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The Illusion of Freedom
Day Drinkers follows a woman on a Caribbean island desperate to escape her dead-end job who takes a risk captaining a small sailing vessel for a corrupt music artist, sending her into a life-or-death situation. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for Day Drinkers came from the decade I spent living and working in the Caribbean as a travel writer, performer, and liveaboard sailor. I was fascinated by how easily escape and suffering coexist in so-called paradise. The novel is a meditation on the consequences of rejecting society’s rules in pursuit of the illusion of freedom, and on how we choose to either make sense of our past or run from it.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
Absolutely. My books always emerge from lived experience. My debut, Zone Trip, was inspired by the fifteen years I spent with a secret artist society in San Francisco. For Day Drinkers, I drew from a decade of sailing, performing, and working as a travel writer in the Caribbean. I want my stories to feel authentic, so I live them. Most of the characters in Day Drinkers are composites of people I met in the islands, viewed through the lens of absurdism and satire.
Some events in the book were chillingly similar to real-life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book?
Yes. Easter Cay, the island at the center of Day Drinkers, was loosely inspired by exclusive enclaves owned by billionaires and celebrities, most notably the infamous Little Saint James, formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein. As a traveling circus artist, I was hired to perform at private parties for powerful people. This book reflects what happens when wealth and secrecy collide with poverty and desperation—something I witnessed firsthand. While Day Drinkers is a work of fiction, it asks very real questions about complicity, exploitation, and how paradise can become a prison for those who serve it.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?
My next literary thriller is titled Bufo. It explores the use of spirit medicine and its strange aftermath. In this story, DMT entities begin to manifest as characters. Commercially, it’s in the same vein as Nine Perfect Strangers—but more positive and surreal. From a literary perspective, a major influence is William Burroughs’s Queer, with its raw, unsettling exploration of altered consciousness and outsider desire. Bufo is expected in 2027.
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🏝️ Invited to a party on a forbidden pleasure island
🍹 Swept into the corrupt world of a country music legend
☠️ Flees to Cuba, hunted by drug and human traffickers
🥥 Inspired by the dark reality of Jeffrey Epstein’s world
🌊 Day Drinkers: Where the American Dream washes ashore
From her office window on St. Columba, Gemma gazes out at the mysterious pleasure island just beyond the reef. Owned by country music legend Cowboi Rivers, the exclusive retreat lures the world’s wealthy and powerful with promises of secrecy and illicit pleasures. Meanwhile, the locals keep their distance, wary of the wild parties and whispered rumors of drugs and disappearing girls.
Desperate to escape her dead-end job, Gemma seizes a risky opportunity to captain the sailing vessel Mariposa for Cowboi’s shadowy empire. She finds herself swept into a world of corrupt elites. When a cocaine pickup in the Dominican Republic spirals into a deadly double-cross, Gemma and her crew enlist the aid of a Vodou priestess, a hard-drinking mariner, and a rumba-loving boat boy to escape. With her enemies closing in, Gemma sails toward Cuba, facing a storm that threatens to sweep her away.
Day Drinkers is a tantalizing medley of Saint X and Don’t Stop the Carnival, seasoned with a dash of The Rum Diary. Drawing from her ten years as a liveaboard sailor and Caribbean travel writer, Kitty Turner, an American Absurdism revivalist, delivers a gripping tale of identity and redemption through her unique talent for rollicking storytelling and deep philosophical inquiry.
Day Drinkers
Day Drinkers is a lush, sun-baked story about Gemma, a woman caught between worlds on the fictional Caribbean island of St. Columba. The book follows her tangled life among drifters, hustlers, and dreamers who drink through the heat and chase meaning in the wreckage of paradise. Gemma’s story begins with small talk under a tarp at Boon Dock Marine and unfolds into something much larger, her struggle with identity, survival, and the ghosts of her family’s past. Author Kitty Turner paints the island with heat and texture: the smell of rum, salt, and cheap perfume, the pulse of reggae, and the quiet ache of belonging. This is a story about the people who live in the margins of paradise, where beauty and corruption coexist and survival is an act of endurance.
What I loved most about Turner’s writing is how it feels it rolls over you, thick and heavy, then suddenly clears into moments of stillness. Her sentences swing between gritty and lyrical, giving the island a heartbeat that feels alive. Gemma isn’t an easy heroine, she’s messy, flawed, and stubborn, but she’s real. I found myself rooting for her even when I wanted to shake her. The dialogue feels sharp and natural, full of humor and island slang, and the author never softens the hard edges of poverty, addiction, or moral compromise. The story’s spirituality creeps in like humidity, subtle at first, then impossible to ignore. Turner threads mysticism through realism in a way that feels both grounded and haunting.
