Complicated Relationship
Everything We Try to Hold follows a successful woman looking back across decades of family history, friendship, and loss, as buried secrets resurface, revealing how love, grief, and memory shape the lives we try to hold together. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration for our story is taken from an actual event that Mikey discovered many years later. A complicated relationship! Using this as our basis, we layered it with some fictional characters and family situations.
The narration often feels conversational, almost confessional. How did you develop Caroline’s voice?
We wanted Caroline to speak openly to the reader, as a woman relating her personal trials and tribulations to a friend.
Caroline evolves professionally and personally over time. How does her creative work connect to her emotional journey?
As we developed Caroline’s journey, we compiled a comprehensive list of events drawn from our own and those we observed in our travels. Part of Caroline’s creative journey was taken from a nonfiction book I authored, and Mikey edited, detailing my several creative careers that produced my body of work. It detailed years of hard work with struggle and disappointment.
What do you hope readers feel after finishing the novel?
In the most difficult and demanding life stories, one can find happiness if you stay true to yourself.
“Collaboration is like carbonation for fresh ideas.” — Unknown
The creation of Everything We Try to Hold was borne out of a creative collaboration between two friends. My long relationship with Mikey (Michael) is based on an honest exchange of ideas without egos.
Real-World Challenges
Joshua Creed: Keeper of Worlds follows a troubled twelve-year-old who discovers he can travel between worlds, and must confront a prophecy, dangerous magic, and his own unraveling life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My youngest son’s life was tumultuous at best, as he struggled with his emotional health. He always could be found, “in another world,” and I wanted to connect with him, so he could be the hero in his story. I struggled to do this and found a way to connect through writing. I imagined the story where my son could be a hero and fight off the demons to find his internal strength. He was the inspiration.
Joshua’s experience with bipolar disorder shapes how he sees himself and the world. What guided your decision to include this element?
As a mother of a child with bipolar disorder and as a teacher who has witnessed similar struggles within the classroom, I have firsthand knowledge of how mental health impacts young lives. At the time, there were few stories where a child like mine could surely see themselves as a hero. I felt it was vital to bridge that gap by weaving his real-world challenges into the fantasy world I was creating for him.
How did you want to challenge or reshape the traditional “hero’s journey” for younger readers?
As both a mother and educator, I believe there should be books out there for every child. There are several challenges that young readers face today. I just wanted to connect to one little corner of the market, kids struggling with mental health and the realities of life. Another fact is that there are many reluctant readers out there, and if a kid can connect to the story on a personal level, they’re more liable to read and find a love of reading. That too is a challenge I take on in my work.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
Oh, this is only the beginning. Joshua’s journey is just heating up, and the stakes are about to get much higher. I’m thrilled to announce that Book Two, Joshua Creed: Curse of the Faet, is set to arrive in Summer 2026! As Joshua grows, he must master a new trade to survive the ancient magic closing in on him. Fans should prepare for a deeper dive into the world of the Faet, unexpected alliances, and a hero who is finally discovering what he’s truly capable of.
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Drawn through a mysterious connection to his eye and a strange, sacred tree, Joshua stumbles into the Land of the Ice Plants, home of the Norkels, a secret people on the brink of disaster. The Norkels believe an ancient prophecy: a Keeper of Worlds will come from the human realm to save them. To Joshua’s horror, every sign points to him.
Terrified and uncertain, Joshua is forced into a role he doesn’t want and doesn’t feel ready for. As he learns the truth about the prophecy, the power hidden in his eye, and the secrets of the sacred tree, he must navigate betrayal, strange magic, and the pressure of two collapsing worlds. Meanwhile, back home, his family fractures further, and Joshua begins to realize that the courage he’s learning in the Norkel’s world might be the only thing that can help him face the pain in his own.
Book One sets Joshua on a path from self-doublt to reluctant braver, laying the foundation for a larger battle to come—where saving the Norkels and saving his family may turn out to be the same fight.
Changing the Narrative
Stairwell to Silence follows a former Navy SEAL turned PI who is investigating the death of a brilliant law student who, while ruled an unfortunate accident, quickly turns into a conspiracy and murder case. How did you decide what to reveal, and when, to keep that shifting tension alive?
