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Entertaining and Educational
The Adventures of Moly follows a lovable therapy dog who time-travels to ancient Pompeii, befriends a Roman boy and his dog, and faces history’s greatest disasters with courage, heart, and wagging tail. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I always knew that Pompeii would be the destination for Moly in her second adventure. My wife and I visited the ruins of that ancient city on our honeymoon, and I figured that children would love a story about a civilization where a volcano erupted nearby.
How did you research Pompeii to make it come alive for young readers without making it too scary?
I focused on what life was like for everyday Pompeiians and wanted to make it relatable by having a Pompeiian child with his dog guiding Moly through the city’s streets to help steer the narrative. I felt that children would find that entertaining and educational.
The illustrations add so much warmth. Did you collaborate closely with the artist, and how did that process work?
Yes I did. First, I supplied Valeria Leonova, the illustrator, with the final draft of the story with illustration suggestions. Then she supplied illustrations for my review and approval. The process takes about eight months from start to finish.
Can you give us a hint about Moly’s next time-travel destination?
Moly will be traveling on The Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman in her third adventure.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website | Instagram
Moly isn’t just a sweet Beagle Terrier—she’s a loyal companion who brings joy to children at Renaissance Academy and adventure to everyone she meets.
But her biggest secret? She can leap through time.
This time, her paws carry her to the bustling streets of Pompeii—an ancient city full of color, laughter, and hidden danger. As Moly explores Roman life, she discovers new friends, breathtaking wonders, and the looming shadow of a disaster no one sees coming.
For kids, every page is a doorway into history. For parents, it’s a story filled with heart, courage, and the kind of magic that makes reading unforgettable.
Perfect for readers who love adventure, friendship, and stories that bring history to life. Scroll up and join Moly on her next unforgettable journey through time!
The Tralls of Mundi
The Tralls of Mundi continues the imaginative world Gayle Torrens first opened in The Tralls of Nindarry. Set in a vividly Australian-inspired fantasy land, it follows Jete and his kin as they journey to the long-awaited “Coming Together” of the tralldoms. What begins as a joyful reunion quickly twists into an adventure full of danger, mystery, and courage. Torrens builds a realm both whimsical and meaningful, where talking creatures, magical plants, and mythical beings shape a tale about loyalty, bravery, and the strength of community. It’s a story for children and young teens but layered enough to keep adults engaged, too.
Reading this book felt like wandering through a sunlit dream in a forest filled with mythical creatures. The author’s writing has warmth and rhythm. It’s easy to hear the voice of a teacher who knows how to hold a young listener’s attention. Sometimes the descriptions stretch a little long, but the detail also makes the world feel alive and real. I found myself caring about Jete and his friends. Their courage felt honest and their fears familiar. The villains are satisfyingly nasty, yet the story avoids becoming too dark. The tone stays hopeful, grounded in the belief that good hearts and brave choices matter most.
What I loved most was how Australian it felt without being heavy-handed. You can almost smell the bushland and hear the kookaburras. The dialogue has a simplicity that works. It makes the story easy to follow and keeps the fantasy believable. There are moments where I wished the pacing moved faster. Still, the heart of the story, the lessons about friendship, resilience, and doing what’s right even when you’re scared, rings true. It made me think about how small acts of courage can ripple through generations.
The Tralls of Mundi is a heartfelt and imaginative read that blends adventure with a gentle sense of wisdom. It’s perfect for young readers who love fantasy with moral depth, or for parents and teachers who enjoy reading aloud stories that spark discussion about values and bravery. It’s not just a tale of magic and tralls, it’s a celebration of storytelling itself, and it left me smiling long after I turned the last page.
Pages: 306 | ISBN : 1543198619
The Politics of Hope
Beyond the Politics of Contempt explores how ordinary Americans can move from division to dignity, offering a compassionate roadmap for healing relationships, communities, and democracy itself. Why was this an important book for you to write?
We wanted to write the book now given how much division we have in our country. Large numbers of us are fearful and untrusting of others, and many have lost hope in our democratic republic. We wish to transform this politics of fear and contempt into the politics of hope, and build a national culture of kindness, dignity, and respect. At one level, we offer practical solutions for readers who want to heal their relationships with their estranged relatives, neighbors, and friends, and in the process, strengthen their mental health. At another level, through collective action, we can strengthen our communities and nation.
You describe dignity as a “muscle” we’ve forgotten how to use. What daily practices help people strengthen it again?