The island itself sometimes feels more vivid than the people who inhabit it, and a few side characters blur together. But the novel’s rhythm, its mix of danger, longing, and low-simmering dread, kept me hooked. I admired how Turner doesn’t try to redeem everyone. She just lets them be, in all their contradictions. The result is a book that feels lived-in, like a slow afternoon after too much sun and too little water.
Day Drinkers reads as if Donna Tartt spent a summer in the Caribbean with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s eye for glamour and ruin, spinning a story that smells of salt, sweat, and spilled rum. I’d recommend Day Drinkers to readers who love character-driven stories with atmosphere so thick you can taste it. If you’ve ever wanted a novel that feels like a hangover and a confession rolled into one, this one’s for you.
Pages: 358 | ASIN : B0FLF6MW68
The Sycamore Centennial Parade (Part I)
In The Sycamore Centennial Parade, Charles McGrail spins a nostalgic, often hilarious yarn about a trio of quirky small-town characters—Babylon “Milkman” Hurley, his brother-in-law Clark “Poodle” Canderankle, and the indomitable Jericho—who bumble their way into promoting their town’s centennial celebration. Set in 1978, Sycamore, the story draws from everyday absurdity to craft a heartwarming comedy of errors, rich with banter, unlikely schemes, and quiet reflections on identity, family, and small-town life. As Jericho rallies her lovable but unreliable crew to canvas local businesses for parade support, what unfolds is less a professional campaign and more a slow-moving circus, complete with tie mishaps, dietary debates, and diner drama.
I loved the writing style. It’s alive with personality. McGrail’s voice crackles with humor, clever turns of phrase, and old-school charm. The dialogue sings—snappy, smart, and so natural you forget you’re reading. His characters? They’re ridiculous in the best way. Lovable screw-ups with big hearts and bigger mouths. And while the plot hums at a leisurely pace, I never found myself bored. Every scene feels like a short sitcom episode—tight, colorful, and just a little chaotic. The author doesn’t chase big drama. He trusts in the small stuff: banter, nostalgia, clashing egos, and the slow burn of friendships tested and reaffirmed. It’s low-stakes storytelling with high emotional payoff.
The story is long, and sometimes the jokes stretch a beat too far or the scenes linger past their welcome. But oddly, I didn’t mind much. The indulgence feels earned. McGrail clearly adores his characters—especially Milk and Poodle—and that affection is infectious. Beneath all the antics is a surprisingly tender meditation on second chances and reinvention. These aren’t just goofballs; they’re men pushed out of their old lives and forced to find new ways to matter. Jericho, too, shines as the competent, quietly frustrated linchpin who holds it all together. If you’ve ever juggled family and ambition, you’ll see yourself in her.
The Sycamore Centennial Parade is a warm and entertaining love letter to community, misfits, and starting over. It’s a small-town tale with a big, goofy heart. I’d recommend it to fans of Richard Russo or Fannie Flagg, or anyone who loves a character-driven story with quick wit and genuine soul.
Pages: 245 | ASIN : B0F2822P8C
Suffering and Joy
The Heartbreak of Time Travel follows a woman as she travels through time to the past and the future while caring for her husband, who is slowly losing his faculties due to dementia. What was the inspiration for the setup of this novel?
The story is considered a nonfiction novel or literary memoir. The inspiration arises from my husband’s ordeal with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The events within are either actual events or “adorned” through time travel and sprinkles of fancy as literary devices.
What was the most challenging part of writing your “memoir,” and what was the most rewarding?
Writing a memoir is a person’s own written account of her life and is the retelling of an event or time that impacted the person in such a way that it stands out for her. The most difficult and challenging moments writing this story is how I wish I was writing about someone else’s story and not my own. Remembering how we got here causes me to reminisce into places that will never be and can never be. A future looks daunting because his life expectation is very short now. Thus, I make up a future through time travel into a better future for both of us.
Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your characters’ lives?
Writing this story is a compilation of both our stories at this point in our lives. It’s an account of the suffering and joy of living through hardship.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it?
I just got edits back from an agent friend who also does content editing. That story should be finished by the end of the year and then it’s off to the publishers. It’s a story about a man whose life was filled with amazing experiences and how each experience impacts the end of his life. I love this story. I’m so excited about seeing this one in readers’ hands. I only hope they love it as much as I do.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Snuffy Cod (Wingate’s alter ego) is the sole caregiver for her dying husband… okay… stop. He does die but sometime in the future—a future she visits on and off through popovers to past and present. Snuffy’s visits occur in fits and starts via some perceived time travel portal. She embarks on these excursions several times throughout the day, hour, minute, second—sometimes simply during a thought. Nothing more. Nothing less. Is it escapism? Of course not. Don’t be silly. Pshaw! Meanwhile, her husband lays flat, unmoving in a hospital bed upstairs on an excruciatingly slow slide toward death—death by molasses slick. Or is he? If Snuffy Cod can remain in the past, even the present, might she be able to prevent a future and, thusly, his impending death?
