Authorial_04_LA_FINAL_low_with watermark

VOL. 1 ISSUE 4 

COVER STORY 

Jeanne Enstad 

A Journey of Hope to 

Heaven and Back 

Featured Authors 

Janice Tingley 

Marlene Burling 

Luisa Plancher 

Contributors 

Ivor Kovac 

Ted Torgersen 

Frank Hull 

Michael Amram 

Scott Valentine 

Raju Ramanathan 

Dr. William Steiner 

PUBLISHED AND DISTRIBUTED BY AUTHORS PRESS

Editor’s Note 

It’s that time of the year when community of authors and publishing professionals get down to business at the Los 

Angeles Times Festival of Books. It’s a great opportunity to meet new contacts, share, exchange and inspire ideas, and 

delight in the innovative trends of the industry. Since it’s our first time to join the two-day event, we decided we might as 

well go big. 

We start off with Jeanne Enstad, author of A Journey of Hope to Heaven and Back, as she reflects on the essence of being 

human and why it’s important to lean on the “bigger” being. 

Do you know anyone who has a learning disability? If so, you’ll know what it’s like to see things differently and why it’s 

important to understand all kinds of learners. Author and illustrator Janice Tingley talks about her personal experiences 

and tells us why we should always remain vigilant in helping those who need it in the article, “Of Dreams and Monsters: 

Author and Illustrator Janice Tingley’s Different Way of Seeing the Bigger Picture.” 

Because we mean it when we said big, we are introducing two new sections on this issue. We’ve been sending out invites 

to writers, illustrators, photographers, poets, essayists and overall genius creators to find out if they’d be interested to join 

this little project that we started last year. We couldn’t be happier with the turnout! We received loads of contributions 

from renowned talents. For this kickoff, we’re featuring the works of Scott Valentine, Ted Torgersen, and Jonathan Snooks 

a.k.a. Ivor Kovac. Expect more to come on our upcoming issues. 

We’re also adding interviews to our lineup where we ask the questions every writer should have the answers to before fully 

committing to the life of a creative. Listen in to our conversations with Dr. William Steiner, Michael Amram, Frank Hull, 

and Raju Ramanathan. 

Taking a leap of faith are authors Luisa Plancher, Sylvia Stern, and Marlene Burling as they talk about what feels most 

truthful to them. We’re also introducing hot-off-the-press books from authors Scott Lee Mosure, Lydia Greico, Dr. Ron 

Huber, Richard Spegal, Cheryl Batavia, and Charles McCandless. 

And lastly, great places and eats to go and try on our lifestyle article “Going around Los Angeles.” You might want to 

check them out. Who knows? The places you’ll be visiting and the experiences you’ll be having with your family or loved 

ones could inspire your next book. 

We all love stories that resonate with our own, especially those that bring us to greater heights in mood and in thought. 

We hope you’ll enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed piecing it together. 

Have a fun-filled weekend! 

Publisher 

Belle Birao 

Managing Director 

Gladys Rodriguez 

Chief Editor 

Janette Richards 

Layout Artist 

Kem Enon 

Writer 

Rio Siao, Real Christi Sotelo, 

Jennie Elloran, and Juno Guadayo 

Contributors 

Dr. William Steiner, Michael Amram, 

Frank Hull, Raju Ramanathan, 

Scott Valentine, Ivor Kovac, and 

Ted Torgersen 

All rights reserved for Authorial Magazine 2018 l 1321 Buchanan Rd. Pittsburg, CA 94565 l 925 384 0300

WHAT’S INSIDE 

7 Cover Story: 

Jeanne Enstad Reflects on Being Human 

and on Having a Bigger God 

12 Of Dreams and Monsters: Author and 

Illustrator Janice Tingley’s Different 

Way of “Seeing the Bigger Picture” 

22 An Afternoon with Marlene Burling 

28 Interviews: Dr. William Steiner, 

Michael Amram, Frank Hull, 

and Raju Ramanathan 

38 Contributors - Poetry by Scott Valentine 

46 Contributors - Short Story by Ivor Kovac 

58 Contributors - Essay by Ted Torgersen 

64 Event Highlights: 

Tucson Festival of Books 2019 

72 Lifestyle: Going Around Los Angeles 

80 Book List 

92 Fresh Meet 

96 Featured Authors: 


38 

46 

58

authorial magazine | 6

On Being Human and 

Having a Bigger God 

Why is it so hard to be human? 


There’s no one else who can answer this 

question better than Jeanne Enstad, 

author of A Journey of Hope to Heaven 

and Back. Hers is more than a story of 

survival, it is a tale of thriving in life. 

In her mid 30s, while running a 6-mile 

marathon, she felt pain under her left 

arm. Doctors found out that she needed 

an operation to repair a tiny valve in her 

heart. During the open-heart surgery, 

she had a stroke. She died and entered 

heaven. Somehow, she came back to 

the living. From then onward, a series 

of complications followed. She went 

on to have two to three surgeries each 

year for cancer, another four open heart 

surgeries, mini-strokes in between, 

contracted vascular diseases, gangrene 

on both legs, and a $280,000 medical 

bill. On top of the many other health 

problems, she went to the gym one 

Saturday, and got in an accident. A 

head-on collision with an 18-wheeler 

tractor trailer—the second time she died 

and re-entered heaven. 

But life wasn’t done with her. She 

came back, every time. Coming up for 

air after 28 years of going in and out 

of the hospital, battling with physical 

and practical challenges, anything 

from huge financial losses to the side 

effects of medication, with a confused 

feeling of crashing aching nothingness, 

her experience with pain prompted a 

thoughtful reflection—what now? 

Her personal relationships also suffered. 

Her husband left, leaving her with 

three kids to raise. On her first surgery, 

the doctor called her parents but they 

couldn’t be bothered to come. Some 

friends found it difficult to be with her 

while she was ill. Jeanne shared that the 

day-to-day had been nearly impossible 

to deal with. With hospital bills going 

up by the week, she seldom finds herself 

not knowing how she’ll be able to afford 

it all. When asked how she managed 

to carry on and continue, she shared “I 

couldn’t, but God did.” 

It wasn’t until her second time in heaven 

that she realized God had a purpose 

for her, for each and every one of us. 

She believes that humans, when we are 

in our “human mode,” we are innately 

stubborn. We don’t turn to him. “I don’t 

like myself when I’m on my human 

mode. I have a switch. I turn it off and 

turn God on, “ she shared. 

Coming from someone who grew up in 

a farm, and loved every bit of hard work 

and grit that went with it, Jeanne always 

had a knack for doing everything in one 

go and all by herself. Strong-minded and 

determined, like every other workaholic 

out there, she believes that our human 

mode is susceptible to the devil’s inner 

workings. It is the devil that pulls us 

away from God. In a tone that veers 

from humorous to business-like, she 

explains that we as human beings give 

the devil too much credit. When people 

hurt us, when trust gets broken, she says 

that it’s not the person’s doing. It’s the 

devil’s. We allow him to take over our 

choices, our actions. We give in to what 

he whispers to us. 

“True strength is through God,” she 

said. She recalls the consequences of 

not listening to God vs. listening to him 

the hard way. In Cleveland, she needed 

a surgery after having a heart attack. In 

her mind, there was a voice that kept 

whispering, telling her to stop. But she 

didn’t. The doctor at that time got the 


wrong record and hurt her spinal cord. 

In a God-proof world, she should have 

been going home and opening a bottle 

of champagne surrounded by friends and 

family. But instead, she was paralyzed 

on one side, and stayed longer than 

expected in the hospital. 

A lot of questions run through her head 

in moments like this. Did you do this on 

purpose, God? Will I ever be healed on 

earth? Will I ever find a home? 

After everything that happened, she 

learned to stop and listen. She shared 

that when she gets confused, she finds 

a quiet spot and asks God to come into 

her heart. To tell her what God wants 

her to know. When she gets in trouble, 

her only response is “I have a bigger 

God than you do.” She doesn’t let her 

“human” get in the way of her God. 

“Experiencing heaven twice is the hope 

I bring to others.” said Enstad. 

While she has been fighting off the 

wolves, all those around her had been 

carrying on with their lives. Children 

had grown up, careers had been forged. 

Everything had moved forward. She 

never quit working, even while she 

was not in her best condition to work. 

Because of that, she became someone 

she never thought she would be. She 

taught in preschool. Later on, worked 

as a program and center director for 

Ford Motor Co. She even went as far 

as bagging the Chamber of Commerce 

Citizen, Ohio Volunteer Award and 

Cancer Survivor Award. She’s working 

out again. Even traveled on a plane to 

promote her book in L.A. Her body 

is slowly returning to her. Despite the 

realization that things will never be 

the same, but perhaps with a dollop 

of humor, less stubbornness, and a 

following wind, she knows she can be 

what God wants her to be. 

Her kids have a way of reminding her 

not to go all out superhuman on a daily 

basis. To try and step back and lean in 

to God. Every morning she is greeted 

by a mug they gave her that says, “Good 

morning. It’s God. I’ll be handling all 

your problems today. I will not need your 

help, so have a great day!” On not so 

good days, she stops and trusts the mug. 


Of Dreams 

and Monsters 

Author and Illustrator Janice Tingley’s 

Different Way of Seeing the Bigger Picture 


Walt Disney gave us more than a 

whole new world. He gave us magic. 

A high-definition dreamland of make 

believe where kings and queens, and 

prince and princesses live among 

mysterious creatures. Maître d’ turns 

into a candelabra and a puppy into a 

footstool. Pumpkins and apples are 

more than what meets the eye. A 

teenager rubs a lamp in the middle of 

a desert and out comes a blue genie. 

Round and round we go, spellbound, 

as Disney’s creation takes us to the 

land of far, far away. But like most 

magicians performing tricks, behind 

the curtain, he, too, had a secret. 

In the real world, he lived as an 

undiagnosed dyslexic. 

Like most children who grew up 

during the golden age of print and 

television, my early memories of 

learning to string words together are 

with the characters of Disney and 

my father. Every day after school I 

would turn on the TV or take out my 

storybooks. He would sit next to me 

and listen. There were times I would 

read something wrong, intentionally, 

just to check if he’s really listening. 

This went on in my learning years. 

It was only when I got older that I 

started to notice the things that my 

father would never do. The whole time 

I was reading to him, he never once 

opened a book. He never wore a watch 

like most fathers do in my school. And 

there are words that are easy for me to 

say but never as easy for him. 

In an interview with Janice Tingley, 

author and illustrator of children’s 

books Nolan’s Dream and Nolan’s 

Monsters, she shares that she already 

knew she was different. She grew up 

with dyslexia and she had been pained 


“...I pretty much wrote my book 

for my children,” shares Tingley. 


y teasing and bullying during her 

school years. 

Dyslexia is a learning disorder, making 

reading and spelling difficult. A 

study on dyslexia by the American 

Dyslexia Association shows that “1 

in 10 people have dyslexia.” Further 

studies indicate that over 40 million 

American Adults are dyslexic—and 

only 2 million know it.” 

Guinevere Eden, a leading expert 

in dyslexia, explained, in one of her 

lectures, that intelligence has nothing 

to do with the learning disorder. These 

types of learners absorb and excel 

but not in the way that most learners 

would. There have been significant 

studies done by experts on how to 

create a conducive environment 

suitable for all types of learners. 

“Research into possible differences in 

the wiring of the brain is ongoing, but 

tests routinely show that dyslexics are 

better at spatial reasoning and “seeing 

the bigger picture.” 

As a mother, Tingley saw her own kids 

struggle with the same experiences she 

did as a learner. Her son, Sean, didn’t 

talk till he was 4 years old and her 

daughter, Nikka, kept getting kicked 

out of school. 

“My daughter is diagnosed with severe 

learning disability. So she got kicked 

out of private school and I had to 

put her in a special education class. I 

pretty much wrote my book for my 

children,” shares Tingley. 

The story is about the Noodles family. 

Tingley admits that the name came 

up while she was cooking noodles 

for her kids. The book follows Nolan, 

the main character, with his sister, 

Nicole, and his parents as they go 

on an adventure to Point Moon Ray. 

Nolan is different from the rest of 

the children in his neighborhood 

and Point Moon Ray is the only 

place where he feels at ease. It also 

highlights another character, Sean, 

who’s having problems with reading 

that he wants to drop out of school. 

His father, a fisherman, wants to help 

him but doesn’t know how. 

When Nolan and Sean finally meet 

by chance, they succeed in teaching 

each other and their families that no 

matter what, life’s challenges need to 

be understood—not ignored—and can 

be overcome. 

“Instead of making fun of Sean, Nolan 

is excited to help Sean, in order to 

make things better,” says Tingley. 

The book is a “charming story about 

the importance of perseverance in the 

lives of two children with different 

disabilities. Richly illustrated by the 

author, it blends the power of love and 

determination with the courage and 

optimism of children who are coping 

with “being different.” Parents and 

children from all ages appreciate this 

tale about the search for friendship 

and acceptance by an author who 

knows firsthand what it means to 

“be different” in a world where being 

like everyone else usually means an 

easier transition from childhood to 

adolescence and beyond.” 

“I used regular markers, paint brush 

markers to relate to the kids when I 

made this book. Parents and teachers 

Illustration of the Noodles family from 

Janice Tingley’s first published book 

Nolan’s Dreams 

Left photo: Author and illustrator 

Janice Tingley (second from the left) 

with her family. She dedicates her 

life’s work to them. 


