Blog Archives
The Great Hunter
Kel Paisley’s The Great Hunter follows the life of Garetto, a young man living in Mesolithic Britain about 10,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherer tribes struggled to survive in harsh landscapes shaped by ice, wind, and rising seas. At its heart, the story is about love and loyalty. Garetto longs to wed Harenshi, a woman whose father not only disapproves of him but actively threatens their bond. What unfolds is a tapestry of tribal politics, sacred rituals, dangerous hunts, and the daily fight for food and honor. The novel blends historical imagination with intimate storytelling, letting the reader step into a time when survival and tradition dictated nearly everything.
The writing is vivid, almost cinematic, and the world feels tactile. But at times, the descriptions ran long. The dialogue, though, had a sharp edge. It carried both warmth and menace, and I often felt the tension of being in a camp where every look and every word could spell danger. I liked that it didn’t sugarcoat the violence of the time or the rawness of relationships. It made the book feel honest, though also heavy.
What struck me most was how much of the book pulsed with longing. Garetto’s love for Harenshi is desperate, almost reckless, and it pulled me in. I felt for him, even when he acted out of pride or anger, because his emotions rang true. The book made me think about how love, fear, and family ties have always shaped human lives, no matter the era. Still, I’ll admit there were moments when I wanted less ritual detail and more forward momentum, but the ideas always kept me hooked. The mix of survival and spirit, blood and devotion, felt raw and human.
This is not a light read. It’s immersive, dense, and full of grit. I would recommend The Great Hunter to readers who enjoy historical fiction that leans into the primal side of human nature. If you want an adventure that is full of danger and love, and you’re seeking a story showing a clash between tradition and desire, this book is for you.
Pages: 453 | ASIN : B0FM58B2TW
Walk With Me
Walk With Me follows the story of Nelson “Pappy” Thompson, a former park ranger, and his grandson Skyler, as they build a bond through hikes, camping trips, and the shared magic of the outdoors. At its heart, it’s a generational tale about passing down knowledge, love, and courage, framed by vivid memories of trails, rivers, and mountain skies. Their adventures are often simple on the surface, pitching a tent, cooking over a fire, naming stars, but they carry deep lessons about trust, resilience, and the ties that hold families together.
Reading it, I found myself smiling one moment and swallowing hard the next. It feels like someone sitting across the table, telling you about their family. Sometimes the dialogue made me laugh, especially when Skyler misunderstood his Pappy’s phrases, and sometimes I felt a sting in my chest, especially when the bond between the old man and boy shone through. I’ll admit, there were spots where the pacing slowed and the descriptions got a bit detailed, but even then, I didn’t mind. It just felt like Pappy lingering on the trail, not in a rush to get home.
What struck me most was the emotion packed into the quiet moments. The way Pappy teaches through stories instead of lectures reminded me of my own grandparents. It’s gentle wisdom, not forced. The author manages to make simple scenes, like finding sea glass on the beach or learning to ration water, carry weight. I also enjoyed the occasional sketch-like illustrations scattered through the book. They were simple yet charming, and they breathed life into certain scenes.
I’d recommend Walk With Me to readers who value heart and who enjoy stories about family, the outdoors, and the lessons we hand down through generations. It’s perfect for parents, grandparents, or anyone who has ever wanted to hold on to a memory of time spent together in nature. It’s a book that made me laugh, sigh, and think.
Pages: 195 | ASIN : B0FP2S5LRP
Deferred Redemptions
Change is inevitable; growth is optional. Sometimes the changes you dream of await your participation. Sometimes they start and proceed without your design or approval. But changes happen in the quietest moments, the smallest beginnings, almost selectively. It’s the greatest and most satisfying of mysteries if one is lucky enough to realize when such change starts. ‘Somewhere, Sister’ tells of Esmeralda and Esperanza, two sisters who dream of a different life but; can they find it before its too late?
One wants safety: the other love. ‘Adam And Eve’ – He insists on this trip; she doesn’t understand why. Why here in the desert?
Now, and like this? Then she arrives and once she lets go; everything comes into place. ‘Encore Collision’ – Bandmates Tim Walsh and Tommy Richards must make one more performance; one they’ve expected and feared for over forty years. ‘Genetic Anguish’ – a grandson recalls the summer he witnessed the disconnect between his father and grandfather and now considers how it may affect his son.
Americans and Ex-Nazis Working Together
A Cry for Vengeance follows a professor and writer investigating war criminals who learns of ex-Nazis living in hiding who were recruited as Cold War spies, and now he faces a moral dilemma with deadly consequences. What was the inspiration for your story?
