Poetry /Comedy Satire Gift Rhyme Millennial Humor Silverstein Memory
Date Published: 04-15-2026
Publisher: The Tink and Tank Press
A wry poetry collection that captures the jarring sink-or-swim leap into
adulthood. This book honors the limbo of exiting youth, a unique period where
responsibility suddenly smashes the youthful optimist, crushing it under the
crippling weight of adulthood. Twenty-somethings scatter across life's
spectrum with some jobless and couch-surfing, while others marry, become
parents, and buy a house. Everyone eventually finds themselves old enough to
fight in foreign wars but too young to rent a car. It's the fast, brutal shift
to an unguarded world, to bowling without bumpers. You've entered a chaotic
soup of competing ambitions and subterfuge, where one hand offers help while
the other conceals a knife. You're expected to be an adult without ever having
been one, like seeing the ocean from afar and suddenly wrestling its waves.
This book highlights the inevitable sense of crushing defeat and loss, but
reveals the importance of laughing anyway. After all, life is a game of
avoiding the consequences of your own actions. The Bric-a-Brac of Mickey Mack
will hand you a mirror and dare you to laugh at its reflection.
Excerpt
I sat across from him, he had a twisted distant gaze
while he wracked his mind and grappled with a foolish phrase
which was written on a note and shuffled in a mess of junk
atop a desk ensconced in filth, no doubt the man was drunk.
His name was Mickey Mack, both laser focused and aloof,
fenced in by Bric-a-Brac unpacked and stacked up to the roof.
A product of his times, so wise, yet dumber than a door.
A man of vast experience and yet he’s such a bore.
He’d traveled ’round the world and been to many foreign lands
to simply say he had, to sit and sulk, his only plans.
For “that’s what people do,” he’d say, “they travel to enjoy
the petty world and what it offers every girl and boy.”
Despite the fact that Mr. Mack had traveled far and wide
he would do what’s done at home and find a bar to sit inside.
And there, while many past him by, bemoaning life itself,
it tortured Mickey for he couldn’t help but see himself.
He realized now that time is gone, and that’s the way it is,
and he, while living other people’s lives, had wasted his.
And as a way, as best he could, expel the toxic bile,
he has compiled every groan and gripe within a file.
And written down, at last, now put together in a book
the crying whines of all he heard from all the trips he took.
A vapid, superficial twit, he sobered up somehow,
and Mickey Mack looked up at me behind a furrowed brow,
and as he squinted, leaning closer straining hard to see,
He was looking in a mirror, for the hopeless fool was me.
About the Author
Mickey Mack is a world-weary traveler and obsessive collector of
life’s absurd talismans and trinkets. After years of eavesdropping on
bar-stool confessions around the globe, he distills the Suffering Olympics of
modern adulthood into witty, rhythmic heroic couplets.
Health & Fitness Diet & Nutrition / Weight Loss Humorous Memoir
Date Published: 07-29-2025
Publisher: BookBaby
Studies have shown that laughter and music are proven ways to facilitate
healing. Author Tammy Waldoch uses this potent secret sauce in her book Plight
of the Pudgy: Stories, Inspirations, and Preposterous Parodies for the Slim at
Heart. From weight loss drugs, chronic diets, and toxic body shame, the book
is an open invitation to connect authentically with someone who deeply
understands the plight. Her own pilgrimage to finding self-love and a place to
"fit in" includes a near-death car accident, a bipolar diagnosis that turned
her life upside down, and a lifelong struggle with poor body image.
Waldoch authentically pours her heart and soul into sharing raw stories and
songs filled with deep faith, side-splitting humor, and a resounding message
that we are all perfectly made in God's eyes.
Tammy writes this book not only as a testimony of her faith but also to share
her private path of redemption and healing.
Among the pages, readers will also enjoy fiction stories designed to encourage
laughter and reflection, along with some preposterous (and creative!) parodies
that provide a backdrop of humor to lighten the burdens of The Slim at Heart.
Early Review
Heart Felt And Honest - This book will make you laugh and cry. The lament of
women who struggle with body image applies to a good majority of women.
About the Author
Tammy Waldoch is an imaginative author/singer/songwriter/painter with a
degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse, emphasizing
Aesthetic Education—teaching using the creative arts. She did just that
in The Plight of the Pudgy, combining musical parodies with literature to
teach others how to overcome obstacles and rise above adversity. She is
actively involved with the Writer’s Well at the White Bear Center for
the Arts and gathers with other inspiring writers of all ages to explore their
creativity. She also consults with the Springboard Center for the Arts in St.
