Key to Lawrence by Linda and Gary Cargill

Key to Lawrence by Linda and Gary Cargill

via Linda Cargill:

Next year, 2014, will be the one hundredth anniversary of the start of World War I, which contemporaries called the Great War. Two years from now on May 7, 2015 will be the centennial of the sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania. Key to Lawrence, an historical thriller by Linda and Gary Cargill, commemorates this anniversary. The authors start out the novel with the last voyage of the Cunard ocean liner from May 1, 1915 to May 7, 1915 when the vessel sank in the Irish Sea six miles from land.

Many mysteries remain about the sinking of the famous ship. The greatest is the mysterious second explosion which took place within minutes after the German torpedo hit the liner at exactly 2:10 PM British time. It seemed to have no cause and hastened the demise of the Lusitania which sank and disappeared beneath the waves in only eighteen minutes. By 2:30 PM it was history.

Robert D. Ballard in his book, Exploring the Lusitania: Probing the Mysteries of the Sinking That Changed History, postulates that vapor pockets from the coal-fired engines caused the big explosion. But it's only a theory, and no one really knows. If Captain Turner knew he was kept quiet by Cunard and the British government for the rest of his life. They even appeared at the inquest and pulled him out of it the day after the sinking.

The British government remains the only entity who might actually know the true fate of the ship. They are the only ones who would know what was actually being carried in the hold other than a fortune in famous paintings for Sir Hugh Lane. Were there guns? Ammunition? Something else that might attract German attention?

The Lusitania is as elusive today as it was one hundred years ago. When Miss Dora Benley boards the Cunard ocean liner in New York on May 1 she trembles at the sight of a stranger eying the birthday package she is carrying. She is already being enmeshed in the ship's mysteries. If she doesn't figure out what's going on soon, she will die in the Irish Sea along with half the passengers.

Key to Lawrence by Linda and Gary Cargill will be available October 1, 2013 through your favorite retailer.

Guest Post: Mingmei Yip's The Nine Fold Heaven

On Love – it must last until death
“If you ask me what is love, I believe it must last till death.” This is by the Chinese poet Yuan Haowen (1190-1257).

One day when Yuan was on his trip to take the imperial examination, he saw a hunter shooting at a pair of geese. One fell to the ground and died, the other one, instead of flying away, landed next to its partner, crying and hitting its head on the ground till it also bled to death. Deeply moved by the love suicide, Yuan wrote the above line which is known to many millions of Chinese. He also buried the two geese together and their grave became the famous “Geese Grave.”

Another line with a similar sentiment is from the three thousand year old Book of Poetry: “I’ll hold your hand and grow old with you.”

Yet another poem says, “In life, if our love is always like the first time we met, there will be no lover abandoned like an Autumn fan.” At the beginning love is sweet and passion deep. However, love that cannot stand the trial of time is only shallow infatuation. That is why the poem next says, “When in an instant love is gone, we just blame fickleness of the heart!”

In my new novel The Nine Fold Heaven, I tried to portray undying love, both between man and woman and between mother and child. Camilla, a spy assigned to assassinate a powerful gangster head – disastrously falls in love with her target’s son. Though she is told that their baby was stillborn, he appears in her dreams and she vows to find him, even though it means “going inside the tiger’s mouth.”

Excerpt:

That night I flip-flopped in the hotel bed, thinking of the strange workings of fate. Then as if on cue, my little Jinjin came into my dream.

“Mama, I’ve been doing vey well, so don’t you worry about me.”

“Son, what have you been doing?”

“Eating, sleeping, playing, and learning.”

“What have you learnt?’

“Some words.”

“Can you tell me what they are?”

“Love and karma. Mama, I am not sure you know what love means, but probably you know what karma is. I know what love means, because when I think of you and Baba I feel warmth in my heart. So, can you tell me about karma?”

I didn’t want to answer his question, but I also didn’t want him to be unhappy.

“Jinjin, karma is because we all do good and bad things.”

“But Mama, I hear you only do bad things.”

“Where do you hear this?”

“You know, what you read in the newspapers.”

“It’s not all true. Maybe before, but not anymore. I miss you and your father terribly. Recently I also saved your Uncle Gao’s life.... Jinjin, I hear you’re still alive so stop teasing your mother! I can’t take this anymore!”