Janice Tingley at home 

come to me and say that the book has 

great touches,” shares Tingley. 

Nolan’s Dream is the fruit of Janice’s 

“strong belief that anything is possible 

with faith, determination, and 

patience.” She feels that if you devote 

enough time and energy, and if you 

refuse to be distracted and intimidated 

by limiting thoughts, you will surely 

make significant achievements 

and find personal fulfillment and 

happiness. 

“I want to encourage children to use 

their imagination. I didn’t want my 

kids to feel bad. I hope that they 

would do good and be an example. I 

wanted to teach them respect.” 

Tingley shared that her book was 

rejected 96 times. Her literacy tutor, 

Janice Gong, provided by the Solano 

County Library Literacy Program, 

helped her shape the book that she has 

dreamed of. 

“I remember my literacy tutor, who’s 

also named Jan, asked me what I 

wanted to be. I told her I want to 

become a children’s book author. I 

want to write children’s books to make 

a difference in the world. My book got 

rejected 96 times. But when you finally 

see it completed, it’s the most amazing 

feeling you’ll ever get,” says Tingley. 

Her recently published book, Nolan’s 

Monsters, features the same character, 

Nolan, only this time it’s about the 

things that haunt him in his sleep. 

His monsters come in different shapes 

and each one of them has a number. 

They come out when he wakes up in 

the middle of the night, after his mom 

tucks him into bed. The symbolisms 

illustrated and used by Tingley in the 

story are the very things that learners 

with learning disabilities struggle with. 

“As an author, I want to inspire kids. 

I want to be a positive role model. 

I spoke to my co-workers and their 

children, and some tell me that they 

wish they had books like this while 

growing up,” says Tingley. 

She dedicates her latest work to 

her nephew and niece, Kory and 

Kolten, with love. She is slated for a 

book signing session at the Tucson 

Festival of Books on March 2-3, 

2019, where she will talk more about 

her work, inspiration, and goal to be 

a motivational speaker and mentor 

for teenagers. To get the latest 

update about the author, visit www. 

authorjanicertingley.com. 


Come and meet 

Timothy D. Moore 

Author of 

Shades 

of Blue 

at the 

LOS ANGELES TIMES 

FESTIVAL OF BOOKS 2019 

Booth No. 937 

April 13, Saturday 

09:00 - 11:00 AM 

University of Southern California 

tpmoore@mindspring.com 

Come and meet 

Katrina Whitmore 

Author of 

Love 

NegoTiaTion 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 14, Sunday 

09:00 - 11:00 AM 


Gakaycee@gmail.com

Come and meet 

ScoTT lee moSure 

Author of 

play righT: life on 

The oTher SiDe 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


01:00 - 3:00 PM 


sunmoon1980725@gmail.com 

Come and meet 

forreST ingram 

Author of 

love’S liTurgy 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


hbhedgpeth@gmail.com

An Afternoon with 

Marlene Burling 

Local Bookstore Features Pastor’s 

Widow in Book Signing Session 

Publisher Authors Press kicked off Marlene Burling’s 

promotional tour for her latest book the Daily Walk with 

God with an exclusive book signing session at Creative 

Books in Pittsburg, California last February 16, 2019. 


“For this year, we are focusing on maximizing 

real-time exposure and expanding the digital 

footprints of our authors. We want to 

make sure that the clients we work with 

can engage with potential readers and 

have actual face time with them. Though 

we understand the importance of online 

marketing and publicity and the tremendous 

traction they can generate for writers, we 

can’t underestimate the intangible value of 

building a fan base in local communities. 

The chance to talk to authors in person and 

pick their brains on subjects that they are 

passionate about is an experience we want 

to bring to readers on a personal level,“ 

shares Authors Press’ Chief Managing 

Director, Via Jones. 

The event started at 2p.m. with Burling 

sharing her personal experiences and the 

key moments in her life that led her to 

publish her book. 

“Since the passing of my husband, God has 

blessed me in so many ways and has shown 

me that there is truly “life after death.” 

Yes, of course, eternal life, but I’m talking 

about the here and now. He wants us to 

live that abundant life provided through 

Jesus Christ, our Lord, in our everyday 

lives. We can do that as we walk with Him 

daily, looking for lessons He spreads in our 

way to grow us and make us like His son, 

Jesus Christ. What an awesome God we 

have,” says Burling. 

Book enthusiasts from different parts of 

Pittsburg, California, had the chance to 

interact with the author and grab a signed 

copy of her work during the 3-hour book 

signing session. 

For Ronald and Jennie Lee, a couple on 

their first trip to California from York, 

who happened to bump into the signing 

by chance, were able to participate despite 

the unfavorable conditions at that time. 

“You’re only in California once, though 

the weather today certainly reminds us of 

home.” Lee said. 

The book signing turnout, hosted by 

Creative Books which is located along 

Buchanan Road, had been unexpectedly 

high. Burling read a few passages from her 

book during the session. She encouraged her 

audience to always stay in touch with the 

spiritual aspect of their lives by dedicating 

certain hours of the day to God. She shared 

her writing process, tracing the origins of 

her books which began as a personal exercise 

to process her grief upon the death of her 

husband of 51 years. She went on to share 

that the project took on a life of its own 

and resulted in writing devotionals which 

eventually led to the formation of the book 

that it is today. 

Marlene Burling is scheduled 

to participate in major book 

festivals all throughout the year. 

She is also open to speak in special 

gatherings, individual churches 

and spiritual meetings. She has 

written articles for newsletters, a 

children’s book titled “Grandma, 

Tell Me the Easter Story,” and 

designed a workshop titled, 

“There’s Life After Death— 

(LIVING in Widowhood),” 

which she presents to churches, 

ladies’ groups, or other groups. She 

started a widow’s ministry in her 

church for widows and singles. 

The group is called The King’s 

Daughters. Get the latest update 

about the author by visiting www. 

marleneburling.com. 


Book copies are available 

on www.amazon.com

Come and meet 

Sally F. Jackson 

Author of 

You Are What 

You Eat: Human 

Body Function in 

Relation to Food 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


09:00 - 11:00 AM 


salbugone@aol.com 

Come and meet 

Kaye Beechum 

Author of 

Forever 19 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


ksbparking@yahoo.com

Come and meet 

Harding Hedgpeth 

Author of 

The Hope of 

Salvation 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


hbhedgpeth@gmail.com 

Come and meet 

Wanda Battle-Frazier 

Author of 

Color of Friends 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


wdbnf@yahoo.com

Interview 

The truth of the matter is that we’re 

having a pickle trying to figure out 

how to fill this page. This space has 

morphed into a metonym for a bigger 

concern: why is anyone still printing 

magazines in 2019? To what purpose 

will a ream of glossy and coated paper 

with pictures and words serve in the 

time of digital dominance? 

Like all grueling pursuits, we took 

some time to step back and maul it 

over. But then we remember that the 

real goal is neither to retreat from 

the world nor to accept that it can’t 

be changed. It is to find, always, a 

way to talk about what’s going on. To 

chronicle and to record. And give the 

space to those who make it better. Or 

at least make it fun. 

This is why we’re introducing this 

new section where we fill it with 

unedited conversations with those 

who have something to say and might 

possibly do a 180 on a reader. Check 

out snippets of the Q&A that we’ve 

had with authors whom we believe 

are the brave new voices of their field. 


Frank E. Hull 

Author of Anthology Hull 

Family 1880-2019 

Authorial Magazine: Tell us what’s 

unique about your book. Why should 

people read it? 

Frank Hull: Anthology depicts a trip 

across 3 generations of social 

change in the southwestern 

US. The story is woven into a 

biography of an atypical, unusual, 

wispy, accomplished family trying 

to live the American dream. I 

believe readers will find the satire 

refreshing and the anecdotes 

entertaining while enjoying the 

unique dialogue. 

AM: Did you know the last line of your 

book or how your story would 

end from the very beginning? Did 

you already know before you even 

started writing it? Tell us more 

about your writing process. 

FH: I didn’t know anything about the 

book at the beginning. I started this 

project to kill time while suffering 

from sleep apnea. Seriously! I 

awoke nightly at 2 am and began 

writing as a means to go back to 

sleep. Later, as the book took form, 

I wrote as an avocation—a family 

history for my grandchildren. I 

always write from 2 to 5 am when 

there are no distractions and I 

can focus my creative energies on 

content and dialogue. 

AM: Do you notice a pattern in your 

writing? What rules in the end or 

what usually wins in your stories? 

FH: The only pattern in my writing is 

my desire to communicate facts 

as honestly as possible and not to 

discredit characters or label people 

in my book. I rather let the reader 

make their own judgment. Nobody 

really wins or loses in Anthology. 

Rather it’s just a biographical 

story told. 

AM: What did your first book teach you 

about yourself? What did you learn 

about yourself to never repeat in 

your other projects or in other areas 

of your life? 

FH: Anthology taught me that I 

possessed the talents to be a good 

story teller. I kind of discovered 

myself while putting the stories 

together. The effortless way I was 

able to construct things from 

the beginning, motivated me to 

continue the project and expand 

the focus. I can’t think of anything 

I stumbled across that I would hide 

in any future literary pursuits. 

AM: Did you ever imagine your life 

being the way it is now? 

FH: No, I certainly didn’t expect my 

life to be this way now, at age 70. I 

am happy, surrounded by friends, 

a small but healthy, happy family 

and a BFF lady friend. I live in 

one of the most beautiful cities in 

the US, I’m reasonably solvent and 

my health is coming around. I feel 

very blessed. 

AM: Would it be fair to say that you’ve 

used—in writing your book—the 

good, the bad, and the ugly parts of 

your life? 

FH: In writing Anthology, I had to 

include a lot of autobiography 

for it to make sense. It would be 

fair that I included my “dark side” 

in describing things. I only hope 

my honesty didn’t carry over into 

others people’s lives and have the 

book be an awkward revelation 

of things. 

AM: Is there someone you consider 

as your greatest influence in your 

writing? If so, please do tell us 

more about him or her and why 

you consider him or her as such. 

FH: I got a lot of my material from my 

grandfather, Frank, and my Dad. 

They both would pour a few drinks 

and sit down in my presence and 

chat away about family and stories 

and rumors about relatives. Also, I 

had a ringside seat for all this and 

a good enough memory to recall 

events from my early childhood 

and adolescents. The pictures all 

landed in my lap as the result of 

being the youngest in the family 

and last in the namesake of Hulls. 


Michael Amram 

Author of Agents of Orange 


unique about your book. Why should 

people read it? 

Michael Amram: Agents of Orange 

creates fictional romance and 

thriller as seen through the lens 

of real history and its characters. 

My book tells its own story, my 

characters all work through their 

trials in life, influenced from the 

perspective optic of a real world 

in the 1970s. They are influenced 

by politics, crime, war, and social 

climate. It leans towards a Forrest 

Gump-ish stringency in the way it 

marches characters through living 

history. I think that is a unique 

angle, beam for a novel to walk, to 

gently distort or exaggerate what 

really happened to tell an otherwise 

fictional story. 







MA: With this book I had no idea how 

it would end. As I progressed, of 

course, I eventually came upon 2 or 

three ways it could plausibly end. 

I began Agents one day in about 

2011 after playing with the line 

from Apocalypse Now, “I love the 

smell of Napalm in the morning.” 

I played with the idea of a soldier 

extracting something to like from 

a war, calculating it. I listened to 

the onomatopoeic aspects of it. I 

came up with the line “I love the 

smell palms make when they sway 

in the morning.” It set the location 

of the novel, the initial skittish 

tone, like the festering nightmare 

the experience in Vietnam had on 

many, the smell, sight, and sound. 

The longing it unearthed, in my 

character’s case, for a place to 

call home. 

As the outline, setting, characters 

developed for this book, the stated, 

noted synopsis came, was jotted 

down as where the story could 

plausibly go. I leave myself open 

to ideas, and amending the plan 

if they are appropriate. So, in 

many ways I feel and hear my way 

through a novel. 




MA: In editing and revising, when in 

doubt throw it out. I’ve decided 

this is best. At that stage, there is 

usually no chance of salvaging an 

idea. If it is flawed and questionable 

might as well cut it out now rather 

than risk it being lost and going 

to print for the end of time. I’ve 

noticed my writing lacks an active 

tense a lot, an assertiveness lost 

with words like would. He or she 

would rather than does or did. 





of your life? 

My first novel was called The 

Orthodoxy of Arrogance. It was a 

quirky, probably implausible story 

that spit out incredulous and 

changed characters from the bowels 

of history, Nazi Germany, man 

at his worst unimaginable cruelty 

and calculation. It taught me to 

write, if I chose to work with that 

“net,” with more observance of the 

positive effects life has on people. 

It taught me not to bank on my 

audience having the same wildly 

optimistic page from history and 

the lessons it offers as I do, or did. 

It taught me to use my voice in 

writing with less indulgence of my 

own hopes that might not translate 

well or lose their objectivity in 

translation. 



MA: Of course. A bleak struggle is par. 

