My Other Books
Though I enjoy writing sagas, there are many books over the years that have had to stand on their own, and they actually do a really good job of it! Never wanting to be restricted to one genre, my other works range from romance, to science fiction, to thrillers, to contemporary. My very first book was actually a western with a time travel twist. "Wagons To The Past" will always be my favorite (and my husband's too!) Another book, "Tender Persuasion" is a true story that, in my humble opinion, had to be told. It's about rape and cruelty, but it is also about love, devotion, and persistence. It is also very sexually graphic, so be prepared.
So, on to what are referred to as my "other books", but in truth they can hold their own with virtually any book out there, including my own.
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Nathan Branigan, a descendant of Irish immigrants and a gold miner by trade, became part of history as one of 400 men who blasted and chiseled the faces of four American presidents into the hard granite of Mount Rushmore. Kinsley Abrams, a waitress at the onsite restaurant, cares about Nathan more than she's willing to admit, and her heart pounds frantically in her chest every time he climbs the 700 steps to the top of the mountain.
A neutron star is on a collision course with Earth. The tremendous gravitational pull of this dense, intergalactic object will rip the planet apart. Fortunately, world leaders have come up with a plan to ensure continuation of humanity, and they have fifty years to do it—time that will be used to fast-track antimatter propulsion technology and send a hundred thousand survivors into outer space in search of a new home.Garrett Long and his team of astrophysicists have been tasked with this near insurmountable feat. As Exodus begins, Garrett has only five years to perfect his late father’s system, even though the effects of the neutron star have already begun to make themselves known across the planet. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and radiation bursts are just a few of the catastrophic events that delay their progress. But they push on. They have to—because survival of the human race depends on them and them alone.
Kit Morgan had everything to live for. Doting parents, wealth beyond imagination, and a carefree lifestyle that other women her age only dreamed of. Her world came crashing down around her, however, when her father died mysteriously when Kit was just a teenager. Her mother followed him to the grave eight years later. Her twenty-first birthday fast approached now, and she would inherit the commanding share of Morgan Shipping and become independently wealthy for life. Enter Alex Bradley. Alex was her father’s business partner and, after Charles’ death, had married his widow. It wasn’t Kit’s mother who the man truly desired, but Kit herself. His attempted rape of his stepdaughter ended with her stabbing him in self-defense. As punishment, she was sent to the all-male Reinwald State Prison to serve out a term of five years. Alex wasn’t done with her yet, however. He was convinced that her time spent in the dank, dark, rat-infested cell would break her spirit and end with her begging to become his wife. Kit finds a friend at Reinwald. His name is Chase Morgan, a prison guard assigned by Warden Kline to protect her. Most importantly, though, Chase was to ensure that she remained a virgin. Her stepfather had ordered it; Alex wanted her saved for him. Chase quickly finds himself falling for the copper-haired beauty. The feeling is mutual, and Chase becomes the only solid thing in Kit’s reeling world. There is something mysterious, though, about Chase’s employment at Reinwald—something he cannot share even with Kit until the warden and his cohorts are brought to justice.
Kaitlyn Emberland was brutally raped five years ago. She almost died, and her assailant left behind forty-two scars to remind her of their encounter. She will never trust a man again. She will never love again. The mere thought of a man’s touch makes her skin crawl—and then she meets Marc Campbell. He is different. He’s kind, gentle, understanding, and he loves her. He is willing to do whatever it takes to convince Kaitlyn that she can put the rape behind her and live and love again. But is it even possible? Can such a brutal act of violence and betrayal ever truly be overcome? Kaitlyn has her doubts, but with the commencement of Marc’s “treatment”, even she begins to believe that she may one day enjoy the physical side of love again—an act that now makes her heart pound with soul-shaking terror, and a goal that Marc is determined to attain.
