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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 Ordinary Adventures of Somerset Soames von Hesse
The book traces the early life of Somerset Soames von Hesse, the youngest son in a missionary family that moves across continents. It follows the family from the United States to Egypt and Lebanon, then later to Colorado and beyond. The story blends personal memory with cultural snapshots. Each chapter unfolds against real historical moments, creating a timeline of growing up inside a strict religious framework while navigating friendships, dangers, family conflicts, school life, and a constant, restless search for belonging. It reads like a memoir wrapped inside a family saga, with Somerset watching the world while trying to figure out his place in it.
I found myself pulled in by the emotional honesty. The writing sometimes feels plainspoken, almost conversational, and that worked for me. It made the moments of fear, frustration, and longing hit harder. I felt a pang when little Wilfred nearly died after drinking kerosene, and the family’s panic filled the pages in a way that made me sit up straight. The author shows these moments without dressing them up. I liked that. At times, the prose wanders, but the wandering feels true to memory. I could almost hear someone telling me the story over a kitchen table. It made the world feel lived-in and messy and real.
Other times, I found myself laughing a little under my breath. Somerset’s charm, even as a tiny kid, is delightful. He’s wide-eyed, always scheming, always trying to impress girls, and it’s just so relatable. The book captures that childlike longing to be noticed, to matter, to be special. I felt protective of him. The chaotic moves, the strict expectations, and the way the adults often seem wrapped up in their own missions, while the kids try to make sense of everything around them. It stirred something in me. I kept thinking about how heavy the world can feel when you’re small and everyone else is busy doing “important things.”
By the end, I felt warm toward the story even when I was frustrated with some of the adults. I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy memoir-style storytelling, especially people interested in missionary life, cross-cultural childhoods, or family histories full of both tenderness and hardship. It’s also a good pick for anyone who likes a slow, reflective read and doesn’t mind scenes that unfold more like memory than plot.
Pages: 462 | ASIN : B0FMSC22T8
Redemption
14 Hours of Saturn follows a 24-year-old woman who has just moved into her new apartment and spends a rainy Saturday revisiting her memories of growing up, her regrets, and her hopes for the future. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When I wrote Afternoon Rebecca, it was on a dare that I couldn’t write a whole book about a couple out to dinner with each other. Once I succeeded at that, I was challenged once again, this time to write a book about a lady who is stuck at home all day in her apartment. While I took liberties with both challenges, they were both successful in meeting the said challenges.
Saturn’s memories are wonderful slices of life that readers can often see themselves in. Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?
Of course. The Venus character, at least through high school, was highly influenced by my own sister. The parts about schools closing down and having to move because of trains being built were also part of my real-life experiences. I also still work with craft sticks, which is something I started when I was about six years old. Oh, and I also have broken an egg yolk while cooking them, just like Saturn did. (You were the second reviewer to mention that happening, and when I wrote that part, I figured it to be just a simple detail that would get tucked away with Teddy Behr’s superhero t-shirts and that Thanksgiving meal side dishes.)
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Redemption. You could make mistakes, know they are mistakes while doing them, and you could also redeem yourself and be forgiven in God’s eyes.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story?
If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover? Yes, 5 Weeks of Saturn is already completed and is being edited right now. It picks up a week after 14 Hours of Saturn ended. We follow Saturn as she navigates her new job, learns more about her new town, and has entered into a budding relationship with furniture restoration man Janus Rings. This takes you through July 4th. More may follow, as much could be written about this character.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Spend the day with Saturn as she reminisces about growing up in Northwest Indiana with loving, supportive, and sometimes too lenient parents, along with an overbearing big sister named Venus. Her youth was filled with craft sticks, magazine ads, a creative mind, and enough bad decisions to last her a lifetime. She reflects on this while discovering new and wonderful things about the city she now calls home. Will it be the dream she kept having, or another dead-end road for her?
This was written by the same author who wrote the Afternoon Rebecca series. It is not a part of that series, but it is in the same universe.
Difference in Perspective
Conversations with My Mother tells the tender and heartbreaking story of a son watching his mother fade into dementia. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I started writing the book after a weeklong stay with my mother, during which she’d been diagnosed with vascular dementia. Afraid that the mother I’d known was fast disappearing, I began visiting and calling her as often as possible. Consequently, from her initial diagnosis through her passing several years later, I periodically witnessed both firsthand and at a remove her growing disorientation and anxiety as well as her increasing bursts of candor and flights of fancy. It was this on-again, off-again exposure to the effects of her condition that led to the episodic construction of the book, whose chapters recount particular days or moments in the course of the heroine’s long and debilitating illness.
Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?
Since Conversations With My Mother is a kind of fictionalized memoir, many of the narrator Rob’s emotions and perceptions reflect my own. From 70 to 80 percent of the book’s events are based on memories, though some were melded or otherwise modified to support its narrative and thematic development.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The book’s central theme is that loss is not always as complete as it might seem. Though a dementia victim’s personality may fade or shatter, fragments of it often remain, and we should do our best to recognize, respect, and cherish them, however few.
