All Books
Synopsis: Hailey and Jared are best friends who have gone on several exciting adventures. Originally a series I have now put six of their fun but scary short stories together for this book. Each story has suspenseful adventures that always end with a twist!
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Short Story
Synopsis: Little Sammy needs ten thousand dollars, and fast, if he is to save his home from foreclosure and his family from catastrophe. Russ befriends the lonely boy, and soon the two embark on a series of adventures that reveal the sorry underbelly of humanity and the glorious mysteries of nature.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?
Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.
When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.
From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.
Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.
When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.
From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.
Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: With two ex-boyfriends haunting her and a newly recovered alcoholic sister, seventeen-year-old Maddie Hickman has a lot to deal with. She begins her junior year steeped in self-pity and grief until she receives an anonymous letter. “Anonymous”, a student at Maddie’s school, is a guy who confesses to liking another guy. He’s terrified of coming out and being alienated by parents, peers, as well as the boy he likes– a jock with everything to lose if he’s outed to their homophobic high school. “Anonymous” begs Maddie to use her power as editor of the school newspaper to help him. The letter forces Maddie to step out of her grief and into the real world, where she soon finds herself imploring the school’s administration to publish an article protesting homophobia. When they refuse, she decides she has to go outside the lines to help Anonymous and other gay students. Even with the help of friends, Maddie must choose how far she is willing to go, especially when her safety and her own reputation are in jeopardy.
Publication Date:
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Four students – thrown together in a high school summer class. Tyrell tells of a dream he’s been having, a girl needs help. Sam realizes she’s getting the same information, from her own sketches! Where is this information coming from? What is the Blue Group to do about it? Join Ty, Tiff, Sammy and Lando as they navigate the complicated world of high school friendship, romance and sex trafficking!
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The Fearless have triumphed. Astrid and Jodi survive unincarcerated and gainfully employed. Most have forgotten that Jodi was once 'Scar' or what that meant. Life on Mars is in danger of becoming routine. Then noobs arrive, a tunnel collapses, Astrid becomes a walking fossil and everyone discovers the real meaning of life on Mars.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: Zeke Sterling, the love of Skyler Walker's life, went missing over a year ago, leaving her an emotional mess. Now he's standing on her front porch with an earring and tats, still unaware that she adores him. If she dares believe his crazy story of abduction, teen gangs, and werewolves, will they both be wolf crazy?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: Impossible memories fill Karen's vivid dreams. When her parents go missing, Karen does her best to take care of her little brother, Timmy, while they stay with her busy Aunt Sarah, but then Timmy is kidnapped.
Joey has fiery red hair and a temper to match but no memory of who he is or where he came from.
Mike has a legendary swordsman for a grandfather and a past that he doesn't want to talk about.
As the meaning of Karen's dreams becomes clear, these three teens must join together to help Karen master the first Sword Spirit and rescue Timmy. If they can just keep from killing each other first.
Joey has fiery red hair and a temper to match but no memory of who he is or where he came from.
Mike has a legendary swordsman for a grandfather and a past that he doesn't want to talk about.
As the meaning of Karen's dreams becomes clear, these three teens must join together to help Karen master the first Sword Spirit and rescue Timmy. If they can just keep from killing each other first.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: It’s a race against time.
Mensam elite forces have young Matthew in their sites and about to capture him. Harding and his family run for their lives from fiery meteors on a planet 440 light years away. Yin, Yang and Sammy have been potentially damaged beyond repair.
How will it all end?
Mensam elite forces have young Matthew in their sites and about to capture him. Harding and his family run for their lives from fiery meteors on a planet 440 light years away. Yin, Yang and Sammy have been potentially damaged beyond repair.
How will it all end?
Publication Date:
Age Level: Any Age
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: When 16-year-old Oakland teenager, Calvin Pierce, makes a bad decision and winds up getting arrested, his mother is quick to take action. Determined not to lose a second son to the drug and gang violence of the inner city, she sends Calvin to spend the summer working for his great uncle in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Stuck in the predominately white region of agriculture and recreational boating, Calvin’s a fish out of water with a chip on his shoulder. But when severed body parts are discovered floating in a slough, his summer of proving himself takes on new meaning.
Something deadly is lurking in the deep murky waterways of the Delta. Now the daunting task of containing the living incarnation of a mythical creature falls to Calvin and his ragtag posse of oddball characters.