I knew the reality of writing going 

in. The high point for me is making 

that connection with someone, 

whether it is the intended one or 

far from it. For me it comes in a 

retired situation, something I’ve 

wanted to do all my life. Since 

at least 2010 writing has been a 

profession whose lucrativeness is 

not easily found. Digital books, 

vanishing brick and mortar stores, 

twitter, and a declination to read 

any kind of book—all hail as 

obstacles in the author’s path. 

Writing, artfully, sublimely and 

completely telling a story has 

been my love since college days. 

Competition is fierce, yielding as 

many as 10,000 manuscripts to any 

one publisher in a season. He or 

she might seriously consider three. 




your life? 

MA: Yes, in a minimalist kind of way 

“Agents” touched upon things I am 

indifferent to, regret, or accept as 

an ugly evolution. I can’t say there 

exist any part of me I’d consider 

good, as opposed to bad, reflected 

in the book. 

AM: In all your years of writing, what do 

you know for sure? 

MA: I know that I’ve grown as a writer, 

become more disciplined, more 

accepting of the need to edit. My 

writing has become tighter and 

better in my eyes and critics’ eyes. I 

began a relationship in 2017 with 

a more traditional publisher with 

whom I am publishing my second 

book, American Bus Ride, later 

this spring. With this cultivation 

I know each publication places 


my foot on a rung on the ladder 

of success. 

AM: Will you be writing more books? 

Tell us more about your plans 

or upcoming events and the 

projects that are currently in the 

works for you. 

MA: Absolutely. I am currently 

working on a novella. I tell the 

story of a cipher, an insignificant, 

who is searching mid-eastern 

deserts for answers, for a sense 

of belonging, or his origin. With 

my current publisher, I wrote the 

political memoir about growing 

up infused with the politics of the 

McCarthy Anti-war movement, 

Ten Years and Change: A Liberal 

Boyhood in Minnesota, followed 

by American Bus Ride. That was 

to be followed by a book on 

the fundamental importance of 

voting in a democracy. That is half 

drafted. I faced the reality that I am 

burned out on politics, its constant 

objectiveness, and difficult nature to 

be translated into anything creative. 

I longed to write fiction. 

AM: Is there anything you’d like your 

readers to know about you that they 

won’t find anywhere else online? 

MA: I like to correct alterations of 

history when it’s appropriate. It 

fascinates me how teachers and 

scholars have molded events in 

history to accentuate the positive, 

how America seems to have this 

imperviousness to shame, to 

wrong-doing, even sometimes to 

blatantly unconstitutional acts in 

this current time. 




more about him/her and why you 

consider him/her as such. 

MA: I am influenced by the writings 

of Laura Hillenbrand (Unbroken, 

Seabiscuit). I admire her attention 

to detail, her accuracy in telling a 

story. I look at Bukowski, Twain, 

Steinbeck. I was fond of how 

Dickens developed many characters 

and had them all work out 

plausibly in the end. So, there is no 

one author I can say is my greatest 

influence. Each had or has different 

strengths which influence me. 

Raju Ramanathan 

Author of Souls from Mercury 


unique about your book. Why 

should people read it? 

Raju Ramanathan: By using an unusual 

question and answer format for a 

difficult spiritual theme, this book, 

Souls from Mercury, makes learning 

easier and entertaining. This book 

will compel people of all ages to 

look into the unseen realities of 

life. Many of these questions are 

in the hearts of most people in the 

world today but they are unable to 

voice it to the right people and seek 

answers. Beginners should read this 

book to get clear on many areas of 

their life. For advanced seekers, it 

points the way to enlightenment 

as accepted by many Masters 

from the East to the West. There 

is something in this book for 

everyone! For the thousands of 

people who have heard about me 

or heard me through my teaching, 

I have provided something new. I 

have also given a verbatim account 

of people’s experiences with me 

gathered through actual interviews 

with many key individuals. 







RR: Yes. I knew the first and last line 

of the book, five years before the 

material was collected and put 

together by many seekers around 

the world who had the eagerness 

to publish my book. This book 

points to a balanced outlook on 

both life and spirituality. My 

writing process was to come up 

with a framework of seven levels 

of Chakras and condense all my 

essential teachings within that 

framework. I have chosen Jesus’ 

teachings only because he was the 

Epitome of Compassion. Charles 

Darwin pointed out that kindness, 

compassion and empathy will be 

the hallmark of future evolution. 





RR: Yes. There is a pattern in my 

writing. The pattern is to present 

the current day core issues faced 

by humanity through their own 

questions. These questions have 

been asked dozens of times by 

dozens of people. The current 

day problems and their solutions 

have been given through the 

chakras which are analogous to 

the 7 endocrine glands in us. 

The emerging Energy Medicine 

is beginning to highlight the 

importance of Nero Science. 

This book provides a meeting 

point between those branches of 

knowledge. What rules in the end, 

and usually wins, is the acceptance 

of what differences we see with 

each other and the focus on the 

commonalities. This will result in 

true compassion for others. 





of your life? 

RR: Souls from Mercury is my first 

book and it has taught me many 

things about myself. I learnt to 

overcome my lack of knowledge in 

Microsoft word as used in Apple 

computers. It allowed me to reach 

out to friends who will help me 

in this effort. Some publishers 

only wanted a finished book in all 

respects but did not provide any 

editorial review and comments for 

improvement. Authors Press was 

the only one that gave me sincere 

support in this area and timely 

follow up as well. I am so very 

grateful to them for this. 



RR: Yes. I imagined as a child of 6 years 

and even told my grandparents 

that I wanted to go to the moon. 

They wondered at my “audacity of 

hope” similar to what ex-President 

Obama talked about! As I grew 

up, I realized that I am physically 

incapable of this humongous task. 

I could at least study and excel in 

Aerospace instrumentation. I could 

contribute many years to space 

missions in India, Canada and 

USA. Companies like Rockwell 

and Honeywell gave me that 

opportunity and forum to develop 

myself. Even after my retirement, 

I contributed to International 

Standards Organizations in their 

Technical Advisory group. I am so 

grateful to my mentors in my field. 




your life? 

RR: It is fair to say that I have used 

the good, the bad and ugly part 

of my life as they taught me how 

to counsel others when they are 

beset with similar issues in their 

life. I stopped focusing on my 

limiting beliefs. I stopped focusing 

on what I do not want. I learnt to 

strengthen my strength and weaken 

my weakness. This fact comes 

through clearly in every chapter 

of the book. 



RR: I know for sure that everyone is a 

child of God even if they do not 

know it and pretend not to be. 

They have a small “I” that lives in 

fear and a big “I” that lives in love. 

The more they bring the big “I,” 

the cosmic “I” into focus, they will 

attain peace within themselves. 

The more there is peace in the 

individual, there will be more peace 

in the family and the community 

and ultimately there will be peace 

in the whole world! 






RR: Yes of course! I will be writing 

about my meetings with 

remarkable men, teachers and 

Gurus. I will cover all the teachers 

from the East to the West, and 

past to the present who taught and 

are teaching the art and science of 

living. They have certainly spoken 

through my book 

AM: Is there anything you’d like 

your readers to know about you 

that they won’t find anywhere 

else online? 

RR: I am unique in the sense that I do 

not put on any airs of importance 

and I am easily approachable. I 

want them to know that I have 

learnt to live without problems. If 

I could do that, they too can. If I 

could experience true love in every 

interaction, they too can. This is 

the pure potentiality that they are 

carrying in themselves. This is not 

available on line without a big price 

for everything. Knowledge is cheap 

but wisdom emerging from within 

is precious. 






RR: Yes. I met with many souls from 

Mercury who inspired me to 

be who I am, to do what I do 

and to have what I have today. 

The foremost among them is 

Dr. Ganapathy Sacchidanada, 

a musician par excellence and a 

great spiritual leader from India. 

He travels extensively around the 

world giving free musical concerts 

entitled “Music for meditation 

and healing.” I feel that he is 

uniting people from all religions, 

people from all countries. He says 

“Music is my religion, Music is my 

language and Music is my soul.” I 

am inspired by this great Master 

beyond measure. He is the one who 

gave me the spiritual title “Datta 

Yogi Raja.” 


DR. WILLIAM 

STEINER 

Author of Stealing America’s Future 


unique about your book. Why 

should people read it? 

Dr. William Steiner: While so many 

think their historical experiences 

are unique and new, they are 

not. History repeats itself. While 

so many think that making the 

same mistakes of the past, it 

will somehow now no longer be 

a mistake. 

My book makes historical 

connections of 19 th century Europe 

and early 20 th century America 

to 21 st century America. Human 

nature does not change, with the 

United States entering a period 

of post-modern decline, possibly 

ending the United States as a 

unified nation. It demonstrates the 

abject willingness of politicians 

and the press to lie to advance their 

goals of power and greed. 

It dispels many oft reported and 

unreported myths and it helps 

the reader to become a better 

critical thinker. 







DWS: I did not know the ending of 

the book at the beginning. As the 

data and evidence grew, the ending 

became more inevitable. 




DWS: I am a prolific writer of essays. 

A major part of writing this book 

was the compilation of multiple 

essays into well thought out and 

meaningful conclusions. 

I was terribly fearful of being 

factually wrong and that I would 

accidently plagiarize what I wrote. 

Hence, I spent a lot of time 

checking and rechecking my facts. 





of your life? 

DWS: It taught me that I didn’t know 

as much as I thought I knew at 

the beginning of the book. After 

putting it together, I was able to 

come to some often uncomfortable 

conclusions. I learned a lot by 

weighing though filing cabinets 

full of data, as the research was 

enormous. It taught me to never 

come to quick conclusions. 



DWS: No. 




your life? 

DWS: Yes. 

Stealing America’s Future makes a comparison 

of today’s America to late 19th Century Europe 

using two rare books, “The Conventional Lies of 

our Civilization” by Nordau, describing Europe’s 

elitist leadership, and “The Soviets at Work by 

Lenin,” outlining the Russian Revolution as it took 

place. Not commonly a part of the discussion of 

history, both provide frightening detail about the 

nuances of the geopolitics of Europe during the 

early 20th century. Using heartwarming family 

stories, humorous anecdotes, incisive criticism, and 

cold factual analysis, it describes how progressive 

liberalism, with its attempts at social engineering 

and excessive permissiveness, has brought social 

and economic disaster to America. If one reads 

but two chapters, they need to read the “Lies of 

Communism” and the “Lies of Modern Science.” 

They alone make the book a great read. 

This book covers numerous 

subjects and also enumerates the 

abject lies and the not so common 

lies purveyed to the American 

people by its politicians and media. 

We all need to be better informed 

and better critical thinkers. 



DWS: I enjoy getting to the truth. The 

path in life is more important than 

the goals in life. 






DWS: Yes. I will be writing about the 

final days of the United States as 

a union. I will be writing about a 

brush with the KCIA. And I will 

be writing more children’s books. 

AM: Is there anything you’d like 

your readers to know about you 

that they won’t find anywhere 

else online? 

DWS: One’s integrity is the most 

important character trait they 

can have. 






DWS: Max Nordau and 

Michael Montaigne 

Dr. William Steiner 


Come and meet 

Larissa Bouyett 

Author of 

The Story of 

Princess Victoria 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


11:00 AM - 1:00 PM 


laraldev@gmail.com 

Come and meet 

Lorraine M. Haddock 

Author of 

Bella Figlia 

della Mamma 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


revmfs0345@yahoo.com

Come and meet 

Dr. maurice ScoTT 

Author of 

goD BehinD The SceneS - 

from niggaS To african 

americanS 

and 

The loST african american 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


revmfs0345@yahoo.com 

Come and meet 

franK e. hull 

Author of 

anThology hull 

family 1880-2019 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


frankhull48@yahoo.com

Contributor - Poetry by Scott Valentine 

Millennial 

Worship 

We walked outside and saw 

the Great iPhone in the sky, 

couched in clouds, sunlight 

streaming around its edges. 

We fell to the ground and 

prostrated ourselves, calling 

out, “Judge us worthy.” 

The iPhone in the sky snapped 

a picture of us spread across 

the ground and Instagrammed it. 

The iPhones in our pockets 

beeped, and we all reached 

to see the photo of ourselves 

lying face-down in the grass. 



Contributor - Poetry by Scott Valentine 

Principles of 

Capitalism 

Did you read the headlines yesterday? 

A caveman appeared in Central Park 

wearing nothing but a loincloth, 

a tangled mane on his head. 

A passerby mistook him for 

a performance artist, shoving 

a dollar in his hand. The caveman 

sniffed the cash and tossed it 

to the wind. 

He turned and ran from the man 

wearing the false skins. He ran 

until he found the pond, and 

he dove right in, catching a fish 

with his bare hands. A crowd 

gathered to watch the caveman 

eat the fish raw, and soon the cops 

arrived to arrest him for fishing 

without a license. 

Guns for 

Everyone! 

Raskolnikov strapped an axe 

under his shirt and split open 

the heads of two defenseless 

women. He saw the light fade 

from their eyes—that was his 

price to pay, and it was more 

than he could afford. 

If only he had an AK, then he 

could have averted his eyes. 

The distance from the barrel 

to the victim’s head stretches 

out elastic, and this section 

of space can be folded over 

until the lens becomes opaque. 