Paul, MN for further resources.
She and her husband of 38 years share a dynamic love for better for worse, in
sickness and in health, that has endured all things.
She is also a proud parent of two sons and has two beautiful daughters-in-law
who share life’s joys and challenges. Her faith is at the heart of
everything she does, and this book is a testimony of her Lord and
Savior’s incredible loving kindness toward her. Gilda Radner once said,
“Life is full of delicious ambiguities.”
Tammy invites everyone to share those ambiguities with her!
Health & Fitness Diet & Nutrition / Weight Loss Humorous Memoir
Date Published: 07-29-2025
Publisher: BookBaby
Studies have shown that laughter and music are proven ways to facilitate
healing. Author Tammy Waldoch uses this potent secret sauce in her book Plight
of the Pudgy: Stories, Inspirations, and Preposterous Parodies for the Slim at
Heart. From weight loss drugs, chronic diets, and toxic body shame, the book
is an open invitation to connect authentically with someone who deeply
understands the plight. Her own pilgrimage to finding self-love and a place to
"fit in" includes a near-death car accident, a bipolar diagnosis that turned
her life upside down, and a lifelong struggle with poor body image.
Waldoch authentically pours her heart and soul into sharing raw stories and
songs filled with deep faith, side-splitting humor, and a resounding message
that we are all perfectly made in God's eyes.
Tammy writes this book not only as a testimony of her faith but also to share
her private path of redemption and healing.
Among the pages, readers will also enjoy fiction stories designed to encourage
laughter and reflection, along with some preposterous (and creative!) parodies
that provide a backdrop of humor to lighten the burdens of The Slim at Heart.
Early Review
Heart Felt And Honest - This book will make you laugh and cry. The lament of
women who struggle with body image applies to a good majority of women.
About the Author
Tammy Waldoch is an imaginative author/singer/songwriter/painter with a
degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse, emphasizing
Aesthetic Education—teaching using the creative arts. She did just that
in The Plight of the Pudgy, combining musical parodies with literature to
teach others how to overcome obstacles and rise above adversity. She is
actively involved with the Writer’s Well at the White Bear Center for
the Arts and gathers with other inspiring writers of all ages to explore their
creativity. She also consults with the Springboard Center for the Arts in St.
Paul, MN for further resources.
She and her husband of 38 years share a dynamic love for better for worse, in
sickness and in health, that has endured all things.
She is also a proud parent of two sons and has two beautiful daughters-in-law
who share life’s joys and challenges. Her faith is at the heart of
everything she does, and this book is a testimony of her Lord and
Savior’s incredible loving kindness toward her. Gilda Radner once said,
“Life is full of delicious ambiguities.”
Tammy invites everyone to share those ambiguities with her!
Laugh-out-loud stories about coming out, coming of age, and coming to terms with myself—finally!
Blurb
What happens when the class clown embraces his truth, becomes a teacher, and takes on the absurdities of life? Hilarity ensues.
In LATE BLOOMER BABY BOOMER: A Collection of Humorous Essays About Being Gay Back in the Day and Finally Finding My Way, Steve Milliken delivers a laugh-out-loud memoir packed with sharp wit, self-deprecating humor, and occasional bursts of wisdom. With the observational humor of David Sedaris and the candid charm of Augusten Burroughs, these essays explore self-discovery, urban teaching misadventures, and the hilarity of navigating adulthood as a gay baby boomer.
Spoiler: It’s a parade of pitfalls, pratfalls, and punchlines.
Review Quote: "Delivers great sendups of the gay dating scene... impressive comedic timing. Each essay is short and snappy... A wide-ranging collection driven by humor and insight." — Kirkus Reviews
Excerpt 1: From "Introduction"
“Some people ask me, ‘Steve, who's the target audience for your book?’
And I tell them:
‘My book is for anyone who is gay, knows someone who's gay, or someone who is NOT gay but would like to be! Or… a straight guy who’s had a gay experience—like wearing a belt that matches his shoes.’”
“Back in my distant youth, I pursued a career as an actor, but the problem with acting for me was that I was a comic character actor trapped in a leading man's body. If Rodney Dangerfield and Grace Kelly had a baby, that would have been me.
But to be honest, I never wanted to be rich and famous… and so far, that’s working out great! Not really…”
Excerpt 2: From "Epistolary Possibilities for a New Year"
“After not working out for a month, I arrived at the gym only to realize my gym bag had turned into a mildew science project thanks to a rogue water bottle. Unfortunately, I discovered this catastrophe only after I'd stripped down in the locker room. I panicked, naturally, but I was too far gone to turn back. I had no choice but to wear my stinky clothes.”
