When Catherine Greene moved back to her tiny home town, she never expected
to meet a man like Derrick Walker. Then again, she didn't plan on opening
her patisserie next to a dive bar, either. No matter Cat’s plans,
there are fireworks the night they meet. Turns out those fireworks were
gunshots, and when Derrick is arrested for murder, Cat takes it upon herself
to do what the police and prosecutors haven’t done — find the
real killer.
When werewolf and dragon meet, will their need for each other defeat all
their well-intentioned plans?
Tom, a land dragon, is so large he’s earned the nickname
“Earth.” His dragon herd takes advantage of him until he’s
sold to a pair of basilisks. Unfortunately for them, Tom’s mating
plans don’t include repopulating the basilisk species. Time to make
his escape…
Kailee, psychic disaster and frightened “rehabilitated”
werewolf, is new to adulting, but she’s been through enough to make
her a force to be reckoned with. Transgender, she is burdened with not one,
but three psychic abilities. The overabundance of power tends to make her a
little off-balance…
Will Kailee be able to protect Tom from those hunting him? Can Tom learn to
trust? Or will their need for each other defeat all their well-intentioned
plans?
EXCERPT
Tom fled through the forest, staying low to the ground, or as low as a
person who stood over six feet could manage without crawling. He needed to
keep his feet because --
He flashed back to when the matriarch had cut off his left foot to keep him
from escaping again. It had grown back, of course. He was a dragon. Still,
it had hurt, and he sometimes woke in the middle of the night with phantom
pain reminding him how he’d suffered.
He didn’t have a very good sense of direction, but it was a sunny
day, early in the morning, and the sun came up in the east. So, just as long
as he kept the sun on his left, he’d assumed he’d be generally
heading south. Out of Canada. He’d grown up here but all he knew about
the country where he’d been imprisoned was that it was north of the
United States.
He was grateful his shedding was over for another six months. His escape
would have been impossible while he was struggling through the twice-a-year
loss of his scales.
He heard other dragons flying above him and huddled against a tree, hoping
the darkness of his skin would blend with the shadows. He wasn’t
exactly dressed for a late December winter when the temperatures around Nova
Scotia lingered just above freezing most days. He wouldn’t freeze to
death… probably. As long as he kept moving, he’d be all right.
Just now, though, stillness was required. He shut his eyes, fearing that his
anxiety had turned his irises yellow-green. They might be spotted by someone
with a searchlight.
He wondered briefly if the female dragons had employed some of their males
to help. Most of the males were treated better than he was, although not
equal to the females. The large majority would do as they were told because
they weren’t required to stand stud all year, just when the females
wanted them.
Probably most of the other male dragons were grateful for his existence. He
was an anomaly, but one that the females liked. Bigger and stronger than any
other dragon he’d ever met, he’d been conditioned since birth.
He’d been born larger and the hopes for his future progeny had been
high. Hell, they were still high even though only about one third of the
dragons he sired were of greater size when they were born. He’d only
been at this enslavement stud service for a year and a half, so none of his
children were more than a year old.
It was as if, when the dragons and werewolves had split off from their
basilisk parentage, they’d been cursed to all stand at the exact same
height in either human guise or scaly form. Five feet, ten inches was the
height of almost every other dragon he’d heard of when they walked on
two feet. With their talons and tails, they stood eight feet tall.
Tom was six-two sometimes, and others, he was ten feet tall. Being larger
than most dragons should have been an advantage. Having increased strength
could have helped if there weren’t so many damn males and females
alike ready to take him down.
The sounds overhead faded and he hesitated, not wanting to leave his hiding
place. Yet, what good would it do him to stay here? They’d send out
hunters on foot if necessary.
So, biting his lips almost hard enough to draw blood, he crept away from
the tree and started running again. He skirted around a meadow and kept
going, adrenaline making him thirsty even as it lent his muscles
endurance.
The sun had been up for an hour before he judged it safe to stop and drink.
He’d been hearing a river nearby for about the last ten minutes and
that burbling, overly cheery sound made him long for water.
He broke from the game trail he’d been following and found an
offshoot that led in the correct direction. When he came upon the river, he
was relieved to see a rocky bank where he could get right down close to the
water and drink his fill.
