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Building Healthy Connections
Coco Goes Skating follows a young girl who sees people in the park wearing shoes with wheels, and becomes curious and wants to try them for herself. What was the inspiration for your story?
My childhood memories of learning to skate about the age of seven, is the same sport I love today.
Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your story?
Yes, I had lots of fun roller skating as a child in tennis shoes roller skates, then as I got older roller blades, and winning a race as a young adult at a skating rink some years ago.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
Parental support helping them build healthy connections with their children through the sport of Roller skating and the journey, the process, and the fun kids can have learning to roller skate and ice skate.
What other adventures do you have planned for Coco in the future?
I am still in the formation stages of new books for her as she grows up and continues to explore new life adventures.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Coco because curious about the shoes
and wants a pair of her own.
Experienced Coco’s skating adventure
in 3D style.
as she rolls her way into lots of fun.
The Ruinous Curse: Apadora Rising
Apadora Rising follows Barrett, a young prince thrust into impossible battles and choices, wrestling with magic, loss, and the burden of leadership. Alongside a close-knit band of companions, he faces treachery, uncertain alliances, and forces greater than he can control. The book pulls readers through lands filled with dragons, sorcery, betrayal, and grief, all while exploring the cost of destiny and the question of what it means to be a leader.
This was an exhilarating coming-of-age fantasy novel. The pacing swung wildly from sharp, fast-moving battles to slow, emotional moments that lingered, and I found myself invested. The author’s style is bold and unafraid to lean into melodrama, though it matched the intensity of the world he built. I often admired the way he layered tension on top of grief, particularly in Barrett’s mourning of his father. Those passages hit hard. The banter often lightens the mood of this otherwise high-stakes adventure story.
I was surprised by how often I cared deeply for the characters. The fragile loyalty between friends, the burden Barrett shoulders, and the flickers of vulnerability woven into big, fiery scenes gave the story its heart. The dragons, too, were written with such presence that I caught myself smiling whenever they appeared.
Apadora Rising is a book best suited for middle-grade readers who crave high fantasy drenched in feeling, who don’t mind a bit of melodrama with their magic, and who want to lose themselves in a sprawling tale of loyalty, sorrow, and stubborn courage. Apadora Rising reminded me of Eragon by Christopher Paolini, with its mix of young heroes, dragons, and the weight of destiny pressing down on every choice. If you’re the kind of reader who wants dragons soaring, kingdoms falling, and friendships tested to the breaking point, this one’s worth your time.
Pages: 319 | ASIN : B0CDHHK6SR
The Brothers of Dane
D.B. Havoc’s The Brothers of Dane begins as a tale of mischief and theft, but it quickly expands into something much grander. On the surface, the novel follows Balran, Mak, and Dag, three notorious outlaws whose exploits make them both feared and strangely admired. What starts as a high-society robbery soon spirals into a quest tied to ancient artifacts, the legendary city of Dhravendor, and the fabled Udin Stone. Beneath the adventurous exterior lies a narrative about loyalty, betrayal, and the often-fractured bonds that hold families, chosen or otherwise, together.
The opening scene at Counselor Imara Enas’s estate establishes this duality immediately. The cultivated elegance of an elven dinner party collides with the chaos of the Brothers’ sudden intrusion, led by Balran’s dryly menacing declaration: “This is a robbery.” The episode is both dramatic and darkly humorous, and it illustrates Havoc’s ability to balance tones with confidence. The moment also introduces Maeve, whose tense but charged interaction with Mak provides an early glimpse of the interpersonal conflicts that run beneath the novel’s more visible plot.
The novel’s strongest element is the interplay between the brothers themselves. Their dialogue is sharp, unpolished, and filled with an authenticity that makes their quarrels and camaraderie equally compelling. Dag, for instance, provides a mix of cynicism and biting humor, as when he mocks Mak’s affection for Maeve through his song “Sweet Maeveriene”. Balran assumes the role of pragmatic leader, while Mak wrestles with the tensions of his half-elven identity. Together, they form a partnership that feels volatile but indispensable, and it is this sense of lived-in brotherhood that makes the narrative resonate beyond its adventurous trappings.