I did every reveal strategically. I attempted to write in a way that each chapter ended almost with a cliffhanger, which encourages the reader to want to “see what comes next.” I had some pivotal plot twists, and I made sure not to divulge too early as they may compromise the ending. Even the ending was a twist, not to give anything away, but it makes the reader ask himself, “What really happened to Bella?” This was my first trial of a neo noir thriller, so the ending needed to be that way – essentially ambiguous. The reveals were placed strategically to keep the reader engaged, changing the narrative to keep the reader guessing what comes next.
Klade’s investigation feels like a descent rather than a straight path. What does each layer of the investigation reveal—not just about the case, but about Klade himself?
Each layer revealed how thorough Klade is in his work. It tells the reader how dedicated he is not only to taking on a challenge, but indeed to getting to the truth. That the investigation felt like a descent rather than a straightforward path, well, that was an attempt to make the stairwell a metaphor for what may have happened to Bella, with her going “downwards,” and also that the deeper down that stairwell that Klade went, the more he discovered that what happened was not exactly a cut and dry accidental death as the powers that be would have them believe.
The novel explores how wealth and influence shape outcomes. What interested you about that intersection of class and justice?
I see that scenario every day. Money and connections often times dictate what the narrative is, whether this is right or wrong. Interesting fact is that this is not my first novel with that concept, as my very first novel, Sovereign Deception, explored something similar.
What do you hope lingers with readers after the final page—the mystery, the mood, or the moral questions?
The moral questions would be the main thing I would hope to linger on. I also would realize that a picture might not necessarily tell the whole truth.
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Bella Gaines was brilliant, driven, and hiding more than anyone knew. When she’s found dead at the bottom of her townhouse stairwell, the police call it an accident—a drunken misstep with tragic consequences. The case is closed.
John Klade knows better.
A former Navy SEAL turned private investigator, Klade is no stranger to official lies. Reluctantly hired by Bella’s estranged mother, he begins pulling at loose threads—and discovers a life split cleanly in two. Law student by day. Exotic dancer by night. Somewhere between the shadows, Bella uncovered something powerful men were willing to kill to protect.
As Klade descends into a labyrinth of corruption involving an upscale strip club, a prestigious law firm, and whispers of classified military contracts, the line between justice and survival blurs. Evidence vanishes. Allies lie. And the deeper Klade digs, the more his own past begins to echo back at him.
In a city where truth is bought, sold, and buried, the stairwell where Bella died may not be the end—but the entrance.
Because some falls aren’t accidents.
And some silences are earned in blood.
Excellent for fans of gritty, atmospheric crime thrillers.
Carefully Designed Mask
The Pebble in the Pond follows a woman in personal and financial collapse who seeks a fresh start in a tight-knit Virginia town where she uncovers buried family secrets and entrenched social hierarchies. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The novel began as a short story for a flash-fiction challenge, and only featured Miriam and Louise. After sharing the story with an author friend, she suggested it could be a full-length novel, so I was off to the proverbial races. Like Miriam, many of us believe relocating to a new community will enable us to leave the past behind. But what if unknown elements of our past are meant to be discovered, despite the pain they may cause?
My master’s degree is in (American) History, and my focus was race, class, and gender in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Rather unwittingly, these themes found their way into my novel, which begins in 1978 – a time when the “norms” related to race, class, and gender were being challenged and re-imagined (but not without struggle). Then, as now, the tension between “tradition” and “progress” can be polarizing – that’s the backbone of this story.
The title suggests that small actions can have far-reaching consequences. When did that metaphor become central to the story?
My main character, Miriam Llewelyn, and her husband relocate to Stuarts Landing, Virginia, after sustaining financial ruin and personal loss. The move – her grandfather’s deathbed wish – was designed to represent a fresh start, yet Miriam was ill-prepared for the catty and, at times, vicious behavior she encountered from the town’s queen bee, Louise Winston Caldwell. Despite Louise’s repeated efforts to undermine Miriam, who took a job as a grocery store cashier while having the audacity to become a member of the Women’s Auxiliary, Miriam remained true to her core beliefs and character. Her integrity, authenticity, and kindness served as a mirror of sorts for the women in her orbit. Ultimately, she changes the town for the better…just by being herself.
