“His Daddy’s Car”

Complete at 95,252 words in eight chapters

They had a good reason to make her disappear. Well, he’ll just make that reason disappear.

Can a classic car be the catalyst that solves the mystery of a young girl's disappearance, restore lost love, and introduce a father to a son he never knew he had? Or, will the events of the past continue to threaten them all?

James Robert “Bobby” Brandt is a haunted man who has never gotten over the loss of his high school sweetheart, Patty. Her unexplained disappearance during their senior year of high school left him unable to close the most meaningful chapter in his life. Relocating to San Antonio for his work, he embarks on a short drive to visit one of his sisters and to meet his ten-year old nephew for the first time. Driving in his restored classic car, memories of the girl who had shared so many experiences with him before she had mysteriously disappeared put him in a melancholy mood. His mood isn’t improved when his nephew’s young friend sees the classic car and mentions that it looks just like pictures that he has seen of his father’s car.

Kathryn “Katie” Freeman has secrets. She doesn’t want them, but accepts them as her fate if she has any hope of keeping her family safe. When she discovers that her best friend’s brother is the father of her son, her fear of secrets being revealed overshadow her love and desire for the only man that she has ever wanted in her life.

When he discovers that Katie really is his former girlfriend, Patty Harper, and learns the circumstances behind the secrets that she must keep, Bobby reluctantly accepts having to continue much of the charade to keep his love and his son in his life. Now that he has finally been reunited with his lost love, the reason for her disappearance may still keep them apart.

The difference now is that Bobby is no longer a teenager. He has knowledge, skills, and a new motivation to keep his family together. When those hunting Katie and her family get too close, Bobby resorts to the skills that have gained him support and accolades from some of the most influential people in the country. His expertise in bringing shock and awe to America’s enemies is now turned against those who would seek to harm his family.

Against the developing covert operation within America’s Department of Homeland Security reigning terror upon elements of the Russian Mafia, Bobby and Patty rekindle their romance with a fierce passion and lust for one another that had been smoldering unsatisfied for ten years. Can their romance sustain the heat under the necessary shadow of secrecy?

Popular locales in and around Southern California and south central Texas provide the backdrop for this steamy romantic action adventure and help to bring these two lovers together in achieving a future that both had been denied.

“Courtship by Proxy”, a romantic mystery complete at 51,671 words in nine chapters, is a teasingly erotic tale of a woman’s quest to win the heart of the man she loves through the actions of other women.

Kyle Mason is a success at everything in life, with one exception; he has never been successful in understanding what he did to make the girl next door reject him so completely. This lack of understanding plays a critical role in his inability to form any type of significant relationship with members of the opposite sex over the past ten years.

A mysterious woman, known by the nickname, “Bubbles”, professes her love for Kyle but states that she will only reveal herself to him when she has won his love through her proxies. He is skeptical but his first interaction with one of these “proxies” affects Kyle deeply enough to convince him to give Bubbles’ scheme a chance.

Over the next several weeks, Kyle endures the companionship of five beautiful and sexy women as they trust him, test him, tease him, and train him in pleasures that he has only fantasized about. Kyle wants to trust that his feelings for Bubbles are genuine and meaningful, but he remains haunted by the unknown. Fear that what drove the girl next door away is hidden within some trait within him that could manifest itself again, Kyle is conflicted on whether to hope for a possible relationship with someone new.

At the urging of his uncle, Kyle reaches out to Karen Mayes, the girl that used to live next door, in an attempt to finally obtain the understanding of her past rejections that will allow him to achieve closure. The same animosity that Karen had always demonstrated towards Kyle resurfaces when he informs her that he has fallen in love with someone new. Karen vows to ruin any and every relationship that Kyle attempts until she gets even with him for the torment that he caused her.

Convinced of Kyle’s love, Bubbles is planning to finally reveal herself to him. Kyle is concerned, however, when he learns that Karen Mayes is going to be in town to attend their high school reunion at the same time that Bubbles will be there for to meet him. Bubbles assures Kyle that she is more than capable of handling Karen Mayes and that they should meet as planned.