Another important theme is the disparity between a geographically distant offspring’s experience of a parent’s dementia and that of an offspring who is a caregiver and, as such, in constant contact with the parent. For example, the book’s narrator, Rob, lives several states away from his mother, so he experiences her decline only in periodic phone calls and visits, whereas his sister, Diane, her primary caregiver, experiences its consequences daily. This leads to a difference in perspective between the two, with Rob being more focused on the emotional and Diane on the practical. Rob, from his insulated remove, occasionally glosses over or sentimentalizes issues, which is easy to do from a distance, while Diane, being in the thick of caregiving, sometimes feels overwhelmed and becomes impatient, which is understandable, given the demanding, continuous nature of caregiving. Neither perspective is more valid than the other. Each is simply the result of the character’s particular circumstances.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when is that book due out?
My next book is a family saga describing the experiences of a French-Canadian immigrant woman from the dawn of the 20th century through the 1980s, contrasting her early life’s poverty and hardships with the different challenges faced by her more affluent children and grandchildren. Like Conversations with My Mother, it’s based on my family’s history, drawing on the experiences of both my maternal and paternal grandmothers. I expect it to be ready for publication sometime in 2027.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Distinguished Favorite, New Fiction, 2025 Independent Press Award
Honorable Mention, 2021 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
14 Hours of Saturn
14 Hours of Saturn is a slice-of-life story told through the eyes of Saturn O Syres, a 24-year-old woman spending what seems like an ordinary Saturday that slowly becomes anything but. The book unfolds in real time, each chapter named after the hour, moving from morning to evening as Saturn’s day reveals her past, her regrets, her humor, and her heart. She speaks straight to the reader like an old friend over coffee, weaving stories about family, faith, and self-discovery while the rain taps outside her apartment window. It’s a quiet, thoughtful narrative about being alone but not lonely, about making peace with who you’ve been and who you still want to become.
Kizman’s writing is plainspoken and unpretentious, which makes Saturn feel real. She rambles sometimes, circles back, drifts into childhood memories, then lands hard on a feeling that hits home. I liked that her voice wasn’t polished or filtered. It’s messy, but that’s how real people sound when they’re figuring themselves out. The pacing surprised me. Nothing explodes or catches fire, yet I couldn’t stop turning the pages. The small moments like a dream, a broken yolk, or a memory of a sister, pile up into something relatable. The humor sneaks in when you least expect it, softening the heavier reflections about family and faith.
Kizman writes like someone who isn’t afraid of detail. A scene about breakfast can stretch into pages, but then I’d catch myself smiling at a line or nodding at a truth tucked inside all that talk. There’s a rhythm to it, like spending a rainy day indoors when you’ve got nowhere else to be. The emotional honesty makes up for the slower pace. It’s warm, a bit awkward, and completely sincere. You can tell the author loves his characters, flaws and all.
By the end, I felt like I’d spent those fourteen hours with Saturn myself. The story leaves you calm but thoughtful, the way a good talk with a friend can. I’d recommend 14 Hours of Saturn to readers who appreciate character-driven stories more than action-packed ones. If you like books that make you feel seen in small, ordinary ways, and honest writing that sounds like conversation, this one’s for you. It’s gentle, a little quirky, and full of heart.
Pages: 332 | ASIN : B0FRB8589W
Conversations With My Mother, a Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast
Conversations with My Mother tells the tender and heartbreaking story of a son watching his mother fade into dementia. Set on the coast of Maine, the book unfolds through small, vivid vignettes that capture the everyday beauty and sorrow of a family coping with loss long before death arrives. Through these fragments, each like a brief conversation or memory, the narrator shows his mother’s slow descent into confusion and fragility, while also revealing flashes of her wit, compassion, and stubborn humor. It’s as much about remembering as it is about forgetting, about holding on when life insists on letting go. The setting, with its shifting skies and sea winds, mirrors the mother’s mind, sometimes calm and lucid, sometimes clouded and unpredictable.
Reading this book felt like sitting in a quiet room, listening to two people who love each other deeply but know time is running out. The writing is simple yet piercing, with a kind of understated poetry that sneaks up on you. I found myself laughing at the mother’s dry remarks one moment and then, without warning, feeling my throat tighten the next. Gilbert doesn’t dramatize dementia; instead, he honors it with honesty. The story never begs for pity. It just shows life as it is, messy, unfair, beautiful. I admired how the author used humor to cut through the sadness. It’s the kind of humor that comes from people who’ve lived long enough to know that grief and laughter are two sides of the same coin.
What struck me most was the way Gilbert made the ordinary feel sacred. A drive to a hair salon, a walk to the beach, a chat about blueberries, these moments hold whole worlds of memory and meaning. The mother’s voice lingers long after you finish, a mix of sharp wit, old-world grace, and quiet resignation. There were times I wanted to reach into the page and hold her hand. The author’s restraint, his refusal to sugarcoat or sensationalize, gives the book its power. It’s a love letter wrapped in loss.