I was inspired to write my novel after reading a non-fiction book titled, The Spy Next door. The author provided detailed accounts of ex-Nazis living in this country under the protection of the U.S. Government. For years I had believed that most ex-Nazis had fled to South America, and so I was shocked to learn that many had come to the United States under a secret government program that allowed them to live and work as free men. The unbelievable story of Americans and ex-Nazis working together intrigued me, and so I decided to write a fictional account based on facts and revelations that have come to light since the end of the Cold War.
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
Over a period of months I read numerous accounts, not only about the recruitment of ex-Nazis, but also about their victims, living and deceased. Much of what I wrote, especially about the Holocaust survivors is based on true stories published in various books and journals.
I find that authors sometimes ask themselves questions and let their characters answer them. Do you think this is true for your characters?
This is true. The protagonist in my novel is faced with a moral dilemma that blurs the line between good and evil, causing him to ask if he should seek justice or revenge. The question will nag him throughout the entire story, leaving me to wonder what I would do if I were in his shoes.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’ve just completed another thriller titled A Rush to Judgment. The plot centers around two women: an exotic dancer who had been unjustly charged with a crime and sent to prison where she died from Covid. The other, a Native American woman, serving in the Army in Afghanistan, where she was brutally raped by her fellow soldiers. Shortly after her return to the U.S., she committed suicide. The two women did not know each other but they had something in common that is revealed halfway into the story. The novel will be published sometime next year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Moments before his death, Karl Muller, a terminally ill patient, makes a chilling confession to nurse Helen Darby: he’s a former Nazi guard responsible for thousands of deaths at Treblinka concentration camp. Shocked but determind, Helen enlists the help of Bryan De Luca, a professor experienced in investigating war criminals.
Their search leads to disturbing revelations–Muller, along with numerous ex-Nazis, was secretly recruited by American intelligence as Cold War spies. Soon, De Luca finds himself trapped between ruthless contractors protecting Nazis and the militant group Jews for Justice, seeking vengeance. When violence erupts, and De Luca is thrust into mortal danger, he faces an impossible choice: protect killers or unleash vengeance.
A powerful tale of secrets, betrayal, and moral reckoning. Buy now to uncover the hidden truths of a chilling conspiracy and its deadly consequences.
A Dark, Morally Ambiguous Story
The Grotesque follows three people, each broken in their own ways, who are haunted by childhood trauma and seeking to escape it and control their own futures. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My original concept was to tell a story about three people who each saw the world in very different ways due to their individual experiences. I envisioned a scene of three people sitting together in a café that sat across from a park. In the park would be a father, yelling corrections out to his young son as they tossed a football back and forth. One of the three in the café might perceive a wonderful father-son moment, something they never had as a child. The second might feel disgusted or angered by the sight of a father berating his son for not being good enough. And the third might feel heartbroken by the sight of the young boy, nearly in tears, trying and failing to please his dad, too afraid to tell his father that he clearly doesn’t enjoy football. The exact same sight, but three different perspectives based solely on individual experience.
Of course, this would be a boring scene to write at length, let alone read. But I loved the idea behind it. And the most interesting aspect, to me, was the exploration of how three such people might have very similar backgrounds but react in extremely different ways due to slight differences in their original perspectives. And trauma seemed a fitting place to start since it would create such a larger, more intricate reaction across their entire lives.
I felt that your book delivers the drama so well that it flirts with the grimdark genre. Was it your intention to give the story a darker tone?
I love the grimdark comparison! Yes – absolutely, my intent was always for this to be a dark, morally ambiguous story. The first image I had for this story was the little boy hiding beneath the bed, which became a recurring theme throughout the story. Things were never going to lighten up much from there.
My characters were affected by childhood trauma—physical and/or emotional. So, while what happened to each of them was definitively wrong, their responses to it would always be much less black and white. They’re each responding to the darkness that shaped them, all while living in a society that never stepped up to help them when they needed it most, so they’re naturally going to be skeptical of the world. While they’re dependent on their own survival instincts, they also feel a responsibility to save others from suffering their same fates, but lack the role models to guide them. So it’s fitting that the story would involve characters who do seemingly horrible things, but for reasons they believe are morally good. And some of their decisions will accordingly go very wrong.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
There are several themes that I hope will emerge from The Grotesque. Family is a big one, both actual and found. Within that, there’s also the theme of self-reliance and how it may be in conflict with our connection to the world, specifically in seeking help when we need it most. These also impact the ideas of perceived guilt and assumed responsibility.
The biggest theme, though, to me, is the question of how we see ourselves in the world. The person we feel we could be versus the person we think we actually are in everyday life versus the person others see. This gets played out a lot in the Frankenstein comparisons within the novel. And it encompasses the entire story as a question of perspective itself and how it shapes the ways we might interpret the world, ourselves, and each other.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
There were several variations of this story. In converting the original screenplay version into a novel, I wanted two things: to get it on paper, and to explore all the tiny details of every scene – details that you don’t add to a screenplay. That first novel version was a tad boring and overwritten. It was also light on emotion, which was the point of telling the story in the first place.
