Dirty South Haiku
Dirty South Haiku sketches a childhood and young life shaped by family legends, Southern landscapes, and the mix of sweetness and grit that sits in so many memories. The book moves through tiny scenes. Grandmas with sharp edges, gumbo secrets, cousins who grow strange, drums and guitars, pageants, honeysuckles, hot sauce, hoodoo, moonshine, and music that hums through it all. Each haiku captures one quick flash. Together, they paint a loose but vivid portrait of a Southern girl growing up around beauty, chaos, and deep roots.
While reading, I found myself smiling at the warmth tucked into these short lines. The poems feel plainspoken and familiar. I liked how the author keeps the tone light, even when hinting at hard things. Nothing gets weighed down. The rhythm stays airy. A poem might nod toward heartbreak or trouble, then slip into a memory of food or song. That contrast felt honest. Life in these pages is messy, yet the speaker holds it with affection. I felt that softness, and I enjoyed it.
Some scenes passed so fast that I wanted a fuller picture, but that is part of the charm. The book plays with nostalgia in a way that feels almost slippery. One moment, we are with a machete-wielding grandmother. Next, we are at a pageant. Then, suddenly, moonshine under a night sky. The jumpiness gave the book a dreamy, scrapbook vibe. I loved that loose flow.
I would recommend Dirty South Haiku for readers who enjoy poetry that is easy to slip into and full of mood and memory. It fits anyone who likes Southern culture, family stories, or short poems that carry a lot of heart.
Pages: 39 | ASIN : B0DXQG5C42
Olympus or Oblivion
Reading Chrissy Dargue’s Olympus or Oblivion feels like being dropped into a wild, bawdy, self-aware pantheon where celebrity fantasy, personal philosophy, and unapologetic filth collide in the most chaotic way possible. The book introduces itself as an erotic satirical anthology, then immediately proves it can deliver on all three fronts. Each chapter follows a fictional sexual encounter with a different Hollywood icon, framed as both myth and judgment, and the voice that guides it is loud, human, furious, sentimental, and very funny. It moves fast, plays hard, and somehow manages to build a whole moral framework while describing sexually explicit escapades. The tone is intimate and irreverent and completely in control of its own madness.
As I read, I kept feeling a blend of admiration and “what the hell just happened” amazement. The writing is quick, chatty, and sharply observant. It has that feeling of sitting with a friend who tells a story so confidently that you follow, even when it plunges off a cliff into a disaster of sex toys, tree frog cigarettes, emotional vulnerability, or misplaced anatomy lessons. I loved the honesty here. The narrator is flawed and hilarious and often furious at the world, yet there is so much heart behind the jokes. The Henry Cavill chapter swings between worship, frustration, and affection with an almost musical rhythm. Depp’s chapter, on the other hand, crashes into surreal farce, tenderness, and genuine madness, and the contrast really shows off what the author can do. I laughed a lot. I winced a lot. More than once, I was slightly horrified, then impressed by how quickly the story made that horror feel warm. There is something bold about how the book refuses to hide the narrator’s desires or insecurities. It made the comedy sharper and the emotional punches landed harder.
What surprised me most was the philosophical streak running under the chaos. For all the sex and satire, the book is also a meditation on power, desire, loneliness, and the strange ways we try to judge the people we want. The Olympian framing is funny but also revealing. Every encounter becomes a test, not for the celebrity but for the narrator’s own values, boundaries, and hunger for connection. Even the absurd moments, like fainting from frog toxins or sketching a diagram of a vulva to keep a confused man on track, carry a sort of emotional grit. The narrator wants to understand people. She wants to be understood in return. I found myself weirdly moved between the jokes. Sometimes the writing gets messy on purpose. Sometimes it hits a poetic rhythm that blindsided me. The mix works because the voice stays genuine.
I’d recommend Olympus or Oblivion to readers who enjoy sharp humour, chaotic storytelling, sex-positive honesty, and big, unstoppable personality. If you like fearless writing, emotional whiplash, and stories that show both the ridiculous and the tender parts of being human, this book will hit the spot. It’s funny and vivid and unexpectedly sincere, and it left me feeling like I had just witnessed someone telling the truth in the most unhinged and heartfelt way possible.