Stuck in the predominately white region of agriculture and recreational boating, Calvin’s a fish out of water with a chip on his shoulder. But when severed body parts are discovered floating in a slough, his summer of proving himself takes on new meaning.
Something deadly is lurking in the deep murky waterways of the Delta. Now the daunting task of containing the living incarnation of a mythical creature falls to Calvin and his ragtag posse of oddball characters.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Determined to find the truth to the ancient prophecies, young Courtar defies his elders and journeys alone where he gains the unexpected friendship of a Dwergen, a shunned race once thought to be extinct. After hiring a jailed Alkanien as a guide to Mhoren, they begin gathering strangers of various backgrounds who, unbeknownst to them, complete a foretelling of the formation of an alliance destined to destroy the abomination. Yet the group’s inner conflicts could prove a thorn in their stability and negate the promises of victory.
Finding two surviving soldiers whose village was destroyed, they escort the alliance along a treacherous path toward Mhoren. Their undertaking almost fails during a harrowing escape from enemy troops as they flee into the kingdom of Mhoren. Gaining the friendship of Mhoren’s hierarchy, the alliance’s mission becomes clear after exposing a far reaching sinister plot led by the king’s half-brother, Fendis. His dark motives encouraging the Dark One’s rise to power come to fruition when the king is assassinated, forcing the alliance’s pursuit to his home where they uncover important secrets and hidden clues, including the location of the Crown of Sovereign.
With clues in hand, the alliance heads north into the Alkani realm of Isenvayle where good relations are established. Realizing a foulskin horde invaded the Alkani kingdom, the group detours east to evade invading troops and are thrown into battle in a neighbouring realm. As hardships and trials abound, the alliance reaches Maugal Deep where the Crown of Sovereign lies. After battling a vicious demonic messenger, an unforeseen twist and an unexpected encounter befall them, jeopardizing the entire mission. Can the alliance gain possession of the crown and stop the commencement of the Dark One’s domination before they kill each other?
Finding two surviving soldiers whose village was destroyed, they escort the alliance along a treacherous path toward Mhoren. Their undertaking almost fails during a harrowing escape from enemy troops as they flee into the kingdom of Mhoren. Gaining the friendship of Mhoren’s hierarchy, the alliance’s mission becomes clear after exposing a far reaching sinister plot led by the king’s half-brother, Fendis. His dark motives encouraging the Dark One’s rise to power come to fruition when the king is assassinated, forcing the alliance’s pursuit to his home where they uncover important secrets and hidden clues, including the location of the Crown of Sovereign.
With clues in hand, the alliance heads north into the Alkani realm of Isenvayle where good relations are established. Realizing a foulskin horde invaded the Alkani kingdom, the group detours east to evade invading troops and are thrown into battle in a neighbouring realm. As hardships and trials abound, the alliance reaches Maugal Deep where the Crown of Sovereign lies. After battling a vicious demonic messenger, an unforeseen twist and an unexpected encounter befall them, jeopardizing the entire mission. Can the alliance gain possession of the crown and stop the commencement of the Dark One’s domination before they kill each other?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Faith-based
Synopsis: Bonnie-Jean Russell, personal assistant to the current laird of McKinley clan, can't find her boss. When she discovers his likeness in an ancestor's portrait she has to find a way to bring him back to the present. Standing in her way is the tale of a missing pouch of gemstones...a treasure everyone else wants.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Synopsis: The Rapture has occurred - the end of the world. The faithful have risen up to Heaven. Those left behind are in a living hell. Armed only with his swords and his wit, a teenage boy wanders this post-apocalyptic world alone, separated forever from everyone he loves. Cursed by his demonic heritage, he must now embark on a quest that will take him across the US to the City of Angels.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: Angel, hero, monster, devil--we all become what we really are. I Am Wolf --The journey of a boy about to become a man who inherits his ancestors gift and must learn the right way to use it. He falls in love with Alaynee and begins to feel like he is normal again. When their world is shattered by the kidnapping of Alaynee's little brother, Jonah breaks the cardinal rule of his gift and bites the kidnapper, creating a creature called the unnatural. This sends him and all his friends on an adventure across the states to a place in Tennessee. There they find not only must they stop the unnatural creature, but they must save Cara--the girl the creature is after. Jonah must ask himself the most important question of all, would you sacrifice yourself to save another?