My baby retorted. “Sometimes I can’t take you anymore!”

“Jinjin, stop it!”

“Mama, you stop it! Or, I won’t come back to see you in your dreams anymore. And I’ll stay with Mama Lewinsky!” Then his voice softened. “Remember Mama, I’m your son, whether in hell, heaven, or the Red Dust.”

And with this, he vanished.

About THE NINE FOLD HEAVEN
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 320p
ISBN-10: 0758273541

In this mesmerizing new novel, Mingmei Yip draw readers deeper into the exotic world of 1930s Shanghai first explored in Skeleton Women, and into the lives of the unforgettable Camilla, Shadow, and Rainbow Chang.

When Shadow, a gifted, ambitious magician, competed with the beautiful singer spy Camilla for the affections of organized crime leader Master Lung, she almost lost everything. Hiding out in Hong Kong, performing in a run-down circus, Shadow has no idea that Camilla, too, is on the run with her lover, Jinying – Lung’s son.

Yet while Camilla and Shadow were once enemies, now their only hope of freedom lies in joining forces to eliminate the ruthless gangster Big Brother Wang. Despite the danger, Shadow, Camilla, and Jinying return to Shanghai. Camilla also has her own secret agenda – she has heard a rumor that her baby son is alive. And in a city teeming with spies and rivals – including the vengeful gossip columnist Rainbow Chang – each battles for a future in a country on the verge of monumental change.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2g6Ggga4a0

Praise for The Nine Fold Heaven

A guilty pleasure....enjoy the exotic location and characters.... This is a large, luscious box of chocolates. Go on. You know you want to." -RTBook 4 star Review, June 2012

Entertaining diversion is (a strength of this book) -Publisher's Weekly

Poignant and often heartbreaking story captivatin mix of worldly and ethereal, mystery and drama kept me interested and kept me reading with her journal cum memoir style that few authors pull off. I loved how she incorporated in her narrative Chinese customs, legends, myths and beliefs and especially how she quoted from long ago texts on war and strategies, it was her characters that dominated the pages. -Bookclub.BarnesandNoble.com, June 1, 2012

What a phenomenal novel!! The characters are well-developed and the storyline is amazing and reads fast. So much is going on you won't be able to put the book down and you'll be turning the last page before you know it. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone. Great job Mingmei!!! -Bookbag Lady, June 13, 2012

Buy Links

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound 
Kensington

About the Author

When she was a child, Mingmei Yip made up stories like “how the moon reached to slap the sun” and “how the dim sum on my plate suddenly got up to tango.” At fifteen, she was thrilled that not only her article got published but she was paid ten dollars for it. Now Mingmei is a best selling novelist and children’s book writer and illustrator.

Mingmei believes that one should, besides being entertained, also get something out of reading a novel. She has now twelve books to her credit, including five novels by Kensington Books: The Nine Fold Heaven, Skeleton Women, Song of the Silk Road, Petals from the Sky, and Peach Blossom Pavilion. Book Examiner praises her novels as “A unique and enthralling style…flawless.” Her two children’s books are Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories and Grandma Panda’s China Storybook, both by Tuttle Publishing.

Mingmei is accomplished in many other fields. A professional player of the Guqin, Chinese zither, for over thirty years, she was recently invited by Carnegie Hall to perform in “A Festival celebrating Chinese Culture” in the same program with cellist Yo Yo Ma and pianist Lang Lang. She had her solo Goddess exhibition at the New York Open Center Gallery to great acclaim, gave calligraphy workshop at New York’s Metropolitain Museum of Art, and Taichi at the International Women’s Writing Guild.

For more information please visit Mingmei’s website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter,Goodreads and Amazon.

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Guest Post: Susan McDuffie's The Study of Murder

Please welcome Susan McDuffie as part of the virtual tour for her novel, The Study of Murder.

The Voynich Manuscript and the Study of Murder

In 1912 Wilfred Voynich purchased an unusual quarto, bringing an enigma to light that has confounded experts for the last 100 years, and inspired my latest mystery, THE STUDY OF MURDER.

The Voynich Manuscript, residing in Yale University’s Beinecke Library, consists of several sections; one a sort of herbal, another filled with strange cosmological drawings, a third, filled with strange drawings of nude nymphs frolicking in vaguely botanical vessels. The text, written in cypher, has baffled numerous cryptographers, including noted World War II code-breakers.