He crawled to the edge of the river, listening hard. He heard nothing
except the twittering of birds and the chittering of squirrels. Well, and
the rushing of the water, of course. It was a deep stream, not quite the
river he’d been envisioning based on the amount of noise it was
making. He slipped his hands into the icy cold water.
Hands seized him roughly by his hair.
Without thought, he shifted to his scaly form to lose that grip. His
clothes, rags now, fell away as he tried for the sky.
Three dragons, brown and orange, like him, male, like him, each two feet
smaller, crashed into him. From below came a howl of triumph and something
sharp sliced through his wing’s membrane.
He screamed as he fell.
About the Author
Emily Carrington is a multipublished author of male/male and transgender
women’s speculative fiction. Seeking a world made of equality, she
created SearchLight to live out her dreams. But even SearchLight has its
problems, and Emily is looking forward to working all of these out with a
host of characters from dragons and genies to psychic vampires. And in the
contemporary world she’s named “Sticks & Stones,”
Emily has vowed to create small towns where prejudice is challenged by a
passionate quest for equality. Find her on Facebook at Shapeshifter Central
or on her website.
Archangel is always perfect. In complete control. Which makes him a
challenge I can’t resist…
Sonya: Just because I put a blow-up doll in the neighbor’s holiday
yard ornament, or send various embarrassing items up the flagpole
occasionally, doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. But my father
doesn’t see things that way. So he sends me to a man he thinks can
help me “find my inner self.” Otherwise known as get some kind
of job. Just my luck, the man he sends me to is the man I’ve had a
crush on forever. Archangel is strong, soft-spoken, always in control, and
the most perfectly made man I’d ever seen. He’s unflappable. I
can’t resist, even knowing the price I’ll pay. I just hope I can
slink the walk of shame back home before he knows I’m gone. That might
be the only chance I have of protecting my heart.
Archangel: I don’t know what Thorn was thinking when he sent his
daughter to me. Sonya has plagued my every filthy fantasy since the first
time she came home from college to visit friends at my club. I’d known
then I needed to stay away from her. Not only am I way too old for her, but
her daddy is the president of their club. Which puts me and Black Reign MC
in a delicate position. What I could never have predicted was Sonya taking
matters into her own hands. Sonya running isn’t a surprising. Kinda
expected that. What wasn’t on my Bingo card was my forgotten past
catching up with me.
Two blocks down, I saw a big, black Harley heading our way. Even from this
distance the roar of the pipes was distinctive. And I knew the sound well. A
dense trail of smoke had covered the four lanes from where one of the
residences was burning a small pile of brush. Just like in the movies, the
big Harley I’d known was attached to that rumble parted the haze with
smoke circling behind him like a jet trail. The man sitting on the bike was
just as intimidating as the machine. All the scene needed was a slow-motion
sequence and it would be perfect.
Archangel. He was the most unflappable man I’d ever met. There was an
eerie calm surrounding him most of the time. Sure, he laughed and had a good
time like anyone else, but he was the peacemaker. The person everyone called
when they didn’t want El Diablo or El Segador to take up the cause.
More than once, I’d heard Archangel make the statement you knew when
you had a successful negotiation because neither party was completely
satisfied. He didn’t play favorites, and he was always fair, but the
man had a giant stick up his ass the size of a telephone pole.
He crossed across two lanes of traffic at the corner to pull into the
parking lot of the courthouse, not even hesitating at the light as he did.
Brazen, considering where he was, and that three deputies and two city cops
were sitting close by. He parked the bike in front of Lawdawg’s truck
before turning it off and putting down the kickstand. A long, thickly
muscled leg was lifted over the seat as Archangel dismounted and walked
toward the truck and Lawdawg.
I knew there was drool dripping from the corner of my mouth, but I
didn’t fucking care. Archangel was the most perfectly built man
I’d ever had the pleasure of viewing. No matter how many times I saw
him, he was still awe-inspiring. If anyone saw me, all I had to do was point
at the man and any red-blooded woman on the planet who looked would
understand. He wore snug, black jeans. The material clung to his hips and
thighs in all the right places. He didn’t have on a shirt, but his
plain, leather vest covered most of his rippled torso. Which left his arms
bare, and a sliver of chest and abdomen showing when he walked. Muscles and
thick veins roped his arms. Tattoos peeked from his vest and crept up his
arms. His salt-and-pepper hair was over his collar but artfully shaggy, and
his beard was full and neatly trimmed. Mirrored aviator sunglasses rounded
out his outfit. The man rocked it like the ultimate bad boy.
