Blog Archives
Fun, Unusual, and Silly
Zany Zoo Adventures with Cadie the Rescue Dog follows a lovable German Shepherd adopted from a rescue shelter who joins her family on a trip to the zoo and spends the day learning about the animals. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration was my niece who was a zookeeper and continues to work with animals in her current job. In addition, my love for animals!
In your story you packed in a lot of educational information, but still made it feel organic and not like reading a fact sheet. What was your thought process on deciding what facts to include?
I tried to include ‘fun’, unusual, and silly facts to make it fun for the reader- while learning- and not be boring!
The colorful artwork is dynamic and charming, especially the representation of Cadie. What was it like to work with Chris Schwink?
I absolutely love working with Chris. He really is talented in how he brings my stories- and visions- to light. Most people use digital illustrations where I like the raw talent of hand drawn ones, and Chris does an amazing job!
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
This is our 3rd book of the Adventures With Cadie Kids Book series and it just was released in December 2025. I have ideas for the next one already, with some outlines but unsure of when it will be finished at this time!
Author Links: Instagram | GoodReads | Facebook | Website
In her latest escapade, Cadie explores a bustling zoo with the help of a kind zookeeper who introduces her to a parade of fascinating animals―from towering giraffes to mischievous monkeys. Join Cadie as she discovers new friends and finds joy in every pawstep!
Along the way, young readers will follow a colorful zoo map, answer playful questions, and learn fun animal facts without even realizing they’re learning. With vibrant illustrations, interactive elements, and Cadie’s lovable charm, this story is perfect for families who cherish animals, adventure, and stories that spark curiosity.
Whether read aloud at bedtime or explored independently, “Zany Zoo Adventures with Cadie the Rescue Dog” invites children to laugh, learn, and believe in second chances.
Even Villains Have a Personality
The Arkencrest Chronicles: Battle for Crossroads follows an eighteen-year-old young man carrying the weight of his parents’ mysterious deaths, who joins a caravan, setting him on a path to discover his destiny. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I grew up in a home without parents and I know many other kids do as well. I was lucky enough to have a grandmother to take me in, so I feel I connect with the main character, Bourdain, on a personal level. He is basically a fantasy version of past me.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities, breaking away from some traditional fantasy tropes and giving it a fresh feel. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
I am a huge ttrpg player and Dungeon and Dragons fan. This original started as a custom setting for my roleplaying group to play our games in. I fell in love with the characters and the world so much that I felt it needed to become more. While writing it, I was running a ttrpg game set in the future and having that live feedback really help me lock in what happened and where I want the story to go, as well as help flesh out the characters.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Hope when there is none.
Everyone can make a difference, even from humble beginnings.
Light vs Dark.
Even villains have a personality.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
I see this being a full series 3-7 books depending how it flows. I tend to write on the go and don’t plot out all the details, so I guess we all will have to see where the writing takes the story.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
When swordsman Bourdain leaves home, he expects to find his true path, but never the weight of prophecy. Whispers spread of a darkness older than the gods, poised to shatter the foundations of existence. Joined by Devra, the Scoutmaster’s daughter; Braggo, a goblin airship captain; Batso, a wily smuggler; and many others. Together, they must stand against the forces of primal fury that threaten not only the kingdom, but the world at large.
Will light endure?
Or will the Devourer rise to claim the world once more.
The ADHD Awakening: A Woman’s Guide to Thriving After Diagnosis
The ADHD Awakening tells the story of a woman piecing together a lifetime of confusion, emotional intensity, and masked struggle into a clearer picture shaped by a late ADHD diagnosis. The book moves from her childhood experiences of impulsivity, shame, and missed signs into the chaos of undiagnosed adulthood, where relationships, parenting, and self-worth tangled together. It blends research with lived stories from many women, creating a guide that feels both personal and universal. The arc of the book shifts from raw memoir to a practical roadmap for self-understanding. It shows how ADHD weaves itself into every corner of life and how clarity can open the door to self-compassion.
The writing lands with this honest, almost disarming warmth, and I kept feeling like I was eavesdropping on someone telling the truth they never had the chance to say aloud. I liked that the author didn’t try to polish her past into something neat. The stories of hiding in plain sight, of dealing with rejection, of feeling intense emotions that others shrugged off hit with real weight. Some chapters made me stop and think for a moment. The moments about growing up in instability and learning to mask emotions resonated with me. They showed how misunderstood ADHD in girls can be and how easily the real story gets buried under labels like “dramatic” or “too sensitive.”