Arriving at the hotel to meet Bubbles, Kyle spots Karen Mayes and quickly hides in the men’s restroom before she can see him. When his cell phone rings, Bubbles is looking for him. Explaining where he was hiding and why, Bubbles suggests that he meet her upstairs in her room. Since the room door is propped open for him, Kyle enters in search of his mystery woman, securing the door behind him.

Kyle finds the room empty of Bubbles, but hearing a knock at the door, he assumes that he inadvertently locked her out. Quickly opening the door, Kyle is confronted by the first proxy that Bubbles had sent him. She prods him back into the room and onto a chair, ignoring his objections. Using a small remote that she extracted from her purse, the proxy pushes a button and waits to allow Kyle to witness the transformation.

Within seconds, Karen Mayes is standing before Kyle, begging him to listen to her explanation for why she had rejected him in the past as well as for the efforts she had put into winning his love back. She explains her Radical Appearance Modification Project as part of her role at the CIA and how she had used this to present herself to Kyle as the different women he had interacted with.

“Heavy Traffic on a Dirt Road”.

Complete at 177,971 words in twenty chapters.

Set against the backdrop of a mysterious human trafficking operation that is smuggling young girls from Southeast Asia into the U.S. through backwater Georgia waterways, a former Force Recon Marine emerges from a soul-searching sabbatical to rescue the girls and discovers that his family’s business empire is being targeted for a hostile takeover. When it becomes obvious that the conspiracy related to his company involves people tied to the human trafficking operation, new personal and business relationships are formed to prove that power deferred is not power lost.

Sean Wallace is a proud and accomplished young man in his own right, yet he is struggling with how to put his mark onto a world that was simply handed to him. An unabashed romantic, Sean is sometimes overly trusting of people, naturally altruistic, and patient to a fault. These traits lead adversaries and allies alike to underestimate his physical, political, and financial power. When the business empire that is his legacy is threatened, Sean is irritated. When those he loves are threatened, Sean is deadly.

Amanda Wallace is an orphaned Australian heiress who is searching for her own place in the world. A beautiful, accomplished athlete, she is questioning whether the destiny she had dreamed of for herself will ever be realized. Her dreams, as well as her fears, must be ignored when she and twenty-five young orphan girls are abducted by slave traders and she must find the strength and courage to keep them all alive. When finally free of her captures, Amanda must now struggle with the emotional debate over how the hero of her rescue appears to be her one true soul mate.

DeMarcus Steele is the brutal and arrogant head of the largest organized crime gang in the Southeastern U.S. Raised on the streets of Atlanta until incarcerated as a teen for a carjacking, DeMarcus honed his skills at intimidation, manipulation, and violence. With an inherent disregard for human lives in general, his cruel treatment of white women is legendary. DeMarcus will not tolerate disrespect from anyone, least of all some rich white dude and a foreign white bitch.

Sean and Amanda strive to become partners in love and partners in business, as they also become partners in protecting themselves, Sean’s business empire, and the young girls from the forces aligned against them. Determining who their enemies are while merging their resources and forging new alliances tests their growing love, their spiritual faith, and their very survival.

Sean is extremely good at visiting death on his enemies and making it look like an accident. Amanda is an expert at teasing, taunting, and manipulating her competitors into collapse. Each uses their unique talents to jointly destroy those who would align against them. The climactic rescue of Amanda from the clutches of DeMarcus Steele finally proves to him how badly he had underestimated Sean and Amanda, showing him the life-long price that he will be paying for doing so. As the last gang leader succumbs to his fate, Sean and Amanda begin their future as genuine husband and wife, reigning over a global empire of their own making.

"Fortunes Change"

An adventure romance, complete at 111,056 words in 21 chapters.

Twenty-two-year-old JR Brandt (from ‘His Daddy’s Car’) is living at his family’s condo in Irvine while attending college. His “Beach Bum” appearance, studious regimen, and strong work ethic around the condo complex belie the wealth and influence that he has, both individually and through his family. Also, not obvious to others is his benevolence for people in need, his belief in true love, and the physical skills he has been taught since childhood.

Twenty-eight-year-old Rochelle “Rockie” Preston is struggling. Her boyfriend is cheating on her, and she knows it, but she can’t afford the rent on her condo without his occasional financial contributions. So, she must tolerate his disrespect. Working as a researcher for a local tech company, her work is frequently stolen by her immediate supervisor and presented as his own. As her debt continues to rise and her social life continues to decline, Rockie believes her chance to move ahead in her career will never come to fruition.