The terrible weight of taking 

a life is filtered out—it’s hard 

to imagine how the shower 

of skull fragments, blood 

and brains is connected to 

the slight motion of a finger, 

plus there’s no way you’d 

stain your Prada shoes. 


authorial magazine | 41 

Scott Volentine is the published author of Fate’s Peak. He 

considers himself a shaman. He was mentored by a hermit 

who lived on a top of a mountain at the House of Dreams, in 

Mount Berry, Georgia. He was raised in the Catholic Church 

but doubted the doctrine from a young age. He lives in the 

suburbs of Atlanta with his small, white dog, Ziggy. Learn 

more about his work and his passion by dropping him an 

email scott.volentine@gmail.com.

Come and meet 

Pradeep Berry 

Author of 

Medical Malpractice 

and Conspiracy To My 

Connie, My Only Love 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


pradeepberry@sbcglobal.net 

Come and meet 

Jeanne L. Enstad 

Author of 

A Journey of Hope 

to Heaven & Back 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


jenstad2018@gmail.com

Come and meet 

Marlene L. Burling 

Author of 

A Daily Walk 

with God 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


marleneburling51@gmail.com 

Come and meet 

Shirley Chyzowski 

Author of 

WHAT DO THEY 

THINK??? 

i really wonder... 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


shirleyjimmay@hotmail.com

Contributor - Short Story by Ivor Kovac 

Trouble on the 

Sea of Mars 

Short story and illustration by Ivor Kovac 

The Inner Planets 

In the past men, thought that Mars and Venus were habitable, and quite probably 

inhabited. Modern scientific knowledge has shown this to be false, but what if those 

old theories about our planetary neighbors had been true? 

In the year 1940, the Soviet Union and NAZI Germany are conquering Eastern 

Europe, while the Empire of Japan is rapidly conquering East Asia and the Pacific. 

By May 1940, Hitler has taken Denmark and Norway, and unleashed a furious 

assault against Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In England, 

the discredited Neville Chamberlin steps down and Winston Churchill takes over, 

but a short time later the German forces pull back from those countries as swiftly as 

they struck. 

No explanation is given, other than a cryptic message from Hitler saying that with 

the acquisition of Denmark the needs of the German people have been met, and the 

invasions of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands were a regrettable 

and unfortunate mistake. The message called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation 

of hostilities. 

“Why now?” Winston Churchill wondered, but he did not have to wonder long. 

The next day, he received a message of a different kind, from an entirely unexpected 

source. The message came over radio, and asked one question: 

“Do we have permission to land?” the voice said over the radio. 

It spoke in English, but with a strange accent. Churchill said yes, and later that day a 

sleek black vessel landed outside of London in a heavily guarded area. 

Chapter 1 

Men from Mars 

Captain Nathan Benson could hardly 

believe it when he saw the headlines. 

“Men from Mars meet with President 

Roosevelt in the White House,” some 

stated. While others read: “It’s True! 

There are men on Mars!” 

Just before that he had read in the 

papers that Germany had halted its 

advances and called for a ceasefire. 

The news about Germany was surreal 

enough, but the news about the 

Martians was more than any sane man 

could handle, or so Nathan thought. 

“They’ve tricked people before,” Nathan 

muttered, thinking back to the Orson 

Welles broadcast of last year, and how 

some people had been duped into 

thinking that Mars actually invaded. 

“No one will fall for it this time.” 

Of course, I wasn’t tricked. If the Good 

Lord saw fit to put men on another world 

they wouldn’t be like something drawn 


from the darkest parts of our minds, or our 

nightmares. 

He sat at a table by himself in the Air 

Base’s cafeteria, sipping his coffee and 

thumbing through the newspaper.The 

front page headline read: “Martians 

Refuse Tour of the Country.” 

“Good grief!” Nathan said. “Another 

headline about the ‘Martians’! And 

if you stuck wings on a pig it would 

be a jet!” 

But in spite of his scorn and disbelief, 

Nathan’s curiosity still managed to get 

the better of him. 

“Rumors are swirling about that the 

men from Mars have refused a tour of 

the country,” the article read. “This has 

not been verified, but we do know that 

on the few occasions they have shown 

their faces in public, they have been met 

by overwhelming crowds, which were 

both jubilant and fearful. It may be that 

the overwhelming response to their 

presence is more than they can handle, 

but some experts are saying—” Nathan 

slammed the newspaper down on the 

table and pushed it away disdainfully. 

That’s all the foolishness I can take for one 

day. Even if these Martians were real, 

and of course they’re not, it’s disgraceful 

how much attention and adulation they 

are getting. All that just for being different 

and new? The Communists and Nazis are 

also different and new. Does that mean if 

they come here people will be ready to follow 

them for those differences? 

Nathan gulped down the last of his 

coffee and pushed his chair back from 

the table. But when he turned around 

to leave, he nearly bumped into a 

Lieutenant. 

“Captain Benson,” the Lieutenant said. 

“You’re wanted in briefing room six.” 

“I’m supposed to fly 30 minutes from 

now,” Nathan responded. 

“Not anymore. There has been a change 

of plans. I’ll escort you.” 

Nathan shrugged and followed the 

Lieutenant. Briefing room six was one of 

the larger briefing rooms. When Nathan 

stepped inside he saw that the table had 

been removed, and replaced with row 

upon row of chairs. Most of the chairs 

were already occupied, and most of the 

men in the chairs were not men Nathan 

recognized. At the front of the room was 

a movie screen, and off to the side of 

that was a man in a lab coat who stood 

next to a large pad of paper mounted on 

an easel. The man was thin and bald on 

top, and wore round glasses which kept 

slipping down his nose. 

The Lieutenant sat down next to 

Nathan, but they said nothing to one 

another. In fact, there was complete 

silence for the next five minutes as more 

men trickled in and sat down. After that 

a general stepped into the room, and 

everyone rose and saluted. The general 

ordered them to sit back down and relax. 

“Now men,” the general began. “You 

may have been seeing and hearing 

some strange stories about aliens in the 

newspapers. I know there have been a 

lot of gushy and sloppy opinions and 

theories going around, but the facts of 

the matter are true. There are Martians 

staying in the White House.” 

A murmur spread through the room. 

“I know, it sounds like something 

straight out of HG Wells, but it’s 

true,” the General said. “Someone kill 

the lights.” 

The General stepped to the side of the 

screen as the lights switched off. 

“Roll the film,” he said. 

The movie screen came to life with a 

silent film showing the grounds around 

the white house. President Roosevelt 

could be seen walking with a group 

of men. Most of them appeared to be 

security, and military officials, but three 

of them were strangely dressed. They 

were wearing some kind of robes, or 

cloaks. They had wide loose sleeves, and 

one of them wore a tall and somewhat 

conical hat, vaguely reminiscent of 

the crowns worn by ancient Egyptian 

pharaohs. At least two of the oddly 

dressed men had long hair. 

But aside from the hair and clothing, 

there was nothing particularly alien 


about the men that Nathan 

could observe. 

“These are the Martians,” the 

general said. 

The film continued to roll, and 

showed more footage of the 

supposed aliens walking about the 

White House, inside and out, with 

the president and other officials. 

They were shown sitting and eating, 

and there was even some footage of 

them appearing before a large crowd 

of people. It was a monstrously large 

crowd which, to Nathan, looked like 

it bordered on frenzy. 

“The Martian ship landed in April, 

and back in May another one landed 

in England,” the general said. “They 

say they have been observing Earth 

for over 100 years, and have a big 

ship in orbit above our planet. The 

smaller ships came down from the 

bigger ship, bringing envoys. Now, 

as near as we understand it, Mars 

is divided up into different nations 

and races, with different languages, 

like Earth. And also like Earth, they 

have two major camps centered 

around some of the most powerful 

nations. These fellows visiting 

Earth are called ‘Krenth.’ Bob, play 

the tape!” 

The scientist who had been standing 

near the easel all this time coughed 

and adjusted his glasses, then he 

moved off to the side of the room 

and began to play a tape. 

The voice they heard was male, 

and a smooth tenor. The accent 

was strange, but it could easily 

have been some kind of Eastern 

European accent. 

“You are the sovereign of this 

United States?” the voice asked. 

“I am the President,” the voice of 

President Roosevelt said. “It is an 

honor to meet you, sir.” 

“You are the sovereign?” 

“I’m actually more of a chief 

executive officer than a sovereign.” 

“The chief executive?” 

“Yes.” 

“I am Hor-VethUlius, emissary of 

Krentholkan. We have chosen to 

make contact with your people, 

as well as the peoples of the other 

alliance. We wish to have formal 

relations with your world, but only 

with the best nation. You must—“ 

The recording cut off. 

“That’s all we have,” the General 

said. “Of course the people of the 

other alliance are the Germans, 

Japanese, Italians, and maybe even 

the Russians. We know there’s a 

Martian ship in Berlin, and another 

in Tokyo. What we have to do now 

is go to Mars, and build a case for 

why the nation of Krentholkan 

should have formal relations with 

us instead of the fascists and 

communists. But here’s the kicker, 

we have to get there on our own.” 

The general paused toobserve the 

reactions of the men. 

“That’s part of the test,” the 

general said. “We have to prove 

to the Krenth that we’re worthy 

of consideration by making it to 

their planet in one piece, and then 

once we get there we have to build 

a case to their leaders for why 

we’d make a better ally than the 

Germans and Japs. Now the Nazis 

already have a ship in development, 

which puts them ahead of us, but it 

gets worse… 

“According to our intelligence the 

Nazis have recovered the remains 

of a crashed Krenth ship, so 

they’re probably also ahead of us 

technologically. Even if the Krenth 

took back whatever was left of their 

crashed ship, and we don’t know 

that they have, then the Germans 

will still have all sorts of notes and 

schematics. The Krenth have stated 

that they will not be sharing any 

technology or blueprints with any of 

the parties involved, until one of us 

proves worthy, which means that our 

enemies already have the advantage 

in this competition. But, gentlemen, 

the winner has to be the us, for the 

good of our country, and for the 

good of humanity.” 

The general paused again and 

scanned the room, then he ordered 

the lights to be switched back on. 

“President Roosevelt wants us to 

have a functional ship by the end of 

this year,” the General continued. 

“It’s going to be a big ship, and we 

are going to build it in space. That’s 

the one piece of advice the Krenth 

gave us; to build the ship in space, 

and use smaller ships to go between 

the ship and the planet. All of our 

top scientists are working on it, and 

the Brits are helping. Fortunately, 

Hitler has eased up the pressure 

in Europe, so we should be able to 

focus entirely on the ship, but the 

Axis powers are already ahead of us. 

If the Krenth choose the Germans 

as allies, then we can bet Uncle 

Adolf will start the war up again in 

Europe, and I doubt anyone in the 

world will be able to stop him if he 

gets Krenth technology. I think you 

all understand the situation.” 

Many of the men in the room 

nodded grimly, but no one 

said a word. 

“All of you in this room are airmen, 

the best from the United States 

and England,” the general said. 

“You have been chosen to crew 

the ship. Who better to turn into 

spacemen than airmen?And now, 

Dr. Robinson, if you will give your 

demonstration.” 

The scientist coughed and returned 

to the front of the room, adjusted 

his glasses, and coughed again. 

“Um, yes,” he said.“You see, we were 

able to take these measurements…” 

The doctor flipped open the stack 

of paper on the easel, and revealed 

a simple set of profile drawings. The 

drawing showed two bald heads side 

by side, and presented a front view 

and side view of both. 

“The head on the left is an Earth 

man of the Nordic variety,” Dor. 

Robinson said. “The head on the 

right is a Krenth. As you can see, 

from the front the basic skull shape 

is virtually identical, but from the 

eyes up the Krenth skull has one 

to two inches of extra height. The 


difference is not in skull width, but in 

skull height, and only in the area of the 

brain case, not in the face, the neck, 

or the base of the skull. The evidence 

indicates that they have larger brains, 

which could account for their superior 

technological development.” 

Nathan leaned forward in his chair. 

Because of the tall hats the alleged 

Martians had been wearing in the movie 

footage, it was impossible for Nathan to 

determine whether or not the drawings 

were accurate. 

But if true, it would probably mean that 

the portions of the brains responsible for 

higher reasoning are larger. At least… 

going by the drawings. It’s the only part of 

their head that’s enlarged. 

“Aside from the difference in skull 

shape, the Krenth seem to be a bit taller 

than the average Earthman, at least, if 

we can judge by the specimens we have 

seen so far,” Dr. Robinson said. “That 

puts their average height about 6’2. 

We have also noted that they typically 

do not walk fast, and they seem to tire 

swiftly, although they try their best to 

hide it. We believe that this is due to 

Mars being of a smaller size. Given that, 

we should expect them to have greater 

height, but weaker muscles.” 

Dr. Robinson paused, took off his glasses 

and wiped the lenses, then looked over 

the men in the room. 

“We suspect that the average Martian 

may only be half as strong as the average 

human,” Dr. Robinson resumed. “Which 

means they would be considerably 

weaker when compared with the 

specimens in this room, and with our 

military men in general. They have gray 

skin, but they bleed red, and they have 

eaten most of the food we put before 

them without any issues. Therefore, 

we believe that there is nutritional 

reciprocity between our world and 

theirs. You men should have few to no 

issues eating Krenth cuisine while on 

their planet.” 

“Thank you for that presentation, Dr. 

Robinson,” the general said. “Do you 

men have any questions?” 

“I have a question,” one of the men said. 

“Go ahead,” the general said. 