Theories about the strange manuscript range widely. Original speculation attributed it to Roger Bacon, the “Doctor Mirabilis” of 1200s Oxford. Others believe it an Elizabethan fake, perhaps the work of John Dee. The manuscript surfaced at the court of Emperor Rudolf II of Bohemia in the 1580s and was purchased by Voynich from a Jesuit college in Italy. A recent article in the New Yorker discussed new findings: the encrypted words vary section to section, as would be expected if the sections referred to different topics. But no one to date has cracked the code; the Voynich remains unread.

This tantalizing manuscript lies at the heart of THE STUDY OF MURDER, the third Muirteach MacPhee mystery. In 1374 Muirteach and his wife Mariota travel to Oxford, chaperoning the Lord of the Isles’ thirteen-year-old son Donald. Donald shows more interest in playing the lute and drinking than study, but some mysterious parchments intrigue him. An Oxford master is murdered, a beautiful tavern maid disappears, and Muirteach tracks an elusive and wily killer through a twisted labyrinth of deceit.

I hope you’ll enter Muirteach’s world and enjoy his adventures. You can find out more about all three Muirteach MacPhee mysteries on my website www.SusanMcDuffie.net or at www.facebook.com/SusanMcDuffieAuthor

About the book

Publication Date: September 18, 2013
Five Star Publishing
Hardcover; 264p
ISBN-10: 1432827200

The Study of Murder pits Scottish sleuth Muirteach MacPhee against a mysterious adversary in the medieval town of Oxford in 1374.At the command of the Lord of the Isles, Muirteach and his wife Mariota accompany Donald, the lord's surly thirteen-year-old son, to Oxford where Donald is to enroll in university. Shortly after their arrival a winsome tavern maid disappears. At his charge's insistence, Muirteach attempts to help Undersheriff Grymbaud with the investigation, as well as keep Donald at his studies and out of the taverns. He has little success with either venture, although the discovery of some bizarre and suggestive drawings on old parchments piques the curiosity of Donald and his peers. Meanwhile, Mariota thirsts to attend medical lectures at the schools, which are closed to women, and seeks a way to gain admittance to them. When an Oxford master is found brutally bludgeoned to death, Grymbaud asks Muirteach to investigate the slaying. The eventual arrest of an aged servant at the college stirs the ever-simmering discord between townsfolk and university students. The unrest culminates in riots and another senseless killing occurs, endangering Mariota. Gleaning clues from a cryptic manuscript and desperate to save his wife, a determined Muirteach tracks a wily killer through a dark and twisted labyrinth of deceit.

Praise for The Study of Murder

"THE STUDY OF MURDER is a worthy addition to Susan McDuffie's 14th century Hebridean mystery series. Muirteach and Mariota may be in an alien world, when they accompany the son of the Lord of the Isles to Oxford, but neither town nor gown can match their clever wits in solving crime. This book is a treat for those of us eager for a fresh era, well-integrated history, and a host of interesting characters." - Priscilla Royal, author of the Prioress Eleanor/Brother Thomas Mysteries

About the Author

Susan McDuffie has been a fan of historical fiction since childhood. As a child, Susan spent such vast amounts of time reading historical fiction that she wondered if she was mistakenly born in the wrong century. As an adult her discovery that Clorox was not marketed prior to 1922 reconciled her to life in this era. Susan’s first published works were two Regency short stories in Regency Press anthologies.

Susan’s childhood interest in Scotland was fueled by stories of the McDuffie clan’s ancestral lands on Colonsay and their traditional role as “Keeper of the Records” for the Lord of the Isles. On her first visit to Scotland she hitchhiked her way through the Hebrides and the seeds for the medieval Muirteach MacPhee mysteries were planted.

The Muirteach mysteries include A MASS FOR THE DEAD (2006), THE FAERIE HILLS (2011), and THE STUDY OF MURDER (September 2013). The New Mexico Book Awards named THE FAERIE HILLS “Best Historical Novel” of 2011. Currently plotting Muirteach’s next adventure, Susan shares her life with a Native American artist and four unruly cats, and enjoys taking flamenco dance classes in her spare time. She loves to hear from readers and her website is www.SusanMcDuffie.net.

