Blog Archives
Part of the Solution: A Mystery
Part of the Solution follows Jennifer Morgan, a New York professor who returns to Boston for a conference and suddenly collides with her past. A chance meeting pulls her back into the late seventies, when she lived in a tiny Massachusetts town full of hippies, activists, dreamers, and drifters. The book moves between the present and that earlier world, and the story slowly circles a death that shattered the odd little community she once called home. The narrative blends memory, mystery, romance, and political reflection in a way that feels alive and warm and a little bittersweet.
Reading it felt like stepping into a room that smells like coffee and incense and old books. The writing has a cozy quality. It rambles in a good way, like someone talking while cooking dinner, and I found myself leaning in. I had moments of real affection for the characters. They fight. They love. They hold grudges that make no sense and cling to ideals that make no sense either. The dialogue has a lively spark that kept surprising me. Sometimes it hopped around. Sometimes it took its time. I liked that. And even when the tone shifted into darker territory, the heart of the book kept beating steady.
The ideas underneath the story resonated with me more than I expected. Michelson captures the messy idealism of the counterculture era with charm and also with a sharp pinch. I kept nodding because the book understands something about how people try to build a better world and then stumble right over their good intentions. The spiritual seekers. The radicals. The shy intellectuals who think too much and then think even more. I felt the book’s tenderness toward them, and I felt its frustration too. The tension between hope and disillusionment had real weight. It made me sit back and think about my own younger self and the beliefs I thought would never bend.
I would recommend Part of the Solution to readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries, stories about found communities, and novels steeped in the moods of the sixties and seventies. If you like fiction that mixes warmth with tension and lets people be flawed in recognizable ways, you’ll enjoy this book.
Pages: 298 | ASIN : B0FL4MH5WY
Assimilation
Assimilation tells the story of Kercy, a fragile and often isolated young woman whose life is split between the harshness of her family and the eerie beauty of the Soshone Islands. The calm of her summers fractures when she hooks a grotesque, severed limb in the lake, only to be visited that same night by strange beings who invade her room and her body. That moment becomes the axis of her entire life, leading her toward hidden truths about her parents, her own biology, and the horrifying forces lurking beneath the water. The book follows her journey from isolated child to self-possessed adult as she navigates love, danger, loss, and the long shadow of whatever visited her that night.
Reading it pulled me around emotionally in ways I didn’t expect. Some sections felt tender and slow, almost sleepy with the warmth of summer afternoons, then suddenly the story lurched into fear and chaos. I kept feeling this knot in my stomach because the writing toys with dread in such a quiet way. Busch’s descriptions of water and landscape are gorgeous and simple. They gave me a sense of calm. Then he ripped it away with scenes so bizarre I actually had to pause. The alien encounter scene hit me hardest. It felt weirdly intimate, almost like watching someone relive a trauma they barely understand. It made my skin prickle because it blended dream logic with physical detail in a way that felt too real.
But the part that stayed with me most wasn’t the creatures. It was the messy and painful bond between Kercy and her parents. Her father’s coldness stung every time he appeared. Her mother’s love felt too thin in some moments and heartbreakingly fierce in others. The whole time, I felt this quiet anger building under the surface. He disappears early in the book, yet his absence keeps shaping her life like a bruise that never fully heals. By the time the story reaches its later chapters, where Kercy reflects on the ruins of her past from adulthood, I felt this soft ache for everything she carried that nobody helped her set down.
Assimilation struck me as a story for readers who love emotional tension mixed with strange, unsettling mystery. Assimilation blends the emotional depth of The Girl with All the Gifts with the eerie, slow-burn dread of Annihilation and the intimate character focus of Room, creating a story that feels both tender and terrifying. If you like atmospheric fiction with sci-fi elements woven into human pain, or if you enjoy stories that linger in your mind, this one will absolutely grab you.
pages: 335 | ASIN: B0FSSJP5CP
Exploring Fear
Fear Struck follows a crime writer who, while writing his latest murder mystery, has his door broken down by police and is arrested for a murder that looks like one of the scenes in his book. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As a writer, I often feel like a conduit for someone else’s ideas, with words flowing so quickly that I sometimes wonder where they are coming from. This experience sparked a question for me: what if a writer suddenly became the instrument for someone else’s story in a very real and dangerous way? This personal connection to the story became the seed for Fear-Struck and its psychological thriller setup.
The truth is, many of my novels begin with a simple “what if.” Whispering Lessons is a good example. I asked myself, what if someone had secretly followed Jesse James and his gang, watched them bury their stolen treasure, and then dug it up after they rode away? Could that be why so many of those legendary treasures have never been found? Those two words, “what if,” open the door to endless possibilities, and they are often the starting point for my strongest storylines.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
There are so many layers to the human condition that writers need to pay attention to, because those layers are what make fiction feel real. In Fear-Struck, I delved deep into the debilitating impact fear can have on a person. It doesn’t just consume the main character. The suspect gets overwhelmed by it, too. Even the people in the prison around him react out of fear.
