Author Archives: Literary-Titan
Unsolved Mystery
Hypocrisy drops readers right into a wild mix of government secrets, alien power plays, and strange visions that blur the line between what is real and what is imagined. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I have been intrigued by the UAP disclosure activity in Congress and the ongoing mystery and debunking of the entire UFO phenomenon. I felt that would be a terrific background to create conflict and have different points of view to set the story against, since it still remains an unsolved mystery.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
The characters came first, and I wanted them to be distinct and different, and from that came the outline of the story.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
I think it was Dean Koontz who said, “Put a character in a terrible situation and keep making it worse,” and that helped serve as a guideline for how things go wrong to maintain the tension and active plot.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
This will be the start of a series. I intentionally set it up so that the characters could have an ongoing life full of adventure, chaos, and immense conflict. With a little bit of humor and self-reflection thrown in on the side.
Author Links: GoodReads | Ghost Town | Instagram | Facebook | IMDB | X (Twitter) | Amazon
In the world’s most remote outpost—Antarctica—a covert excavation unearths something ancient, intelligent, and alive. CIA asset Charisma, her teenage protégée Leticia, and enigmatic xenoanthropologist Alen Innocent are drawn into a web of deception that spans governments, galaxies, and the very fabric of human consciousness. As shadow factions fight for control of the mysterious Veil of Hypocrisy, the boundaries between truth and illusion collapse.
From Milan’s glittering runways to military tunnels buried under polar ice, Hypocrisy blends science fiction, espionage, and moral satire in a gripping tale of identity, power, and survival. As alien technology exposes the lies that bind humanity, Charisma and Alen must decide whether saving the world means revealing its greatest hypocrisy—or becoming part of it.
Science-fiction fans will be drawn to this mind-bending, character-driven thriller where the ultimate battle is not between species, but between truth and self-deception.
A Mix of Emotions
Is There Not a Cause? is a raw and unapologetic collection of poetry, songs, stories, personal reflections, and scenes of life that explore faith, pain, and personal development in a way that leaves the reader feeling raw and alive. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
This collection was initially published in 2021. This re-release has over twenty-five new poems. My inspiration to write this collection came from time and experiences, loss, growth, pain, love, social climate around the world, faith, and more.
How do you approach writing about deeply personal or emotional topics?
I approach it the same way I do most of my pieces. I also do spoken word, so the majority of my poems are written from the perspective of me speaking to an audience or myself. For whatever reason, that makes it easy for me to share and or express deeply personal or emotional topics.
How did you go about organizing the poems in the book? Was there a specific flow or structure you were aiming for?
The beauty of the book is that there is no form or structure. The poems/stories/songs flow almost at its own pace, creating a mix of emotions, thoughts, concerns, and anthems.
How has this poetry book changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
I learned how to truly lock in. This past year was a challenge in many ways. All in all, it made me a better writer, speaker, and performer. Writing this book was a great challenge in not depending so much on rhyming and rhythm. Allowing me to put greater effort into storytelling and free verse.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | X (Twitter) | Website | Amazon
Published in numerous magazines and online, esteemed poet and wordsmith Nathaniel Terrell re-releases his first collection of unapologetically raw and honest reflections. If you are someone who prefers to experience life and savor its moments – sacred, painful, and true – you will find favorites in this collection that you will return to. The works will touch your soul in the way poetry should.
IS THERE NOT A CAUSE? by Nathaniel Terrell is a collection best taken one page at a time and is a collection worth savoring and rereading. Each poem is replete with the wisdom and enlightenment gained from someone who experiences life and savor its moments. His words are sacred, painful, and true, and his works will touch your emotions and will find their way into your soul, just as good poetry should.
This re-release is a powerful debut collection containing songs, stories, personal reflections, and scenes of life, with some new poems highlighting growth and maturity. Written from the perspective of a passionate, creative black man working hard to share his voice with the world, each poem paints a vivid picture of the soul of an artist. It grapples with topics such as life and death, racism, faith, anger, social injustice, division in the nation, and getting up after failure. These poems are meant to encourage and to provoke and desire, and will take you on a journey that starts fast and hard and dives deeply into the human condition.