The novel gives women space to be contradictory—generous, petty, controlling, vulnerable. Why was that complexity important to you?
Thank you for that! I’ve read far too many books in which women were treated as stereotypes – caricatures, even. Yet women are complex; what we reveal to the world is often a carefully designed mask hiding deep, painful truths that, if acknowledged and processed, can help us become better versions of ourselves. I’ve taken that journey myself and believe in the power of standing in our full authenticity, flaws and all.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
I am currently working on the prequel, tentatively called Playing With Fire, that begins in 1927. I expect to publish it next year.
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As Miriam settles in, befriending the eccentric, wealthy Webster sisters, she uncovers a decades-old family secret linking her late grandfather to the town’s most powerful household. A tragic fire, hidden adoption, and old betrayals surface, exposing rivalries that have simmered for generations. Miriam’s arrival sets in motion a chain of revelations that threatens to upend both the social order and long-held loyalties.
In a town built on tradition, Miriam must navigate ambition, jealousy, and hidden truths while finding her own place. Only by confronting the past—and choosing forgiveness—can she uncover the life her grandfather envisioned and forge her own path to belonging and peace.
Tough But Loving
The mc : THE MEDITATIVE CONTEMPLATIONZ is a collection of aphorisms, prose-poems, meditations, and monologues focused on themes such as spirituality, adversity, love, and wisdom. Do you think of your work as closer to poetry, philosophy, or spoken word?
Not to sound facetious, but I look at my work as one entity with many different facets & perspectives.
As an admirer of the late great martial artist & philosopher Bruce Lee, I like to think of my works, be it literary or musical, as a fluidity that is adaptable, flexible & powerful given the artistic objective.
As someone who has many different disciplines, including Dance, Songwriting, Poetry, Acting, Performance, Composition, Production & of course Literary book creation, I tend to incorporate all of these elements within my projects.
For this particular book, the mc :THE MEDITATIVE CONTEMPLATIONZ I was Profoundly influenced by Marcus Aurelius’ book Meditations, which leaned heavily towards stoicism.
The actual title of my book, the mc, heartens to my passion for performing, recording & writing original rap music. The term ‘mc’ in the Hip Hop realm is an acronym for master of ceremonies. Meaning the rap artist embodies all of the elements which make him or her stand out & be a respected individual, including: voice inflection, flow, cadence, storytelling, lyricism, & microphone presence.
Again, I am one who incorporates every aspect & element of my other disciplines to create a cohesive narrative in my creative projects. Having no particular set style or genre allows me & the reader the freedom to feel the work from numerous angles & viewpoints simultaneously.
The comparison between fighters and artists is powerful. What draws you to that parallel?
I began to notice this comparison as someone who is a fan of boxing & a practitioner of the creative arts. The rejections I have faced while pursuing my creative endeavors can be extremely painful, similar to what a boxer may feel in a professional fight with a formidable opponent.
While the boxer has to endure physical blows, the artist feels mental blows to their egos & self esteem with every rejection of their art they have experienced and will receive.
I noticed this startling parallel while listening to the wisdom of the great fighter Mike Tyson, whose Talent for combat was genius & legendary. I connected with the pain he felt & immediately took notes in comparison to myself as an artist speaking for other artists who may feel similar.
The Fighter & The Artist both have to endure these moments of pain, fatigue & frustration to overcome their biggest & most difficult opponent, and that is themselves.
How do you balance intensity with tenderness in your writing?
Great question.
As someone who writes poetry & songs, I tend to view the softer side of my poetry creation as the mother, showing empathy, compassion, gentleness & docility.
The songwriting aspect is the father, as I see it, a bit louder (as it often involves music), tough but loving, encouraging but also aware that he has to teach his son or daughter about the sometimes harsh ways of the world.
These are the 2 dimensions in which I create my music & books.