For many of us, an important first step is getting in touch with our values. We have an entire chapter devoted to identifying our values, and then examining these values in relation to how we feel about others who support politicians we don’t approve of. Owning the disconnect is key to strengthening our muscle of treating others with differing political views with dignity. From there, some engage in a daily physical workshop, or a regular mindfulness meditation practice, or a frequent detox from social media “doomscrolling.” Then, we are ready to tackle conversations on issues we disagree with, becoming curious and humble toward others. We like to say “Be curious, not furious.”
In your research and experience, what’s the most common obstacle that prevents people from having “braver conversations”?
In our experience, there are several obstacles. It may be the fear that others won’t respond positively to our reaching out- -that they will not be heard by “the other side.” Sometimes it’s “Why should I reach out? They created the mess.” Interestingly, sometimes it’s our own side that presents the biggest obstacle – “How can you talk to those people?” We don’t want to alienate our tribes so we stay siloed in our echo chambers.
What gives you hope right now that America can move beyond contempt, and what signs of healing do you see emerging?
Americans are increasingly realizing that we are being manipulated by conflict entrepreneurs, a term describing forces that serve to profit or gain power from sowing division. These include some media outlets, tech companies, some politicians, and foreign powers. Americans don’t want to be taken advantage of – -we believe we are better than this. As we become more aware of the conflict entrepreneurs, our hope is that more of us will see the importance of uniting across differences, not to agree, but to treat each other with respect. We are heartened by the increased membership of Americans in groups such as Braver Angels that promote courageous citizenship, including the skills of engaging in healthy conflict rather than an “us” vs “them” mentality.
Author Links:
GoodReads: Doug Teschner | Beth Malow | Becky Robinson
X (Twitter): Beth Malow
Facebook: Doug Teschner | Beth Malow | Becky Robinson
Website: Book Website | Doug Teschner | Beth Malow | Becky Robinson
“In Beyond the Politics of Contempt, Teschner, Malow, and Robinson offer nourishment for America’s hungry soul. You’ll discover, in invitingly bite-sized chunks, a cogent analysis of how we became so polarized. Diverse in their politics and rich in expertise, these authors add in generous dollops of storytelling where they examine their own assumptions and biases, often with surprising outcomes. Then, they challenge us with intriguing exercises to explore our own role in today’s political dynamic. Take them up on the challenge. Use this book to get together with colleagues or cousins, neighbors or strangers, friends or frenemies, and explore the art of listening to understand.”
—Susan Clark, coauthor of Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home
In a climate of widespread contempt and even hatred for people who disagree politically, we can each make important contributions to better our lives, our relationships, and our country. We can stand up for what we believe while also building bridges across the political divide. While many fear for our nation’s future, there are practical steps we can each take to build hope for a better America. The book includes:Skills for greater self-awareness of how our reactions to political events and others impact our health and well-being;
Practical ways to mend relationships torn apart by politics and to empower yourself and others when difficult conversations arise;
Steps to integrate political activism and bridge building; and
Actions to rebuild a national culture of kindness, dignity, and respect.
DARKER THAN BLOOD (The Psychic Thriller Experience)
Taylor Marsh’s Darker Than Blood is a psychological and spiritual thriller that threads together trauma, intuition, and the battle between light and dark energy. It follows Gaynell Debs, a brilliant but fractured psychic researcher who investigates crimes through energetic and spiritual phenomena while confronting her own buried past. The story moves between philosophical musings on the soul and gripping scenes of investigation, murder, and mysticism. It’s part psychological study, part metaphysical manifesto, and part crime story, all wrapped in a stream of intense emotion and strange beauty.
The writing is poetic, rhythmic, almost hypnotic at times. Marsh writes with conviction, though her style can be dense, full of spiritual theories and raw inner dialogue. Still, I couldn’t look away. Gaynell’s voice is sharp, vulnerable, and maddeningly honest. I found myself torn between skepticism and belief, between wanting to shake her and wanting to protect her. The blend of astrology, psychology, and metaphysics is bold, and even when I didn’t buy every claim, I admired the audacity of it all. The emotional tension is constant, and that’s what makes it compelling, there’s never a dull page, just moments that leave you unsettled and curious.