“Hoooooly shit. Are you seeing this?” Linnie sounded in awe and
I glanced at her sharply.
“What the shit, Linnie, you whore!” I wasn’t really mad.
This was how we communicated.
“What?” She didn’t take her gaze from Archangel and the
question was more of a demand. “Tell me you weren’t eye fucking
him too and I’ll be ashamed. Or something. OK. No, I won’t be
ashamed, but look me in the eyes and tell me you weren’t eye fucking
him. Besides, we always eye fuck him together.”
“I’d love to. But I’m too busy eye fucking him to look
you in the eyes and tell you I’m not eye fucking him. Because
I’m eye fucking him like crazy. Also, I’ve changed my mind. We
can’t eye fuck him together anymore.”
“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Sonya. If you change your mind
and decide he’s too much work, let me know. I’ll give it a
shot.”
“Like hell.” I turned and hissed at my friend.
“Mine.”
“You know he’s so much older than you as to not be believed,
right? The man is practically ancient!”
“Red and Rosana have more of an age gap than me and
Archangel.”
“Right. Use their successful age gap relationship to justify your
own. I’m sure it will go over with your dad as well as it would with
my own father.” She had a point.
“Why’s he here, I wonder?”
“Don’t know, Sonya, but if the look on his face is any
indication, the reason can’t be good.”
Whatever was being said between Archangel and Lawdawg seemed to have gotten
under Archangel’s skin. He snatched his glasses from his face and
leaned into Lawdawg’s space. His lips moved, but I couldn’t tell
what he was saying. Mainly because Archangel had his teeth clenched. Lawdawg
shrugged and jerked his head toward the truck where we sat and watched them
from the back seat.
Archangel turned his head to look at the truck and us. Lawdawg spoke,
gesturing with his hands a couple of times while Archangel continued to
stare.
Finally, he nodded, and stepped away from Lawdawg, moving toward the truck.
Archangel came to my side and opened the door. “Come on. Out with
ya.” When I hesitated, he added. “Or I’ll haul you out
over my shoulder. Choice is yours.” Though his eyes looked like he was
furious, his face was relaxed and his voice was calm.
“What crawled up your ass?” The only person in the world I
loved pushing more than Lawdawg was Archangel. Probably because both men
were so naturally uptight yet unflappable. Anyone who followed the rules so
close to the edge should feel anxious at least some of the time. Neither of
these men were. Both of them stayed true to their consciences, but when the
shit hit the fan, they were the calm, driving force behind fixing the fan
and cleaning up the shit.
“When I’m called an hour and a half away to take a young woman
in hand who’s acting like a spoiled teenager, it tends to eat away at
my social niceties.”
“Look, you don’t want my company, I’ll happily catch a
ride back with Linnie and Talia. I’m not sure why anyone called you to
begin with. I don’t belong to your club.”
“No. You don’t, thank God, but your daddy thinks you need a
come-to-Jesus meeting about what you’re gonna do with your life. I owe
him one, so I got drafted.”
I blinked. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Afraid not, Sonya. Now, come with me. We’ve got a long ride
ahead. You can rest tonight, but tomorrow we’re going to sit down and
figure out your next steps in life.”
“Oh really.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “What if I
don’t want to talk with you about my future? I happen to like my life
the way it is.”
“And that’d be great. Except for stunts like this.” When
I would have continued to argue with him, Archangel snagged my upper arm and
pulled me with him to his bike. His hold wasn’t painful, but it was
clear he wouldn’t tolerate me trying to get away from him.
About the Author
Marteeka Karland is an international bestselling author who leads a double
life as an erotic romance author by evening and a semi-domesticated
housewife by day. Known for her down and dirty MC romances, Marteeka takes
pleasure in spinning tales of tenacious, protective heroes and spirited,
vulnerable heroines. She staunchly advocates that every character deserves a
blissful ending, even, sometimes, the villains in her narratives. Her
writings are speckled with intense, raw elements resulting in page-turning
delight entwined with seductive escapades leading up to gratifying
conclusions that elicit a sigh from her readers.
