Fiction

It’s the year 1553, and the King of England, only fifteen years of age, is gravely ill and on the edge of death. His best friend pleads with him not to make the worst mistake of his brief reign by naming his cousin, also a teen, as heir to the throne while the King’s half-sister plots her return to London to seize the crown from afar. Caught in this bloody crisis of succession at the midpoint of the Tudor Dynasty is an unlikely circle of three friends still in their teens, a commoner and two royals, being swept by the terrible winds of history.

Tom Canty, the pauper in Mark Twain’s beloved The Prince and the Pauper tells his tale some years later to the unknown “my lady.” It’s been six years since Tom first exchanged places with Prince Edward, now King of England. Edward introduces Tom, both fifteen, to his cousin, the lovely, idealistic, and strong-minded Lady Jane Grey. Tom finds himself caught between two very different worlds. He still lives in the poor parish of Offal Court. Although he keeps his friendship with Edward a secret, the advantages afforded him by being named Ward of the King set him apart. The boys of Offal Court try to drag him into a life of crime, but he strives to escape the legacy of his father, the scoundrel John Canty. Tom and Edward still look amazingly alike, and so Edward asks Tom to impersonate him again, and Tom can’t refuse. He watches through street-smart eyes and tries to keep Edward abreast of those around the young king, including his uncles, vying for power and influence. Further complicating Tom’s young life is his burgeoning love for the beautiful yet unattainable Jane.

Soon illness seizes Edward, and he becomes even more dedicated to the English Reformation and Protestantism. Encouraged by his advisors, he names Jane, a devout Protestant, as his heir to the throne rather than his half-sister, the Catholic Lady Mary Tudor. Tom tries to warn Edward that this decision will have terrible consequences. Tom realizes that only a boy with his wily skills can aid his best friend and save his sweet Jane.

Pour an ale for Tom, a glass of wine for my lady and whatever you fancy. Make yourself comfy and get ready for a good listen as Tom spins his tale of precious friendships, young love, dear loss and the discovery of oneself amidst the deadly betrayal and intrigue of the Tudor royal court.

Perry Hood grew up in Greenwich, CT, and on the waters of Long Island Sound. As a teen, he crewed on a variety of racing sailboats and had a summer job as a sailmaker.He received a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan, completed a year of graduate work at Boston College, then went to Syracuse University where he took an MS in Journalism (Mental Health Information). He completed a Public Information internship at the Pineland Hospital & Training Center in Pownal, ME, where he fell in love with Maine.Over the years Perry has worked at over 100 schools as a school psychologist and was a part-time college instructor at the University of Maine, teaching live, over ITV, and online.Perry has owned at least 30 boats, the oldest built in 1897, the largest a 35-foot Friendship Sloop. He is a Life Member of the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum in Alna, ME, and a member of the Friendship Sloop Society. He’s written pieces for several magazines, and his hobbies include sailing, trains, minerology, and creating crossword puzzles.Perry is retired and currently lives “out west,” but has plans to return to his beloved Maine.

by Perry A Hood

Kelville-by-the-Sea, an outwardly quiet seaside town on the northeast coast of Scotland, is the setting for this sequel to It Began with the Marbles. The story begins with the sudden death of an elderly man who served during World War Two as a guard at the town’s famous glass factory. Local police officer Helen Griffen treats the death as an accident, but questions are raised that lead her to wonder if the man was murdered. Her suspicions may be too late, as any physical evidence has been compromised.

Aided by a visiting American private investigator, Alistair Wright, and his lawyer fiancée Margaret Milford, Helen starts to quietly investigate the man’s background. She soon learns that a number of people might have wanted him injured or dead. Meanwhile, her son, also a private investigator, is furious that Helen is handling the case herself: she has a personal relationship with the dead man’s son, and the dead man’s grandson is her sergeant.

Although Margaret is supportive of Alistair’s efforts to help Helen get to the truth, she can’t help resenting how much time he’s spending, with no chance of compensation for his professional expertise. And when Margaret gets pulled into a meeting with the dead man’s lawyers, she worries that her inexperience will send the investigation along the wrong path. On a personal level, she is impatient to resolve things with Alistair: will they return to Maine soon and marry there, or stay on in Scotland? The indecision is weighing on both of them.

Gradually, Helen learns that the outwardly peaceful town harbors deep secrets from the war years, and that the dead man might have been implicated in the death or disappearance of evacuee teenagers who were sent to Kilvellie as war broke out, to escape the risk of bombing in the cities. Powerful forces in the town are trying to keep the truth from Helen. Yet, when she finally learns what she now believes to be the sad truth, an elderly resident of the care home where the dead man lived comes forward with an entirely new interpretation of the tragic events during Kilvellie’s war years.

by Jane Ross Potter

A political Field of Dreams. A moderate US president is struggling to lead amidst the country’s dysfunctional polarization when he stumbles upon a centuries-old saloon where he can drink at a nightly party with every former president, living or dead. He relishes this escape and the camaraderie with his new drinking buddies who understand his problems and sympathize with him.