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Elisabeth Storrs' The Golden Dice {Guest Post and Giveaway}

Please welcome today, Elisabeth Storrs, author of The Golden Dice: A Tale of Ancient Rome.

An enduring style: the allure of Etruscan jewellery
By Elisabeth Storrs

I’m not the only one who admires the exquisite jewellery of the Etruscans. In the mid-19th and early 20th centuries Italian jewellers were inspired by archaeological fashions. The most influential of these was a Roman goldsmith, Fortunato Pio Castellani, and his sons, Alessandro and Augusto, who rose to eminence through their introduction of the neo-Etruscan style. 

Castellani (C19th ) pendant

original (C5thBCE) millegrain pendant

In 1860, Castellani was enlisted to be an advisor on the excavation of the Regolini-Galassi tomb at modern day Cerveteri. This site is renowned as one of the great treasure troves of Etruscan art. Castellani became fascinated by the brooches, earrings and necklaces found in the tomb which were studded with minuscule gold spheres, often smaller than a pin head. This ‘granulation’ technique was achieved without soldering and created an effect called ‘millegrain’ or ‘thousand grains.’ Knowledge of the craft of granulation was believed lost but Castellani discovered there were goldsmiths in the mountain villages near Rome who had preserved not only the secret of granulation but also another procedure called ‘fillegrain or ‘thread and grain/filigree’ where motifs were applied using thin gold wire.

Castellani millegrain brooch

The Castellanis owned a shop near the Trevi Fountain in Rome where they assembled a magnificent collection of antiquities in their showroom. Visitors could then buy replicas as a souvenir of their visit. Not so very different from the ‘museum’ shops that await you when you try to exit from any art gallery or museum exhibition today!

Emperor Napoleon III of France was a great lover of Etruscan artefacts, too. He bought the famous art collection of an Italian marquis, Giovanni Campana, which he exhibited in the Louvre. The Castallani family were commissioned to catalogue and restore the jewellery of the Campana Collection which enabled them to study ancient techniques and gain access to an enormous number of designs.

Castallani gold necklace

By 1860 neo-Etruscan style pieces had become contemporary fashion accessories and remained in demand until the end of the century. At this point complete ‘parure’ sets of jewels appeared usually consisting of a brooch, necklace and matching earrings. In fact, a couple of years ago I attended a Titanic exhibition and was amazed to see neo-Etruscan jewellery on display which indicates the ‘fad’ was still in existence in the early C20th. Indeed, it was only when diamond jewellery became increasingly fashionable that the allure of the finely wrought gold pieces faded in contrast to the attraction of sparkling gemstones.

Neo – Etruscan gold and amber parure set

The value of the Castellani family’s craftsmanship, though, has not lessened. A set of gold tasselled earrings worth around $6000 was the subject of a bidding war this year and eventually sold for $169,000! However, no matter whether it is an original or replicated piece, I always wonder about the women who wore them, be they ancient Etruscan princesses laid to rest in tombs or an ill-fated passenger who ended her life beneath icy waters.

Castellani tasselled earrings bought for $169,000

My Tales of Ancient Rome series chronicles the events of a ten year siege between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii after the marriage in The Wedding Shroud of a young Roman girl, Caecilia, to an Etruscan nobleman, Vel Mastarna, to seal a truce. As a rich man’s wife, Caecilia is fortunate enough to be able to bedeck herself in diadems, bracelets and brooches such as those with which I’ve illustrated this post. The other two strong female characters introduced in the second book, The Golden Dice, are not as fortunate. Semni is a young Etruscan artisan who comes to work as a servant in the House of Mastarna while Pinna is a Roman tomb whore whose desperation leads to a tug of war between loyalty and love. 

Past readers of The Wedding Shroud will enjoy visiting Etruria again while others might like to venture into this world for the first time in The Golden Dice to learn how three women of the ancient world endure a war.

You will find more information on the background to Elisabeth’s books in this post on her blog, Triclinium. The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice are available on Amazon or via other retailers listed on her website. And Elisabeth would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter. If you are interested in seeing more Etruscan jewellery and art, please visit her Pinterest boards.