Away from the pen, Marteeka finds joy in baking and supporting her husband
with their gardening activities. The late summer season is set aside for
preserving the delightful harvest that springs from their combined efforts
(which is mostly his efforts, but you can count it). To stay updated with
Marteeka's latest adventures and forthcoming books, make sure to visit her
website. Don't forget to register for her newsletter which will pepper you
with a potpourri of Teeka's beloved recipes, book suggestions, autograph
events, and a plethora of interesting tidbits.
Iss, an eight-year-old boy, has some lessons for us all. Things he has
learned in a very short time through experiences.
These lessons include finding your purpose, the Golden Rule, being honest,
smiling, having hope and faith, forgiveness leads to happiness, telling
people you love them, keeping a positive outlook, people you love are always
in your heart, and salvation.
Let’s find out what Iss has learned, and maybe we can learn too and
become better people. The world needs better people, don’t you
agree?
About the Author
Rose Marie Ezell is a lover of Jesus, people, and laughter - to name a few.
She seeks to live life to the fullest. Whether riding the waves on a day at
the beach or a karaoke night with family, there is guaranteed to be no
shortage of fun. Drawing from her own well of joys, trials, heartaches,
victories and life experiences, Rose’s desire to help others live the
best life possible is evident in all she does. Born and raised in
Mississippi, you can catch her outside on a sunny day, creating and enjoying
the beauty of God’s creation.
How to Win a Million Dollars is a madcap, self-deprecating, laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story that reads like David Sedaris meets Heartstopper, told as Ready Player One. It takes readers on an adventure through the wildly inventive, sometimes-questionable, but always entertaining schemes of a boy who would do anything to make it big.
Growing up as a gay Catholic schoolboy in a tiny Mississippi River town surrounded by cornfields, Luke’s imagination was constantly set on fire by million-dollar daydreams and DIY hustles. Whether it was hunting down the missing Cap’n Crunch or gaming McDonald’s Monopoly, no scheme was too ridiculous, no shortcut too far-fetched. With his trusty Hustler bike and a mountain of determination, Luke didn’t just dream—he plotted.
Set in the 1980s, this is the story of a kid with a knack for scamming, hustling, and occasionally crashing and burning—all in the pursuit of that elusive big win. From navigating a Catholic school playground full of bullies to trying to “make it” out of a blue-collar family, Luke was always on the move, cooking up his next big adventure. Dragging his little sister—turned faithful sidekick—into trouble at every turn, her sweet voice was always in his ear, making us wonder: is he conning her, or is she saving him from himself?
As Luke grew up, so did the schemes—transforming into a Broadway Cinderella story of sorts, ditching it all for the artist’s life in Paris, and even getting cursed by a vengeful Hawaiian god. With each crazy plan, the stakes got higher, the twists got weirder, and Luke had to ask himself the big questions: Can you beat the system, or will the system beat you? And what do you do when your dreams—and all your wildest schemes—start to crumble?
Through hilarity, heartbreak, and the relentless pursuit of the American Dream, How to Win a Million Dollars explores the glittering highs and crushing lows of chasing success in a world shaped by Reaganomics, dyslexia, and the crumbling façade of opportunity. From paperboy scams to glitter-filled art shows, this story is proof that while everything can fall apart at any moment, the journey—chaotic, messy, and wildly imperfect—is the real prize. And maybe, just maybe, there’s still a million-dollar dream out there, waiting to be won.
Excerpt
Chapter 1: Cereal Entrepreneur
The first time I tried to win a million dollars, it was the sweltering summer of 1985, and the Mississippi River was swollen and threatening to spill over its banks. The town was on edge, but thanks to the giant quarry wall my grandpa helped build back in the ‘50s, we were safe from the river’s fury. It was during that unforgettable summer when Cap’n Crunch went missing, and panic spread across the nation like wildfire.
Supermarkets were packed with towering displays of Cap’n Crunch, a mountain of yellow and blue boxes stretching to the ceiling. But when you looked up, there was no Captain. His jovial face had vanished, leaving behind nothing but dotted lines and a big question mark. He had disappeared, zeroed out. Zoinks! What was I to do?