When JR helps Rockie with a ride to work because her boyfriend wrecked her car, she doesn’t associate that event with the sudden change in her fortunes that seem to be occurring. She doesn’t quickly associate all the challenges in her life diminishing as the attraction and sexual tension between her and JR continues to increase. Though reluctant to pursue a romantic relationship while in school, JR can’t deny his growing desire to have Rocky as part of his life and the pervasive need for him to make her life the best that it can be.

Rocky is tolerant and understanding of JR’s concerns, but her own instincts convince her that she can overcome his objections and be the supportive partner that JR deserves. Through mutual teasing, sensual exploration, and play, this couple develop a trust in one another that allows their relationship to grow and love to flourish despite the secrets each is hiding from the other.

When Rocky senses an unwarranted animosity towards her from JR’s father (Bobby Brandt from “His Daddy’s Car”) while visiting them in Texas, she attributes it to her mixed-race heritage. JR attempts to assure her that his father doesn’t dislike her, but when her actions to save JR’s young sister and cousin go against instructions provided by his father, the resulting blow up finds Rocky heading home alone. Along the way, Rocky reflects on the secrets that she has learned about JR and his family and how these have contributed to her change of fortune since meeting him.

However, changing fortunes can go both ways. Rocky’s hidden talents lead her to discover new and serious threats are looming over JR’s family. As JR’s parents rush to Southern California to save the relationship between Rocky and JR, shared secrets become realized proof of love and dedication between all parties.

Combining Rocky’s computer skills with the resources of JR’s father, an international threat is neutralized and the question of just who exactly is saving whom gets answered for all.

“Searching for the Shoreline Angel”

An adventure romance, complete at 124,669 words in twenty chapters.

It’s the year 2028. As an active shooter event unfolds inside a popular Southern California shopping mall, a mysterious woman steps out of a shadowy corridor to kill the gunman and prevent the massacre. She then disappears without a trace before authorities arrive on the scene.

Katie Brandt (“His Daddy’s Car” and “Fortunes Change”) is living in her family’s condo while completing her doctorate in molecular biology. At the same time, she is interviewing tenants for the next-door condo unit, also owned by her family. She agrees to lease it to a brother and sister couple; influenced by her sub-conscious attraction to the brother, Tyler Davis.

Katie’s attraction to Tyler becomes more evident to her when they meet again at a charity car show. Learning that he is an agent with the California Department of Law Enforcement, her inherent reluctance to share too much personal details conflicts with Tyler’s training in behavioral science and his natural curiosity towards a woman he is very interested in getting to know better.

Politically driven interests in identifying the mystery woman from the mall shooting soon have Tyler and his team assigned the case. Facing obstacles to the investigation from some very powerful and influential sources, the team finds few leads remaining; and witnesses that suddenly disappear before they can be questioned.

The search for the Shoreline Angel looms perilously over the blooming relationship between Katie and Tyler. After watching the one remaining video of the shooting, Tyler is drawn to the mystery woman, referred to by the media as the “Shoreline Angel”. While unidentifiable in the video, Tyler senses a connection to the woman that he can’t explain. When aspects in the case present leads that Katie’s special knowledge may provide answers to, Tyler doesn’t hesitate to ask for her assistance.

Taking a romantic, lust-filled road trip to introduce Tyler to Katie’s family culminates in the recognition that Tyler had been lacking. One look at Katie’s mother strips away the disguise that had shielded Katie’s identity. Confident that Katie’s secret is safe with the man that loves her, Tyler is brought into the inner circle of the investigation that is attempting to learn the gunman’s unknown motive behind the planned attack on the mall.

Tyler learns details about the gunman previously hidden from his investigation. Combining those details with evidence that Tyler alone possesses reveals a plot by a secret organization to chemically sterilize the entire Jewish male population. The assets and resources at the disposal of Katie’s family are brought to bear against the international threat, demonstrating that identifying the Shoreline Angel was critical to preventing a second Holocaust.

“Elements”

An adventure romance, complete at 118,850 words in twenty-one chapters.

The environment is fighting back and Earth’s inhabitants are dying.

