Ralph A. Magnotti Jr.

Endless Ceiling is a personal exploration of the history, philosophy, politics and practice of natural science, infused with real-life anecdotes.

Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne has written on topics such as social media, individual performance, face-to-face communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence. He served in the military for more than 20 years, and now works for the Department of Defense delivering public relations advice and guidance with the knowledge gained in 40-plus years of military and civilian experience. This […]

Lisa Sondag

Lisa M. Sondag has been working with children most of her life as a teacher, children’s choir director, mother and grandmother, and is always looking for creative opportunities to develop and engage children in the love of learning. She has a bachelor’s degree in Specialized Studies in Family Dynamics from Ohio University. Her first book, […]

Amy Voltaire

Having grown up in an alcoholic home, Amy Voltaire knows firsthand what it feels like to be a teenager with an addicted parent. She wants to share the effect this illness has on others, which inspired her to write her Young Adult novel My Name is Erin and My Mom’s an Addict. Amy Voltaire has […]

Raymond Houston

Raymond Houston is largely self-taught. He took up sewing on a dare in high school and hand-stitched a black velvet buccaneer shirt as a first project. He sewed clothes for his family until he graduated and moved away, passing the tailoring torch to his father (who Raymond taught to sew). During America’s Bicentennial, Raymond began […]

Bob Killebrew

Neil Dugan relaxed in the water, pushing gently with his fins and breathing easily through the snorkel. From shore, the wetsuit was invisible in the darkness and the waves. Even at closer range, Dugan’s torso appeared to be a half-submerged log, rolling and tossing in the northeast chop. He was still thirty yards offshore when his gloved hands brushed along the oozy bottom, and though he expected it, the contact sent shivers up his arm.
He paused there, balanced on his fingertips, looking for the landmarks that the overheads said would be there. It wasn’t easy. The low, thick clouds of the approaching storm blocked out any starlight, and the water washing over his mask blurred his vision. There were no lights on shore. For long minutes he hung in the cold water, peering through the streaked lenses of his mask, rising and falling naturally in the waves that were washing him gently toward shore.
Dugan took his time. He was a big, cautious man, a little old for this kind of fieldwork, and beginning to hear complaints from his body. Being careful kept him alive, and he was careful now. After scanning the land for signs of movement, he began to move toward the shore, blending with the pattern of the incoming waves. While his body was held just below the surface by the weight belt, he hand-walked along the bottom, away from the dark loom of what he believed to be the boathouse on his left. He lost his grip on the bottom when an especially strong wave nearly rolled him over, but as he moved closer to shore, his fingers sank deeper into the ooze, and he gained more control.
After another five minutes, he was sure he’d found the correct place. The distant, dark bulk of the boathouse was on his left, and a stretch of sandy beach glowed white before him. Moving carefully to avoid disturbing the patterns of the wavelets washing against the shore, he pushed backwards against the incoming tide while he continued to hand-walk to the right toward the marsh, still rolling with the incoming waves but now occasionally touching the muddy bottom with his chest as the water washed over him. After more minutes of slow movement, his eyes constantly probing the dark shore, he reached the tall grasses that grew out of the marsh into the salty water.
Still there was no reaction from the land, though he caught a glimmer of light in the direction of the big house, farther from the water. Once he reached the reeds, he relaxed and let the tide wash him in, slowly moving like an enormous black salamander through the grasses and the muck that had gathered at the water’s edge. With only his black-hooded head, the snorkel, and mask above water, Dugan reached the indistinct line of solid ground along the edge of the marshy shore and lay in the detritus of old leaves and tangled branches for another ten minutes. His senses were stretched for the slightest sound, the merest hint of movement. Nothing.

li Cara

Spirituality is a journey into integrating self-awareness with that Universal energy of the Creator. Real talk and a real message, not just fancy words and fluff.
Break through the emotional obstacles that keep you separated from the Divine Light within you.

Nan Jared Powell

Nan Jared Powell was raised in Gainesville, Georgia. She attended Brenau College to get her teaching degree. After graduation, she moved to Atlanta to teach elementary school. Her passion for teaching kept her in the classroom for 22 years. She spent over 30 years in Washington DC with her husband, Jody Powell. After his death […]

Dawn Brotherton

Dawn Brotherton is an award-winning author and featured speaker at writing and publishing seminars. When it comes to exceptional writing, Dawn draws on her experience as a retired colonel in the US Air Force as well as a softball coach. Her books include the Jackie Austin Mysteries and the Global Ebook Bronze Award Winner, Untimely […]

Paige Brotherton

Paige Brotherton, author of children’s book Avery Appreciates True Friendship, is interested in everything, but she always comes back to writing. Currently a high school sophomore, she has competed nationally for rowing and is a state-ranking track runner during the winter. As an honor roll and arts’ magnet school student, Paige is excited for the […]

Book Launch for My Name is Erin

Book Launch April 27 Amy Voltaire’s debut book, My Name is Erin, and My Mom’s an Addict, will launch this Saturday, April 27. I’m very excited to have been a part of this process with Amy. Her young adult novel is about Erin, whose mother left her to get a heroin fix when Erin was […]

Susan Custard

As both a senior human resources manager and consultant, Susan Custard has a proven track record of successfully partnering with managers and staff in the creation and delivery of innovative, client-centric and cost-effective human resource programs. Susan brings a diverse and well-rounded set of experiences to her practice, leveraging a well-developed strategic sense with the […]

Dev Honey

Dev Honey is a licensed midwife and mother of four. After her own emergency C-section and first home vaginal birth after c-section, Dev was driven to support other laboring parents. She traveled across the U.S. and to foreign soil to gain experience and has been called to attend births on the U.S.-Mexico border at a […]

The City of Lost Fortunes Book Review

The City of Lost Fortunes I LOVED THIS BOOK! Bryan Camp did a great job weaving together many different spiritualistic beliefs in a way that was entertaining and educational (in a fun way). The dialogue was realistic and catchy. Hard to believe this is his first book. I look forward to reading more of his […]

Why Family Members Don’t Make Good Editors

Chicago Manual Style - Time I know it’s frustrating to hear that you shouldn’t proof your own work. Then, to add insult to injury, not even your school teacher father or mother can proof your work. Why? You are all too close to the story. You may try to argue that your parents are particularly [...]

Prepare for NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The stated goal is to write 50,000 words—an entire novel—in one month. But the real goal is to motivate you to write. I find getting started is the hardest part. I have an idea. I even have a whole book outlined in my head, and I could tell […]

Book Festivals

Just finished the Williamsburg Book Festival. It’s a great chance to connect with readers and writers-in-the-making. I love sharing a story. Your story can be about anything–totally fiction, autobiographical about how you were raised, a children’s book teaching a lesson. Stories are fascinating! And I love helping them reach the world. I was encouraged today […]