Pages: 401 | ASIN : B0FLQL7VHN
Tiger and My Eye Patch
A young girl begins her summer burdened by an eyepatch meant to correct her lazy eye, and the weight of it grows heavier each time her classmates sneer. Branded “Pee Wee the Pirate,” she endures a name flung at her by children blind to the harm it causes. Relief arrives only when she escapes to Johnson City, where her grandparents wait with open arms, and with Tiger, their towering, gentle Great Dane. Tiger adores her. He offers no judgment, no mockery. Just warmth. Yet Tiger’s size and enthusiasm often land him in trouble, and before long, the girl’s courage and ingenuity are put to the test as she tries to save the companion who has quietly saved her.
Tiger and My Eye Patch, written by Colleen Lent, is a children’s story best suited for readers around ages 3 to 8. Its spirit echoes classic series like The Berenstain Bears, delivering an abundance of life lessons without losing its sense of play.
Lent draws from her own childhood, and that honesty radiates through the narrative. The sharper emotions, the confusion, and the vulnerability surface in the protagonist’s perspective and give the story a lived-in quality. Her world feels colored by past hurts, yet not dominated by them.
Joy still rises. It unfolds through tender moments with her grandparents and through the undeniable bond she forms with Tiger. The giant dog, good-natured yet misunderstood, mirrors her own struggle. His size invites assumptions, and he, too, carries the burden of being judged before being known. Their connection emerges naturally from shared experience, and it becomes the emotional heart of the tale.
Tiger and My Eye Patch maintains a light tone, but beneath it runs a clear thread of catharsis. Lent writes toward healing her own and that of any child who has ever been singled out for being different. The lesson she imparts, treat others with kindness, especially when they stand apart, is delivered with grace rather than force. Paired with lively, colorful illustrations, the story becomes both a comforting read and a meaningful one, offering young audiences a narrative they can enjoy again and again while absorbing its gentle wisdom.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B0FV9W4242
Recovery is Possible
Where Did My Brain Go? tells your story about being involved in a car accident that left you in a coma, how you went nine years with an undiagnosed traumatic brain injury, and the long road to rebuilding your life. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I started writing this memoir in 2007 because I was angry. For nine years, I wandered around confused, asking friends if they thought I’d changed. They laughed. I got drunk to stop wondering what was wrong with me. When a specialist finally diagnosed my traumatic brain injury in 1995, I learned that a note in my ICU chart had said “Patient is confused. Someone should check his head.” My physician wife read that chart. She checked me out of two hospitals before anyone examined me.
I needed to write this book because every brain injury memoir I found featured helicopter evacuations, loving families, and treatment teams fighting for the patient’s recovery. Mine featured an angry wife who didn’t want a brain injured husband, a charlatan psychiatrist who prescribed legal speed, and years of stupefying drugs that kept me profitable and dependent.
The book took 18 years to finish. Confronting these memories was harder than learning to walk again. But I kept writing because professionals wanted me drugged and living in supervised housing. A charming employment counselor encouraged me to work on a factory assembly line for $3.50 an hour with her other disabled clients. Slick salespeople described the joys of “clubhouse” parties.
One exceptional surgeon gave me back my ability to walk. One dedicated social worker helped me escape the system. But most professionals wanted to keep me dependent. I said no. I found a job and relinquished my disability benefits.
This book is proof that recovery is possible even when nobody’s helping. Even when the person who should protect you is the one who betrays you. I wrote it for people in pain who need to know they can reclaim their lives outside the system designed to keep them trapped.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about Traumatic Brain Injuries?
One day, while overmedicated and feeling hopeless, I remembered reading that people only use half of their brain. At that moment I realized I had to ignore medical advice, stop taking stupefying pills, and rejoin the world.
Most professionals don’t know how to help brain injury patients. Others don’t care. They support themselves by keeping people dependent on pills and living in supervised housing. There’s more profit in dependency than recovery.
The common misconception is that the medical system wants you to recover. It doesn’t. Professional athletes get unlimited physical therapy until they’re healed. Regular people get cut off after a few sessions and sent to pain clinics for legal narcotics.
Two professionals helped me recover. One surgeon restored my ability to walk without requiring health insurance. He provided unlimited physical therapy for over a year. One social worker helped me escape the disability trap when others wanted me working on a factory assembly line for $3.50 an hour.
Recovery isn’t about finding the right pill. It’s about finding the right people, learning acceptance, and refusing to accept dependency as your only option.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The most challenging part was confronting my wife’s betrayal. She saved my life after the accident. She found the surgeon who fixed my ruptured diaphragm and kept me breathing in the ambulance. But she also checked me out of two hospitals before anyone examined my head. She watched me struggle with memory and confusion every day. Instead of seeking treatment, she helped me stay drunk. She brought me extra long hospital straws to suck vodka through my wired jaws while I played computer games in the basement.