This Ying & Yang philosophy helps me to create a more balanced picture for my readers as well as the listeners of my musical creations.
What kind of reader did you imagine engaging with this book?
I imagined the open-minded reader who enjoys delving into their higher selves. Who sees no limitations on what art should convey, nor is overly concerned with the niceties of art that is deemed comfortable.
I’ve always felt it’s not the job of the artist to make the person feel comfortable but to merely “feel.” It is this feeling that will Inspire future generations to continue & expound upon the precepts left by their artistic predecessors.
In short,
The mc was written for readers who are interested in art that has the potential to embrace the flames of eternity through bravery, which is eternal.
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Artist/Songwriter/Producer/Writer/Actor and Dancer zO-AlonzO Gross is a hybrid of Philosophy, Prose, Poetry, Classic Literature, Parables, Art & Rap lyricism.
This Stunningly Unique book delves into such topics such as Spirituality, Adversity, Wisdom, Blackness, Death & Legacy all told with vivid Artwork from some of the World’s most formidable visual artists such as Pat Turner, Della Marie Perry, Ahannie_Nikoke & Hubert Daniluk. One will get the sense that this is something not to merely read, but to experience and feel as well as return to time and time again.
Nicknamed “Neo-Shakespeare” for his penchant of combining Classical Literature with Rap Aesthetics zO proves his range is diverse and ever far reaching as he delves into the realm of philosophy, prose & parables with a fresh insight Inspired by the Great thinkers of the written word pulling from a diverse array of Artists Friedrich Nietsche, Voltaire, Marcus Aurelius, Ayn Rand, Carl Jung, Audrey Lorde, e.e Cummings, William Shakespeare, Gil-Scott-Heron, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Woody Allen, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Langston Hughes, Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Nas, Tupac Shakur, Kahili Gibran, Rumi, Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, Robert Greene, Michael Eric Dyson & the words of Jesus Christ. An open mind with a willingness to look into the heart of the Universe is all that is needed to begin to grasp the concepts presented within this volume which will read different with every exploration.You are cordially and with Love Invited.Experience. Feel. Discover. the mc (Meditative ContemplationZ) by zO-AlonzO Gross.
Focused on the Science
Nurse Florence®, What is Acne? follows three curious friends as Nurse Florence transforms a simple question about pimples into an empowering, science-based journey through the causes, types, and treatments of acne. What inspired you to create the Nurse Florence® series as a way to teach health concepts to children?
During the COVID pandemic, I wanted to help supplement my children’s science education and thought that if I wrote a kids’ book series, then that would help. “The kids would have to read it since Dad wrote it.”
How did you determine which scientific terms were appropriate and accessible for elementary-age readers?
I use the concept of intellectual stimulation with my readers, which is borrowed from transformational leadership. I choose to believe that my readers can understand complex ideas as long as they are broken down a bit.
Acne can be an emotional topic. How did you balance scientific detail with empathy in your storytelling?
I tried not to focus on the emotions teenagers may have with acne and instead stayed focused on the science about the condition.
Are there other health topics you’re excited to explore with Nurse Florence® in future books?
I love writing all Nurse Florence® books and love this journey I am on of lifelong learning as I research topics and generate material to teach young people about their bodies.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Essay Contest | YouTube | Dow Creative Enterprises® | Nurse Florence Project | LinkedIn | Amazon
The Price of Redeeming Love: A Modern Retelling of Ruth
The Price of Redeeming Love is a work of Christian fiction and contemporary biblical retelling that reimagines the Book of Ruth in a modern setting, moving the story into drought-stricken California and a farming community in Sonora, where loss, migration, loyalty, and costly love shape the lives of Grace, Lucía, and Bo Porter. The book begins in collapse and keeps one eye on grief even when it turns toward romance, which I appreciated. It is not shy about its roots either. Mike Cleveland openly frames the novel as a faithful modern Ruth retelling, with Grace standing in for Naomi, Lucía for Ruth, and Bo for Boaz, and that clear framework gives the whole story a steady backbone.