The scope of the story broadens dramatically with the introduction of Emperor Elric Veshlor, the so-called Sun Eagle. The confrontation in the Tower of Tiriel, particularly the battle with a shadowed figure whose blows are revealed to fall from a wooden blade, is a pivotal moment. Elric’s eventual appearance transforms the narrative from one of petty thefts into an epic struggle intertwined with exile, history, and the hope of redemption. The Brothers’ shifting responses, debating whether to assist, betray, or outwit the emperor, add moral complexity and highlight Havoc’s interest in the gray spaces between honor and survival.
By its conclusion, The Brothers of Dane reveals itself as more than an adventure tale. Havoc blends action with myth, allowing the reader to move seamlessly from tavern brawls to weighty reflections on power, freedom, and legacy. At times, the exposition particularly in the sections concerning the Treaty of Maltran Heights and the dwarven astrolabe leans heavily on lore. Yet even these passages contribute to the sense that the Brothers are entangled in a world where their small-scale ambitions intersect with forces far greater than themselves.
The Brothers of Dane is recommended for readers who appreciate fantasy that is bold, atmospheric, and character-driven. It will appeal especially to those who enjoyed the grit of Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora or Christopher Buehlman’s The Blacktongue Thief. Havoc has crafted a story that captures both the recklessness of outlaw life and the enduring weight of myth, producing a work that is as much about the bonds of brotherhood as it is about treasure and survival.
Pages: 302 | ASIN : B0DPR7YM66
Resurrection, a Beyond the Faerie Rath Novel
Resurrection is the second book in Hanna Park’s Beyond the Faerie Rath series, and it plunges straight into a lush, myth-soaked world of Irish folklore, family secrets, and otherworldly battles. The novel follows Calla, a young woman caught between two identities. She is both the adopted daughter of mortals and the blood-born child of Finvarra, King of the Faeries. This duality drives the story as Calla confronts her strange visions, her tangled sense of belonging, and the weight of her destiny. Alongside her, we meet Colm, Ciarán, and a host of mortals and immortals whose lives tangle in love, grief, betrayal, and the ever-thickening shadows of war between worlds.
Reading Resurrection reminded me of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, but with a sharper mythological backbone and a darker and more haunting atmosphere rooted in Irish folklore. What struck me first was the writing itself. Park has a way of spinning language that feels alive, almost like it breathes. Her descriptions of the Otherworld are thick with sensory detail. At times, the imagery is overwhelming, but I found myself drawn to it, letting it wash over me like waves. It added to the dreamlike quality of the book. The dialogue is what anchored me. Calla’s sharp tongue, her refusal to bow to anyone, even a faerie king, gave the story a grit that balanced the lyrical flow of the prose.
Beyond the style, it was the ideas that resonated with me. Family, choice, identity, these aren’t new themes, but Park gives them an edge by setting them against myth. Calla’s push and pull with Finvarra felt both ancient and painfully modern. Who hasn’t wrestled with the weight of family expectations, or the question of whether blood defines us? The battles, the shape-shifting, the omens of doom, they’re grand and dramatic, but they all circle back to something intimate: a young woman figuring out who she is and what she’s willing to fight for. That hit me harder than I expected.
The author doesn’t hand over tidy answers. She leaves you standing with Calla, teetering between two worlds, unsure which one feels more like home. I’d recommend this book to readers who love fantasy rooted in myth, who want their escapism tangled up with questions that bite. If you’re willing to wander through mist and shadow, to wrestle with beauty and terror in equal measure, then Resurrection is well worth the journey.
Pages: 268 | ASIN : B0FKDLGSFN
The Lie That Changed Everything: The Memoir of a Little Rascal
From the first page, Gary Trew makes it clear this is no sugarcoated stroll down memory lane. The Lie That Changed Everything is a memoir that blends sharp humor, biting honesty, and painful recollections into a story that feels both chaotic and deeply human. Trew recounts his early years with a mix of wit and grit, pulling readers through family dysfunction, childhood scrapes, and the bruising aftermath of being raised in a world where love often arrived tangled in trauma. It’s a tale of survival told with an irreverent laugh, even as it shines a light on moments of loneliness, rejection, and heartbreak.