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: I have long believed that learning another language is hindered by the grammar books, whose look and layout make the task seem impossibly difficult. English is my native language and I am a professional writer. Nevertheless, even I sometimes shudder at the sight of an English grammar book.
I recently read one such book for French speakers that declared: In English, more than other languages, it is often difficult to determine to which part of speech certain words belong. Often a word can be an adverb, a proposition, or a conjunction.
These two sentences eloquently exemplify what I believe is wrong with the majority of English grammar books. They are written by grammarians for grammarians, rather than for learners.
The fact that “before” can be an adverb, a conjunction, or a preposition is of little consequence. The important thing is for learners to know the word, and when and how to use it, not what part of speech it represents in any particular circumstance.
Another thing grammar books do is to enunciate a rule, then list 5-10 exceptions that must be memorized. English, like French, has its share of exceptions. However, looked at properly, many of these so-called exceptions do follow the rule, or come closer to following it than their formal grammatical description might suggest. Exceptions are a principal factor that makes learning a language difficult.
Separating false exceptions from real ones therefore should make the task considerably easier.
In this work I have kept grammatical terminology to a minimum, and in fact have changed it where I believe conventional terminology would hinder understanding rather than helping it. I have also reduced the number of exceptions to each rule by looking at the language through the eyes of the native anglophones who actually speak it, rather than through the eyes of grammarians who study and dissect it.
Objectively, English is the easiest of all the major world languages to learn (German, French, Italian, Spanish, etc.) because its grammar is fundamentally simpler. This fact is occasionally mentioned in grammar books; however, it is never really exploited.
The purpose of this book is to help non-native speakers better understand how native anglohones view and use their language, with emphasis on its simplicities and regularities rather than its complexities and exceptions. As an extra aid, false exceptions are always clearly indicated.
In short, the purpose of Actual English is to help you think in English, i.e. help you better understand how native anglophones think about their language when they are actually speaking it.
I recently read one such book for French speakers that declared: In English, more than other languages, it is often difficult to determine to which part of speech certain words belong. Often a word can be an adverb, a proposition, or a conjunction.
These two sentences eloquently exemplify what I believe is wrong with the majority of English grammar books. They are written by grammarians for grammarians, rather than for learners.
The fact that “before” can be an adverb, a conjunction, or a preposition is of little consequence. The important thing is for learners to know the word, and when and how to use it, not what part of speech it represents in any particular circumstance.
Another thing grammar books do is to enunciate a rule, then list 5-10 exceptions that must be memorized. English, like French, has its share of exceptions. However, looked at properly, many of these so-called exceptions do follow the rule, or come closer to following it than their formal grammatical description might suggest. Exceptions are a principal factor that makes learning a language difficult.
Separating false exceptions from real ones therefore should make the task considerably easier.
In this work I have kept grammatical terminology to a minimum, and in fact have changed it where I believe conventional terminology would hinder understanding rather than helping it. I have also reduced the number of exceptions to each rule by looking at the language through the eyes of the native anglophones who actually speak it, rather than through the eyes of grammarians who study and dissect it.
Objectively, English is the easiest of all the major world languages to learn (German, French, Italian, Spanish, etc.) because its grammar is fundamentally simpler. This fact is occasionally mentioned in grammar books; however, it is never really exploited.
The purpose of this book is to help non-native speakers better understand how native anglohones view and use their language, with emphasis on its simplicities and regularities rather than its complexities and exceptions. As an extra aid, false exceptions are always clearly indicated.
In short, the purpose of Actual English is to help you think in English, i.e. help you better understand how native anglophones think about their language when they are actually speaking it.
Publication Date:
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Nonfiction
Synopsis: Everyone’s single most important possession is our body. If that is not in proper working order, then nothing else in life really matters. Nevertheless, most people have only a vague — and often erroneous — idea of how the body is structured and functions.
The body is indeed complex, meaning that it is composed of numerous systems and subsystems. However, it is nowhere near as complicated as it is often presented.
The key is to describe the body based on only a handful of fundamental principles, i.e. the “architectural plan” that underlies virtually everything it does. Once these principles are clearly understood (they are not difficult), the body’s apparently impenetrable systems and subsystems become almost self-evident.
The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent is specifically designed to help make the body’s “architectural plan” and fundamental principles stand out in sharp relief.
For example, many books compare the body to a well-oiled machine. By contrast, The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent compares it to a city. Why?