I found the protagonist compelling because she feels shaped by pressure rather than built as a symbol first. Grace, especially in the opening stretch, comes across as tired, doubtful, loving, and stubborn in a way that feels relatable. I liked that she isn’t presented as endlessly strong. She is grieving even before the worst losses arrive, and her faith is frayed, which gives her emotional weight and makes her growth feel earned. She carries the novel’s questions about loyalty, survival, and grace without ever seeming too neat, and that roughness is part of what made her believable to me.
What stayed with me most was how grounded the emotional world felt when the book was at its best. The early sections, especially the move from a dying farm into the strange abundance of Sonora, have real texture. I could feel the dust, the heat, the fatigue, and then that almost disorienting shock of green after so much loss. Author Mike Cleveland writes grief in a direct way. He doesn’t try to make it pretty.
I also found the author’s choices interesting because he is doing more than updating a Bible story. He’s translating its moral and spiritual shape into modern concerns like immigration status, farm labor, climate strain, and belonging. That gives the book a wider frame than a simple inspirational romance. Bo is clearly written as more than a love interest. He carries the kinsman-redeemer role very deliberately, and the novel makes its Christ-centered symbolism plain. That will certainly be moving for some readers. For me, the strength of the book is that it understands redemption as something material as well as spiritual. Food, shelter, paperwork, work, land, family, protection. Love here is not abstract. It has weight. It costs something. And that idea gives the story a sturdy, old-fashioned force.
By the end, I came away feeling that this is the kind of novel best read by people who don’t mind wearing their hearts a little closer to the surface. I would recommend The Price of Redeeming Love most to readers who enjoy Christian fiction, redemptive romance, and biblical retellings that stay openly tethered to scripture while still trying to live and breathe as contemporary fiction. Readers who want a story about grief slowly turning toward grace, and who want that story told with conviction, will probably find a lot to value here.
Pages: 395 | ASIN : B0GRCWP23X
In Silence
In Silence is a trauma thriller that grows into a recovery story, a love story, and finally something close to an elegy. The opening pages throw Zara Holt into a brutal fight for survival, and the book commits hard to the physical reality of pain, cold, shock, and endurance. What kept me reading, though, wasn’t just the danger. It was the way Revka Ashford builds Zara as someone defined by discipline, dark humor, and pure refusal. Early on, the novel runs on that stubborn pulse of survival.
What gives the book its heart is the shift from survival to care. Bill and Betty could have been written as simple rescuers, but they become the emotional center of the story for a long stretch, and the novel is strongest when it lets their steadiness do its work. Their kindness doesn’t feel decorative. It feels lived in, awkward at times, funny at times, and deeply earned. The book understands that healing is made of routines, meals, rides, teasing, check-ins, and people who stay. That makes the emotional arc feel grounded even when the plot keeps moving through danger, grief, and suspense.
Ashford also has a real instinct for tonal layering. The novel is heavy, no question, but it isn’t one-note. Zara’s voice can be sharp and dry even in awful circumstances, and that edge keeps the character from flattening into pure suffering. Later, when Bella becomes central, the book opens into a different register. It becomes gentler, warmer, and more romantic without losing the tension that shaped the beginning. That blend gives the story a wide emotional range. It’s a book about injury and fear, but also about devotion, trust, found family, and the strange ways people learn how to be seen by each other.
The structure is ambitious. The story keeps widening, from a close survival narrative to a larger web of relationships, investigation, secrecy, and consequence. At times, the book can be melodramatic, and some scenes are written with maximum emotional volume, but Ashford’s sincerity carries a lot of that weight. The book believes in its characters’ feelings completely, and that confidence gives it momentum. By the end, the novel feels less like a single-genre story and more like a sweeping character drama built out of suspense, romance, and grief.
What stayed with me most is that In Silence is really about being witnessed after pain has tried to erase a person. The title lands because the book keeps returning to silence as injury, protection, intimacy, and memory all at once. The final lines, “In silence, I was heard / In darkness, I was seen,” bring that thread into focus in a way that feels simple and earned. This is a book that wants to hold survival and tenderness in the same hand, and a lot of the time, it does exactly that.
Pages: 437 | ASIN : B0GR9MDBGQ