At times, the prose teeters on the edge of chaos, but that’s part of the charm. Marsh writes like she’s chasing truth. I felt that too, reading it. The story jumps from intimate confessions to philosophical revelations, and I loved the unpredictability. The dialogue is raw and relatable, especially between Gaynell and Nun. There’s a deep current of loneliness running beneath the mysticism, and it hit me harder than I expected. The ideas about trauma, energy, and emotional alchemy are strange but oddly comforting. It’s a book that feels alive, pulsing with the author’s own search for meaning.
Darker Than Blood is a rewarding read. It’s for readers who crave intensity and don’t mind getting lost in spiritual terrain that feels dangerous and divine. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves fiction that questions reality, faith, and the limits of human understanding. Reading Darker Than Blood felt to me like stepping into the same haunted, cerebral space as The Secret History by Donna Tartt, but with a far more mystical, electric pulse running through every page.
Pages: 311 | ASIN : B0F79GQWHX
Mental Health Sounds Like This: A Creative Blueprint for Healing, Mindfulness, and Self Discovery through Music
Emma G’s Mental Health Sounds Like This is a heartfelt and deeply personal guide that blends science, storytelling, and soul. The book explores how music can be used not just as an outlet for emotion but as a structured process for healing and transformation. Through a five-step framework, sitting with emotions, identifying them, processing them, creating blueprints, and using one’s voice, Emma invites readers to reimagine music as medicine for the mind and spirit. Her journey through childhood illness, trauma, and self-reclamation becomes the backbone of this creative blueprint. It’s not a dry self-help manual but a vibrant conversation between artist and reader about resilience, identity, and the alchemy of turning pain into power.
Emma’s writing is unfiltered, conversational, and at times raw in the best way. I could feel her energy leaping off the page. It’s equal parts compassion and conviction. I loved how she combined neuroscience with personal storytelling without ever losing warmth or humor. The science sections gave weight to her ideas, while her lived experiences made the message real. There were moments when her honesty hit me square in the chest, especially when she talked about learning to use music to heal from trauma. Her vulnerability doesn’t feel performative; it feels earned. She writes like someone who’s done the work and wants to hand you the flashlight she used to find her way out.
What impressed me most was how accessible it all felt. There’s no pretension here, no jargon to trip over, no expectation that you already know how to write a song or meditate or heal. The exercises are simple, sometimes even playful, but always purposeful. I appreciated how she acknowledged that healing isn’t linear: some days you’ll feel brave, and others you’ll just feel tired —and both are okay. The tone never lectures. It encourages. There’s a rhythm to her words that mirrors the subject itself, beats of joy, chords of sadness, crescendos of strength. By the middle of the book, I wasn’t just reading about transformation. I was feeling it.
I’d recommend Mental Health Sounds Like This to anyone who’s ever used music to survive a rough patch, or anyone curious about how creativity can become a form of therapy. It’s perfect for artists, educators, and everyday folks who want to understand their emotions better and give them a voice. It’s for people who are tired of bottling things up and ready to sing them out instead. Emma G reminds us that we all have a song worth singing. And by the time you close this book, you might just start humming yours.
Pages: 169 | ASIN : B0FG1R5RQQ
The Magnificent Legend of the Steampunk Warrior
From the first page, The Magnificent Legend of the Steampunk Warrior feels like diving headfirst into a swirl of brass gears, magic dust, and heartbreak. It’s a strange and beautiful mix of time travel, friendship, and redemption. The story follows Thaddeus Might, a self-proclaimed Time Magician, along with Clyde, Arnold, Karl, and others as they tumble through centuries and worlds chasing after fragments of the fabled Golden Lion. The book blends steampunk invention with mystical lore and even a touch of science fiction, all while threading through themes of loss and second chances. It’s a wild, cinematic journey, jumping from Victorian England to alien worlds, filled with wit, wonder, and a surprising amount of emotion.
The writing is lush, full of rhythm and melody, almost poetic at times. Author M. Scott Smallwood clearly delights in language, spinning dialogue that feels both archaic and alive. Sentences twist and turn like clockwork spirals, sometimes dazzling, sometimes dizzying. Still, the characters kept me grounded. Clyde’s weariness and Arnold’s loyalty hit close to home. Thaddeus, with his tragic backstory and impossible hope, stood out the most. He’s eccentric and endearing, the kind of character who makes you smile even when he’s rambling about time’s cruel logic. What I liked most was how human it all felt beneath the fantasy, people clinging to purpose, trying to fix what can’t quite be fixed.