THE HEARTBREAK OF TIME TRAVEL is a brutally honest deep dive into dementia, caregiving, grief, hope, and love.
The Heartbreak of Time Travel
The Heartbreak of Time Travel is a stirring and fragmented exploration of time, love, and the grit of caregiving. Wingate, through the character Snuffy Cod, navigates a memoir of a woman caring for her husband, who is slowly losing his faculties due to dementia. Each chapter peels back the layers of their relationship as she blends biting humor with raw confessions, touching on everything from the mundane rituals of caregiving to existential reflections on time, memory, and impending loss. It’s a contemplative journey that often leans into the absurd, embracing life’s messiness and fragility with a sense of irony and defiant grace.
Wingate’s writing is both immersive and jarring. She employs a conversational, almost stream-of-consciousness approach that pulls readers into Snuffy’s headspace. This approach initially feels chaotic, especially when Snuffy switches between the first and third person, but it mirrors her fractured reality and internal conflict. Her desperate wish for her husband’s peaceful passing is heartbreaking yet brimming with love. This rawness makes the book feel personal and relatable. There’s no filter, no sugarcoating, just Wingate’s unvarnished truths laid bare.
One of the most memorable aspects of the book is Wingate’s handling of time. She weaves past memories, present duties, and future dreams as if they’re interchangeable, which feels appropriate for a book centered on time travel. In one chapter, Snuffy imagines time reversing so she and her husband can relive their “first kiss,” sparking a fresh, almost whimsical hope amidst the grimness of daily routines. This blend of longing for the past and dread for the future emphasizes the book’s title; it’s the heartbreak of reliving what can never be again, despite her attempts to “zip to future” or “zip to past.”
The humor in this book is one of its strongest elements. Even in moments of frustration, Wingate finds comedic relief. This humor doesn’t detract from the emotional weight. Instead, it makes Snuffy’s pain and resilience feel even more real, grounding the narrative in the strange ways people cope.
The Heartbreak of Timetravel is a challenging yet rewarding read for anyone who’s faced caregiving, loss, or the relentless passage of time. Wingate’s unfiltered and witty approach brings authenticity to every page. I think it’s ideal for readers who appreciate memoirs that are as humorous as they are haunting, as reflective as they are raw.
Pages: 192 | ASIN : B0DD27DK6B
Aspirations and Realizations
Confessions of an Aspiring Pornographer follows a man from Brooklyn in the 1970s who aspires to make his mark in the publishing industry. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Two disparate directions come to mind that somehow merge to inspire the story contained in Confessions.
First is my life partner, my wife, desiring to know more about my past in the publishing industry of the 1960s & ’70s. She had heard tidbits and wanted to know more. Flesh it out, so to speak. We were in Florida caring for her mom, who I loved, and one ordinary work morning, Ellen said to me: “I’m going to tell you once: “I want a book from you titled: Confessions of an Aspiring Pornographer. ” It was scary. I had no alternative than to do as she wished. Love was at the root of it, for her and her mother. So I went ahead and wrote the book. It’s dedicated to her.
The second direction is the frightening truth of street life in Lower Manhattan in the middle of the night, where the Aspiring Pornographer finds himself at the beginning of his life free of the conventions of home, marriage, children, mortgage, and insurance. He is homeless, broke, and a fledgling writer. These are the conditions in which he must make himself into a published writer. But then, slowly, he gets lucky. A few angels find him a place with a roof. He finds a job in a paperback publishing company with a talented copy editor who is willing to teach him. The material Wally works on is soft-core pornography. One job is for a priest who wants and pays for a book about women with gargantuan breasts. Wally Gregory is on his way.
Wally is an inspiring writer who will take fame in whatever form he can get. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
If keeping a roof over his head and one square meal a day are ideals, then those are Wally Gregory’s ideals. At the same time, he came up with a background and education in what was called “Literature.”
He was educated in an Ivy League college with a major in the literatures of French, Russian, and Italian. On his job, however, a practical, learning enterprise for him, he gladly will write books to order under assumed names. One is Memoirs of a Whore by Anonymous. At the same time, Wally begins to write for himself in the middle of the night, before going to work.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The high-wire act between the themes of Aspirations and Realizations. Realizations, most often racy, appear in Italics. Also explored are different forms of love. The love between Wally and his Ma, for example. She is a Mute, they communicate through sign language and their hearts, which was fun and a challenge to write. Overall, the love I felt in my heart throughout the writing transformed into a desire, in the end, to make things turn out in a positive, uplifting way. I.E., Wally’s Ma gets her greeting card business, and Father returns home.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
Volume Two of Aspirations of an Aspiring Pornographer. Early stages. A year or two. It’s still fun. Thanks for asking,
Thank you, everyone. God speed.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Call him Wally. Walter Michael Gregory is a literary rogue peddling his prose and amours around 1970s Manhattan. He talks like Frank Sinatra sings, he writes truly, he is a lover par excellence, and he will charm you with his bawdy confessions.
