Atlantic City, 1982

One cold December night, sixteen-year-old Abby Lowell and her foster sister are rescued by a mysterious and deadly figure in rags and a large hood. Abby never learns his name and never sees his face, but he's obviously good with that black-bladed knife of his, very good.

Abby dubs him "Rags."

But Rags isn't done, not by a long shot. With her foster family under threat from the ruthless Bernards, who are determined to tear down their dilapidated hotel in favor of yet another casino, Abby finds herself in desperate need of a defender. A part of her is relieved when Rags returns to protect her again. And again. And again.

Now, with an army of thugs and a terrifying Voodoo witch hunting her, Abby must not only understand the dark truth behind Rags. She must accept that truth, frightening as it is, before it's too late.

They aren't what you think they are...

Conceal and Protect. His whole life, Andy Brand has been taught to hide his true self from everyone around him, for his own safety, and that of his Kind. But all the pretending in the world can't shield him from powerful people who already know what he is...and what he can do.

Kidnapped and pushed beyond his limits, Andy comes out blazing.

However, all is not as it seems and he soon finds himself struggling to navigate a maze of lies, otherworldly wonders, and deadly betrayals that will test not just his power, but his courage and intellect as well.

For lives are at stake, and only a Dragon can save them...

In a world without hope, a hero will rise...

Welcome to the Machine, an enormous, ancient, broken device that has become home to a million souls. After a hundred generations spent without doors or windows, all knowledge of the outside world, if any, is lost. Today, society is split between the all-powerful Upperfolk, who rule, and the helpless Lowerfolk, who work, suffer, and die.

Helpless, that is, except for Torq, the Lowers Champion.Concealed behind his golden mask and armor, Torq alone fights for justice and freedom. Until the day when sixteen-year-old Rand Roberts, the poorest of the poor, witnesses his hero’s demise and subsequently discovers Torq’s disillusioning and heartbreaking secret.

Now, Rand decides, it’s time for the Machine to have a new Torq. A better Torq. A real Torq.

So, donning the armor himself, he and his best friend Lucy form an unlikely alliance with a courageous uppergirl and a mysterious little boy called No Name. Together, the four of them set out against overwhelming odds to do the impossible – free the people of the Machine. To accomplish this, they must face dangers, monsters, and madmen, and ultimately reveal ancient truths that will shake the very foundation of their world.

Let the revolution begin…

Short stories were once very popular. I don’t know why or when they suddenly became anathema to the publishing world. One day a few years ago, while looking for something else entirely, I stumbled over my cache of short stories, which represent nearly every genre of fiction – in short form. I hope you enjoy this collection of Brief Interludes.

It’s available in regular print: ISBN-13: 978-1727131475 – $10.49 USD
OR large print: ISBN-13: 978-1727536850 – $12.49 USD and soon as a Kindle: ASIN – B07J6G9FVL - $2.99 USD

It’s also available to libraries and bookstores through any distributor, or directly from the author.

bookmechanic@gmail.com

Tessa deGroot, a sculptor, falls in love at the first sight of Ardenwycke, a great stone house along the Hudson River in New York. Part of a divorce settlement from her former husband’s family, the house was built by an early deGroot settler more than two hundred years earlier, but still carries a reputation of being cursed. Tessa discovers this for herself on that first visit as she faints in one upstairs hallway.

Maximillian MacDougall, a local housing inspector, rescues Tessa that day, but more strange events happen almost immediately after she moves in. Together, Tessa and Max try to find the meaning behind the curious things that happen in the house, but it will surely take drastic measures as well as love to succeed.

Assistant D.A. Carolyn Hastings has an uncanny knack for putting away criminals. With one of the best prosecution records in recent history, her future as Manhattan’s next District Attorney looks certain. But her sixth sense for winning cases threatens to work against her when she starts seeing a string of murders through the eyes of the killer.

With suspects piling up as fast as bodies, and the motives of those closest to her questionable, Carolyn doesn’t know who to trust. When the FBI assigns Special Agent Steve Williams to the case, Carolyn discloses her deepest fear - that the man she loves may be the one responsible for the city’s latest crime spree.

The only thing Steve knows for sure is Carolyn has an inexplicable psychic connection with the killer, and all the victims have one thing in common… a striking resemblance to Carolyn Hastings.

And he knows it’s only a matter of time before this psychopath knocks on her door.

An Ancient Prophecy. A forbidden love. Now, there’s nowhere to run.

André's abilities have always marked him as special, but fulfilling an ancient prophecy is enough to have him ostracized into the cosmos. Love was his motivation for preventing his parent's execution, now in Earth's refuge, love is his undoing again.

The Commander's daughter is off limits, but this kind of love is destiny, forcing Katrina and her alien paramour to elope.

Word of André's survival reaches his home planet when his image is broadcast across the universe. This time, his very existence may well trigger the destruction of a planet, his haven, Earth.

A protector. A lost soul. A siren looking for salvation.

Kylee Paradox never expected to be a protector of humankind, but when hell’s portals open and let loose the creatures of the underworld, she can’t see any other way.

Armed with an ultimatum, Kylee has no choice but to embrace her new position as bounty hunter of the damned. Sending these monsters back to purgatory becomes her life’s mission.

The only glitches in an otherwise noble pursuit are those who hold her fate in their hands. They forbid her from using her deadly siren song to lure the beasts back to the pit.

If she harms even a single innocent soul in her quest, Kylee herself will become one of the hunted.