Presidential Spirits
by Dan Coonan
ISBN: 9781597132121
paperback
(408 pages)

“The spirituals always signified that something important was going on; something extraordinary that needed God’s special attention.”

A young boy seeks friendship in a forbidden place where he learns valuable lessons in acceptance, forgiveness, and the indomitable human spirit.

Rye Hill
by Robin Cannon
Published by Goose River Press
paperback ISBN: 978-1-59713-160-5
(176 pages)

Tilly Fig is about the life of a teenage girl and her best friend. It is a story of love, friendship…and murder.

Tilly Fig
by Robin Cannon
Published by Goose River Press
paperback ISBN: 978-1-59713-149-0
(242 pages)

As Tilly and Skeet prepare to embark upon a new future together, something devastating stops them cold. Would it ever come to be, especially after the shocking news they have just received?

Fireflies at Nightfall
by Robin Cannon
Published by Goose River Press
paperback ISBN: 978-1-59713-172-8
(172 pages)

Hester Pennix, the legendary schoolmarm; Devon Finley, the improvident med student; Ludmilla Dandridge, the doubting professor; and Henry Fleming, the Civil War soldier; are just some of the characters who populate John Hagan’s second collection of short stories, Ties That Inspire.

Ties That Inspire
by John Hagan
Published by Goose River Press
paperback ISBN: 978-1-59713-170-4
(248 pages)

Explores themes that include friends and heroes, epiphany, coming of age, futile pursuit, lost love, arcane experience, and ironies of life. Although fictional, these characteristics provide feasible realistic slices of life, coupled with plausible resolutions.

A Long Farewell
by John Hagan
Published by Goose River Press
paperback ISBN: 978-1-59713-081-3

We follow explorer Fletch Highfield as he sets off on his latest expedition in search of the lost bird of the Amazon. A storm just offshore sweeps Fletch from the ship and lands him in an undiscovered valley where Fletch finds new companions, community, and connection to the world in this story of adventure and imagination.

The Curious Adventures of Fletch Highfield
by J. F. Tuttle
paperback ISBN: 9781597132022
(142 pages)

Allie thought they had the kind of unbreakable love that most believe only exists in the movies. Unfortunately, time was not on their side. Trent passed away suddenly, and unexpectedly, and the course of her life altered forever. When she begins settling into the new life she’s created, once again, tragedy comes rearing its ugly head. This time, even her own safety could be in jeopardy. As she becomes embroiled with the situation, it will test every fiber of her being. Unbeknownst to Allie, everything…and everyone…she thinks she knows is about to come into question.

Allie
by Jackie Adams

This idea of this book is to really open the eyes of readers and tell them what the Civil Rights Era actually was like. Sometimes the hardship of that time period is under emphasized and would like to bring that to the forefront of literature. It is to educate people on perils and tribulations that was the Civil Rights Era.

Children of Innocence
by Allison Claire

A must-read for anyone drawn to the Maine Coast, Between the Notched Pines offers a world rich in magic and wonder, drawing on the mystery of a long-guarded secret while illuminating our interconnectedness as human beings.

Between the Notched Pines
by Hunter Nichols

New police officer Helen discovers there is more to her seaside town of Kilvellie, Scotland, than sea glass and ice cream. The glass is evidence of wartime tragedy. But seeking justice for decades-old misdeeds could simply prolong a deep dispute.

It Began with the Marbles
by Jane Ross Potter

The sequel to Presidential Spirits. 

If you thought the story ended with the McFaddens leaving Washington on Marine One and Thomas Jefferson stranded in the White House Blue Room, you are sorely mistaken. That was merely the beginning of the story . . .

In ANOTHER ROUND, Coonan puts us right back in the Presidential Spirits Saloon with a new political thriller that picks up right where his acclaimed debut novel left off. Coonan’s cast of memorable and endearing characters return, including all the presidents. Oh, and throw in the first female Commander in Chief in our nation’s history. Can Danny McFadden and the political movement he galvanized bring about meaningful change to the country’s political dysfunction? You’ll love finding out what’s next for McFadden, the Alliance, the country . . . and the Saloon. You may wish this wasn’t just a charming fictional tale. A country can dream, can’t it?

Another Round of Presidential Spirits by Dan Coonan

Angry Archie Thrasher and the Others is an outgrowth from writing case studies for a book on narrative problem solving for school leaders. Written as short stories, those case studies fully described characters, settings, events and issues to capture the human side of the complicated personnel, student and constituent concerns that arise in school systems. I enjoyed the process so much that after finishing the book I explored writing short stories with a variety of themes and perspectives.

Angry Archie Thrasher and the Others by J. Michael Wilhelm