Writing about that took 18 years. I had to accept that the same person who saved my life also sabotaged my recovery. She didn’t want to be married to a brain-injured husband. She wanted a software developer to help her retire early. I was demoted to babysitter.
Every chapter forced me to relive moments I’d rather forget. The confusion. The screaming in my sleep. The nine years of wondering what was wrong with me while friends laughed when I asked if I seemed different. Getting drunk to stop caring. It was harder than learning to walk again.
The most rewarding part is hearing from people who recognize the system I’m exposing. Several readers have praised me for writing a book that shows how the medical system wants to keep people with brain injuries overmedicated and useless. They see what I saw: there’s more profit in dependency than recovery.
Medical professionals are especially delighted to hear that one person actually relinquished disability benefits. They rarely see anyone escape the system. Most of their patients stay trapped, overmedicated in supervised housing, shuffling through medication lines twice a day.
I wrote this book to describe the awful medical treatment I received, my wife’s awful behavior, and to show that I escaped the disability trap. That’s the story I needed to tell.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
Trust your abilities. Measure your progress. Don’t trust people who ruin your judgment with stupefying drugs or want to limit your freedom.
The system profits from keeping you dependent. Psychiatrists promise to “fix” you with pills that make you too calm to get dressed. Once you’re overmedicated, employment counselors cheerfully suggest factory assembly lines for $3.50 an hour. Once you’re working, salespeople describe the joys of supervised housing and “clubhouse” parties where your salary goes directly to the facility. You lose your salary, your freedom and your ability to make rational decisions.
Recovery means refusing to accept dependency as your only option. You might not recover completely. I lost 32 IQ points and most of my impulse control. But I escaped the disability trap. You can too.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
For nine years, Miller struggled with memory problems and confusion without understanding why. When a specialist finally diagnosed traumatic brain injury, Miller faced a choice: accept lifelong disability and medication, or find his own path to recovery.
This memoir chronicles Miller’s 39-year journey from accident to independence. Unlike conventional recovery narratives, his story includes minimal family support, inappropriate medical treatments, and pressures toward dependency rather than rehabilitation. His recovery came through friendship, personal achievement, and ultimately rejecting the disability system that kept him medicated and isolated.
Miller recounts his experiences with psychiatric medications that left him unable to work, employment counselors who suggested factory assembly lines at below minimum wage, and social service systems designed to maintain dependency. He also describes the healthcare professionals who made a difference: the surgeon who provided unlimited physical therapy without requiring insurance, and the social worker who helped him escape supervised housing and reclaim his independence.
Where Did My Brain Go? examines the intersection of traumatic brain injury, medical system failures, and the disability industry. It raises questions about treatment approaches that keep patients overmedicated in chemical fogs and supervised housing. The system prioritizes profit over patient recovery and independence.
Where Did My Brain Go? is for readers interested in brain injury memoirs, healthcare system failures, and recovery against the odds. Mitchell Miller found a job and rejoined the world. He relinquished disability benefits and chose independence over dependency.
The Manglers of Carraig
The Manglers of Carraig drops readers straight into a city split by wealth, fear, and the eerie green glow of warding gems. It follows Conell Byrne, a boy fighting to keep his family alive in a world where monsters stalk the night and the rich hoard their safety behind iron fences. His desperate attempts to protect his sister and his mother collide with the power games of men like Garban the loan shark, and the story pulls that thread tighter as the dangers grow. Alongside this grim struggle is Riona, a jeweler whose bold designs using mangler claws spark outrage among the elite. Their stories move on separate tracks at first, one soaked in survival and the other in ambition, yet both expose the city’s deep fractures and the unseen costs of living in Carraig.
I found the writing fast and punchy. Scenes land quickly and hard. I especially liked how the book lets moments breathe right before everything goes sideways. Conell racing through dark streets with only gemlight to save him had me clenching my jaw. The author leans into sensory details that linger and refuses to clean things up for comfort. I felt the grit of the lower districts and the cold shine of North Hill. I felt Conell’s panic when he returned home and found the door broken open and the ominous quiet inside. The emotional hits come simply and directly, which makes them incredibly impactful.