About The Golden Dice

“Skillfully plotted and with vividly drawn characters, The Golden Dice is a suspenseful, romantic, exciting drama…” Sherry Jones, author of Four Sisters, All Queens

During a ten year siege between two age-old enemies, three women follow very different paths to survive: 

Caecilia, a young Roman woman, forsakes her city by marrying the Etruscan Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people and the hatred of the Romans who consider her a traitoress…

Semni, a reckless Etruscan girl, becomes a servant in the House of Mastarna, embroiling herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia's children and her own chance for romance…

Pinna, a tomb whore, uses blackmail to escape her grim life and gain the attention of Rome's greatest general, choosing between her love for him and her loyalty to another…

In this second volume in the Tales of Ancient Rome series, the lives of women in war are explored together with the sexuality, religion, and politics of Roman and Etruscan cultures, two great civilizations of ancient history.

About the author

Elisabeth Storrs has long held an interest in the history, myths and legends of the ancient world. She is an Australian author and graduated from the University of Sydney in Arts Law, having studied Classics. She lives with her husband and two sons in Sydney and over the years has worked as a solicitor, corporate lawyer, governance consultant and business writer. The Wedding Shroud was judged runner-up in the international 2012 Sharp Writ Book Awards for general fiction.

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Marty Shelton's St. Catherine's Crown {Guest Post and Giveaway}

Please welcome Marty Shelton in celebration of the release of his novel St. Catherine's Crown.

Why I chose to write a historical novel about Anastasia Romanov

Captain S. Martin Shelton

Since I was a nipper, the regicide of the Romanov royal family has held a singular fascination for me—especially the idea that Anastasia survived and was hiding in some exotic oriental location. Hawking this postulate were flimflam artists, magazine articles, newsreels of “new” discoveries, several books, motion-picture films (including the 1956 film staring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner), female imposters, and charlatans of all stripes. The legend of her survival flourished. That is until in 1991 when DNA testing on a femur found in an unmarked grave proved conclusively that she died with her family at Ekaterinburg in July 1918.

Nonetheless, I could not let the legend die. Anastasia was an international icon of survival from the dreaded Soviet Union’s secret police, the Cheka. I would not let her fade into the dustbin of history. Shortly after I retired from the U. S. Navy, I began the research. After about a year, I’d developed a short story about Anastasia’s survival. It read Okay but it was lacking. I expanded it to a long short story. Still unsatisfied, I expanded my story of Anastasia to a novella. And there it sat for a year or so. I knew my novella raised more questions than it answered. Finally, I tackled the subject head on and several years later had a full-fledged manuscript. Notwithstanding with the keen help of several people: editors, artists, consultants, and pals that urged me to stick with it when I became frustrated at my dead ends.

About the book
Retired Naval Captain S. Martin Shelton’s 40+ years of military service, including active duty in the Korean and Vietnam wars, required that he travel throughout the world, with particular emphasis on the Far East. Shelton has an extensive background in Soviet and Chinese studies which fostered his interest in the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Bolshevik’s regicide of the Czar, Empress, and their five children, and the burgeoning Soviet Communist régime. Shelton’s particular interest in China focuses on the chaos during the 1930’s.

Shelton explores Russian History in his blog, and authored, St. Catherine’s Crown, an historical novel begging the question: What if Anastasia survived?

1917‐ Empress Alexandria understands that the Bolsheviks will soon topple the Czar. She charges her godson, Kirik Pirogov, to carry the imperial crown of Catherine the Great and a cache of Romanov jewelry to a secret czarist refuge in western China. Alexandra informs her youngest daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia, of the escape route necessary to carry on the Romanov Dynasty.

Kirik and Anastasia make perilous journeys across Siberia via the Trans‐Siberian Railroad. Their story is told against a background of revolution, their hardscrabble life in the Russian village, constant fear of the Cheka (Soviet secret police), and unscrupulous treasure‐hunters.

ISBN: 978‐0‐9892861‐1‐4
August 2013, Lamplight Press
Ingram, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Paperback & Digital

St. Catherine’s Crown Excerpt:
The Romanov family rushes to dress and pack a few personal belongings. When the family arrives in the cellar, the Cheka sergeant tells them that their transportation will arrive shortly. A guard brings a chair for the Empress. For a moment, Alexandra’s heart fills with hope. If the Czech Legion and White Army are so near, rescue might be imminent. Soon they might all be free, on their way to England. She was right, she thinks, not to send Anastasia away on her own. Now the family will be together. She puts an arm around her youngest daughter’s waist. Thanks be to God.