I was taken in almost immediately by Trew’s voice. His writing has a rhythm that swings between wild comedy and gut-punch sadness, and that constant shift kept me hooked. Some chapters had me laughing at his absurd family stories, while others had me pausing to let the weight of what he endured sink in. The mix is unusual, but it works. He doesn’t let the pain take over, and he doesn’t let the jokes cheapen the truth either. At times, I found myself frustrated with the sheer cruelty he describes, but then he’d toss in a line of dark humor, and it felt like sitting in a pub listening to a mate tell a story he can only tell because he survived it.
There were moments where the writing felt a little jagged, but that roughness actually added to the authenticity. It made me feel like I was being trusted with unpolished truths rather than a neatly packaged memoir. I also found myself admiring his willingness to talk about shame, resentment, and fear without dressing them up. His honesty struck me as both brave and disarming. The book reminded me that family histories are rarely tidy, and sometimes the best way to survive them is to laugh at the madness and keep moving forward.
By the time I reached the final chapters, I felt both drained and strangely uplifted. This isn’t a book for someone who wants a gentle or inspirational memoir. It’s for people who appreciate raw honesty, gallows humor, and the messy beauty of a life that didn’t follow the script. If you’ve ever grown up feeling like the odd one out, or if you’re drawn to stories that reveal both the scars and the resilience of childhood, this book will resonate.
Pages: 278 | ASIN : B0FGKN1M47
Fists in the Eye that Blinks on a Pin
Dyson Russell’s Fists in the Eye that Blinks on a Pin is a collection of poetry that feels both raw and surreal, like wandering through a dream where images refuse to sit still. The book moves between moments of tenderness and moments of violence, never giving the reader a chance to feel completely safe. Themes of memory, loss, and fractured identity recur throughout, tied together by vivid and sometimes startling metaphors. It’s the kind of collection where one poem can feel like a quiet confession and the next like a scream across a darkened room.
I found myself both unsettled and deeply moved. Russell writes with a kind of reckless honesty that doesn’t apologize for being strange or uncomfortable. Sometimes the words tripped me up, and I had to pause and reread, but I didn’t mind. The language has teeth, and that’s part of its pull. What I admired most was the way the poems manage to be experimental without drifting into nonsense. Even in their most chaotic moments, they circle back to something recognizable and relatable, like grief that feels both personal and universal.
The repetition of despair, loss, and fractured imagery can weigh heavily after a while. Still, I can’t deny that the intensity is part of what makes this book what it is. Russell doesn’t water anything down, and that kind of boldness is rare. It felt like stepping into someone else’s storm and just staying there until the clouds passed.
I would recommend this book to readers who crave poetry that doesn’t play it safe. If you like writing that feels visceral, experimental, and emotionally unfiltered, this collection will stay with you long after you put it down. It’s not for someone looking for light verse or easy comfort, but if you want to wrestle with language and feel something real, Fists in the Eye that Blinks on a Pin is worth your time.
Pages: 110 | ISBN : 1763820602
Oh No There’s Poo On My Shoe
A quiet moment between mother and son takes an unexpected turn when the little boy makes a startling announcement: there’s poo on his shoe. Hardly a tragedy, yet to him, it feels like the end of the world. His mother, calm and resourceful, seizes the moment to offer perspective. Through playful rhymes, she reminds him that life holds far greater misfortunes, and this small mishap is nothing he can’t handle.
Oh No, There’s Poo on My Shoe, written by Lisa Rita, delivers its message with humor, charm, and a touch of whimsy. The story is paired with lively, colorful illustrations that spark a child’s imagination, reminiscent of the spirited style of Dr. Seuss.
The book is brisk in length and perfectly pitched for its intended audience: younger children who delight in rhyme and rhythm. While older readers may quickly outgrow it, the target group will find both fun and comfort in its cheerful verses. The tone remains lighthearted throughout, with no gloom or peril, just a warm reminder that not every problem is worth despair.
At its core, the lesson is a timeless one. Life will present spills, stumbles, and yes, even the occasional step in something unpleasant. But resilience comes from perspective, recognizing that difficulties, however messy, are rarely insurmountable. Rita conveys this idea in a way that feels effortless, never heavy-handed, and entirely accessible to young readers.
Oh No There’s Poo On My Shoe is both a diversion and a gentle guidepost. It entertains with humor while planting an early seed of optimism. Parents looking for a story that combines laughter with a valuable outlook on life will find this a delightful addition to any child’s library.
Pages: 15 | ASIN : B0CPT9N73W
LITERARY TITAN 