“Do we know what caused the Krenth to 

make contact?” 

“When the Martian ship crashed in 

Germany they couldn’t hide their 

existence any longer. The crash was an 

accident, but there were fresh bodies 

inside when the Germans found it.” 

“I see.” 

“Why tell us if only the Germans 

knew?” another man asked. 

“What the aliens told the President is 

that they are serious about establishing 

formal relations, but they want to get 

the best deal they can,” the general 

answered. “They said, ‘When more than 

one bargain for the same commodity the 

one seller gets a better deal.’” 

“Oh,” the man replied. “I thought maybe 

it was out of a sense of fairness.” 

“General.” Dr. Robinson interjected. 

“If I may…” 

“Go ahead,” the general said. 

“We don’t know what kind of 

sentiments the Krenth have yet,” Dr. 

Robinson said. “So far they have shown 

no emotion, other than curiosity and 

occasional disdain. It may be that they 

had their own Zeno or Confucius, and 

that philosophy just came to dominate, 

in which case showing emotion might 

be considered taboo. Or, it may be that 

their brain structure is simply different 

than ours and they aren’t capable of the 

same range of emotions.” 

The man who asked the question fell 

silent, but another spoke up. 

“Who is in charge of this 

mission?” he asked. 

“That is still being decided,” the 

general replied. “Are there any further 

questions?” 

The men said nothing. 

“In that case you will all report to our 

new facility in Nevada, where you will 

begin training for the mission. As you 

train, our scientists and engineers will be 

working on the ship,” the general said. 

“In addition to the ship we’re going to 

need a whole slew of special tools and 

suits for the mission. The strength and 

effort of the entire country will be going 

into the project. Gentlemen, we can do 

this, we have to do this. Dismissed!” 

Nathan Benson stood and saluted 

along with the rest of the men, but 

he remained skeptical of the entire 

presentation. 

I’ll play along for now… and hold off 

giving an opinion before I see hard evidence 

that points one way or the other. 

The next day Nathan was flown to 

Nevada, where he was taken to a 

sprawling military complex. The facility 

was newly constructed, but it was 

already heavily fortified, having concrete 

fences topped with razor wire and guard 

towers spaced at regular intervals. On 

the interior, the barracks, hangars, and 

a few concrete buildings were already 

constructed. In addition, there were 

metal scaffoldings for structures which 

were still under construction. 

There were no major roads anywhere 

in sight, but a lone river ran through 

the desert close to the base. There were 

water treatment plants and pumps near 

the river to supply water to the base, 

and the new facility also had its own 

power sources. 

Nathan and the other men trained 

for months to prepare for the voyage. 

They worked to build muscle and bone 

density, because one of the scientists 

theorized that being in space for long 

periods of time may cause muscles 

to atrophy due to a lack of use. They 

engaged in g-force tests which involved 

spinning rapidly in a giant centrifuge, 

and low gravity simulations which 

consisted of underwater activities 

performed in prototype space suits. 

While the men trained and practiced, 

new equipment was continually 

developed, tested, and refined. Every 

time a new piece of equipment was 

ready, they had to train with it. 

One day the general approached Nathan 

as he was lifting weights. When Nathan 

saw the general, he quickly pushed 

the bar back up with an extra burst of 

strength, then he stood up and saluted. 

“At ease, soldier,” the general said. 

“Sir,” Nathan said. 


“I have good news for you, son, you have 

been chosen as the captain for the USS 

Teddy Roosevelt. Tomorrow you’re to 

report to Section C for extra training.” 

“Yes,sir!” 

USS stood for “United States 

Spaceship,” and the ship itself was 

named after the former President 

Teddy Roosevelt, a cousin of the current 

President Roosevelt. 

The next day Nathan reported to the 

necessary section, and he found that his 

mind was being pushed to the limits. 

Instead of the usual physical training, 

and equipment training, he found that 

he was forced to study schematics and 

memorize protocols. 

“The captain needs to have a basic 

familiarity with all the ship’s systems,” 

Dr. Robinson said as he deposited a 

stack of manuals in front of Nathan. 

Nathan learned that Dr. Robinson was 

also going on the journey, but he was 

going as an observer and diplomat, not 

as a member of the crew. 

Two other men studied along with 

Nathan; Blake O’brian, and Kenneth 

Schuman.Blake had red hair and 

pale skin with freckles.Kenneth had 

black hair and was slightly shorter 

than Nathan. 

Blake O’Brian was to be the chief 

engineer, and his responsibilities would 

be the engines, the structure of the 

ship, and the tools used to maintain it. 

While Kenneth’s main focus would be 

the ship’s computers, and making sure 

that they ran properly. According to the 

schematics, the computer system would 

take up nearly as much space as the 

engines, and would actually require more 

maintenance and oversight, which was 

why they required their own expert. 

The three men quickly became friends, 

and were soon spending time together 

after hours and exchanging personal 

anecdotes. Nathan learned that Blake 

was originally a Navy man, but given his 

technical leanings the Navy had paid for 

him to get an engineering degree, and he 

excelled in that field. 

Like Nathan, Kenneth was originally 

from the Air Force. His original 

motivation for joining had been to 

advance an engineering career, as well as 

patriotism, but neither of those factors 

were what kept him in the service. 

Kenneth’s father was a German, born 

and raised in Berlin, and his mother 

was from Japan. After the war started 

brewing in Europe and Asia, his parents 

were often looked at with suspicion 

and mistrust. 

Even though the United States had 

never become directly involved, stories 

of the depredations of the Germans 

and Japanese began trickling back 

the America. Given the existing 

cultural climate, it was easier for him 

to remain in the service where work 

was guaranteed than to strike out in 

the private sector where he might be 

blacklisted due to his origins. 

“Whatever Japan and Germany are 

doing is on them, but not everyone 

is going to see it that way,” Kenneth 

said. “My loyalties are to America, and 

always have been, but staying in the 

service is the easiest way to demonstrate 

that. When all this war nonsense blows 

over, and eventually it will, the people 

of the future won’t be looking at my 

pedigree, they’ll be looking at my 

accomplishments.” 

“That’s right,” Nathan said. “You can’t 

help what other people think, you can 

only help what you do and how you 

live. At the end of the day we’re all men, 

and our accomplishments will stand 

or fall regardless of how people feel 

about us. And that’s where we get our 

satisfaction.” 

“Too true!” Blake added. 

One day as the three men were eating 

lunch together, they were approached by 

the general. 

“Look alive, men,” the General said. 

“President Roosevelt is coming, and 

the Martians are with him. Put on your 

dress uniforms and have yourselves 

ready in no less than two hours. We’ll be 

meeting them by the airstrip.” 

Two hours later Nathan, Kenneth, and 

Blake stood waiting by the landing strip 

along with the General, Dr. Robinson, 

and a few other officials and scientists 

who were all dressed in suits in spite of 

the blistering heat of the desert. 

Nathan glanced to the left and right, and 

noticed that Blake’s uniform was not 

properly adjusted. He quickly adjusted 

it for him and stood at attention as an 

airplane roared overhead and came in for 

a landing. When the plane came to a full 

stop a mobile stairway was wheeled up 

to the door, and a line of men in dress 

uniforms stood at attention along either 

side of it, with ceremonial swords drawn. 

President Roosevelt was the first to step 

out, followed by a few guards in suits. 

Nathan and the other soldiers all stood 

at attention as the President approached. 

The President was followed by four 

peculiar looking men. They wore black 

robes with silver embroidery and silver 

necklaces. The robes were rather loose 

and had long wide sleeves. The robes fell 

short of their feet by a few inches, so 

that Nathan was able to see their shoes 

and pants. Underneath the robes they 

wore dark gray pants which appeared 

to be loose down to ankles where they 

constricted slightly. Their shoes were of a 

glossy black material, and latched tightly 

shut with multiple bands. 

Their skin was a light gray tone, and 

they had long black hair which fell 

down to their hips. Nathan recognized 

them as the men from the film he had 

seen earlier, but this time they wore no 

hats. Their hair was partly pulled back, 

blatantly revealing that their foreheads 

were higher due to their heads being 

about one to two inches taller than the 

normal human range. 

It looked peculiar to Nathan, but then 

he imagined that he and his friends 

must look equally peculiar, and perhaps 

unpleasant to the men from Mars. But 

if the aliens had any contempt it was 

impossible to tell. There was no sign 

of emotion, positive or negative, in 

either their facial expressions or their 

body language. 

The only thing Nathan was able to 

pick up on was a thinly veiled sense of 

physical discomfort as the Martians 

stepped out into the heat and bright 

sunlight of the Nevada desert. They 

hesitated at the door, and one of them 

seemed to open his mouth a little in a 

partial gasp. The men from Mars reached 

inside their robes and drew out glossy 


lack objects, like visors, and placed 

them over their eyes. 

With their visors in place the Martians 

stepped down the ladder, carefully 

and rather slowly, and approached the 

officers, following behind President 

Roosevelt. 

Roosevelt and the soldiers exchanged 

salutes, then the President introduced 

the Martians to the men, and the 

general introduced most of the men 

present to the Martians. The Martians 

remained nearly as still as statues, but 

one of them turned his head and nodded 

slightly as some of the officers were 

introduced. 

“General,” Roosevelt began once the 

introductions were over. “Will you show 

us around the facility?” 

“Certainly,” the general said. “This 

way please, gentlemen. If you have any 

questions or would like to examine 

anything more closely please feel free to 

ask, and to pause the tour at any time.” 

“Understood,” one of the Martians said. 

Now that he saw the Martians up 

close, Nathan noticed something else 

about them which had been left out of 

the intelligence reports and briefings 

he had been exposed to. They all had 

pointed ears. 

Well, I guess there’s no denying it now. This 

has to be real. Certainly this is way too 

much to be faked. 

Then for the first time since the project 

began, Nathan felt genuinely excited. He 

was going to visit another planet, with 

an advanced alien civilization. He could 

only imagine what might be there. 

All this time humanity has speculated 

about life on Mars, while the life on 

Mars had been secretly watching and 

observing humanity! 

As the tour went on the Martians 

occasionally exchanged words with 

one another in their native language, 

but they asked very few questions. At 

the end of the tour an elaborate dinner 

was held, and at this point some of the 

Martians began to ask questions. 

“What is this substance?” one asked 

as he lifted a glass of Champaign. “It 

is clearly not water. Is it a type of fruit 

juice, or an intoxicant?” 

When that question was answered, 

all of the other Martians pushed the 

Champaign glasses back away from their 

plates, while the man who asked the 

question lifted the glass to his mouth 

and took a cautious sip. 

“What manner of animal was this?” one 

of the Martians asked as he pointed to a 

platter of ribs. 

When the dinner was over the President 

and the Martian envoys returned to 

their airplane, but paused at the base of 

the ladder. 

“We are satisfied that you are prepared 

to receive the Advocate,” one of the 

Martians said. “We will send word to 

the Fathership that the advocate is to be 

immediately dispatched.” 

“Will the esteemed Advocate be 

landing in Washington DC?” the 

President asked. 

“The Advocate will land in Washington 

DC to confer with you briefly, but after 

that the Advocate must be transferred 

to this base as swiftly as possible,” 

the Martian said. “The work of the 

Advocate is here.” 

“I understand,” Roosevelt said. 

After formal farewells were exchanged 

the President and the Krenth delegation 

boarded the airplane and left. 

“Dismissed!” the general said to the men 

after the plane took off. 

As the soldiers and scientists dispersed, 

Nathan, Blake, and Kenneth stood 

around for some time watching as the 

airplane faded off into the distance. 

“I wonder what this ‘advocate’ is 

supposed to do?” Nathan said. 

“Well, if it’s what it sounds like, then 

probably nothing good,” Blake said. 

“What does it sound like?” Kenneth 

asked. 

“A lawyer,” Blake replied. 


Chapter 2 

The Advocate 

The next day after the official visit went 

by without event, other than the usual 

routine of training and study. Near the 

end of the day Nathan made his way 

back to his quarters to get changed and 

go for his final workout. But when he 

rounded the last corner he saw men 

stationed outside his room on either side 

of the door. 

Two of the men were Krenth, but unlike 

those of the previous day, these appeared 

to be soldiers. Their uniforms included 

components of gray metal, and black 

helmets which hugged their heads and 

obscured the top portions of their faces 

with black visors. These Krenth also had 

more muscle than the others. The other 

two men were humans, and appeared to 

be secret servicemen. 

As Nathan drew closer, he noticed the 

door to his room was slightly ajar. 

“What is this?” he asked. 

“The Advocate will speak with you 

inside,” one of the Krenth said. 

Nathan raised an eyebrow at the 

Martian, but then he shrugged and 

cautiously entered his quarters, 

wondering what sort of being he would 

find inside. 

He found a thin Martian dressed in 

a long black robe of a slightly more 

elaborate design with his back to the 

door. There was a wide silver and grey 

belt encompassing the waist, and an 

elaborate silver design embroidered in 

the base of the robe near the feet. The 

Martian’s long black hair hung down 

nearly to the knees, and was penned 

with a silver clasp which covered the 

back of the head. 

As Nathan paused to stare the Martian 

straightened up and turned to face him. 

It was a woman, the first female Martian 

he had ever seen. Her lips were a dark 

gray, close to black, and her eyes were a 

medium gray, the same color as Nathan’s. 