Contemporary culture seeks to define us and forge our identities. Things are never that black and white. The real human condition is a personal journey through pain and ignorance as we seek hope, inspiration, and enlightenment. Each poem conveys important messages about the capacity to pry open our hearts and be connected with our true nature. His warm, inspirational words will encourage and provoke you to take a journey that will start fast and dive deeper. It’s an invitation to mindful presence where the words and artistic expressions compel you to find peace with yourself and the world.
For more on Nathaniel Terrell’s works, visit him on social media at natej.story or at http://www.natejstory.com.
Meaningful Work
Emetophobia & Me follows your transformation from a childhood shaped by fear to an adulthood grounded in courage, compassion, and the radical act of choosing to live fully even when anxiety whispers otherwise. Why was this an important book for you to write?
What a great question. It brought up quite a lot for me. I will try to summarise it. Having battled crippling anxiety throughout most of my childhood and adult life, I wanted nothing more than to help others who were suffering too. When I saw someone suffering with anxiety and/or emetophobia and heard them speak of their experience in ways I deeply resonated with, my heart would literally hurt. For many years, I would just listen and try to offer any understanding and …. well, just love really. It felt like a lifeline for me to have someone who would just listen and remind me that I was not alone. So when I decided to write this little book, it was really to create a lifeline for those who feel lost and to remind them that they were safe. There is hope, and they are deeply loved.
What feels important to me is that, even when I am gone, my books might still bring comfort to others. That feels like meaningful work to me.
What was the hardest memory to revisit while writing Emetophobia & Me, and how did you care for yourself during that process?
Writing the book really did bring up some old feelings and fears, but it was therapeutic in a way too. I think the hardest part to revisit was those times, as a child, where I felt so unsafe. I had the phobia, anxiety, and panic ( I had no idea they had names then), there was violence at home, and my sister was diagnosed with cancer.
I felt so sad for that frightened little girl, who tried tirelessly to control what was never in her control. I guess that is why I turned inward more and more, to try and control myself. To try and keep myself safe with rituals, behaviour, and fear.
Was there a specific moment when your relationship with fear shifted from something to avoid to something you could coexist with?
You know, I wish there was a light bulb moment when it all changed. We are all looking for the magical quick fix, right? But, actually, it was a slow process. A process of seeing, then not seeing, then seeing more. The real change came from being open to being wrong …. about who I thought I was, my beliefs, and my misunderstanding about fear.
Being open. Being prepared to change your mind. Being aware that there is a lot you don’t know yet, is huge.
What do you hope readers who don’t struggle with phobias take away about empathy and the lived experience of anxiety?
It has always been important to me that loved ones and family members have some understanding about anxiety and Phobias. The one thing a sufferer needs is understanding. Followed by time and love. Just listen, not always to fix, but just to hear. Often, we sufferers of anxiety feel unheard, and that increases fear and insecurity.
The answer to everything always is love.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram | Finding Peace | Website | Books.By | Amazon
She could control everything—
except her own fear.
From the outside, Jess Smith looked fine. A wife, a mother, a woman doing her best to hold it all together. But behind every smile hid a secret terror—an obsessive fear of vomiting so intense it ruled her every decision. Every meal was measured. Every outing calculated. Every day, a battle with her own mind.
Until the fear began to consume her life completely.
In this raw and beautifully written memoir about emetophobia, anxiety and panic attacks, Jess takes readers inside the hidden world of a phobia few dare to talk about. Her story unfolds like a psychological thriller—every symptom, every panic episode, every desperate attempt to stay “safe” pulling her further from the life she longed to live.
But when she finally hit breaking point, something miraculous happened.
She stopped running.
She turned inward.
And she began the journey home—to herself.
Part memoir, part self-help guide for anxiety and recovery, Emetophobia and Me will make you feel every heartbeat of fear—and every breath of freedom that follows.
If you’ve ever lived your life controlled by fear—whether of panic, sickness, or simply losing control—this story will hold your hand through the darkness and show you that healing isn’t about fixing yourself.
It’s about finally allowing yourself to be free.
A powerful, honest, and inspiring read for anyone navigating anxiety, emetophobia, panic disorder, or trauma recovery.