At times, I caught myself grinning. Other times, I found myself working to keep up with the story’s many threads. Yet, I never wanted to stop reading. There’s something earnest in the storytelling, something old-fashioned and heartfelt. You can feel the author’s joy and pain in every page, the same way you can hear a musician’s soul in the flaws of a live song. The mix of humor and heartbreak worked for me, especially when the story leaned into its quieter moments, those small pauses between battles where the characters actually breathe. That’s when the book shone brightest.
The Magnificent Legend of the Steampunk Warrior is an ambitious and oddly touching ride. I’d recommend it to readers who love sprawling adventures, old-school fantasy, and stories that aren’t afraid to get weird and sentimental. It’s messy, it’s moving, and it’s magnificent in its own peculiar way.
Pages: 268 | ASIN : B0FR2PMMPD
A Wave Without a Shore
Verde Mar’s A Wave Without a Shore is a collection of cosmic, romantic, and deeply introspective poetry that travels across galaxies of emotion. It’s the second in the Entangled Universes Trilogy and feels like an odyssey of the human heart stretched over light-years. Each poem blends science and soul, love and starlight, until the line between them vanishes. Through Sol, Andromeda, and beyond, Verde Mar crafts a journey that explores love as both gravitational and spiritual, binding beings across time and space. The book is full of tenderness and ache, and its language, though celestial, often lands close to home.
Verde Mar writes in a way that’s both fragile and fierce. The imagery burns with suns and oceans, yet it’s anchored by something deeply human: loss, longing, wonder. I caught myself rereading lines just to feel them again. Sometimes the poems seem to talk to each other, echoing themes of light, rain, and rebirth. It’s a bit like jazz; it improvises, loops back, and finds new notes in familiar chords. I liked how the poems moved between intimacy and infinity, how they made small moments, like a look or a kiss, feel as vast as galaxies.
At times, I felt a kind of dizzy awe, like I was reading the diary of a star in love with the universe. There’s a hypnotic rhythm here, but also melancholy, an awareness that love, no matter how eternal it feels, still has to live inside the temporary. Some pieces are so intimate they almost blush on the page. Others zoom out, showing humanity as one brief flash of light in a cosmic sea. Verde Mar’s voice is warm and unguarded, yet his language carries a quiet precision that feels earned. The blend of scientific metaphor with emotional truth works beautifully most of the time, though in a few spots it drifts into the abstract. Still, the overall effect is spellbinding.
I’d recommend A Wave Without a Shore to readers who love poetry that makes them both think and feel, especially those drawn to the stars and the soul at once. It’s for dreamers, musicians, lovers, and anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and felt something stir inside. The book doesn’t just ask to be read, it asks to be experienced.
Pages: 206 | ISBN : 978-1837945597
You Are Always in My Heart
You Are Always in My Heart, by Rebecca Choy, is a tender and honest children’s book about love, loss, and the power of memory. It’s told from both a grown-up’s and a child’s perspective, showing how they each face the idea of death and saying goodbye. Through gentle words and warm illustrations, it explains that while death means someone can’t come back, love never goes away. The story also gives children comforting ways to remember someone, by writing, drawing, hugging a favorite toy, or looking at photos. It’s bilingual, too, written in both English and Cantonese, which adds a special cultural touch.
This is a heartfelt children’s book. The language is simple, but the feelings are big. I found myself tearing up more than once, especially when the child wonders if the parent will die and how they’ll cope. The way the author handles that fear is so real and compassionate. There’s no sugarcoating, just honesty mixed with comfort. I also loved how it quietly teaches emotional resilience, reminding both kids and adults that it’s okay to cry, to be angry, to be scared. The writing feels like a soft hug during a hard talk.
What really stood out to me was the cultural layer about Cantonese traditions and how death is often not talked about. That part felt so important. It makes the story not just about love and grief, but about breaking the silence and giving children permission to ask tough questions. It’s thoughtful and brave, but still full of warmth. And the illustrations, crafted by Choy and her daughter Bella, are full of heart. They draw young readers into the story with a beautiful simplicity.
I’d recommend You Are Always in My Heart to parents, teachers, or anyone who wants to help a child understand loss in a gentle way. It’s not just for kids who have experienced grief, but for any family that wants to build openness and empathy. This is the kind of picture book you keep close, maybe even read together when life feels a little too big. It’s tender, healing, and full of love.
Pages: 48 | ISBN : 978-1-7389652-1-2
LITERARY TITAN 