She wore what appeared to be black 

eyeliner which ran beyond her eyes so 

that it reminded Nathan of some of the 

eye paintings he had seen in ancient 

Egyptian artwork. 

“You are Captain Nathan Benson?” 

she asked. 

“I am,” Nathan replied. 

“Greetings, I am Advocate Kor- 

NeevSemth. You may call me Advocate 

or Kor-Neev, depending on your 

personal comfort level, when we are in 

private. In official conversations you will 

refer to me as Advocate.” 

“OK…” 

She approached him until she came to 

stand within two feet of him. Their eyes 

were at the same level, but she came up 

to be a little taller due to her head being 

taller. She spoke with an English accent, 

unlike the other Martians who still 

sounded like aliens when they spoke. 

“Your General has already been briefed 

about the purpose of my presence here, 

and what he must do to accommodate 

me,” she said. “But since you are the 

captain of the expedition I will also 

be coordinating with you, and in 

light of that I thought it prudent to 

approach you directly. I prefer to avoid 

superfluous ritual when important 

matters require attendance, regardless 

of whether the ritual is a matter of 

formality or colloquial etiquette. Do you 

understand?” 

“I think I understand you,” Nathan said. 

“Please confirm.” 

“You want to get right down to business, 

no small talk, and no unnecessary 

functions for the sake of formality.” 

“It seems that we understand 

one another.” 

“So what is your function here?” 

“I am your Advocate. I am to work with 

your people to present a case for alliance 

to the Sovereign of Krentholkan. It 

is my job to defend your side, and to 

undermine the arguments of the other 

side. Another official will be working 

with those you call the Axis.” 

“I see… so it’s like a court case.” 

“Essentially. One of my duties is to 

thoroughly understand what you have to 

offer, so that I can help you present the 

best possible case to the Sovereign.” 

“Alright.” 

“I will be working closely with you 

as you train, and with those who are 

constructing and designing both your 

ships and equipment. In addition, I 

would like to study your libraries for 

information about the resources of your 

country, the GDP, and the utilization 

curve of said resources.” 

“I’m not authorized to grant you 

access to restricted areas and restricted 

information.” 

“Nothing pertaining to this project is to 

be restricted. Your President Roosevelt 

has granted me full access. I have already 

produced the necessary documentation 

to your general. I will show you 

my papers.” 

Kor-Neev snapped her fingers, and 

Nathan noticed that her long nails were 

painted black. A moment later, one of 

the Martian guards approached and 

produced a small case, opened it, and 

presented it to Nathan. 

“You may inspect the documents 

to verify that everything is in 

order,” she said. 

Nathan scanned through the documents 

and found that she was correct. 

“I trust everything meets with your 

approval?” Kor-Neev asked. 

“It does,” Nathan said. 

“Good, then let us delay no further. 

What is the next activity you 

have planned?” 

“I was planning on working out. We 

engage in strength and endurance 

training on a daily basis.” 

“Very well, I shall accompany you and 

observe this activity.” 

“Alright, but… I need to get 

changed first.” 

“Of course. I shall await you outside. Try 

to be swift with your preparations.” 

Before Nathan could respond the 

Martian woman walked passed him and 

closed the door to his quarters. He let 


out an exasperated puff of air and began 

to change his clothes. He wondered 

why the Krenth sent a woman as their 

Advocate, when it was a well-known 

fact that men persuaded with logic, 

while women relied upon emotion and 

subtlety for persuasion. 

Of course, there are always exceptions, and 

it’s also possible that things are different 

with the Martians… 

Once he was finished changing he 

opened the door, and found the Kor- 

Neev waiting for him. 

“We’ll be joined by the chief engineer 

and computer officer for the Teddy 

Roosevelt,” Nathan said. “We three 

study together, and also work out 

together.” 

“Very good,” Kor-Neev said. “Lead on.” 

Nathan proceeded toward the gym, 

followed by Kor-Neev and her guards, 

both human and Martian. 

“Will the guards be following you 

everywhere while you are here?” 

Nathan asked. 

“For the most part,” she replied. “Your 

President Roosevelt has been charged 

personally with my safe keeping.” 

I don’t know if I like the sound of that… 

It seemed that the power relationship 

was heavily lopsided in favor of 

the aliens. 

What if something happened to Kor-Neev? 

Would the Krenth retaliate personally 

against Roosevelt or the United States 

as a whole? 

“All those guards won’t be necessary on 

the base,” Nathan said. 

“Perhaps not, but I reserve the right 

to make my own determination,” Kor- 

Neev replied. 

When they reached the gym Nathan 

found Kenneth and Blake waiting for 

him. They were surprised by the presence 

of the Martians, but Nathan quickly 

explained the situation and made the 

appropriate introductions. 

“Kor-Neev will be working with us 

closely as we prepare for the mission,” 

Nathan said. 

Kor-Neev observed them as they 

worked out, occasionally leaning in 

dangerously close as they lifted weights 

or engaged in calisthenics. Occasionally 

she tested some of the weights, lifting, 

or attempting to lift them with her 

hands. When it came time for them 

to run she stood next to the track and 

watched them. 

“Well, what are your thoughts, ma’am?” 

Nathan asked once they were finished. 

“Good levels of physical strength, largely 

due to natural abilities I presume,” she 

said. “Workout is adequate. Potential 

for endurance and strength exceeds 

Krenth norms.” 

“Uh… thanks?” Blake said in response. 

“What is your next activity?” Kor- 

Neev asked. 

“Showers and dinner,” Nathan replied. 

“Very well,” Kor-Neev said. “I shall join 

you for the latter.” 

She turned away from them and waived 

at her guards to follow. 

“What is this?” Blake asked when 

she was gone. 

“The power relationship seems to be a 

bit off here,” Kenneth added. 

“It’s diplomacy, what can we do?” 

Nathan said. 

“Not let her dictate to us, for one!” 

Blake said. 

“Well, let’s just take it as it comes,” 

Nathan said. 

Dinner proved to be rather difficult, as 

Kor-Neev was highly curious about the 

food, and wished to have it “explained” 

to her. Before taking a bite of stew she 

would point to a pea and ask for an 

explanation of what it was. 

“What manner of creature is this meat 

derived from?” she ask. 

“It comes from a cow,” Kenneth said. 

“It’s a type of bovine.” 

“What are these orange cubes?” 

she asked. 

“Those are carrots.” 

authorial magazine | 53 

“I thought carrots formed into elongated 

conical shapes? Ah, I see it is carved 

into cubes. But, are you certain they 

are carrots?” 

As the men studied and trained with 

the equipment she watched them. She 

randomly demanded to inspect certain 

pieces of equipment, and insisted 

upon reading every document the men 

looked at. 

“I see you doing a lot of reading and 

asking a lot of questions,” Blake said. 

“But I never see you taking any notes.” 

“I have an eidetic memory, notes are 

unnecessary,” Kor-Neev said. 

She also read at what seemed to be 

inhuman speeds. If she were reading a 

book she would flip the page every five 

to ten seconds. 

The next day they did not see her all 

day, but the day after that she came 

into the room where they studied and 

interrupted them. 

TO BE CONTINUED. . . 

Jonathan Snooks a.k.a. Ivor Kovac 

enjoys telling stories and illustrating 

them. He’s been doing this since 

childhood, using scraps of paper 

brought home by his father from 

work to write and draw on. He is the 

author of the Flat World series (Flat 

World: The Arrival Part I and Part II). 

This is the first two chapters of his 

story, stay tuned for the succeeding 

chapters on our next issues.

Come and meet 

Carol Boggess 

Author of 

Rivers 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


Come and meet 

Dr. Ann J. Polya 

Author of 

Mind Over Matter: The 

Power of Emotional 

Intelligence 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 


aheadofcurve@aol.com

Come and meet 

Erin Boardman Wathen 

Author of 

Why Can't I Stick to My 

Diet? Feel Better, Look 

Good and Never Ask 

That Question Again 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


12:30 - 2:30 PM 


erin@erinwathenwellness.com 

Come and meet 

Dr. Ann J. Polya 

Author of 

Brain Fitness: 

Breakthrough Training 

For Those Who Mind 

at the 



Booth No. 937 

April 13 -14, 2019 

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 


shirleyjimmay@hotmail.com

Contributor - Essay by Ted Torgersen 

The Ivory Towers 

of Babylon 

By Ted Torgersen 


In the anti-intellectual climate of 

today, we see that the “dumbing down” 

of higher education is at once the 

lapdog of the post-industrial feudalistic 

hegemony and the running dog of 

bourgeois complacency, and although 

this is rather obvious, what is not so 

apparent, at least on the surface, is that it 

is also the bugbear of the all but invisible 

intelligentsia, which has disappeared 

before everyone’s eyes but its own to 

the point where not only can no one 

see it, it can scarcely even see itself. The 

diploma mills compete to turn out, not 

ranks of scholars or thinkers, but the 

eager drudges that are the mainstay of 

bureaucracies everywhere, assuring that 

society remains unthreatened by new 

ideas and that the long-legged wolf of 

consumerism runs unchecked as the 

lead dog in the world-wide Iditarod of 

capitalist oppression. Perhaps serious 

intellectuals should consider adopting 

The Negro National Anthem* as their 

own and rally against the intramural 

complacency that has plagued our 

universities and colleges for decades. 

At least the tenured ones need not 

fear reprisals for insubordination other 

than the revocation of those human 

rights that they have already abdicated, 

consigning intellectuals to the role of 

invisible strangers, and denying that 

adherence to outspoken intelligent views 

was a human right to begin with. 

Though it seems ludicrous in retrospect, 

Maoist rhetoric, while in itself fiercely 

anti-intellectual and of the basest kneejerk 

simplicity, helps apply a grimly 

humorous perspective to the plight 

of the world’s intellectual community, 

if, in any real sense, it can be said to 

still possess one. The two great social 

philosophies, Laissez-Faire Capitalism 

and Stalinist-Maoist Communism, have 

supplanted religion in modern times, 

and while the conflict raged, served to 

mitigate each the deleterious effects of 

the other on the hapless population of 

the world. During this time intellectual 

pursuits and scholarship were suppressed 

to maintain a unified ideological front, 

equally on both sides, while maintaining 

the fiction that it was only a temporary 

measure. Now that worldwide 

consumerism is the sole ideology, and 

The Job has displaced The God as the 

ideal, there is nothing left to hold back 

the tide of rootlessness and destruction 

as it sweeps through traditional cultures 

and attacks the natural world, all in 

the name of progress. Thus educational 

institutions turn out workers rather 

than thinkers and the goal is a better 

Job thus more buying power hence 

more consumerism ad infinitum ad 

nauseum. Only the mind itself remains 

unconquered, and by keeping the pursuit 

of truth at bay with promises of spare 

parts and money, intellectualism is fast 

becoming an historical curiosity, for 

the agenda of oppression can only be 

opposed by truth, just as darkness can 

only be conquered by light. We must 

turn away, like the Garveyites of old, 

from empty promises, and learn to rely 

on ourselves alone for the ideas that 

sustain our mental lives, for race is no 

longer an issue when our very humanity 

is at stake. 

We, the current generation of potential 

scholars, must shake off the lethargy that 

comes with a surfeit of entertainment 

and create our own intellectual 

renaissance. It is long overdue, and 

we can no longer be content with 

inspiration from past great thinkers 

like Henry David Thoreau in his 

Walden wilderness, or Marcus Garvey 

gleefully exiled to Ghana, or even V. S. 

Naipaul, returned, at last, to Trinidad. 

Learning and the pursuit of knowledge 

is not a football match between the 

red team and the blue team, but must 

be recognized as a struggle with the 

mechanics of metaphysics, lest our 

own ivy clad towers of refuge, like 

castles made of sand, crumble into a 

sea of mediocrity. A new intelligentsia 

must be cut out of whole cloth, or like 

Pallas Athena spring full blown from 

the minds of our generation. We must 

create for ourselves what no one will 

create for us. 

Ted Torgersen is a published author. His book, Out of Exile, “represents his 

life’s work and recaptures the internal harmonics that flowed so freely in his 

youth.” Make sure to catch him at Authors Press’ booth number 937 on April 

13, 2019. He will be signing copies of his book and will talk about his work and 

inspiration. You may reach him via email mongoosedentist@aol.com. 


Two brothers take on separate paths. One 

seeks to serve. The other seeks for justice. 

Who will get to the murderer first? 

Kindle | $4.99 

Paperback | $34.50 

By Ann M. Novakov 

Dante and wife Lisa were murdered in cold blood while celebrating with 

their thirteen guests. They left behind two young sons who thrive in a 

world of love and revenge. The orphaned brothers take on separate paths 

to solve the mystery of their parents’ killer. 

Ann M. Novakov is a retired Spanish teacher. She helped shape the 

young minds of McDonogh 35 Senior High School in New Orleans 

for thirty-eight years. Together with her husband, two children and four 

grandchildren, she considers her students as part of her family. She now 

teaches high school students in north Texas and has been residing there 

after Hurricane Katrina. 