“Now, I’m not religious, but in moments like these, I consider a higher power. I clutched my hands together and said a novena to the patron saint of putrid smells: ‘Our Lady of Sacred Stench, please help me now.’”
“Once on the gym floor, I tried to keep a safe distance from everyone. But when someone got too close, I’d suddenly dash to another part of the gym for no apparent reason. I’d seen my cat do this, so it seemed worth a try…”
Excerpt 3: From "Bitch Ass Snitch"
“One day, I ‘snitched’ to the Dean about a student of mine who had tagged his desk with a box cutter blade. The next day, when he came back, in front of the whole class, he called me a ‘bitch ass snitch’ and ran out of the classroom.
Later that day, in the staff parking lot, I discovered someone had vandalized my car.”
‘Gee, I wonder who that could have been?’
Of course, I came to one conclusion… ‘Karma's a bitch… for a bitch ass snitch!’”
Excerpt 4: From "Changing Closets"
“Originally, I was in the closet for being gay… but now I'm in the closet about my age.
To counter the effects of aging, I’ve reluctantly adhered to diet and exercise mandates. I even tried becoming a vegetarian… although not a strict one.
Occasionally, I’d eat chicken, fish, and ass. I’m kidding, I kid. I didn’t eat chicken…”
About the Author
Steve Milliken, a native Californian who never left—thanks to a rent-controlled Santa Monica apartment—is a writer, humorist, and recovering class clown who has spent a lifetime finding the comedy in life’s quirks and curveballs. A gay baby boomer with a knack for self-deprecating wit, he’s been an inner-city teacher, a reluctant adult, and an expert in the fine art of laughing at himself.
In LATE BLOOMER BABY BOOMER: A Collection of Humorous Essays About Being Gay Back in the Day and Finally Finding My Way, Steve shares sharp, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud stories about coming out, inner-city teaching, and navigating life one misadventure at a time. His writing has been compared to the observational humor of David Sedaris and the candid storytelling of Augusten Burroughs.
When he’s not finding the humor in everyday life, Steve creates and shares short comedy videos online based on excerpts from his book, proving that some stories are best told with a punchline… and good lighting.
1. Tell
us a little about yourself and your writing goals.
My
name is Steve Milliken, and my first and only book, Late
Bloomer Baby Boomer,
was 20 years in the making. I’m a former class clown turned high
school English teacher in the inner city who finally channeled my
love of storytelling—and a lifetime of procrastination—into a
published book. Think of me as the guy who always made the class
laugh (and the principal sigh), but also the guy who handed in his
homework a couple of decades late. My goal is to offer stories that
are funny, relatable, and remind people it’s never too late to
figure yourself out. Making people laugh is my passion, so this book
is an extension of that.
2. Five
or ten things I learned while writing this book
Humor is a
powerful healing tool.
Sometimes laughter says what tears
can't—and it reaches people faster.
It’s
okay to cringe at your past. It means you’ve grown.
Growth
isn't always graceful, but it's usually funny in hindsight.
“Coming
out” doesn’t have an expiration date.
Identity isn’t a
one-time announcement—it’s an ongoing evolution.
Gay
history isn’t just about Stonewall—it’s about the quiet,
cringey, and hilarious stories too.
The personal is political…
and often ridiculous.
Nostalgia
and humor make a potent combo.
Looking back is easier when
you're laughing while you do it.
This was
the book I needed years ago. I hope it finds someone who needs it
now.
Sometimes you write the thing you wish someone had handed
you earlier.
My
stand-up background helped me shape each essay like a set.
Every
piece had a rhythm: setup, build, punchline—and occasionally, a
mic drop.
Editing
your life is hard. So is keeping a straight face while doing
it.
Memoir is emotional excavation with a laugh track.
I hoped
the humor would land on the page—and was surprised how much
emotional truth snuck in with it.
Turns out, jokes and feelings
are often seatmates.
My old
students probably deserve royalties….
3. What
was the most difficult part of writing this book? Why?
The hardest
part was writing honestly about two very different—but equally
persistent—forms of denial: the closeted kid who thought “straight”
was a believable costume, and the adult who thought his drinking
wasn’t a problem—as long as the jokes kept landing. Writing about
my younger self felt like emotional time travel with a side of
whiplash and heckling. (And yes, I was heckling myself.)
