though, getting back into the swing of writing on a consistent basis has been one of the greatest things I could have done for myself. And I’m far from finished.
After a long journey, the broken people arrive at their new home. It is the place they wished for, with shelter, food, and all else the weary travelers need. Overwhelmed and ill, Edan reaches the promised sanctuary where he can be more, for himself and Vita. Although he is cautious, Edan hopes wellness and adventures are in his future. Illur is filled with beauty and people who are important. Each person’s duties to the community ensures that every herad is successful. Edan is truly part of this perfect place and surrounded by the newness of things he has never seen. The once silent boy now has everything he could want. Finally recovering, Edan begins to settle into his new life, until he is forced to see what is beyond the requirement of obedience to the elders. The more Edan understands about Illur and his own past, the more unsure he is. It not only affects him, but those he has come to trust and love. Edan has to make the decision to keep everyone safe by obeying or question everything about his new home to find the truth. If you were given everything, would you obey without question?
Meet Cajah Reed
Author of the Divine Land Of Illur, Cajah Reed, fell into writing after the opening line of her first book would not stop cycling through her mind. Continuing to follow the stories in the YA dystopian series felt like an adventure of its own and a way of stepping out of the unpredictability of real life. Her inspiration for the series stems from music, geography, and the humanity of everyone, especially an individual’s need to belong. As an avid reader of all things science fiction and fantasy, Cajah is especially drawn to books with dark oppressive dystopian societies, supernatural characters, or epic worlds unlike our own. It was no surprise that Cajah’s debut series came from one of her favorite genres.
Disillusioned and disappointed with the way Olin Heon now conducts itself, Lored, a powerful taku-kevir, leaves the place he once called home and journeys in search of a new purpose in life. Tari, an acolyte in the Temple, is forced to trust the new priestess Undine, as danger besets her on every side; can she withstand the overpowering attraction of the kaerling man sent to question her?
Meet Freya Pickard
Pushcart Prize nominee, Freya Pickard, is the quirky, unusual author of The Kaerling series, an epic fantasy set in the strange and wonderful world of Nirunen. A cancer survivor, she writes mainly dark fantasy tales and creates expressive poetry in order to leach the darkness from her soul. Her aim in life is to enchant, entertain and engage with readers through her writing. She finds her inspiration in the ocean, the moors, beautifully written books and vinyl music (particularly heavy metal and rock). She enjoys Hatha Yoga, Bhangra and Yogalates and in her spare time creates water colours and pastel drawings of the worlds in her head.
The very concept of New York City conjures up a wealth of emotions in many people. For writer Joanie Strulowitz, it has always been a place of magic: an enticing playground, a cascade of art, a wonderland of fascinating characters, a youth serum to keep her feeling forever young.
Believing herself to be a New Yorker who just happened to be born in Iowa, Strulowitz felt the tantalizing call of Manhattan from the time she was four, and eventually made her home there. In this love song to the City, she pays adoring tribute to the essence of Manhattan from its intense pace and the pounding excitement in the air to the funky charm and even the glittering pavement that provides a stage on which it all unfolds.
The City is her laboratory, her art studio, and the extraordinary inspiration for this collection of captivating vignettes. In each short but sublime piece, Strulowitz evokes the luminous ambiance that has lured artists and adventure seekers to the island metropolis for generations: enthralling chance encounters, the slightly terrifying exhilaration of first subway rides, the soothing clink of silverware in a favorite sidewalk cafe, the urge to break into song when discovering a perfect little boutique.
Anyone who has lived in New York City, played tourist there, or just dreamed of paying a visit will find something to love in this transcendent appreciation of the jewel-encrusted celebration of life and art that is Manhattan.
Meet Joanie Strulowitz
ALTHOUGH JOANIE STRULOWITZ is seasoned in numerous aspects of the arts and business, writing has always been her baby. While raising her two daughters in Iowa, she joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Years later, after finding her first apartment in Los Angeles, she discovered that–magnetically–the SCBWI offices were two blocks from her front door. Originally from Iowa and later Chicago, Strulowitz moved to New York because, as she explains in My Love Affair with Manhattan (Vignettes of a Life in the City), “My soul has always lived there, and my body needs to catch up.” With a memory that is largely emotive, she recalls almost every square inch of how she felt growing up. As an observer who always thought something was wrong with her because she didn’t fit in, she discovered that writing books, and being involved with all of the arts, help to make sense of life. Now she seeks to be the voice she searched for, so the lessons she learned can help others to find the gifts in their differences–and to believe in themselves and their dreams. Today you can find her (and her black turtleneck) in Los Angeles, writing a chapter on her grocery bag while walking home, or completing her YA fantasy novel during Pilates sessions.
Lightward is the dragon quest of our built for hero, Startus Maximus. Over land and sea, he must overcome trial, tribulation, and loss. If he is lucky and true, he will succeed. If not, he will be a quick snack. Armed with the magical Spear of Reivl and a Dragon scale shield, can he triumph and carry on the legacy of Defender?
Meet David Cleofas Avila
David Cleofas Avila is a writer, musician, artist, former mental health worker, journeyman drywall finisher, and Paul Harris Fellow.
You enter the universe through thought, a manifested portal, and each time you enter, it’s the same place but a new journey.
The answers you seek you will not find, yet a new power will arise that you never could fathom, one that can’t be found but unlocked. Open your gift and show the present the true essence of who you are. Third Eye Lucidity is a collection of poetry and prose that promotes living positively and imparts balance and perspective for a tranquil and virtuous spirit. Volumes are created to take the reader on a spiritual journey, a voyage that they sail through life using the currents of the words on each page. Enter the void and untether yourself from worldly desires and unnatural aspects of the physical realm. Awaken the third eye that has been hibernating this entire time.
Life’s about being comfortable, isn’t it? You find what makes you happy and you stick with it for the rest of your days.
That’s what Jimmy Stephens thought. Routine was Jimmy’s best mate, until routine found another group of friends. Somehow stranded on the remotest island in the world, Jimmy was forced to make peace with a whole new way of living, and a whole new way of seeing things.
Jimmy’s tale is one of isolation, adaptation and inspiration, challenging the fundamentals of twenty first century life.
1939 Torun, Poland; the journey was perilous. The Mayer family; Peter, Mary his wife and their two sons John and Vladek, were under deep peril and had a decision to make. Early in the morning Peter was conscripted to a mandatory sentence by regulation under the threat of death at gunpoint by the Gestapo to be the “Volksdeutsche,” informer. Peter had no choice but to immediately leave Torun to flee to his cousin Klaus Kramke. He settled near the borders of Germany and Lithuania. Peter became one of many hundreds of migratory people without a name, identity, or a place to call home. Peter was victimized, attacked and left for dead on one of his trips to Lithuania. Unable to care for his own needs and bad bodily injuries, Peter was taken in as a refugee. Peter’s memory was obscured. In 1940 Peter was forced to join the Russian army. In 1941 the German army invaded Russia and Lithuanian provinces. Capture and transfer was inevitable to the infamous “Stalag 18” camp for migratory prisoners. Providence was with Peter and even as an unknown without a past he was recognized by family, his cousin Klaus. In 1943 Klaus and Peter escaped from Stalag 18 and fled to Olsztyn and later to his native home town Torun. In 1945 the Russian invaders liberated Torun. After the war Peter had his mind set on true freedom. The Baltic Sea was the only way to freedom; this idea never left his mind. Accounts from “Hell to Reality” is loosely based on the harrowing accounts of war, persecution and an identity that never left or abandoned Peter. Names and locations were changed.