Book copies are available at www.amazon.com

Come and meet 

Neil Flanzraich 

Author of 

Geniuses II 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 


Come and meet 

Roan Rickard 

Author of 

Understanding and 

Knowing God 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


roan@roanrickard.com

Gladys Franks Bell 

Author of 

Visions Through 

My Father’s Eyes 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


gbell58@cfl.rr.com 

Come and meet 

Sally Ann Fenton-Sherrick 

Author of 

Parable Poems 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 

University of Southern California

(From L-R) Kaye Beechum, author of Forever 19, Janice Tingley, author of Nolan’s Dream, Darleen Gemmet, 

author of 36 Gifts That Accompany Salvation, and Sandra McCandles Simmons, editor of her father’s book A 

Flash of Green, all pose for the camera with their Certificates of Recognition for being our featured authors. 

Trailblazing at 

Tucson Festival 

of Books 2019 

Being part of the Tucson Festival of Books for the first 

time, where heavyweights in the literary and publishing 

industry gathered to share ideas and latest trends, had 

been such a rewarding experience both for our staff 

and for the attending authors. Check out the highlights 

of the book festival which helped shaped the direction 

of storytelling in all its forms in Arizona. 


This cute baby receives an autographed book, a gift 

from Janice Tingley, author of Nolan’s Dream. 

Janice Tingley, author of Nolan’s Dream, signs 

her book for one of her young readers. 

Sharleen Daugherty, author of She Faces Her 

Enemy, autographs her book for one of her readers. 

Author Jonathan Snooks a.k.a. Ivor Kovac 

presenting his Flat World series (Flat World: 

The Arrival Part I and II) at the festival. 


Harding Hedgpeth, author of The Hope of Salvation, and Lavera Goodeye, author of Seven to 

Seventy: My Journey through Time, with one of the Authors Press Book Representatives. 

Author Benjamin Fine discusses his 

work with an avid reader at the event. 

Andrea Lynne Berman-Myerson, author of My 

Lincoln Years: Memories & Friendships, posing 

before the camera for her Author Interview. 


This little kid and her mom wait patiently 

as Sharleen Daugherty, author of She Faces 

Her Enemy, autographs her book. 

Sally Jackson shares her views about 

health to a group of festival goers. 

Timothy Moore, author of Shades of 

Blue, having a great time signing copies 

of his books and interacting with readers. 

Wanda Battle-Frazier, author of Color of Friends, is 

all smiles at her book signing session. 


Come and meet 

Valerie Kitchens 

Author of 

Transformed 

from My Image 

to His Image 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 


Come and meet 

Scott Volentine 

Author of 

Fate’s Peak 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


dvolentine@mac.com

Come and meet 

Rodney S. Campbell 

Author of 

Misfit 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


rcampbell9994@gmail.com 

Come and meet 

Daynabelle R. Anderson 

Author of 

Letters to My Son: 

A Mother’s Journey 

Through Grief 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


Going Around 

Los Angeles 

by Rio Siao 

The city of angels, Los 

Angeles, takes pride in 

its beautiful residents and 

wonderful places to see. 

Widely known for its 

entertainment industry, 

don’t let the razzle-dazzle 

of Hollywood lead you by 

the nose as there are unique 

experiences everywhere, 

waiting to be discovered in 

every nook. Just driving along 

California’s stretch can be a 

life-changing event. From 

sunup to sundown, we’ve 

rounded up the places you 

need to be in when visiting 

the Golden state. 

Dog Café 

This place is just so full of love. If you 

are a dog person, well, this is going to 

be where your heart would beg to stay. 

The Dog Café lets you hang out with 

your family or just be with your friends 

while furry friends snuggle with you. 

Don’t be afraid if they stay on your lap 

too comfortably and make you fall in 

love with any one of them because surely 

your heart won’t be broken. These pups 

are rescues and are actually looking for 

a forever family to share a home with. If 

you’ve always wanted a dog but you’re 

too worried about the commitment that 

comes along with owning one, here’s 

where you can enjoy just being with 

them. Studies have shown that these fur 

balls can reduce stress and may lower 

human blood pressure. 


Yogaqua 

Yoga addicts can satiate the need to 

stretch all year round. The city offers the 

highest number of yoga practitioners. 

Yogaqua gives you that extra kick and 

an unforgettable experience. You can 

practice a whole new way of Vinyasa 

Yoga flow: the floor is the ocean, your 

mat is the stand up paddle board, and 

the ceiling is the great blue sky with 

seagulls crossing the beautiful breezy 

Marina. This will definitely enhance 

your balance and intensify the strength 

of your core. 

Sunset Ranch 

Hollywood 

The Hollywood sunset becomes even 

more majestic when riding on a horse, 

following the trail of the beautiful 

Griffith Park. With knowledgeable 

and helpful tour guides who don’t just 

make sure of everyone’s safety, they 

also make the tour so much fun and 

more memorable. This is surely a great 

adventure for families and lovers to share. 

You’ll have your dose of adrenaline rush 

too when horses start going to the edge 

of the ridge to eat the wildflowers. But 

nothing to worry about, these rides are 

totally safe. Most of the time, the journey 

is very calming. The staff takes good care 

of you and really goes the extra mile 

when it comes to service. If you want 

to avoid the heat of the sun, you can 

also opt for an afternoon ride where the 

breathtaking scenery is magnified by the 

Golden sunset. 


California Institute 

of Abnormal Arts 

Like a strange carnival shrouded in pure 

mystery and evil, horror story fans and 

thrill seekers will surely love this place. 

It’s loaded with freak shows and bonechilling 

exhibits led by a literal labyrinth 

where creepy performances, films, kinky 

burlesque and even punk rock bands 

are all scream-worthy. Every nook is a 

unique dark art to behold. Morbid and 

haunted masterpieces worth exploring 

will make you think your liquor tastes 

like blood and make you think you are 

already cursed once you’ve gotten out. 

Xiao Long Bao 

at Din Tai Fung 

Din Tai Fung has been earning several 

great reviews around the world. The 

international recognition is a fruit of 

their unwavering service and quality that 

continues to improve. The gratifying 

soup dumplings that everyone is raving 

about is called Xiao Long Bao which 

is definitely a must-try from this 

Taiwanese restaurant. 

Bone Marrow 

Pie at Chi 

Spacca 

Meat lovers out there will definitely 

indulge at Chi Spacca. They serve 

amazing meat including large steaks, 

pork chops and charcuterie. But never 

fail to try the scene stealer of all, their 

all time favorite, the very sinful bone 

marrow pie. Let it melt in your mouth 

while you dig into a pie of braised beef 

served with mashed potatoes. 


Smoked Salmon 

Pizza at Spago 

Spago’s signature dish that is making 

every mouth in town water, including 

Hollywood A-listers, is the legendary 

smoked salmon pizza. The local rumor 

mill points to Chef Wolfgang Puck as 

the creator of this fantastic dish. They 

say it was done so by accident when 

actress Joan Collins ordered a smoked 

salmon with brioche. The kitchen that 

time ran out of bread which triggered 

Chef Puck’s innovative streak and gave 

birth to the now famous pizza. 

#19 at Langer’s Deli 

Langer’s Deli is most famous for 

its #19 on the menu—the pastrami 

sandwich. Dubbed to be the best, not 

a single deli in the country can come 

close to its sumptuous layers of meaty 

goodness. Langer remained faithful to 

the traditions of its original owners, 

and embraced fully the passed down 

practices and recipes of the working 

family deli. This restaurant still slices 

their pastrami by hand. They’ve been at 

it since 1947, delivering all over the city 

and satisfying quality meat cravings. 


Come and meet 

Melveena D. Edwards 

Author of 

The Paradoxical 

Union: A Way to 

Escape! 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 


mdedwards.phd@att.net 

Come and meet 

Ruben Canty 

Author of 

Loving God the 

Right Way 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 


Come and meet 

Yasmina Haque 

Author of 

The Birth 

(Soulmate Prophecy) 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


mona.haque@gmail.com 

Come and meet 

Joel Heinen 

Author of 

Say What?: Irreverent 

Essays of a Bemused 

Atheist 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 


Book 

List 

Break away from the daily hustle bustle. 

Take a seat and grab your favorite beverage 

while we take care of your literary taste. 

Here’s Author Press’ list of latest good 

reads that will give the warm hug you need 

after a busy day. 


Marlene L. Burling 

A Daily walk with God 

www.facebook.com/marlene.burling.5 

www.marleneburling.com 

CHRISTIAN 

Avis H. Lawrence 

Betrayal in Paradise 

avisphl2082@gmail.com 

www.avisphllawrence.net 

7703567820 / 4042437249 

ROMANCE 

Zepora Bastian Certain 

Break the Silent Cycle of 

Domestic Violence 

zcertain2014@outlook.com 

17037942163 

SELF-HELP BOOK 

Don Broadwell 

Collaborative Leadership 

for Classroom and School 

broadwell_don@yahoo.com 

www.collaboratewhenandhow.com 

EDUCATION 


Ruth Amutice 

Hagatha and the Miracle 

songteacher@wi.rr.com 

(860) 379-6230 

CHILDREN’S BOOK 

Jeanette Szczelaszczyk 

Someplace in Time 

janandart1961@att.net 

(847) 265-2811 


Paulette Hammack 

Whisperings in the Wings 

www.paulettehammacksbooks.com 

southernrosevph@gmail.com 

SPIRITUALITY AND SELF-HELP 

Paulette Hammack 

The Hiding Place 

Be Not Deceived 

www.paulettehammacksbooks.com 

southernrosevph@gmail.com 

CHRISTIAN FICTION 


Sylvia Stern 

Dancing with the 

Moon and Stars 

csstern@charter.net 



The State of the Nation 

info@newvision-usa.com 

www.newvision-usa.com 

4073237649 

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY 

Susan Savion 

Quoting Matilda 

the Words and History of a 

Forgotten Suffragist 

suesavion6@gmail.com 

www.quotingmatilda.com 

HISTORY 

Nancy L. Harris 

Invasion Revealed 

Healing Alcoholism, Mental 

Illness & Drug Addiction 

nancyharris.gsu@gmail.com 

5413432582 

SELF-HELP 


Beatrice Fairbanks Cayzer 

beatricecayzer@hotmail.com 

(561) 659-1193 

To Save A Child 

CHRISTIAN 

Murder for Beauty 

ROMANCE 

Kennedys in Love 


Diana Lynn Klueh 

Saint Agnes’ Garden 

www.dianalynnklueh.com 

SPIRITUAL FICTION 


Beatrice Fairbanks Cayzer 

beatricecayzer@hotmail.com 

(561) 659-1193 

The Secret Diary of 

Mrs. John Quincy 

Adams: Wife of the 

Sixth President of 

the United States 

HISTORICAL FICTION 

Love Love in Darfur 

ROMANCE 

The Harrow Quartet 

FICTION 

Ralph Mosgrove 

Saying Thanks and Beyond Is 

Saying Thank You Enough? 

mosg1@goutlook.com 

7277099075 

INSPIRATIONAL 


Sally A. Allen 

sallyallenauthor@yahoo.com 

www.SallyMRussellInspirationalRomances.com 

9417219028 

The Sparks 

Trilogy 


Malice 

FICTION 

The Tail of the 

Christmas Cat 


Charles D. Franklin II 

The Spider Who 

Chewed Bubblegum 

webebugs@gmail.com 

5306350746 


Dr. E. Dorinda Shelley 

Santa’s Sleigh-Train 

dorinda.shelley@gmail.com 

419-8320648 and 419-3671222 



Cheryl Batavia 

Hanging Out with 

Wild Animals III 

cherylnicholson@hotmail.com 

www.cherylbatavia.com 

(941) 312-4154 


Fred Beck 

When God Works Incognito: Thoughts 

& Memories of My Life & Lifetime 

frednlinda@suddenlink.net 

8063824798 

CHRISTIAN AND SPIRITUAL 

Michael Silver 

Dying to Live 

The Ultimate Mystery 

michaelsilver@hargray.com 

8438153894 

MYSTERY 

Richard Spegal 

Eternal Nights-Book 1 

Redemption 

phelan12@gmail.com 

www.richardspegal.com 

(267) 602-0447 

ACTION FANTASY 


Rosie M. Elder 

My First Fifty-Five 

rosieelder48@gmail.com 

2249444078 

CHRISTIAN AND SPIRITUAL 

Helen Goldie 

Life: God’s Plan 

The Wonder of It All 

archiegoldie@aol.com 

7037233760 

CHRISTIAN 

Margaret Smolik 

Snowman Jacks 

and Rabbit Tracks 

masmolik@osage.net 

6417323863 

CHRISTIAN FANTASY 

Dr. Maurice Scott 

The Lost African American 

revmfs0345@yahoo.com 

5103401466 

PHILOSOPHICAL 


Thomas C. Grifa 

Like the Melody that’s 

Sweetly Played in Tune 

tomgrifa@yahoo.com 

8434227090 / 8436895846 


Rosalie E. Ranquist 

God If You Are Up 

There Do You Care? 

rosalie_ranquist@ntm.org 

4073237649 


Sue Staden 

God’s Beautiful Words 

j.staden@btopenworld.com 

011441668-283165 



Come and meet 

Dr. Ron Huber 

Author of 

We Could 

Only Dream 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 


Come and meet 

Evelyn Cole Turrill 

Author of 

Call Me Mary: 

And Do Call 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 


Come and meet 

Ted Torgersen 

Author of 

Out Of Exile 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 


Come and meet 

Lucy Papillon, PhD 

Author of 

How Dare You! Insidious Ways 

Women Are (Mis)Treated: The 

#metoo Movement: A Memoir, 

Experiences of Others and 

How to Heal 

at the 



Booth No. 937 


12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 


lpapillon@earthlink.net

Fresh 

Meet 

Which debut book should 

you reach for this spring? 