“Today, most people live in cities and have an instinctive understanding of how a complex urban environment works. Moreover, comparing it to a city gives more realistic description of how the body actually works,” says author Philip Yaffe.
The body is not composed of a respiratory system linked to a digestive system linked to a circulatory system linked to a urinary system, etc. Rather, all of its systems interact to achieve a single overriding objective: to ensure the proper functioning of each and every one of the body’s 100 trillion individual cells.
Relating everything back to the individual cell makes the need for systems and their general structures blazing obvious.
An unusual feature of The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent is that it is purposely redundant.
As any teacher knows, saying something once is tantamount to not saying it at all. Key ideas must be frequently repeated to be certain that they don’t get lost in the details. The reader will therefore see pieces of information repeated in many different places. This is to ensure that vital information is always available when and where the reader needs it. He won’t have to go looking for it on an earlier page in order to understand the page he is currently reading.
To add some light relief, the book also contains a chapter on “Funny Facts about the Human Body” and “Quotations about the Body” from scientists, philosophers, poets, and even humorists.
The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent is part of the expanding “The Essential Ten Percent” series. The series was launched in 2011 on the premise that many self-instructional books fail to distinguish between:
•Casual Users — those who need to understand and apply only the very basics of a subject.
•Intensive Users — those who need to understand and apply virtually everything.
As a result, most such books tend to make fundamentally simple ideas appear to be unnecessarily complex. And more complex ideas hopelessly impenetrable.
Books in “The Essential Ten Percent Series” rigorously focus on the “casual user” to ensure that simple ideas remain simple and more complex ideas can be decomposed into simpler ones.
The books in “The Essential Ten Percent” series (at February 2012) are:
College-level Writing: The Essential Ten Percent
Public Speaking: The Essential Ten Percent
The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent
Word for Windows: The Essential Ten Percent
The body is indeed complex, meaning that it is composed of numerous systems and subsystems. However, it is nowhere near as complicated as it is often presented.
The key is to describe the body based on only a handful of fundamental principles, i.e. the “architectural plan” that underlies virtually everything it does. Once these principles are clearly understood (they are not difficult), the body’s apparently impenetrable systems and subsystems become almost self-evident.
The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent is specifically designed to help make the body’s “architectural plan” and fundamental principles stand out in sharp relief.
For example, many books compare the body to a well-oiled machine. By contrast, The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent compares it to a city. Why?
“Today, most people live in cities and have an instinctive understanding of how a complex urban environment works. Moreover, comparing it to a city gives more realistic description of how the body actually works,” says author Philip Yaffe.
The body is not composed of a respiratory system linked to a digestive system linked to a circulatory system linked to a urinary system, etc. Rather, all of its systems interact to achieve a single overriding objective: to ensure the proper functioning of each and every one of the body’s 100 trillion individual cells.
Relating everything back to the individual cell makes the need for systems and their general structures blazing obvious.
An unusual feature of The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent is that it is purposely redundant.
As any teacher knows, saying something once is tantamount to not saying it at all. Key ideas must be frequently repeated to be certain that they don’t get lost in the details. The reader will therefore see pieces of information repeated in many different places. This is to ensure that vital information is always available when and where the reader needs it. He won’t have to go looking for it on an earlier page in order to understand the page he is currently reading.
To add some light relief, the book also contains a chapter on “Funny Facts about the Human Body” and “Quotations about the Body” from scientists, philosophers, poets, and even humorists.
The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent is part of the expanding “The Essential Ten Percent” series. The series was launched in 2011 on the premise that many self-instructional books fail to distinguish between:
•Casual Users — those who need to understand and apply only the very basics of a subject.
•Intensive Users — those who need to understand and apply virtually everything.
As a result, most such books tend to make fundamentally simple ideas appear to be unnecessarily complex. And more complex ideas hopelessly impenetrable.
Books in “The Essential Ten Percent Series” rigorously focus on the “casual user” to ensure that simple ideas remain simple and more complex ideas can be decomposed into simpler ones.
The books in “The Essential Ten Percent” series (at February 2012) are:
College-level Writing: The Essential Ten Percent
Public Speaking: The Essential Ten Percent
The Human Body: The Essential Ten Percent
Word for Windows: The Essential Ten Percent
Publication Date:
Age Level: Adult
Genre: Nonfiction