I’d recommend Conversations with My Mother to anyone who has cared for an aging parent or watched a loved one slip away piece by piece. It’s not a light read, but it’s a comforting one, full of truth and tenderness. This book is for readers who value quiet stories that move slowly and hit hard. It left me sad but grateful, reflective but strangely uplifted. Gilbert reminds us that even as memory fades, love stays, steady, stubborn, and shining through the fog.
Pages: 315 | ASIN : B0DHW9B73V
Deserving of Grace
Should Have Told You Sooner follows a museum professional navigating the complexities of motherhood, the aftermath of divorce, and a career opportunity that leads her abroad. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea for Should Have Told You Sooner came to me while I was immersed in a book of Welsh folk tales. One story in particular, “The Lady of Llyn Y Fan Fach,” captivated me and set my imagination racing. In it, a young farmer named Gwyn visits the lake named in the title, and while he is there, a most beautiful fairy rises from the water and speaks to him. She is Nelferch, and in an instant, Gwyn is in love. Nelferch agrees to marry him, sacrificing the watery world she knows for a life with him on dry land, but their union ends in disappointment and pain. Long after finishing the story, I kept thinking about Nelferch and Gwyn and all the ways we might harm those we profess to love. It wasn’t long before I stopped thinking about the folk tale characters and began imagining a more contemporary pair.
What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Noel?
After Noel leaves a heart-to-heart talk with Henry, the young artist she’s been working with, she makes a side trip to an art museum instead of returning right back to work. Their conversation has shaken her – and I won’t say why because spoilers! – and as she’s walking through all the London neighborhoods that were her haunts while she was a student, both Henry’s words and her memories are running through her head, and she’s letting them. Until this moment, she’s been the person who put her memories in a box and closed the lid tight on them because the idea of revisiting that part of her life was too painful. I think it becomes clear here how hard it’s been for her to live with the memories and also how hard it’s been to live without acknowledging them, and not only for herself. She realizes something has to change.
Is there any moral or idea that you hope readers take away from the story?
I always hope my stories make readers think about how complex and flawed and yet deserving of grace we all are. That living is all about change and growth and doing the work that helps us heal both ourselves and our relationships with others.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Should Have Told You Sooner, and I have two other novel projects that are in early planning stages. If the sequel is finished within the year, it could be out as early as 2027.
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While studying art history at a London university, Noel Enfield falls passionately in love with aspiring artist and art school student Bryn Jones. Shortly after Bryn leaves for a five-month painting trip through Italy, Noel discovers she is pregnant. She is ecstatic and believes Bryn will be too—they have plans to marry, after all. But mishaps part the two lovers, and a desperate Noel makes a split-second choice to move forward in a way that will change not only her life but also the lives of everyone she loves.
Three decades later, when she is offered a six-month secondment to a London museum, Noel decides it’s time to prove she really has moved on from that difficult period by returning to the city where she met and lost Bryn. But rather than proving she has persevered, the move lands Noel in the thick of London’s insular art world, with only one or two degrees of separation from her past and the people she once loved. After she reconnects with an old, dear friend and learns finally what kept Bryn from returning to her all those years ago, the very underpinnings of her life are rocked to their core. Some decisions made in the past can never be put behind her, she realizes, and armed with this new understanding, she sets out on a journey to reclaim what—and who—she left behind.
Should Have Told You Sooner
Should Have Told You Sooner is a layered story about family secrets, fractured love, and the tug-of-war between past choices and present consequences. At its heart is Noel, a museum professional navigating divorce, motherhood, and a career-defining opportunity abroad. Interwoven with her journey are letters from a boy in Leeds who slowly learns the truth about his adoption. The alternating voices expose the pain of what is spoken too late and what is left unsaid altogether. It’s a book that ties personal identity to memory, regret, and the relentless need for truth, while reminding us that silence in families can echo across decades.
I found myself swept up in Noel’s storyline most of all. She is flawed and frustrating, yet deeply human. Her desire to claim her career while holding onto her stepdaughter felt messy and real. The scenes with Alice carried such emotional weight that I felt the sting of rejection right alongside Noel. At the same time, I felt anger at her evasiveness. The title fits perfectly, so much of the pain in the book comes from words that were never said out loud until far too late. Ward’s writing style is sharp but also tender, with a knack for making small domestic details shimmer with meaning. Sometimes the prose slowed down with repetition, yet I rarely minded because it mirrored the weight of memory and hesitation.
What lingered with me most, though, was the emotional thread of the boy’s letters. His innocent hope and later confusion as he uncovered his past had a rawness that pulled at me. Those chapters broke up Noel’s present-day turmoil in a way that heightened both storylines. I found myself wanting to protect him, while also feeling frustrated at the adults around him who thought hiding the truth would shield him from pain. That mix of sadness and frustration stayed with me even after I finished the book.
Should Have Told You Sooner is a moving exploration of the cost of silence and the bravery it takes to speak truths we’ve buried. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction about family, adoption, and second chances. It will especially resonate with anyone who has felt the weight of secrets in their own family or who has struggled to balance personal ambition with love and responsibility.
Pages: 256 | ASIN : B0FDBLX3BD
LITERARY TITAN 