Here’s a selection of stories 

about fresh starts and 

overcoming struggles in all 

their different forms. Check 

out Authors Press’ recently 

published books in fiction, 

memoirs, poetry, graphic 

novels, and more. 

Dr. Ron Huber 

Author of 

“We Could Only Dream” 

Dr. Ron Huber’s advocacy has always 

been for the welfare of children, especially 

the unwanted, forgotten, and neglected 

ones. He sees himself in them, going 

through the same circumstances. He 

himself was under the child welfare 

system for fourteen years. His work, “We 

Could Only Dream” is an emotional 

memoir of his difficult childhood. It 

tackles the biting truth about neglected 

children and the arduous road they have 

to take to learn forgiveness and healing. 

“I was put under the care of children’s 

welfare system at a very early age with my 

brother since our parents weren’t capable 

of providing us a safe home with sufficient 

food and emotional needs for a child. 

The physical pain we suffered could not 

be stronger than the emotional pain we 

had to endure which remained engraved 

within us until we were older. I wrote this 

book so that people will know that there 

are a lot of unwanted children everyday 

coming in to the children’s welfare system 

and most probably suffer the same harsh 

and difficult situations I experienced 

along with my brother and many more 

other children around the globe. I hope 

to spark a deeper understanding from 

communities about this. These children 

do not just need a mere shelter, food and 

clothes, but as well as emotional needs and 

security, away from exposure to violence, 

maltreatment and indifference,” shares 

Dr. Ron Huber. 


Lydia Greico 

Author of 

“Stop Bullying 

Because It’s Wrong” 

“Bullying started as far back as Jesus’ days. 

Look at the way he was put to death. 

Pilate picked the worst devastating way 

to kill Jesus; crucifixion. He was whipped, 

beaten, spit on, hair pulled from his beard 

from the very people he had chosen and 

elevated—his own race. One week they 

were praising him and the next week 

they crucified him,” shares author Lydia 

Greico in her recently published book 

Stop Bullying Because It’s Wrong. 

How far back can you find bullying in 

history? Who gets bullied and why? These 

are important questions that the author 

underlines and examines in her work. 

Initially written as a teaching tool, this 

small treasure bravely dives into the deeply 

rooted causes of bullying and why it’s still 

happening despite the combined efforts 

of local communities and authorities. 

Through her work, she aims to make 

people aware of how completely wrong 

it is and how devastating it would be to 

continue tolerating this behavior. 

“There is no end to bullying in this 

country. In this book, talk about all the 

reasons for bullying. I go into deep depth 

showing incidents of bullying. Why 

do humans keep trying to find a way 

to hurt one another? Isn’t one of God 

commandments to love your neighbor 

as yourself?” said Greico 

Scott Lee 

Mosure 

Author of 

“Play Right: Life on 

the Other Side” 

Upcoming novelist turned screenwriter, 

Scott Lee Mosure offers a refreshing 

take on living life without limits. His 

visionary sleight will keep you fascinated 

from beginning to end. Featuring diverse 

characters that are bound to each other, 

Mosure understands that the only way 

to see someone else’s worldview is to step 

into their shoes. Readers will immediately 

feel a strong connection to each character 

as they must navigate life never feeling 

quite whole. Peppered by the author’s 

favorite tunes while growing up, the first 

few scenes open up with Scott and his 

buddy, Josh, thinking about going back 

in time and changing key moments of 

their past. Written in screenplay format, 

the story unfolds in the neighborhood 

where Mosure grew up with a unique 

mix of popular tunes from the 90s in 

every crucial encounters and turning 

points of the story. The book goes all out 

on friendships and human connections 

blooming in the unlikeliest of way. If 

you’re feeling lost, have felt lost, or ever 

wanted to leave it all behind, this is a 

must-read for you. 


Cheryl Batavia 

Author of “Hanging Out 

with Wild Animals III” 

Gulf coast poet and photographer, Cheryl 

Batavia, releases the third installment to 

her photo book series, Hanging Out With 

Wild Animals III. Wild-life photographers 

and nature-lovers will appreciate Batavia’s 

observing eye for fascinating animals, 

ranging from parrotfish and Florida black 

bears to zebra butterflies and bald eagles. 

The book unveils the timeless charm of 

the natural world through the power 

of Batavia’s lens and the elegance she 

paints through her verses. The poems are 

inspired by her real-life experiences from 

the nooks of her hometown’s beaches, 

mountains, zoos, and parks. The author 

weaves trivia and warnings on animal 

behavior, habitat, and more within her 

poems. Readers will discover the dangers 

surrounding the wild animals they want 

to observe on nearly every page of this 

book. When going out to see them in 

action, Batavia advises to always maintain 

a safe distance. 


Richard Spegal 

Author of “Eternal 

Nights Book 1: Redemption” 

Author Richard Spegal’s new suspense 

novel centers on long-time married 

couple, John and Danielle Wolf. The 

games they play — Mesmerize the 

Mortal, Race the Train, and Hunt the 

Werewolf — are usual entertainment for 

vampiric couples who have lived together 

for over 900 years. 

Though they’ve been living as such since 

their wedding night in 1089 AD, John 

and Danielle never lost their sense of 

humanity. They don’t kill innocents or 

feed unnecessarily for blood, unlike 

other vampires. In spite of this, a zealous 

group called the Sword of God have 

discovered them and are intent on 

hunting them down. 

Formed by the Pope in the seventh century 

to destroy the physical manifestations of 

evil, the Sword of God has been the 

sworn enemy of vampires for hundreds 

of years. The question is: will John and 

Danielle finally get redemption they 

are afraid to seek in this life-and-death 

battle for survival? 

Blue Ink Review confirms that, “Spegal 

offers unique twists in vampire lore, and 

the logic he creates for his creatures and 

organizations is well-supported… For 

die-hard fans of vampire stories, this 

is a fast-paced, high-action tale with 

originality and an interesting underlying 

conflict.” 

Charles 

McCandless 

Author of 

“A Flash of Green” 

In his memoir, A Flash of Green: Memories 

of WWII, the late Charles S. McCandless 

recounts his World War II experiences 

through his vivid storytelling and unique 

perspective. His work brings fresh 

insight and humanity to one of the 

most consequential military struggles in 

history. Wounded by the first explosions 

at Pearl Harbor, McCandless went on 

to fight in the most important battles 

against Imperial Japan. Shot down over 

Midway. Crash-landed at Guadalcanal. 

Did reconnaissance off the shores of 

Iwo Jima to prep the way for invading 

marines. His family never knew about 

any of these experiences until he handed 

them this private memoir. 

“I had a mix of feelings—amazement, 

surprise, pride—and a deepening sense 

of just how much his experience in the 

war shaped him,” explains his daughter, 

Sandra McCandless Simons, PhD, who 

also edited the book. 

“…The United States is losing 1,500 

World War II veterans every day, and 

with them bits of our nation’s history 

are lost. McCandless brings this history 

to life sharing stories that even many in 

the Special Ops community are unaware 

of today. He retells his experiences in an 

easy, vivid, and informative style, leaving 

readers wishing he were still here to sit 

down with over a beer,” shares LCDR 

Timothy A. “Tad” Devine, (UDT/SEAL) 

USNR (retired). 


Featured Author 


Is the US Falling? 

The Reclamation of America’s 

Strength Through the Angel of God 

The state of American politics is an 

accumulated work of leaders and citizens 

in every generation. Its faith in freedom 

and democracy is more than the creed 

of its country—it is the inborn hope of 

its humanity. 

When we talk about politics, it’s almost 

expected to lead the discussion to power. 

And how do we assess power? Is it 

through firepower stockpiles, spending 

budget, or number of troops? Whether 

we like it or not, reality is that the one 

with the bigger gun calls the shots. In 

numbers, the US spends “more than 

$700 billion a year on its military, which 

is not only more than any other nation, 

but more than the next 14 biggest 

spenders combined.” There’s no denying 

that we live in an era where nations 

have an estimated stockpiles of more 

than 20,000 warheads. Looking at the 

hard news and the current shifts in 

geopolitics, it’s hard to say how much 

more heat can nations take before they 

reach the tail end of their fuse. 

This train of thought, this heavy 

concentration on hardware, is what 

author Luisa Plancher wants to break 

away from. There is a soft side to 

strength that is equally powerful and 

influential. Lately, America’s charm and 

might have slowly been declining. It’s 

influence is not as potent as it used to 

be in other nation in terms promoting 

policies. Gone are the days when the 

US can mediate two conflicting nations, 

bring them in one table, and discuss 

an out through peace treaties. As for 

its domestic status, while many of its 

citizens continue to prosper, others 

doubt the promise—even the justice— 

of its own country. The ambitions of 

some are derailed by gender bias, failing 

medical and academic systems, and 

tolerated prejudice. And sometimes 

differences between its people run so 

deep, it would seem as though they are 

sharing a continent, not a country. 

Some would go on and dare to say that 

it can afford to be petty in politics, 

because the stakes of conflicts are not 

as high compared to other nations. 

America is nowhere near in danger of 

going out of business. Its economic 

prowess, despite the declining popularity 

rate from international communities, 

remain intact. America is rich and will 

continue to be in many more fruitful 

years to come. But many believe that the 

stakes for America are never ever small. 

If the US does not lead the cause for 

economic independence and freedom 

from foreign rule, it will not be led by 

any other nation. 




The re-claiming of America, its old 

might and valor, is what motivated 

author Luisa Plancher to write her 

book, The Strength of a Nation. She 

believes that for America to be great 

again, it has nothing to do with who 

is the current president only. It takes 

more than that. It is a combined effort 

from all its leaders and citizens, to 

come together in order to shift the 

nation’s focus away from military 

defenses and political maneuvering. 

“I prayed for years and years, asking 

the Lord our God, our creator, to show 

me what his will is, and to guide me in 

finding answers to our problems. And 

I discovered that the answers to our 

national and international conflicts 

can be found in the religious arena. 

Yes, the same awesome force that 

created the world; the same awesome 

force that prompted the pilgrims to 

come to this blessed shore and create 

this new nation, the USA. This same 

awesome force is about to unite us all 

together, and make our nation great 

and strong, again. And once again 

we can become a beacon of hope for 

humanity, and inspire all other nations 

in the world to trust our creator, and 

come together and form the kingdom 

of the Lord. This new kingdom will 

have a new king: Jesus Christ, and its 

capital will be in Jerusalem, in Israel, 

the final frontier,” shared Plancher. 

In her book, she discusses the need for 

a new commitment from both leaders 

and citizens to live out their nation’s 

promise through courage, civility, and 

most of all, faith. As the US continues 

to engage the world, shaping a balance 

of power that favors tolerance and 

freedom, the anchor, however, needs 

to be unearthed and re-rooted upon 

a shared belief structure. A principled 

approach guided by the spiritual. 

Its tact needs to come from a place 

of compassion and not from ego. 

Plancher shares in detail her well 

thought out plans of restoring the US 

real strength. She thinks the strategies 

that were carried out following 9/11, 

from diplomacy to Middle-Eastern 

intervention, are not permanent fixes. 

They will not hold international 

relations much longer. She believes 

that only religious ideologies can 

restore peace throughout the world. 

Speaking of freedom, Plancher wishes 

to emphasize that having freedom 

does not equate having the right 

to hurt. Freedom and power bring 

responsibility. And that responsibility, 

which rests upon an assembly, needs 

to be checked and balanced constantly. 

Coming from an Italian heritage, 

Plancher knows all too well the pain 

that comes along with fighting for 

freedom as her father was in the 

army during the world wars. She has 

personally seen the horrors of fighting. 

She is prepared to do whatever it takes 

to prevent the recurrence of war. 

Plancher’s proposed ideas range from 

simple changes to possibly radical 

modifications. Her thoughts on the 

construction of the great wall– is 

in aligned with the incumbent 

president Donald Trump’s rationale 

that building a taller and stronger 

wall will decrease incidents of 

illegal immigration imbalance, drug 

smuggling, violence and crime. In 

her book, she also talks about the 

Jewish and Arab communities, where 

the real conflict came from and how 

they need to go back to their roots 

of peaceful co-existence. She writes 

about her ideas in a way which is easy 

to read and understand which is great 

for readers who are not knee-deep 

about politics. 

The Strength of a Nation is a thorough 

discussion on politics, with sufficient 

and relevant cultural context to the 

way the world has changed, grounded 

on higher, spiritual thinking. Plancher 

She believes that a nation cannot be 

strong if it doesn’t have faith and belief 

in God. For her, inspired by visits from 

the angel of God, she believes that “In 

the Kingdom of God, the rich become 

richer and the poor and sick become 

rich and healthy.” 

In connection to angels, after the 

Declaration of Independence was 

signed, Virginia statesman John Page 

wrote the famous letter to Thomas 

Jefferson that said: ‘We know the race 

is not to the swift nor the battle to 

the strong. Do you not think an angel 

rides in the whirlwind and directs 

this storm?” 

The story goes on. 


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1321 Buchanan Road, Pittsburg California 94565

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