For the rewrite, I wanted to find a way to dig deeper into the minds of my characters and to really see the world through their eyes. In other words, I wanted to learn to become a much better writer than I’d previously been. I also wanted to ‘find my voice as a writer.’ You hear that phrase a lot when reading books on writing, and I’d never fully understood it before, until I really started to narrow down what it was that I loved about certain other writers.
I also wanted to free myself from caring how my writing might sit with a general crowd. Of course, I want people to like, even love my book, but it doesn’t need to be everyone. I know my writing style won’t be for everyone. And that’s okay. I needed to do what was right for me and for the story I had to tell.
Author Links: GoodReads | BlueSky | Facebook | Website | Amazon
It was their house. He had no right. No right at all. But that man took what he wanted, just to cap off that sad little boy’s already unspeakable childhood. And for the next thirteen years, that pathetic useless child would cower and hide, hallucinate and obsess. Thirteen years. Until the past started circling back.
This Halloween, one way or another, things are going to change.
Because the focus of that boy’s obsession—that desperate, failing dancer—has an agenda of her own: to escape his watchful eye and rid herself of the volatile boyfriend who takes anything he wants. To live the dream she’s worked so hard to achieve.
For Katrina, Jared, and Michael, every dream for the future is forever chained to the traumas of their childhoods. But it all ends when they become integral parts of a deadly masquerade to absolve the guilt-ridden secrets of the past.
No more living in the shadows. It’s time to spotlight the ugly truth. In a world where the innocent are broken, beaten, and betrayed, everything is a dance. Everyone is the audience.
It’s time to make it or break it all.
Cancer Chronicles: Veilwalker Volume 2
Cancer Chronicles: Veilwalker is a haunting and deeply personal tapestry of suffering, endurance, and faith. The book weaves together memoir and allegory, faith and despair, hope and the supernatural. It begins as the story of a man’s grueling double life, working endless shifts and ignoring the quiet signals of collapse, before spiraling into a battle with cancer, loss, and spiritual rebirth. What makes it remarkable is not just the detailed recounting of treatment or trauma but the unflinching honesty with which it faces death, fear, and redemption. The writing slips easily between the physical and the spiritual, between gritty realism and ethereal reflection, until the two blur completely.
Reading this book hit me in ways I didn’t expect. The rawness of it, the exhaustion, the hospital lights, the cracked fingertips, the taste of blood, made me feel like I was sitting in that sterile room beside the author. There’s a rhythm to his storytelling, almost like breathing through pain, where sentences stumble, pause, then push forward again. The voice is weary but stubborn, defiant even. I admired that. Sometimes, the narrative drifts, repeating memories like waves that refuse to settle, but that feels honest too. Recovery, after all, is rarely tidy. What stayed with me most was not the sickness itself but the deep tenderness in his relationships. The way his wife and children orbit his struggle feels achingly human. The love there isn’t dressed up, it’s messy, awkward, and real.
I also found myself torn between awe and heaviness. The spiritual elements like the visions, the moments of surrender, and the sense of divine purpose, are written with sincerity and conviction. Whether or not one shares the author’s faith, there’s something deeply moving about the way he turns agony into revelation. At times, it leans into religious metaphor. Yet that very fervor gives the story its pulse. It’s not polished in the traditional sense, but it’s alive, pulsing with heart and hurt.
By the time I reached the end, I felt like I’d walked through fire with him. This isn’t a book for someone looking for neat resolutions or easy inspiration. It’s for readers who want to feel everything, the fear, the faith, the fatigue, and still believe there’s light somewhere in it all. I’d recommend Cancer Chronicles: Veilwalker to anyone standing at the edge of something hard, anyone who’s lost faith and wants to find it again in a voice that refuses to quit.
Pages: 380 | ISBN-13: 979-8-86852-165-2
Simmering Emotions
Simmering Emotions is a tapestry of memory, heritage, and human feeling stitched together with poetic elegance. The book blends verse, prose, and reflection, moving fluidly from personal stories of mothers and migration to philosophical musings and historical essays. Each piece feels like an offering from the author’s heart. He writes of love and loss, of the soul of Punjab, of the ache of displacement, and of simple kindness that survives every storm. It’s not a single story but a chorus of voices. Sometimes the rhythm is that of a lullaby, other times a lament, but it always feels alive.