Revisiting
those moments through a more honest, present-day lens confirmed what
I’ve known for years: coming out isn’t a one-time event—it’s
a lifelong process. And somehow, writing about it deepened my
self-acceptance even more.
If I can’t
own the cringe, I can’t own the growth.
Humor helped me
survive it then—and now, it helps me make sense of it all.
4. Five
random facts about this book
The book
took decades to live and 20 years to write.
My early
stand-up career shows in the rhythm of every paragraph—even the
heartfelt ones.
The
title Late
Bloomer Baby Boomer came
to me while eating a bran muffin. Fiber inspires.
I compare
liposuction to childbirth—more than once.
There’s
a fart machine involved. Yes, really.
5. Five
personalities from the book
Me,
Myself & I –
The core trio in this memoir. I narrate, I reflect, and usually only
one of us gets to talk at a time. (You're welcome.)
Young
Me –
Funny and well-dressed (Thanks, Mom!), desperate to fit in—and
even more desperate to stand out. The class clown with a Barbie
obsession and a Barbie-shaped hole in his soul.
The
Closeted College Student –
Joined a fraternity for the brotherhood, the bonding, and the belief
that straightness was contagious. (Spoiler: it wasn’t.)
The
Comedy Performer –
I’d been performing long before I ever set foot on a stage—playing
it straight, playing it funny, and trying to look like I had it all
together. I didn’t lose my manginity until my mid-twenties, which
tells you everything you need to know about how “together” I
really was. Yes, that’s a word. Yes, it’s in the book.
The
High School Teacher –
Picture a three-ring circus of whiteboards, chaos, and curriculum!
Now put the former class clown—turned teacher—in charge as the
ringmaster. Equal parts sarcasm and survival mode, I juggled
lessons, tamed students, and always found the funny.
6.
Elaborate on the inspiration for the book
I
wrote this book because humor is contagious—and I’m trying to
start an epidemic! It’s how I’ve always processed life:
connecting the dots, cracking jokes between the trauma, and turning
pain into punchlines. Basically, therapy with spit takes and no
co-pay. And let’s be honest—if your memoir doesn’t include a
fart machine, what are we even doing?
7.
Elaborate on your writing style
It’s
a mix of memoir and comedy club. My style is part stand-up, part
storytelling, and part cleverly candid commentary. I aim for
laugh-out-loud moments with occasional bursts of wisdom. I use
real-life absurdity, punchlines, and random left turns into
vulnerability. If David Sedaris had a slightly more unpredictable,
verbose gay cousin, I’d like to think I’m him. It’s
laugh-out-loud humor with heart—and just enough delightful
derailments to keep things interesting.
8.
Things you edited out of this book, or that were originally planned
but changed once you started writing
Editing
is the grown-up version of putting away your favorite toys. Painful,
but necessary. I had to part ways with a few essays I loved—some
were too niche, too weird, or just didn’t play nicely with others.
Some cuts were necessary because they didn’t serve the larger
story… or served a little too much—like one piece best described
as “emotionally chaotic with hints of gastrointestinal distress,”
which I once considered a colon humor classic. It might resurface
someday—possibly in therapy, with a very open-minded therapist….
9. What
is your advice for new writers?
Don’t
wait for inspiration—it’s lazy and has a terrible work ethic.
Write every day, even if it’s just a paragraph or a grocery list
that spirals into a monologue. The first draft is just you shoveling
sand into a sandbox—the real magic happens when you start shaping
it into a castle. Don’t fear rejection; every “no” gets you
closer to the right “yes.” Even Stephen King’s first novel was
rejected 30 times, and he still turned out okay… if by “okay”
you mean global domination through nightmares. And if you need to
retreat into a blanket fort now and then, make sure it has Wi-Fi,
fizzy drinks, and salty snacks—creativity needs fuel.
10. If
you had access to a time machine just once, is there anything you'd
go back and change?
I
wouldn’t erase the awkward evolution—it’s what brought me here.
But I’d definitely ditch the detour into alcoholism. Recovery gave
me gifts I’m deeply grateful for, but I lost too many years to
self-loathing, fear, and trying to be someone I wasn’t. I’d go
back and find that closeted, confused kid and say, “You’re not
broken. You’re scared—and that’s okay. But life gets so much
better when you stop pretending. Also: Invest in Amazon. Trust me.”
11. If
you could choose any superpower or magical ability, what would it be
and why? What would you do with it?
The
power to instantly recharge energy. Forget super strength—I want
super stamina for writing, aging gracefully, and pretending to
understand cryptocurrency without a nap.