The commercials made it sound so simple: find the Captain, restore him to his cereal kingdom, and win ONE MILLION DOLLARS. For a kid like me, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. A million dollars wasn’t just a number—it was a golden ticket, a way out of this tiny Mississippi River town.
Every Saturday morning, I’d sit in my parents’ living room—a shrine to America’s Bicentennial celebration. The royal blue carpet stretched wall to wall, its plush fibers worn thin in front of the TV. A deep red couch commanded the room like a throne, while gold curtains depicting Revolutionary War scenes framed the windows. It was like 1776 had crashed into 1980s suburbia, and somehow, we were still stuck suspended in between.
As my brothers and sisters tormented each other in the background, I was glued to the TV. The old box hummed as commercials blared, demanding kids like me solve the mystery, save the Captain, and claim the prize. The urgency of it all buzzed in my chest, electrifying the air around me. To a seven-year-old like me, a million dollars wasn’t just thrilling—it was everything. It meant a chance to escape this town, this life, and find something more.
In the afternoons, when the noise at home became too much, I’d head for the bluffs. The familiar path wound through tall grass that swayed gently in the breeze, the green hills rolling endlessly toward the horizon. I’d climb to my favorite perch and sit there for hours, the town spread out below me like a miniature toy train set. The limestone clock tower stood proudly at the center, surrounded by the river, the factories, and the steeples of the churches. Everything looked so small from up here, but somehow, it felt even smaller at eye level.
You see, up close, the town was just a second-rate version of Main Street USA, stripped of all the charm and magic of Disneyland. Most of the families here were like mine—working-class and stuck. I lived on the North End, what people would call the wrong side of the tracks, where factory workers like my dad scraped by.
I was a short, scrawny kid with wavy dishwater blond hair, wearing tattered dungaree shorts that were practically a second skin during the summer, their faded denim streaked with dirt and grass stains. My skin was golden tan from hours in the sun, but my legs were a patchwork of scars from chigger bites I couldn’t stop picking. Sitting cross-legged on the warm earth, absently scratching at the bites, my mind churned, methodically piecing together a plan. The Captain was missing. My ticket to freedom was hidden somewhere out there, and all I had to do was find it. Yet from this vantage point, the possibility of something greater still felt wildly out of reach. A million dollars meant escape, and as I sat on that bluff, staring out at the endless rows of cornfields, I swore to myself I was going to find it.
Each week, I’d beg my mom to let me tag along to the grocery store. Econofoods smelled like a strange mix of fresh produce and fake lemon cleaning products that clung to the air. The linoleum floors were scuffed and worn down from years of shopping carts rattling over them and the steady shuffle of feet. Jess, my five-year-old sister, was always a whirlwind of energy, darting between aisles like a tiny tornado. She had our dad’s button nose and her favorite white, frilly cotton top tucked into neatly pressed khaki shorts. Her tiny diamond stud earrings, pierced at Claire’s in the mall when she was a baby, sparkled as she twirled through the store. Her short brown pixie cut bobbed with every step, her energy infectiously lighthearted even as I plotted my next move.
Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors
Ornery Owl's Review
Rating: Five out of Five Stars
As an early Gen Xer, this book resonated with me from the first page. The first presidential election I voted in was Reagan vs. Mondale in 1984. I voted for Mondale. For me, the 1980s were not the neon-glittery nostalgic time depicted in modern movies and TV series. The Cold War colored the way I view the world. There was a definite dystopian undercurrent. However, today's story focuses more on the materialism of the era.
I'm 13 years older than the author. I turn 60 tomorrow, but I was no less affected by the belief that I was a temporarily inconvenienced millionaire. I fell for many of the same corporate scams that the author mentions. I didn't fall into the hunt for Captain Crunch scam because I couldn't stand that cereal. Also, the sweetest cereal my parents allowed in the house was Alpha Bits. However, I fell hard for the McDonald's Monopoly scam. More than once. More recently than I care to admit.
If you're a member of Gen X, you will find much to cringe about as you read this book and see yourself described in its anecdotes. However, the story is hilarious, allowing us to laugh at ourselves and the foibles of the Me, Me, Me generation.