The worldbuilding grabbed me, too. I appreciated how the author mixes small human choices with the big looming terror of the manglers. It all feels grounded even when the story dips into the grotesque. Riona’s chapters were a surprise. They twist into subtle power struggles and hidden desire. Her jewelry made of claws could have been a cheap gimmick, but it ends up saying something about the people of Carraig and what they choose to look away from. I enjoyed how these two storylines sit far apart but rhyme in the way everyone is just trying to survive something, even if the monsters look different.
By the end, I felt a strange mix of sadness and curiosity about where the story might go next. I would recommend The Manglers of Carraig to readers who enjoy dark fantasy with heart, quick pacing, and a world that feels alive even in its ugliness. If you like stories about people pushed to the edge and forced to make impossible choices, this one will stick with you.
Pages: 188 | ASIN : B0FX3WVJ1C
The Elephant in the Ivy
The Elephant in the Ivy by Alexander Greengaard is a playful campus spy story that blends secret games, academic life, and personal loss. The book follows Alison Ashe, a theater student at an Ivy League school, who plays a hidden espionage game between departments. What starts as lighthearted intrigue grows into something darker. Stakes rise. Friendships strain. Death becomes real. The story moves through classrooms, quads, dorms, and late-night walks while asking how much performance and pretense shape real life.
I enjoyed the writing style a lot. It felt loose and confident. The voice has humor and warmth. I laughed often. I also felt a pit in my stomach more than once. The dialogue snaps. The inner thoughts feel honest and messy. I liked how the book never tried to sound smart for the sake of it. It trusted the reader. The pacing worked for me. Some scenes flew by. Others lingered in a good way. I felt close to Alison.
I kept thinking about performance and identity when reading this book. Everyone in the story plays a role. Students act like spies. Professors play at authority. Institutions play at fairness. The game mirrors real power structures and privilege. That resonated with me. The book talks about gender and class without lecturing. It just shows you. I felt anger at times. I felt joy too. I liked that the book respected fun and silliness while still taking emotions seriously. That balance is hard, and the author pulled it off.
I would recommend The Elephant in the Ivy to readers who want something smart. It is great for people easing back into reading. It is also good for students and educators who enjoy stories about school life with a twist. If you like humor, secret worlds, and characters who feel real and flawed, this book is worth your time.
Pages: 167 | ASIN: B0FXS7BVPK
Life, Love, and Happiness
Stikki the Squirrel follows a young grey squirrel who tumbles his way through one adventure after another and, along the way, makes some new friends. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Some ideas for a book can come quite quickly, while at other times it can be a hard slog even to get going. But it was on this one rather memorable occasion, when I was standing beside my window gazing into our back garden, that I saw a family of squirrels climb tentatively over the wooden fence. A moment later, they were on the ground, moving slowly across our lawn, pausing to sniff and dig randomly in the grass. I watched their playful interactions quickly turn into a full-blown display of speed and agility as the youngsters abandoned the protection of their mother’s side to dart among our shrubs and trees with growing confidence, and of course, mischief. I smiled, then gasped, as a host of possibilities set my mind buzzing.
And so, Stikki the Squirrel was born – well, in my head to start with. I wanted to make the story light-hearted and entertaining for young children to read, and for them to imagine my little characters and the urban setting in which they live.
We, as a family, enjoy encouraging squirrels into our garden, filling their squirrel feeder daily with nuts and seeds for them to eat. We have witnessed several generations grow up and leave to find their way in the world. Ever since that day, we have been entertained by these intelligent, charming, furry little animals.
Although not every day, watching our squirrels is a happy, entertaining experience, because on occasion, urban foxes enter our garden on the hunt for an easy meal. Domesticated cats like to lie in wait among the shrubs, hoping to ambush a squirrel foraging on the ground. The squirrels’ acute senses warn them of danger, and they quickly climb over the fence or scale up the side wall of our house to escape. But when the three species meet, there is usually trouble. We have witnessed scuffles and near misses that have made us gasp in fear for the squirrels’ survival. But squirrels are quick and clever, usually evading these predators with ease.
We have grown very fond of our rodent visitors. Noting their athletic behaviour and individual personalities. They are adorable little animals that inspired me to write about a family of cheeky grey squirrels and the discoveries, dangers, lucky escapes, and the good friends they make along the way.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
Each of my characters in Stikki the Squirrel represents a unique glimpse into the world of nature from an individual animal’s perspective. I have combined a light-hearted tale with humour, interspersed with facts about squirrels’ lives, and their interactions with predators, including the natural habitat in which they thrive.