I also appreciated how the book layered science into the narrative without slipping into cold textbook talk. The explanations of executive dysfunction, emotional flooding, time blindness, and dopamine seeking were human and straightforward and strangely comforting. Sometimes I wished the pacing slowed down so that specific ideas could be explored more deeply, but the emotional honesty kept me hooked. There’s a tenderness in the way the author speaks to her younger self and to the reader. It made the book feel less like advice and more like an invitation to stop fighting your own brain.
I’d recommend this book to women who suspect they might have ADHD or who were diagnosed later in life and are now trying to make sense of the past. It’s also a great read for partners, friends, or anyone who wants to understand the emotional world behind the symptoms. If you like books that explain things with real stories instead of stiff jargon, this one will feel like a warm hand on your shoulder. It’s heartfelt, accessible, and practical, and it gives anyone navigating ADHD a sense that they’re not alone.
Pages: 319 | ASIN : B0G4SP8L38
The Meaning Behind All Human Suffering
The Shattered Ones follows a group of individuals living on a sunless Earth, thanks to pollution, who have been given the coordinates of a mysterious relic that will save the world if they can avoid capture. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wrote this novel during a time when climate change seemed to be everywhere. It was on the news, the talk shows, and online. So, I started thinking about worst case scenarios. Also, it was important to the story that this be a man-made disaster. It wasn’t something that was done to humans. It was something that humans did to themselves.
Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?
It was important to me to say all of the things I needed to say with this novel. As an artist, I can’t bring myself to do anything without a compelling reason. Besides, the novel wouldn’t have been effective otherwise. If you can give your readers something more than just what’s on the surface, you’ve done your job as a writer and an artist.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The meaning behind all human suffering was an important theme for the book. After all, if you can find meaning in that, you can find meaning in anything. Sacrifice, redemption, and hope were also present throughout. Hope was the most important one to me. I believe in the absence of hope, everything else is rendered meaningless.
Will this novel be the start of a series or are you working on a different story?
I just finished a different story. It allowed me to spend time in a different world with a different cast of characters, which was good. It made me miss Ace. I always envisioned The Shattered Ones as a trilogy, and I have now begun working on the second book.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Instagram | Facebook | Website
Anxious Amy: Calming the Worries Within
Anxious Amy: Calming the Worries Within by Deanna Bussadori is a warm, sincere story that speaks to readers of all ages. Centered on Amy, a young girl living with persistent anxious thoughts, the narrative explores the quiet effort of appearing cheerful while feeling overwhelmed inside. Through gentle rhyme, the book captures how ordinary moments can feel unmanageable when anxiety takes hold. With steady support from her mother, Amy begins working with a counselor and learns to talk honestly about her feelings. That encouragement leads her to an important realization: anxiety can be managed, and asking for help is not weakness but growth.
One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its rhythmic structure. The cadence mirrors Amy’s inner world while remaining accessible to young readers. Difficult emotions are presented with care, never feeling heavy or intimidating. Instead, the language invites empathy and understanding. Equally impactful is the portrayal of supportive adults. Amy’s mother and counselor are patient, attentive, and nonjudgmental. Their presence reinforces the idea that anxiety should not be faced alone and that a strong support system can ease stress, build confidence, and improve overall well-being.
The illustrations deserve special recognition, particularly the thoughtful use of color. Visual storytelling plays a central role in reflecting Amy’s emotional journey. At the beginning, she appears entirely in white, a clear symbol of uncertainty and self-doubt. As she begins to open up, color slowly emerges. Each new shade represents growth, self-expression, and acceptance. By the final pages, the richness of color underscores a powerful message: confronting anxiety allows Amy to feel whole, present, and authentically herself.
Anxious Amy: Calming the Worries Within is thoughtful, reassuring, and visually compelling, this book is an excellent resource for children and teens experiencing anxiety, as well as for the adults who support them. Its gentle message encourages open dialogue about mental health and offers a comforting reminder that no one has to navigate their worries alone.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B0FQ5Z58NF
You Can Overcome the Obstacles
In Dark Agent, you share with readers your extensive military experience ranging from your time in military school to your 22-year career in the Diplomatic Security Service. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I have always felt a calling to share my personal experience with those, especially who have come from challenging upbringings to show that with hard work, diligence and perseverance that you can overcome the obstacles that have been placed in your path.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you tell your story. What was the most difficult thing for you to write about?