If you're the child of a Gen Xer, you will smirk and shake your head as you recognize your parents in many of the anecdotes. My son, born in 1990, describes his generation (Millennials) as young old curmudgeons. Unlike me, he's good with money and not prone to magical thinking or falling for get-rich-quick schemes.
I'm not nostalgic for the 1980s. At best, it's a time of excellent entertainment and hideous fashion. The magical thinking of the era set me up for a lifetime of disappointment. However, I enjoyed taking an irreverent look at both people of my generation and an era that, for all its flaws, had a hopefulness to it that our current circumstances do not. This book was a wonderful early birthday gift to myself. I recommend it without reservation.
Free use image from Pixabay
Guest Post
Author
Name: Luke Stoffel
The
prized possession you value above all others…
I
have a tall glass terrarium set up with black rocks, a tiny felted
red rose in a rounded glass enclosure, and The Little Prince sitting
nearby under a bonsai tree.
The
book that holds everlasting resonance…
Big
Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I come back to this book over and over. I
don’t typically resonate with self-help books, but it’s written
in a way that addresses creativity in a manner I strive to emulate in
my own life.
The
priority activity if you were invisible for a day…
Te
he he… I don’t know; I might rob a bank.
The
film you can watch time and time again…
Interstellar.
There’s a line in that movie that strikes me every time:
Hathaway:
Listen to me when I say that love isn’t something that we invented.
It’s… observable, powerful. It has to mean something.
Cooper:
Love
has meaning, yes. Social utility, social bonding, child-rearing…
Hathaway:
We
love people who have died. Where’s the social utility in that?
Cooper:
None.
Hathaway:
Maybe
it means something more—something we can’t yet understand. Maybe
it’s some evidence, some artifact of a higher dimension that we
can’t consciously perceive. I’m drawn across the universe to
someone I haven’t seen in a decade, who I know is probably dead.
Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends
dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we
can’t understand it.
The
event that altered the course of your life…
My
ex-boyfriend’s death has been an anchor in my life. Whether I’m
healed from it or not, it remains present, even 12 years later.
The
unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you…
The
elusive idea of success at all costs. A million dollars… the
comfort of knowing I won’t have to worry anymore as long as I can
live within my means. A chance to win Survivor on TV.
The
piece of wisdom you would pass onto a child…
Don’t
let fear stand in your way. Don’t let bullies dim your light. If
your light becomes dimmed, do whatever you can to make it shine
brighter. Live for yourself; you are not guaranteed tomorrow. Take
every opportunity you can and proceed as if success is inevitable.
The
crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it…
Again,
I’d rob a bank, lol.
The
philosophy that underpins your life…
Invest
in yourself.
The
book you enjoyed planning/writing the most…
I
spent three months learning to scuba dive in the Philippines. It was
the first time I worked daily on writing about my experiences in the
third person. It was challenging at times but incredibly rewarding.
Although I haven’t finished that book, it remains an idea I love
playing around with.
And
the promo…
How
To Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter! has been a chaotic joy to
craft. It’s been a journey of self-discovery, written in a way I
could never have imagined. This book was as much born as it was
created. It’s funny, witty, and far more philosophical than I
thought I could write.
It’s
an extension of one of my favorite books, Ready Player One, in style
and tone, and seeing that come to life on the page was unexpected and
fun.
The
book is a testament to anyone who has ever doubted themselves. It
reminds readers that rewards can come into our lives in many shapes
and sizes if we allow ourselves to be open to them.
“If
you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic
bean buyer… If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire.”—Where
the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
About the Author
Luke Stoffel (b. 1978) Growing up a gay Catholic schoolboy on the banks of the Mississippi came with its own cross to bear. Confined by the cornfields of small-town Iowa, Luke’s understanding of God and his yearning for a world beyond began to take shape—often while nursing a bloody nose on the playground. The first thing Jesus taught him was how to hate himself; but the first thing the world taught him was how vast his possibilities were.
Luke is an accomplished artist and author, with several books available on Amazon, including The Easy Bake Unicorn Cookbook, The Art of Tarot: A History and Guidebook, and his debut novel
How to Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter! His second, follow-up novel, In Over Your Head, is set to release in 2026. Additionally, his art and photography are featured in his ongoing book series The Noble Path.