Raised in Brooklyn by mobsters and his doting mother, Wally recounts his idyllic childhood and how he came to be such an amorous soul. Now stepping into life as a young man about town, he establishes himself in the Greenwich Village literary scene and sets out to find work, any work, in the publishing industry. What he finds is the heady rush of hobknobbing with the greats and the tough truths of working for a living. Forced to live off his literary wits, Wally finds interesting work as a copy editor, encyclopedia writer, and literary pornographer. If he can dodge lovers, hunger, meteors, and a lurking bengal tiger of his own imagining, he might realize his dream–cashing in with his prose and feeling like a writer.
From his boyhood in Brooklyn to the pastimes and pitfalls of a bachelor’s life, join Wally on this jaunt through his consciousness and a bygone big city, big book era.
Confessions of an Aspiring Pornographer
Confessions of an Aspiring Pornographer dives into the edgy, often shadowed life of Wally Gregory, a character entrenched in the gritty nuances of adult entertainment aspirations and literary dreams. Wally’s journey, peppered with vividly dark and candid reflections, takes us from the everyday cafes of New York to the deeper, more secretive corners of his ambitions and personal relationships. Valerio’s narrative is unapologetically bold, bringing to light the internal and external conflicts faced by someone on the periphery of societal norms.
Author Anthony Valerio presents a raw and unabashed look into a world where the line between art and explicit content blurs. His prose is gritty, evocative, and personal, ensuring that Wally Gregory’s life and dreams are laid bare for the reader to scrutinize. What strikes me most about Valerio’s writing style is its visceral impact. It effortlessly pulls the reader into the underbelly of literary and erotic pursuits with a blunt realism that is hard to shake off.
The book’s structure and content challenge conventional boundaries, often pushing against the comfort zones of its audience. Incorporating graphic content, not merely for shock value but as an element of the protagonist’s psyche and narrative arc, is particularly compelling. However, some readers might find the explicitness a bit too jarring.
Valerio excels in character development. Wally, along with the ensemble cast surrounding him, is crafted with a complexity that invites both empathy and critique. The interactions and dialogues are sharp, often laced with dark humor that underscores the absurdities of Wally’s dual pursuits in pornography and literature. The vivid settings, be it the bustling streets of New York or the quiet, introspective spaces of cafes and apartments, are rendered with a keen eye for detail that anchors the narrative’s more flighty ambitions.
Confessions of an Aspiring Pornographer is a bold exploration of ambition, creativity, and human desire, told through the lens of an unconventional protagonist. Anthony Valerio’s narrative style is not for the faint of heart. Still, it offers a unique and unfiltered look into the life of an individual straddling the worlds of erotica and legitimate literary aspirations.
Pages: 234 | ISBN : 1962199029
Hello
Hello by Frances Rinaldi introduces us to Frankie, a 72-year-old woman whose extraordinary journey takes her around the world. What begins with an intriguing ability to communicate with trees in her own yard soon evolves into a global quest. Frankie is on a mission to connect with and document the stories of endangered species, shedding light on the crucial link between their survival and our own.
Rinaldi’s narrative invites readers into the stunning vistas of forests and the depths of oceans, painting a vivid picture of our planet’s beauty and vulnerability. The book is more than a narrative; it’s a poignant call to action, urging us to collectively safeguard our environment. By personifying the natural world and placing Frankie at the forefront, Rinaldi effectively emphasizes the environmental impact of our actions while also suggesting the positive ripple effect of small, consistent efforts.
The level of research underpinning this book is commendable. Rinaldi’s meticulous attention to detail and her evident passion infuse the book with authenticity and depth, inspiring readers to ponder its message well after turning the final page. The book’s documentary-style approach offers a unique experience, focusing on factual presentation and immersive details, which may appeal to readers looking for a refreshing change from traditional narrative styles. Its steady pace provides a thoughtful journey through the storyline, inviting readers to deeply engage with the subject matter. This distinctive approach might especially resonate with those who appreciate a more reflective reading experience, diverging from conventional dramatic highs for a more enlightening and educational exploration.
Hello is an enriching read for anyone interested in environmental issues. If you are looking for a book that will challenge your thoughts and take you on an educational journey, then this is the perfect read for you. This thought-provoking book is an excellent choice for anyone who is open to exploring new ideas and gaining knowledge.
Pages: 208 | ASIN : B0CW66NG47
LITERARY TITAN 