Writing about the abuse that my mother suffered was particularly painful. It was such a dark time in my life and in my family’s life, and I had largely suppressed those uncomfortable memories. But in writing Dark Agent, those memories returned vividly and the emotions of those events are still very real.
Is there anything you now wish you had included in Dark Agent?
My grandparents, on both my mother and father’s sides, led lives that were so incredibly fascinating and successful and I believe I could have fleshed out there stories a little bit more as their influence on me has been evident in my journey.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your experiences?
The importance of service and country over self and personal gain, and the understanding of the tremendous unknown contributions that peoples of color make to the security of our nation everyday.
Author Links: Instagram | Website
Casselle was a young Army captain on 9/11 and then became a special agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). His service spans over twenty-five years and over eighty countries around the world. From saving lives under fire in Baghdad, to defending his compound in Afghanistan and hunting down international fugitives in Belize, his compelling story leads all the way to his selection to the National Security Council at The White House.
DARK AGENT, The Memoirs of L.W. Kwakou Casselle is a hard hitting, action-packed, and intensely personal part of a Black American family’s legacy of service that first began in The Civil War and will continue with the next generation of Casselles.
The Capricious Nature of Being
The Capricious Nature of Being is a collection of short stories about the unpredictable turns life takes, and how ordinary people stumble, resist, adapt, or come undone as fate nudges them down unexpected paths. The book opens by framing life as a kind of “Secret Santa,” full of surprises we never signed up for, and the stories that follow lean into that idea with characters who face moments they never planned for and can’t control. In story after story, we meet people caught between who they thought they were and who life seems determined to make them become.
As I read, I kept pausing to absorb the way author Richard Plinke writes about internal struggle. His characters are flawed in ways that feel human rather than dramatic. They think too much. Or too little. They cling to old hurts or old hopes. In “The Safe,” Hope’s entire life tilts because of a single discovered date, and the writing lets her unravel in a quiet, almost tender way. I found myself nodding along, feeling that tug between wanting the truth and wanting the comfort of not knowing. Plinke seems to enjoy letting readers sit in discomfort, not to punish us but to remind us that most turning points in real life aren’t big cinematic events. They’re small realizations that land with surprising weight.
What struck me in many of the stories is how the author uses familiar settings to explore less familiar emotional terrain. A sales manager on a bike ride. A widow cleaning out a house. Someone facing the remains of a broken relationship or a restless conscience. The ideas in the book aren’t complicated, but they’re honest, and the writing doesn’t hide behind fancy language. Sometimes the sentences hit like a quick tap on the shoulder. Other times they stretch out, winding through a character’s history the way a person might ramble when they finally feel safe enough to tell the truth.
By the time I finished the last story, I felt like I’d been listening to a friend talk through the strange business of being alive. That’s probably what I appreciated most. The book has a reflective quality that never slips into preaching. Instead, it invites you to think about your own unexpected turns and how you handled them, or didn’t. If you enjoy character-driven fiction, if you like stories that pause on the small moments where everything quietly shifts, or if you simply want a collection that feels both grounded and thoughtful, this one will likely speak to you.
Pages: 357 | ASIN : B0FFWGLNP7
Petey the Penguin wants a Banana!
Petey the Penguin wants a Banana! follows a young penguin who wakes up craving a banana, which is a funny problem for a penguin since he lives on the ice where bananas do not grow. So he swims a huge distance, wanders into a warm sunny land, and meets new friends who help him search for the fruit he wants more than anything. Together they explore beaches, roads, forests, and finally find a place full of bananas. Petey gets his long-awaited snack and then heads home after saying goodbye.
I had a good time with this story because it feels sweet and silly in the best way. The writing moves fast and keeps things light and simple. I liked how Petey just goes for it even though the problem makes no sense for a penguin. Something about that made me smile. The ideas are easy for kids to follow, and the moments of surprise kept me flipping pages. I also enjoyed the way the characters pop up one by one, each giving Petey a boost when he starts to drag. It felt warm.
The friendships felt gentle and kind. Kai shading Petey from the sun by getting a branch from a tree was cute. The banana hunt felt like a journey that a kid would imagine on a long day when everything feels big and exciting.
This children’s book works great for young kids who love animals and simple adventures. It’s a cozy story with bright art and friendly characters. If you want something sweet to read at bedtime or to spark a little imagination, Petey the Penguin wants a Banana! is a great picture book to pick.
Pages: 25