Reading it stirred something deep in me. The writing is both grounded and lyrical. Author Manmohan Sadana writes like someone who has seen both light and shadow and refuses to let either define him. His language feels sincere, not polished for show. The poems about Partition and motherhood nearly broke me. There’s pain, but there’s also grace. The imagery, trains, rivers, gold temples, and quiet rooms, made me feel like I was walking beside him through decades of Indian history and human emotion. I could sense his reverence for women, his tenderness toward the past, and his restlessness in a changing world. Yet at times the tone shifts sharply from poetic to academic, which can feel jarring. It’s as if the writer’s mind and heart take turns speaking. Still, that rawness makes the book honest.
What stayed with me most is the quiet dignity of his characters. The old mother who rebuilds her life from ashes. The lovers separated by Partition who never stop whispering each other’s names. Even in the essays about cities and traditions, there’s an undercurrent of yearning, a belief that goodness survives. The writing reminded me that culture isn’t just monuments or food, it’s the way people love and forgive. There were moments when I had to stop reading, just to breathe and absorb the weight of his compassion.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry that tells stories and stories that feel like prayers. It’s for readers who want to feel rather than analyze, who find beauty in nostalgia and redemption in remembrance. If you’ve ever sat with old memories that refuse to fade, Simmering Emotions will speak to you gently, as a friend who has also lived, lost, and learned to forgive.
Pages: 206 | ASIN : B0FS46N1S1
Victim and Villain
Raven follows a deeply flawed woman whose love affair leads her down a road of dangerous secrets, obsession, and self-destruction. Where did the idea for this novella come from?
Raven is one of, if not the most, intense books I’ve ever written. Delilah was first introduced in EverGreen, the first book in the EverGreen Trilogy, years ago. At that point, she was kind of a classic mean girl character. But even then, I knew that she had a troubled background. Raven is a companion novella that gives the reader some insight as to what was happening to Delilah before the events of Fallen Snow, the last book in the trilogy. It sounds a bit cliché, but sometimes my characters play a part in writing their own stories. Delilah knew what her backstory was, and she led me down the path of writing Raven.
I always take a lot of inspiration from my personal life. Raven is no exception. Abuse and sexual violence are topics that are very close to my heart. Unlike in Fallen Snow, I wanted Raven to feature an imperfect victim that was also a villain. However, I wanted to make it clear to the reader that Delilah’s actions and the way she treated others do not justify or excuse what happened to her. As the saying goes, hurt people hurt people. Like I said, I’m not necessarily trying to make the reader feel sympathy for Delilah or make them view her as less evil. At the same time, I do want to reflect that victims of abuse and sexual violence aren’t always (or even usually) perfect, and that’s completely normal. We can acknowledge that what happens to Delilah in Raven is a tragedy without revoking her status as an antagonist in the EverGreen Trilogy.
Delilah is an incredibly well-crafted character. What was your inspiration for her traits and dialogue?
I am extremely proud of being able to create a character that is as complex as Delilah. The more I wrote and planned the storyline, the more fleshed out and fascinating her character became. As I said before, she started out as your typical high school bully that took things way too far. But as I kept writing, I continued to follow her journey and realized where that ultimately led her. In Raven, we see Delilah at the lowest points in her life. Throughout the story, she thinks that her choices are acts of self-preservation, but they’re actually the opposite. She’s typically a very calculated individual, but her obsession with Silas (which I will make clear is an obsession, not real love) completely throws her off. In Silas, she’s met her match in terms of ability to manipulate. The two of them being in a relationship was never going to work, no matter how hard they tried. In a relationship, there has to be concern and respect for the other person. Neither of them had that. Her traits are those I imagine a person diagnosed with an extreme case of psychopathy, or antisocial personality disorder, would exhibit. All of her dialogue stems from that. Similarly, Silas is a malignant narcissist. Neither of them should be in a relationship, and certainly not with each other.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a trilogy? What is the most rewarding?
The most challenging part of writing a trilogy is remembering little details. This can be something as simple as a character’s eye color, etc. The most rewarding is being able to watch them grow. I love seeing my characters transform into what is typically a better version of themselves. Obviously, that wasn’t the case for Silas or Delilah.
Can we look forward to more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?
I recently completed my first adult romance, titled Crazy For You. It’s a clean billionaire romance with an antihero MMC (main male character) and a sweet female protagonist with a heart of gold. They are actually one of my favorite couples I’ve ever written. I’ve never encountered a clean billionaire romance before, so when the story came to me, I decided it was definitely worth writing. I’m currently contemplating a sequel focusing on some of the side characters from Crazy For You and getting an idea of what that might look like. It’s definitely something I see myself writing in the future, but no promises.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Delilah Banks was never the type of girl to let herself be manipulated by a man. But when she becomes involved with a tempting stranger, Silas, everything changes. Between the events of Moonlit Skies and Fallen Snow, Delilah discovers that no one is above having their heart broken. After all, we are each the hero in our own story.
LITERARY TITAN 