You are not afraid of what you think you are.
It’s time to see the truth — and take your life back.
Major Transformations
The Cycle of Completion follows a young man with physical challenges in a sealed-off section of utopia who is thrust into leadership by the city residents who believe he can lead them out of these dark times. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Great question- The actual story was a dream that I had, but it was just the ending. When they are giving the scepter to David, thinking he is going to be the next king, but it really ends up being Elijah. Everything else ends up being good ideas that I blended into the story.
David’s transformation from a hesitant leader to a symbol of hope in your story was inspiring as he leaned on his faith to guide him. Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
Yes, but it just wasn’t David’s alteration; Elijah, Abdul, and Abaddon all had major transformations as well. Is that not reality, one event can change so many people. Think about 9/11.
Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?
My gift is to entertain, crafting a story that can not only keep your interest, but also make these compelling characters, is my destiny. However, to bring the message of God to the masses, to scream out Jesus saves to the readers. That, my friend, is priceless!
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I am currently working on a book called Marcus Douglas Presents the Bruising of the Victor. It is a Spiritual Action Mystery, both highly entertaining and dually emotional.
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With the city foundering, critical systems grinding to a halt, and food stores dwindling, they find hope in young David Shakir, whose grandfather founded this great haven. But will that burden crush the young boy whose spent his life thought sickly and weak, confined to his wheelchair?
The city looks to David and his closeness to God for leadership and his armor bearer, Elijah Ruiz. Can they be able to lead them out of these dark times, or will the looming threat within the sealed off Locality Seven consume them all?
Embrace the Ups and Downs
Dorm to Doorstep is a candid, big-sister-style guide that blends personal stories, tough truths, and practical advice to help young women navigate confidence, safety, relationships, and self-discovery as they enter adulthood. Why was this an important book for you to write?
As my daughter was approaching the end of her high school years, I observed the juxtaposition between the time in a young woman’s life when she is exerting her independence, crossed with really needing advice, and the last person she wanted to hear from is MOM. So, I packaged “evergreen” motherly advice into a fun, humor-filled yet sometimes serious book that attracts the reader with a structure resembling social media – colorful, short snippets and stories – a book that they can pick up for the AHA of the day, put down, and pick up again at their leisure.
Your book emphasizes personal choice. What experiences most shaped your belief that “you control you?”
Every day when we wake up, we can control one thing – us. Things will happen, people will say things, and we will make mistakes. How we perceive and interpret these things will drive our reactions and our learning.
I experienced some rough times as an adolescent and young adult. Circumstances I could not control. For many years, I sometimes chose to let insecurities and fear drive my decision-making. One thing that always kept me going, however, and led to real change was accepting that I am not a victim of anything that comes my way. I am in control of what I do about it. This is transformative when facing a challenge; I like to say you do you and I’ll do me, respectfully. I control the direction that I go, and my path is my own. My favorite thought each day is “Go out and make it a great day!” And, as you noticed, that is a consistent theme in Dorm to Doorstep. I believe the earlier young people feel empowered to forge their path, look at things in a proactive way, and control their emotions, the more successful they will be in facing adversity and achieving their goals.
If a reader could walk away remembering only one piece of advice from the book, what would you want it to be?
It is the first page of Dorm to Doorstep: Life is a journey; there is not one path. Embrace the ups and downs. And, I try to be a cheerleader in the journey by sharing tips, tidbits, and tales to help the journey be smoother, humor-filled, and fun.
How do you hope parents or mentors use this book when supporting the young women in their lives?
I view the book as a platform for discussion; to provoke honesty and sharing of personal stories to make connections and build relationships. If I were to visualize this, it would be a Mom and daughter having a fun conversation sparked from one of the pages in which they share their own thoughts and experiences as a way to bond and grow together.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon
Are you ready for your own PERSONAL CHEERLEADER?
Are you ready to HAVE FUN?