Stepping off the plane in Thailand was like landing on Mars. Surrounded by towering golden stupas, and realizing there was something beyond the confines of Christ, became an explosive creative catalyst. Having visited over 40 countries, Stoffel channels the diverse cultures he’s encountered into his art. His work explores spirituality in a vibrant, pop fantasy style, offering American audiences a glimpse into the world’s rich religious and cultural tapestries.
Recognized as one of NYC’s top LGBTQ+ artists by GLAAD he has been showcased by prestigious organizations like the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Matthew Shepard foundation. His art and photography have appeared on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, in the New York Times, Huffington Post, AM New York, Hawaiian Airlines Magazines, and on the cover of Next Magazine. His artistic contributions have earned him the Starving Artist Award, along with a commission for Ralph Lauren’s daughter. His art has graced iconic New York venues like the Puck Building, The Art Directors Club, The Prince George Gallery, GalleryBar, and New World Stages.
When renowned professor Dr. Aidan Ryan vanishes without explanation, he
leaves behind a haunting message revealing he has a new life and can never
return. His devastated daughter Sofia embarks on a global search to uncover
the truth behind her father’s disappearance. What she finds is more
shocking than she could have imagined—a web of family secrets and lies
that challenges everything she thought she knew.
After clues send her to Italy, Sofia reconnects with her estranged mother
Ella who reveals a hidden past of trauma and deceit. When they discover
Aidan’s ties to The Brotherhood, an elusive, powerful society that
operates in the shadows of world affairs, Sofia and Ella become ensnared in
a deadly conspiracy. Trapped in ancient catacombs beneath the Roman
countryside, they must face Aidan’s mysterious captors and fight for
their lives. But as they edge closer to escape, one question remains: Will
Aidan choose his family or The Brotherhood?
About the Author
A.C. Adams is the nom de plume of co-authors Anthony Leigh Adams and
Christina Adams, who have written, produced, and developed film and
television projects for many studios, including Disney, ABC, and CBS.
Christina is a producer of the Emmy Award-winning series, The Amazing Race
and multiple programs for Oprah Winfrey. Anthony composed the music and
co-wrote the book and lyrics for their most recent theatrical project,
Sideways: The Musical, which is based on the Oscar-winning film and is in
development as a Broadway musical.
The Adamses also wrote and produced the original musicals Love-In: A
Musical Celebration and Primal Twang: The Legacy of The Guitar. Both shows
were filmed and aired nationally on PBS. Primal Twang won Best Documentary
Feature at the Rome International Film Festival.
Adams Entertainment, Anthony and Christina’s production company, is
based in La Jolla, California, where they work and live with their two
calico rescue cats. Chasing Shadows, their debut novel, is inspired by true
events. For more information visit: www.adamsentertainment.com.
Single Mom Millionaire is a powerful and inspiring guide for women looking
to take control of their financial future through real estate investing.
Written by Debbie, a single mom of three with over 20 years of experience in
real estate, this book combines personal stories of resilience and success
with practical, actionable advice.
Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to scale, Single Mom
Millionaire will equip you with the tools, strategies, and mindset shifts
needed to achieve financial freedom.
Packed with relatable examples and motivational insights, this book is
perfect for women ready to turn their dreams into reality, no matter their
age, background, or current circumstances. If you’ve ever thought,
“I can’t do it,” this book will show you exactly
why—and how—you can.
About the Author
Debbie’s journey is one of resilience, growth, and determination.
Growing up in both Germany and Alaska, she experienced a diverse childhood
that shaped her into a well-rounded person with a global perspective. Her
love for hiking and travel reflects her adventurous spirit and appreciation
for life’s beauty.
With over 20 years of real estate investing experience, she has developed a
deep understanding of building financial stability and wealth through smart
investment strategies. However, her journey was not without challenges.
After enduring a 10-year abusive marriage that brought significant financial
setbacks, Debbie rebuilt her life with courage and tenacity, emerging
stronger than ever.
Her experiences have fueled her passion for helping other women find
financial freedom and independence. Through her personal story and real
estate expertise, Debbie inspires women to take control of their financial
futures, proving that it’s never too late to start over and
thrive.