12. If
you could go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would
you go, who would you take with you, and why?
I’m
not well-traveled, but people keep telling me it’s time to venture
beyond my comfort zone… so I’m thinking Death Valley in the
summer or Antarctica in the winter. I’ve also heard there’s a
Groupon for a boat trip down the Congo River—complete with optional
cannibal engagement and a Marlon Brando impersonator mumbling “The
horror.”
My friends
tend to be squeamish, so I’d probably go solo.
As far as
descents into madness go, I’ve faced greater horrors—like
teaching high school English in the inner city. It’s all in my
book….
13. If
you were stranded on a desert island, what three things (or people)
would you want there with you?
A
waterproof copy of my book, Late
Bloomer Baby Boomer—If
I’m going to be stranded, I’d rather be entertained by previous
misadventures than counting on conversations with coconuts.
A
shirtless Chris Hemsworth lookalike who reinvented himself as a
wilderness survivalist—and is surprisingly great at both
fire-starting and emotional intimacy. Listen, I’m not proud—but
I’m also not trying to build a shelter with just sunscreen and
anxiety.
A fart
machine—for morale. Nothing lifts your spirits like juvenile colon
humor echoing across the island at sunset.
Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors
Ornery Owl's Review
Five out of Five Stars
Reading this book feels like having coffee with a new friend. By the end of the book, you're hoping this new friend will be a forever friend because he lifts your spirits with his funny, crazy, and sometimes saucy stories.
The book addresses adult issues, and the stories are a bit bawdy at times, but there is nothing overly explicit in these essays. If I had a gay son in his late teens, I wouldn't have a problem with him reading this book to learn about what it was like to grow up gay back in the day. The fact that gay youth today still face many of the same struggles is both confounding and astounding.
I have a straight son in his thirties, and I will suggest that he read the book next time he feels a bit grouchy and out of sorts. I recommend this book for adults of any sexual orientation who enjoy a good laugh.
Dan Chabot is a retired newspaper editor and columnist for a major metro
daily, the Milwaukee Journal (now the Journal-Sentinel). For many years he
presided over the paper’s most popular section, the Green Sheet, a
daily compendium of entertaining feature stories, nostalgia, history, humor
and whimsy. He is the author of several other novels and now lives in
Florida.
Boonetown is a small southern town with more limousines than taxis, more
buggies than bicycles and more church signs than street signs. You'll meet
the ladies who lunch and the men who drink morning coffee; the museum
curator who keeps the dinosaur egg in the bank vault and the woman who runs
the local tv station out of her garage. Through each story, you'll get to
know the author, too, as he takes us on this journey through his
hometown.
About the Author
Bobby Evers is a life-long Tennessean, a theater enthusiast, and avid
traveler. Being a keen people-watcher, he has always been a storyteller, and
now he brings those stories to the page in his first book. He has worked in
the construction business, and as an interior designer and architectural
consultant for over thirty-five years.
When a 3,000-year-old demon grim reaper discovers someone’s killing
witches, he’ll do whatever it takes to stop them--but everyone knows
you can’t cheat Death.
3,000-year-old demon grim reaper, Aiden Finn has been in trouble with
Management before. Back in 79 A.D., he did some serious time in Hell for
disobeying the orders of his boss. He just wants to do his job and stay off
of Management’s radar, but all that’s about to change when he
tries to get his latest Charge, Carol, to board the ferry and cross the
River Styx after she becomes the latest victim of a serial killer targeting
witches.
When Carol refuses to go, Finn promises to find her beloved cat a new home
so she’ll cooperate. His plan to drop the cat off at a local shelter
takes an unexpected turn, however, when he arrives at her apartment and
meets Chloe, the stunning red-headed witch who lives across the hall. Hoping
to see her again, Finn decides to pet sit the cat instead.
As the number of murdered witches grows, Finn must figure out who is behind
the murders before Chloe becomes the next victim. He’ll do whatever it
takes to stop them, even if it means risking an exorcism by walking into a
church and sitting down for tea with a Catholic priest. Of course, if he
does find a way to stop the killer—even a grim reaper knows you
can’t cheat death.
About the Author
C.A. Kennedy is a fantasy romance and mystery author with a propensity for
quirky characters and good stories with a ‘gotcha’ twist.
Although she always considered herself a mystery writer, when a snarky demon
grim reaper kept bugging her to tell his story, she knew she couldn’t
refuse. When she isn’t writing or channeling her inner demon, you can
find her spending time outdoors with her Golden Retriever, Murphy, and
trying to stay in the good graces of her two cats, McGee and Tobias.