Suddenly a squad of Cheka soldiers with their rifles at port arms marches single file and at double time into the cellar. After the last soldier is in position, the first sergeant commands, “Squad, halt! Right face.” The soldiers turn to face the Romanovs. After a moment, the sergeant shouts, “Squad, ah‐ten‐hut!” The sound of rifle butts hitting the concrete floor reverberates throughout the cellar.

Several minutes later, Major Vasili Yurovsky enters. He is the senior Cheka officer in the area. He wears the summer grey short‐sleeved tunic uniform with red piping and his major’s pips on the shoulder boards.

“Present. Arms!” commands the first sergeant.

The soldiers bring their rifles to the present‐arms position to salute their commanding officer.

In return, Major Yurovsky returns a snappy hand salute.

The Czarevich, Alexi, giggles in delight at the military prompt.

However, fear and concern race through the rest of the Romanov family. Alexandra knows exactly what is happening. The Czar, Anastasia, and her three sisters wonder what this military demonstration has to do with their rescue by the Whites or the Czech Legion.

“Order arms!” commands the sergeant. The soldiers return their rifles to their right side. The pounding of the rifle butts hitting the concrete floor sends chills through the Romanovs, causing them to wonder what is happening.

Yurovsky orders Alexandra to stand. She stares with smoldering hostility at Yurovsky. But, no longer enjoying the resources of royal status, she complies. After a moment or two she slowly moves a few paces to her left, next to Anastasia.

With his arms akimbo, Yurovsky walks down the line of the imperial family. He stops in front of each person and looks intently into their eyes. All but the Empress turn away from him. Summoning all her courage, she returns her most imperious glower of disdain. He smiles faintly at her feeble attempt at bravado.

The Czarevich is dressed in his sailor uniform. Maintaining proper military protocol, he salutes Yurovsky. The major stares at him contemptuously and does not return the salute.

Major Yurovsky turns to the first sergeant and snaps, “On my orders!”

“As you say. Sir!”

Yurovsky moves to the cement steps and climbs three. “Port arms!” he shouts. He surveys the scene to ensure that the Romanovs are positioned correctly and that his soldiers are ready.

Satisfied that the staging is correct, Yurovsky commands, “Fix bayonets!”

There is a loud clanging of metal as the soldiers snap their bayonets onto their rifles.

Anastasia now understands with crystal clarity the task that her mother assigned to her so long ago. They are not going to be rescued, and she and her family are going to be murdered by the Bolsheviks. An overwhelming fear of death engulfs her. Her family is in this cellar for an execution. She fights to be brave and to hold back her tears. Her mother cannot help her.

“Load!” The soldiers pull back the bolts of their rifles, then jam the bolts forward, loading a round into the rifles’ chambers. The metal‐on‐metal clicking sends a vibration of horror through the cellar.

The other three daughters begin to sob and make the sign of the cross as they realize their fate is death. Alexandra commands, “Be brave. You are Romanovs. St. Nicholas will guide you.”

The Czar has been standing silently, as if he were in a dream. Aroused by the loud clicking of metal,

he exclaims, “What!”

“Aim!” The riflemen select the nearest target.

The Romanovs see the loaded rifles with bayonets pointed at them. Their fate is all too clear.

Cries. Screams.

“Fire!”

About the author

Captain Shelton earned his Bachelor of Science degree (Physics) from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, and his Master of Arts in Cinema from the University of Southern California. For several years, he produced a host of information motion‐media shows, winning over forty awards in national and international film competitions and festivals. He was elected a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication and the Information Film Producers of America.

Shelton has published extensively in trade magazines, peer‐reviewed journals, and commercial publications. After retirement from the Naval Reserve, he completed his book Communicating Ideas with Film, Video, and Multimedia, which earned the Best of Show award in a major publication competition. He continued his writing completing his first novel St. Catherine’s Crown. He has authored a number of short stories and three novellas, all unpublished. Now he is working on his second novel, which he has titled Abyssinia. The narrative is set shortly after the conclusion of the Second Italian‐Abyssinian War in 1936.

Visit the author: Website | Facebook | Goodreads

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