Several typically safe and naturally occurring elements are suddenly being released in quantities and places never before experienced by mankind. The deadly effects on all living species are alarming, while the cause of the toxic releases around the world remains a mystery. Are these environmental accidents, man-made catastrophes on an epic scale, acts of terrorism, or are they due to something beyond human comprehension?

Celia “Cile” Read and Tobias “Toby” Davis (“Searching for the Shoreline Angel) are adjusting nicely to living together at her condo in Irvine, California. Her work as an investigator with the U.S. Public Health Service is as rewarding for her as Toby’s career as a physics professor at UCLA is for him. Their interests, intellects, and passion in bed compliment each other perfectly, and their future together as a couple looks bright.

When Toby agrees to assist the UCLA women's volleyball team during a tournament in Myrtle Beach, Cile agrees to accompany him. Toby surprises her by proposing to her on the first leg of their journey, and further by arranging for them to get married while on a layover in Texas. Their trip to the volleyball tournament could now double as their honeymoon.

Shortly after arriving at their hotel, Cile and Toby befriend Jules and Didi, a young couple on vacation from South Africa. Jules is a world renowned geologist and Didi is his beautiful Capetown Colored fiancee. When Cile and Toby instill enough confidence in this couple that their interracial relationship would be completely acceptable in America, a beach wedding results in two couples now eager to celebrate their honeymoons.

At least they could try to celebrate if work and world events didn’t keep interrupting them. As the head of her team, Cile keeps getting communications related to mysterious poisoning events around the country. Conversations with old friends and new acquaintances provide details of similar poisoning events occurring beyond America’s borders.

Against the backdrop of these loving couples attempting to experience the lustful, passionate, and romantic vacation they desire, they must contribute to identifying why typically safe environmental elements are suddenly causing widespread deaths around the world. Assembling a team of experts visiting Myrtle Beach for an Earth Science symposium, Cile creates a think tank of professionals free of the political back-stabbing and glad-handing that has failed to either identify the cause of the poisonings, or find a solution to stop them.

When a beautiful young Indian scientist is sent to the symposium to try to surreptitiously learn what other countries are doing to solve their environmental crises, the attempt to kidnap her is thwarted by Cile and Toby. Invited to join the growing group of newlyweds and their friends, this Indian beauty draws the attention of UCLA’s women's volleyball coach and a steamy affair soon develops.

Utilizing resources previously ignored by other task forces, Cile’s team locates the source for each of the exposure events and throws all of their combined scientific knowledge and skills into identifying the cause. Water samples contain a previously unknown organism that goes dormant when exposed to light. Answering the questions about where this organism came from and how to control it test Cile’s team, but they prove up to the task. Their solution is embraced by the world scientific community, but they convince the President to place all the credit with the government of India in an attempt to garner better international cooperation with future environmental issues.

Cile and Toby convince Jules and Didi to return to Southern California with them. It is from their condo in Irvine where Cile and Didi, along with Cile’s cousin, Katie, share with their families the fact that each of the young wives is pregnant with the next generation of problem solvers for the world.

“Alliances”

An adventure romance, complete in two parts with 161,404 words in twenty-nine chapters.

Alliances are important.

In our personal lives, alliances rooted in love, trust, respect, and honor allow an individual to attain a level of self-actualization that would not otherwise be possible.

In our professional lives, alliances allow for shared responsibilities and rewards; lessening the burden for all while expanding the collective resources and capabilities for the mutual benefit of those involved.

In the first half of this two-part story, two young teenagers form an alliance to help both of them achieve their personal and academic goals. Their similarities are many, and their strengths are complementary. But, is their strength enough for them to weather the challenges that life is about to throw at them and our country?

When the chips are down, will this “Pair of Aces” be enough to save our country?

In the second half of this story, a woman fears that the personal alliance that she has forged with her new neighbor will not withstand the truth about her. Unbeknownst to her, her partner appears to also have some skeletons in his closet. People aren’t always what they seem, and when viewed in a “Different Light”, will their alliance survive?

Alliances: Where love and courage trump politics and treachery.