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FROM THE AUTHOR: This book is based on a true story. I spent many, long illuminating hours with the "heroine" in this book, frantically scribbling down notes as she told what turned out to be an incredible story; a beautiful story, a story that had to be told. "Tender Persuasion" is a tale of tragedy and terror, of understanding and patience, of courage and triumph. But most of all, it's a love story. Some of the scenes are sexually explicit in nature--including graphic rape scenes--and must be in order for the reader to understand the level of terror this woman experienced and level of determination her man possessed. It may seem unbelievable to some that one woman could endure and overcome so much, but she did and I am proud to call her my friend. She is an inspiration to us all, and her man is a true hero in every sense of the word. At my "heroine's" request, her name has been changed. So has the hero's. The town where the story takes place is a figment of my imagination, and their occupations have been fictionalized to protect their identities. Who they are is not important, but what they accomplished is...
The Great Chicago Fire drew the nation's attention on October 8, 1871 when 300 people died. There was another fire on that day, though, in a little town called Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The Peshtigo Fire was the largest wildfire in US history, yet it was also the "forgotten fire." A firestorm packing 100 mile-an-hour winds destroyed the town in one hour, killing 800 people in the city of Peshtigo alone, and burning 1.2 million acres of old growth forest. This is a fictional account of how actual events unfolded that day, seen through the eyes of a family who will experience the horrors of October 8th just as the actual citizens of Peshtigo did on that terrifying day over a hundred fifty years ago. Also available as a Kindle Vella serialized story.
It is the year 1856 when Diego Hernandez saves Samantha Montgomery's life. He is different. A Mexican immigrant, Diego is bound and determined to gain his citizenship and make his fortune in America. When tragedy strikes the family, Diego and Samantha make a pact that will take Thunder Ridge into the next decade, which was riddled with epic natural disasters, including mudslides, stampedes, wild fires, drought, and an atmospheric river storm in 1861 that will flood the valley and kill thousands of people and 200,000 head of cattle.
The average U.S. citizen is tired of all the corruption in our nation’s capital. They’re tired of the lies, the kickbacks, and the personal agendas that take precedence over the needs of middle-class America. They’re also tired of cookie-cutter Presidents who have made the term “politician” a four-letter word. Ethan Ward is tired of it, too. Consequently, he sets out to show the American people that there can be honesty in Washington. Ethan is an average guy; married, father of three, and owner of a small construction company located in Gordon, Wisconsin. Like many small businesses today, Ethan’s company struggles to stay afloat in a failing economy. When he decides to make a run for the White House, he does it the old-fashioned way. He travels the country in an old RV. He campaigns in AmeriMart parking lots. He meets the people, and the people support him – because he’s one of them. There’s no double-talk. No lofty promises that can’t possibly be fulfilled. Just a straight forward, no-holds-barred platform that brings out the worst in the other candidates, because this “nobody” just might take it all.
Jenna Davey had it all. A wonderful husband, two great kids, and a beautiful Victorian-style house in the suburbs. Then came the knock on the door that changed her life. Her husband, Gary, was dead; the victim of a drunk driver. The next few days were a blur, but what would become a horrifying reality sets in all too quickly when, on the night following the funeral, both of her children awaken to find their father standing over their beds. Not possible, right? Gary was dead. Humoring her terrified children—and maybe herself—Jenna speaks to the darkness. “If it is you, Gary, you have to stop. You're scaring the children. I love you, I will always love you, but please...just go away.”It works, or at least for a while. But then strange things start happening again. The phone is discovered in the microwave, the silverware drawer now holds eight neatly arranged juice glasses, and the missing silverware tray is found on top of the kitchen cupboard. Even more scary are the disembodied footsteps that traverse the upstairs hallway and always end in the slamming of a door. Strangest of all, though, are the roses Gary gave Jenna a week before the accident. They were dead when he left for work that last morning. She meant to throw them away. When the police came to notify her of his death, though, the roses were very much alive. Six weeks later, they had not even wilted. Next came the "entity." The dense black mist that hovered near the ceiling in her living room—and mere feet from her eleven-year-old son. The terrified Jenna had had enough. She contacts Abraham Rollins, a psychology professor from California who is one of the few in the country who teaches a class on the paranormal. In fact, he supervises a group of students who have formed a paranormal investigative team. It doesn't take long for Abe to realize what's going on. When Gary died, a portal opened to the "other side." When he didn't cross over, the portal stayed open and other, more sinister beings took up residence in Jenna's house...and they aren't about to leave.