Dorm to Doorstep is a fun, engaging, coming of age/adulting guide written just for you, the young woman heading out on her own! Organized in layers, just like your favorite ice cream sundae:
Glow Up, Girl: Personal Growth & Insights
Glam Bam, Thank You Ma’am (the sauce): Fashion, Beauty & Wellness
Laced with Grace (the whipped cream): Relationships & Demeanor
Gather Round with Goodness (the cherry on top): Tips & Tidbits for Daily Living
Author Hilary Afshary dives into life lessons in full, living color. Every page is bright, just like your future, with colored sprinkles of learning scattered throughout. Oh, and watch for RED moments-cold, hard truths that pop up when you need a reality check.
Dorm to Doorstep can be read page to page or casually open for the AHA of the day; picked up again and put down at leisure.
Every word comes from the author’s place of truth from her own life and raising a daughter. Thoughtful, respectful, and real-words that wink and say Trust me, You WANT to read this. Words that cause pause, stories that stick and moments that will leave you smiling- or even laughing out loud.
Dorm to Doorstep is the perfect gift for a birthday, holiday, graduation, care package, college send off or just because…it is your manual for adulting 101 and living life away from home.
Eerie Depths
In Assimilation, a lonely young woman’s life is forever altered after a disturbing lake encounter that forces her to confront the secrets of her parents, her own biology, and the terrifying presence haunting the waters. What inspired the eerie beauty of the Soshone Islands, and how did you balance calm with dread in the landscape?
Spending many summers fishing the sprawling waters of Canada, I have always been spellbound by the ancient allure and unspoiled beauty of that timeless land, history and mystery written into every boulder, bog, and tributary. It was inevitable that eventually a story would emerge from those clear, eerie depths, the way all those countless submerged boulders silently watched from below as my boat passed soundlessly above them. It was exhilarating to merge my memories and awe with the haunting narrative of Kercy’s plight.
The lake scene is both surreal and intensely physical. How did you approach crafting an encounter that feels simultaneously dreamlike and traumatic?
Boating on a vast body of water for me is both physical and surreal, and doubly so at night. I drew upon my personal experiences with this inscrutable medium. How it can hold up a craft weighing hundreds to thousands of pounds, while allowing a tiny pebble to penetrate its surface without hesitation. And while that same surface can appear calm, familiar, just beneath it is a boundless, unseen world teeming with life. How can one not be excited by that!
Kercy’s emotional landscape is so rich and painful. What part of her character came to you first when writing her?
Kercy’s horrid beginnings, her trials, her struggle to survive. She was born damaged, vulnerable, an outcast in a world she knew early on she was not designed for. It was her strength and determination that pushed the story forward, along with the resolve of her mother, who felt both responsible for Kercy’s ordeal and eternally grateful for her birth.
What guided your decisions about how far to lean into each element and genre, and were there versions of the story that were more (or less) “alien”?
The storyline and characters always guide my decisions. The characters, if I’m being totally faithful to them, define where the story will take me. The circumstances around Kercy’s birth, which has taken place before the story begins, have already set the course for what she must learn about her life. Then the only question becomes how; how does she unveil her past, how will her current situation be revealed? From that point, I open myself to discovering the story, allowing it to unfold naturally, with my fidelity to Kercy and the other characters always at the forefront.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Books2Read | Amazon
Kercy Powell loves spending summers at their secluded island cottage in Ontario; a place where her birth defects and wheelchair are never on display. Just before her eighteenth birthday, Kercy is shocked to learn her mother sold their island paradise, offering only this grave warning, “Don’t ever go back there!”
The ensuing years bring Kercy a miraculous metamorphous, making her wheelchair unnecessary. Upon her mother’s death, she inherits the family fortune and buys back her most treasured getaway. Kercy is soon plagued by old nightmares; strange beings who visit in her sleep. One night, two men boat out to her cottage and try to assault her. She manages to escape, only to witness the unholy cries of her attackers being savagely killed.
The inexplicable murders trigger a visit from Special Agent Mallory, a cagey FBI officer who is only interested in how the two men died. But Kercy has no idea, until she comes face to face with her “protectors,” creatures who live beneath the deep, icy waters of Georgian Bay. And while they’ve rescued her before, Kercy can’t shake the notion that their intentions are nefarious.
[CONTENT ADVISORY: Intended for adult readership and contains scenes of violence, sexuality, aliens, and language that may be uncomfortable for some readers.]