Bobby Evers never takes himself—or the world—too seriously.
Death and Ham: Life is a Real Trip offers twenty-three new essays that weave
together the funny and tender aspects of life, death, and the world around
him. The flair for storytelling that Evers premiered in his first book
(Shoes and Cheese: The Boonetown Chronicles) is alive and well in this
follow-up that travels beyond Boonetown, a journey full of interesting
people and heart-felt discoveries. He even lets the reader glimpse his own
apprehensions about turning sixty—while also revealing that he’s
not too worried about not being the most tech-savvy one at the office. Meet
some of his favorite people, and some of the most outlandish people
he’s ever met. Death and Ham is a fun, wacky, sometimes-nostalgic
journey that may leave you a little wistful for the past, and will surely
lend you some laughs for your days ahead.
About the Author
Bobby Evers is a life-long Tennessean, a theater enthusiast, and avid
traveler. Being a keen people-watcher, he has always been a storyteller, and
now he brings those stories to the page in his first book. He has worked in
the construction business, and as an interior designer and architectural
consultant for over thirty-five years.
Judy Haveson always believed she would one day “have it all.”
Then she turned forty and wondered if she had waited too long. After
countless failed first dates and fewer second ones, she finally found love,
got married, and became a mother at forty-three.
Oldest Mom on the Playground is a collection of relatable, heartwarming,
and humorous essays. Written in her signature conversational style and with
a touch of sarcasm, Judy takes readers on her journey of getting pregnant
after forty (and delivering the baby during a full moon), raising a child in
New York City (including the time she lost him in a grocery store and found
him standing on Broadway), leaving the career she spent decades building to
volunteer as a preschool class rep, to becoming a card-carrying member of
the sandwich generation.
Judy offers no parenting advice, only personal reflection. And she takes
nothing in her life for granted. Her message to other midlife mamas is this:
trust your gut, let your life experience guide you, and pray no one ever
mistakes you for the grandmother.
About the Author
Judy Haveson is the award-winning author of Laugh Cry Rewind—A
Memoir. She is known for her sarcastic humor and enjoys sharing stories
about her life experiences and observations. Her fascination with
storytelling comes from her decades-long career in public relations. Judy
once had a boss tell her that there are two types of people: those who know
and those who want to know. That boss fired her, but his words became a
valuable lesson to always aim to be the one who knows. Judy lives in Hampton
Bays, NY, with her husband, Adam, son, Jack, and adorable Yorkie,
Toby.
Abe Goldstein’s life is speeding downhill faster than a Coney Island
roller coaster.
His Manhattan diamond company is on life support. Crime is so bad that
muggers are mugging other muggers. And his overbearing mother has gone
behind his back and posted his profile on a Jewish dating site. Now,
Abe’s phone is blowing up with messages from women who want to marry
him.
At the advice of his accountant, Abe flees to Honolulu and cuts a deal with
an Okinawan family to buy their diamond ring business. The owner’s
beautiful daughter Kiyoko stays on as a consultant, and Abe finds himself
falling hard for her.
But there’s trouble in paradise. Abe’s meddlesome mother hires
an unscrupulous matchmaker to break the pair up and find a nice Jewish girl
for him instead. To make matters worse, a rival diamond firm connected to
Japanese organized crime is bent on destroying Abe’s fledgling
business, Shaloha Gems.
As Abe navigates the twists and turns of his unconventional island life,
everything he values is in jeopardy. He may be willing to damage his
relationship with his mother to preserve his romantic relationship. But will
he crumble under the pressure if he loses his reputation and his budding
diamond empire too? Or will a discovery that leads back to the darkest days
of World War II open an unexpected door to a brighter future?
About the Author
Born and raised in New Jersey, Terry Chodosh earned his MS in criminology
from Florida State University. Terry began his twenty-eight-year career with
the United States Secret Service (USSS) in NYC and fulfilled assignments in
the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu field offices as well as in the
Gerald Ford protective detail.
While assigned to the Honolulu office, Terry traveled extensively in Asia,
conducting complex financial crime investigations and providing executive
protection for US government officials, including the president and vice
president of the United States. After retirement, Terry wanted to tap into
his humorous and creative side, which was often restrained throughout his
career, so he began writing his novel Shaloha Gems.
Terry lives with his wife and son in Honolulu, Hawaii. He enjoys distance
swimming in the ocean and outrigger canoe paddling, and he strives to stay
one step ahead of skin cancer and tiger sharks.