“A Year on Fire”

Complete at 66,834 words in 18 chapters

1990. It was a year like few others.

Geo-political turmoil reigned supreme across the globe. From Central America to Europe and the Middle East, dictators were deposed, empires crumbled, nations were reunited while others sought to conquer their neighbors. At home in the U.S., natural and man-made disasters challenged a government and a military struggling to stay ahead of the changing international landscape. This dynamically changing world is the backdrop for a year in the life of a man seeking to protect his family from the forces allied against them.

Chet Diego is anticipating his pending discharge from the U.S. Army. Being among the elite Green Berets seconded to support covert C.I.A. operations throughout central and south America, Chet has been away from his fiancée for over a year. When he learns that his daughter was born while he was incommunicado on missions, Chet is even more excited to settle down and begin family life.

When the beautiful mother of his infant daughter is brutally murdered in an apparent robbery, Chet begins to suspect that the crime may have been staged to hide a deeper conspiracy. Relying upon the precocious niece of a former Army colleague to be a responsible nanny for his daughter, Chet sequesters them away in safety while he investigates his suspicions. When his suspicions are confirmed, he then seeks retribution.

Chet’s quest for justice and the future security for his family will come at a cost. Concerned that the risk of him being linked to the deaths of the conspirators is genuine, Chet puts plans into play for him to assume a new identity for himself and his daughter. Will the price be too high, or will it buy him a future that he and his family will be proud of?

With his new identity, he begins teaching cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, instilling in them the philosophy that it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. In this prequel to “His Daddy’s Car”, one man’s solitary role during a year on fire influences the lives of the people who would go on to shape America’s Homeland Security strategy in the future.

“A Year on Fire”

Complete at 66,834 words in 18 chapters

1990. It was a year like few others.

Geo-political turmoil reigned supreme across the globe. From Central America to Europe and the Middle East, dictators were deposed, empires crumbled, nations were reunited while others sought to conquer their neighbors. At home in the U.S., natural and man-made disasters challenged a government and a military struggling to stay ahead of the changing international landscape. This dynamically changing world is the backdrop for a year in the life of a man seeking to protect his family from the forces allied against them.

Chet Diego is anticipating his pending discharge from the U.S. Army. Being among the elite Green Berets seconded to support covert C.I.A. operations throughout central and south America, Chet has been away from his fiancée for over a year. When he learns that his daughter was born while he was incommunicado on missions, Chet is even more excited to settle down and begin family life.

When the beautiful mother of his infant daughter is brutally murdered in an apparent robbery, Chet begins to suspect that the crime may have been staged to hide a deeper conspiracy. Relying upon the precocious niece of a former Army colleague to be a responsible nanny for his daughter, Chet sequesters them away in safety while he investigates his suspicions. When his suspicions are confirmed, he then seeks retribution.

Chet’s quest for justice and the future security for his family will come at a cost. Concerned that the risk of him being linked to the deaths of the conspirators is genuine, Chet puts plans into play for him to assume a new identity for himself and his daughter. Will the price be too high, or will it buy him a future that he and his family will be proud of?

With his new identity, he begins teaching cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, instilling in them the philosophy that it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. In this prequel to “His Daddy’s Car”, one man’s solitary role during a year on fire influences the lives of the people who would go on to shape America’s Homeland Security strategy in the future.

“Getting Justice”

An enemies to lovers romance, complete at 79,430 words in 29 chapters

Minerva Hart remembered exactly where she was on the day and time that her view of the world had changed. She had been standing beside Athena’s hospital bed as her sister implored with her final whispered words, “It’s too late for me. Get justice from Coastline. Get justice for Alexander.”

Those pleading words from her dying sister haunted Minerva for ten years as she raised her nephew, Alexander, completed her education, and established a successful legal practice. She swore that if the opportunity to avenge her sister ever presented itself, Minerva would be prepared.

The charismatic Hayden is handsomely sexy, desired by most women, respected by all men, and often the subject of good-natured teasing at his favorite hangouts in and around Myrtle Beach. Everyone present at the Ole Irish Pub is surprised when Hayden uncharacteristically lashes out at the teasing comment of the beautiful stranger, leaving her stunned by his reaction and alienated by the other patrons.

Minerva’s resemblance to the girl who had so callously betrayed Hayden years before reignites his pain, yet there is something about her that he finds uniquely intriguing. The early stages of attraction between these two get derailed when Minerva discovers that Hayden isn’t just some “Good ole Boy” who happens to work for Coastline Multimedia but is instead, the owner, Hayden Justice.