[TRIGGER WARNING: Rape]
Trail of Buried Evidence
In The Mourning Locket, an empath confronts the owner of a unique agency comprised of sentient heirlooms capable of remembering their owners and seeks to uncover its long-buried secrets. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea started with my own family heirlooms. I grew up around old photographs, jewelry, keepsakes — things that didn’t look like much from the outside but held entire histories inside them. I always wondered what they’d “say” if they could talk.
When I started writing The Mourning Locket, it was my way of honoring those stories that get lost between generations. I wanted to capture that feeling of holding something that once meant everything to someone who isn’t here anymore. The book grew out of that love for family history and the questions we never get to ask the people we miss.
How did you go about capturing the thoughts of the heirlooms?
To write the heirlooms, I imagined them the way we imagine the stories behind things we inherit. When you hold something that belonged to someone you loved, you automatically think about what it meant to them.
That’s the energy I wrote from. Their thoughts come through impressions, not sentences — a heaviness, a chill, a warmth, a pull. The emotional tone of the object shows up long before the mystery does. It made them feel alive without ever stepping outside of realism.
Were you able to relate to your characters while writing them?
Absolutely. I related to my characters in different ways, sometimes in ways I didn’t even expect. Rowan’s determination, Piper’s anxious overthinking, Cassian’s quiet intensity — those all come from real emotions I understand. And then there’s Sable, whose sarcasm and perfectly timed humor felt like the pressure valve everyone needed.
I relate to her a lot — that instinct to lighten a tense moment, or to say the thing everyone else is only thinking. Writing her was almost like letting the honest, unfiltered side of myself onto the page.
Each character carries something human and familiar, and that connection made writing them feel less like creating fictional people and more like spending time with versions of myself and the people I love.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 2 of The Inheritance Bureau series? Where will it take readers?
Book 2, The Music Box from Ashford, drags the Bureau into its darkest investigation yet. What begins as a simple heirloom assessment turns into a trail of buried evidence, altered records, and a past that someone worked very hard to erase.
The music box at the center of it all isn’t just an antique — it’s a trigger. And once it resurfaces, everything the Bureau thought it understood about its own origins is shaken.
This book pulls readers deeper into the hidden corners of the Bureau: the cases that never made it into the official files, the mistakes no one was supposed to uncover, and the people who paid the price for trying. Rowan gets pulled into the heart of it, Piper and Sable uncover secrets that were never meant to see daylight, and Arden is forced to confront what leadership really costs.
The investigation reaches back more than a century, and the past refuses to stay quiet this time.
Without giving too much away — Book 2 opens a door the Bureau can’t close, and what waits on the other side changes everything heading into Book 3.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Empathic appraiser Dr. Cassian Vale can feel a person’s final emotions through touch—an ability that makes him invaluable, and dangerous. Investigating an 1860s mourning locket, Cassian relives a woman’s death and uncovers a conspiracy linking grief, immortality, and bloodline control.
As the echoes grow louder, the team must decide whether to silence the past—or listen before it consumes them.
Think Critically and Deeply
In Beyond Power, you present the idea that Western society is departing from its moral core and the ideas on which democracy was founded. How long did it take to research and compile this book?
I developed it over a period starting when there were severe tensions in Israel over democracy 2022 and strong anti-Israel post October 7th, 2023.
Did you learn anything while writing Beyond Power that surprised you?
Many of the issues plaguing society seem to have a common conceptual cause.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
To think critically (and deeply) about all we see, hear, and are told.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
At first glance, these may seem like separate struggles, political, cultural, or geopolitical yet they are deeply connected.
By tracing the tensions between power and ethics, this work explores how successful democracies evolved, why politics so often devolves into hostility, why societies fracture, understanding more deeply the progressive agenda and why Israel in particular stands at the center of so much global controversy. It examines how democracies are corroded from within, how oppressive regimes weaponize ideology, the dynamics of geo political tensions and how Western progressivism redefines compassion.
Rather than despair, the book points toward renewal, offering diagnoses, practical proposals, within the context of a profound conceptualization of the notion of state itself, one capable of transcending today’s divisions.
LITERARY TITAN 