My little characters have hopes and dreams, which is quite normal as squirrels, like all animals, are intelligent, caring, and resourceful. Squirrels are good at problem-solving; we have all seen a squirrel navigate a maze, or climb a vertical pole, or scoot across a tightrope with ease in its determination to claim the food at the end of the man-made obstacle course. Squirrels show affection and anger, too. Squirrels are territorial and will respond to family members, warning each other of any approaching danger by issuing a rasping, throaty call that carries on the air.
Stikki the Squirrel carries a message about protecting endangered species to the detriment of others. A tale of adventure, learning about life, its pleasures, and its hazards. Whilst making wonderous discoveries, and friends who help and support each other on the road through life, love, and happiness.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
This is a hard question to answer because the entire book was such an enjoyable experience to write and illustrate. Without giving away any spoilers, I think one particular scene comes to mind that had me chuckling – it was when Stikki first met Rella. He was so awkward and unsure of himself. A typical teenager.
There were many other scenes in Stikki the Squirrel that end in a hilarious, eye-watering way. Read the book yourselves and see what happens to Stikki and his woodland friends.
What story are you currently in the middle of writing?
I am taking a break from writing at present, because I am busy finalising my new book. Title: Stikki the Squirrel: Tree Spirits, book two, publication date, February 28th, 2026. It is a very busy, exciting time, working with my publisher to get my new book and my illustrations ready for the printing press, plus tinkering with some weird and wild ideas for another book.
Author Links: Goodreads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Readers’ Favorite – 5 Star Review.
“We must always be wary of the longlegs for they are unpredictable and puzzling.”
Join Stikki the Squirrel on his madcap adventures as he leaves his nest and sets off to explore the world around him. Mischievous and a little reckless, Stikki manages to get himself into scrapes at almost every turn.
When Stikki and his sisters, Mollie and Tia, venture out of their familiar surroundings for the first time, life changes dramatically for our little explorers.
Danger and peril lay on their chosen path – and, as with every exciting adventure, there are spills and thrills and good friends to be made along the way.
A whimsical, heartfelt story of friendship, bravery and love for each other.
The Communist Question
Jeanne The Woman in Red is a work of biographical fiction based on the life of Jeanne Tunica Y Casas, a fiery, uncompromising political activist, feminist, communist, and a woman of courage. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
If I had written a non-fiction account of Jeanne’s life and work, it would have sounded robotic and lacking in truth. Fiction was the only way to delve deep into her life and times. Many people she knew and worked with had passed away or were reluctant to speak or give any information. I understand and respect that, but facts, figures, and exact dates would have been missing. There is not much out there in English, and the work done, predominantly by a New Caledonian historian, provided a solid foundation from which to write. I had access to her articles, tracts, and speeches, and I was able to integrate this into the story as they had been written—typos and all.
I have always been inspired by strong characters in fiction and non-fiction. I was drawn to Jeanne straightaway. I had just arrived in New Caledonia for three years, and I was browsing its history, and I came across Jeanne. I wanted to visit her at the cemetery, pay my respects, but I discovered she had been buried in a common grave. I could not believe it. Disheartened but determined, I contacted the administration and decided that writing the book is only half of it. I wanted her recognised with a plaque. She fought for the rights of exploited peoples, and I wanted to fight for her legacy. Her remains were located, and a plaque now recognises her at a local cemetery. It has been a hard but satisfying journey.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Her relationship with her lover turned husband, Paco. The communist question. How much or how little did she know about Stalin’s atrocities? The right of women to vote. I wanted back-and-forth chapters where her life in the nursing home meets the past.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
I was surprised that she had lived in Australia for a while and opened up a restaurant in Sydney. Her continual battle with the authorities. She never gave up. I was also disappointed with a few reactions as if writing about a communist makes the writer a communist. This is not the case, and I could never have placed 2020 eyes on Jeanne’s life and get away with writing her story.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Jeanne The Woman in Red?
That she, like many others, must be remembered for inspiring and encouraging change without violence, and that history, far from being cancelled, should be remembered and studied – the good and the bad and learn the lessons on how to move forward. I am not just talking about feminists and politicians, but people who did not have a public role but were instrumental in shaping future generations.
The book has been translated into French and will soon be released.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
LITERARY TITAN 