Using every legal trick she knows; Minerva sets out on a quest for vengeance that finds her repressing her desires for Hayden and ignoring signals that the mission her sister had set for her might be something entirely different than what Minerva had assumed. As the legal drama plays out in court, the cat becomes the mouse when secrets that are revealed in the courtroom alter perceptions and change lives.

If Hayden had been the victim of betrayal instead of the perpetrator, both he and Minerva, as a team, had to understand why. Why would her sister, Athena, who professed her undying love for Hayden, end the relationship by telling him that he wasn’t the father of her unborn child? Did she lie, and if so, what motivated her to do so?

Case notes from sessions that Athena had with a mysterious psychiatrist offer them clues, but complete answers would only be possible if they could track this woman down and meet with her in person. With a final understanding of Athena’s mental illness, Hayden has to decide if the closure this provides allows him to accept Athena’s child as his son, and for his heart to love deeper and more strongly than it ever has before.

In the end, Minerva gets all the “justice” that her life, or her heart, will ever need.

“FARTS: Fortuitous Flatulence”

A middle-grade adventure, complete at 38.460 words in twenty chapters

The story told to her granddaughter, Melody, begins with Paula’s journey to Camp Hackenspit, where she meets and is forced to tolerate the two-day car trip in the company of the most annoying boy she had ever met, Beanie Conway. She thinks he is juvenile, irresponsible, and certainly not someone that she wants to spend her summer around.

Paula’s fortunes do not improve once they arrive at the camp. Rules at Camp Hackenspit require all cabin residents to compete in a loogie contest arranged by Beanie, leaving Paula with no choice but to participate. Paula’s stubborn, competitive spirit, coupled with coaching advice overheard from eavesdropping on Beanie allows her to win the contest for their team.

Startled during her first night at the camp to find herself and the other girls floating in the air above their bunks, Paula quickly encourages her cabin mates to release any gas that they felt. Paula reassured everyone that while they might not understand what was causing them to float, they could control it through flatulence. Coaxed out of her cabin by Beanie at the morning’s first light, Paula reluctantly agrees to partner with him to investigate the mystery while they warn their cabin mates to keep the event secret. They knew that it had to be something that they all had consumed at dinner, but it had to be something that only their table was served. The lemonade! As their investigation unfolds, Paula begins to realize that her first impressions of Beanie Conway might have been wrong.

Identifying the ingredients for the lemonade from the camp cook, Paula and Beanie discover that the water used to make it had been sourced from a recently discovered Artesian spring. Beanie remains convinced that the tiny organisms viewed in the water through his microscope are what create the helium and suggests that Paula and he drink some of the spring water to test his theory. When nothing happens, they revisit the ingredients in the original lemonade and decide to add some fresh lemon juice to the water. Success! Sort of. Within minutes of drinking the lemon water, they begin to feel the desired effects, However, they need to train their bodies to control the build-up and release of intestinal gas, or the danger to them getting off the ground would limit their opportunities to make use of their discovery. Trial, error, and mutual trust give them the confidence to use their ability to float as they share numerous adventures in the air.

Until that fateful day when a victory under questionable circumstances places the lemonade in the hands of their rival cabins they had been able to keep the floating secret. Knowing that the occupants of the Smeleepitz and Gaarglenoyz cabins are about to experience the effects of the lemonade for the first time has Paula and Beanie concerned. What will their rivals do with this knowledge? With only a few days left at Camp Hackenspit, will their secret be exposed? Their fears are quelled the next morning when no one believes the wild claims and they learn that their rivals are suspected of taking some hallucinogenic substance that caused all of them to imagine that they were floating.

Paula is crestfallen on the first day of eighth grade over not hearing from Beanie in the two weeks since their return from camp. Her heart soars when she meets him in her last class of the day and learns that he is now a neighbor of hers and that their friendship would face no obstacles in the years ahead. With Paula’s story concluded, Melody’s excitement about going to Camp Hackenspit is greater than ever. When her grandfather arrives home, she eagerly shares her excitement with him, with the full understanding now that he isn’t merely her grandpa. He’s the famous Beanie Conway!