Fear is universal. It shapes decisions, drives behavior, and sometimes clouds judgment. Our minds are incredibly powerful, and our thoughts can either protect us or harm us. In this story, fear becomes almost a character in its own right, influencing everyone in its path. That kind of emotional truth, rooted in what people really experience, is what makes fiction resonate.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
For Fear-Struck, I actually did know the storyline before I began writing. That is unusual for me, as I am not usually a plotter, but in this case, I could clearly see the characters and the journey ahead of them. I knew the ending, and I knew how I wanted to move from the moment of the arrest all the way to the final reveal.
What mattered most to me was exploring fear, not just telling a crime story. I wanted to look at how fear shapes people from the inside out. The reviews have been incredible, and many readers mention how closely they connect with the characters and their reactions. I think that connection exists because fear is something we all face in one way or another. It is a profound human experience, and that truth comes through in the story.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I am currently writing Book Two in the series. It starts as Kutter is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of what happened in Book One, where he was arrested for a murder that resembled a scene in his own book. These lingering effects push him into a situation unlike anything he has ever faced before. This new challenge forces him to grow in unexpected ways.
In this next installment, Kutter, the main character from Fear-Struck, finds himself sitting across from an unapologetic and prideful serial killer. His personal revulsion toward this man directly clashes with his responsibility to uncover the names of the victims. That internal battle is something many of us understand, because we all face moments where our emotions collide with what we know we must do.
I am thrilled to share that I am aiming to have the next book ready for readers in early 2026. I cannot wait to continue Kutter’s journey and share the next chapter with you all.
Author Interview: GoodReads | BlueSky | Facebook | Pinterest | Website
Detective Tweed believes Kutter’s pages hold the truth. Kutter swears he’s innocent. Yet with each revelation, a darker reality emerges—one bound to him by blood.
Relentless and chilling, Fear Struck will keep you guessing until the final, shocking twist.
Immense Beauty and Terrifying Wilderness
Blood of Yarumaya follows a botany student from Stanford, headed for an internship in the Amazon rainforest, who learns about a rare tree and its resin, which holds the secret to human longevity. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup of BLOOD OF YARUMAYA is my college-student daughters, and imagining them experiencing this story and wondering how they would respond and adapt to being forced into such a dramatic situation. The protagonist, Isabella Bryn Delgado, is a Gen Z girl from Malibu with a privileged life and a certain naivety about the world, similar to my own daughters. I wanted to explore how Isabella would respond and grow as a result of her experiences.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
The reason I chose the Amazon rainforest as the setting is simple: Its immense beauty and terrifying wilderness that transform it into its own unique character, and its isolation from civilization. There are so many mysteries associated with the rainforests that it became the logical choice to immerse the reader in. Plus, I am fascinated with the Amazon rainforests and their wildlife and people.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
A theme of survival was critical to the growth of the young protagonist. In the most primal situations, we are all subject to our instinct to survive, and out of this instinct grows knowledge, confidence, and a deeper understanding of who we are. Intertwined with survival is a theme of environmental issues that Izzy has to face and make choices where she stands. Other themes involved finding genuine love and how rare and precious it is once discovered, and how it drives us to do things we didn’t think possible before–pushing us to do the impossible. A theme of power and corruption was intertwined in the story: The exploitation of indigenous tribes, government conspiracies to steal and monetize the greatest scientific discovery in history, and the attacks on the natural resources of our rainforests, and from that a theme of ethics emerges. If you possessed a secret that could save the world and extend life expectancy dramatically, would you share it or keep it hidden away?
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My current project is Book #5 of my Timepiece Series, titled The Timepiece Origin. It is the fifth and final book of the series and a prequel to the story. The book should be available in late Spring 2026. Books One through Four are currently available on Amazon in eBook and paperback.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
Isabella Bryn Delgado thought a research trip to the Amazon would breathe life into her failing Master’s degree in botany—and give her one last shot at salvaging her gymnastics scholarship before her injured knee gave out for good. Far from Stanford’s campus and the chaos of Palo Alto, she just wanted a quiet jungle escape. No pressure. No balance beam. And no more awkward run-ins with her soon-to-be ex.
But the man who was supposed to supervise her internship—reclusive microbiologist Dr. Dominic Quinn—is nowhere to be found when she arrives at his remote field lab. Alone in one of the most dangerous ecosystems on Earth with no contact to the outside world, Isabella soon realizes she’s been dropped into more than just a science experiment.
When a mysterious man claiming to be Dr. Quinn finally appears, he brings with him secrets buried deep in the rainforest: an uncharted tribe, a sacred tree called Yarumaya, and a miraculous resin that may hold the secret to human longevity. But the trees are dying—and the tribe’s survival is in danger.
As Isabella and Quinn race to uncover the cause, they find themselves tangled in a web of ancient rituals, vanishing ecosystems, and a connection neither of them expected. But some secrets aren’t meant to be shared. And some discoveries are worth killing for.
Blood of Yarumaya is a pulse-pounding eco-thriller about love, legacy, and the dangerous line between scientific discovery and cultural exploitation.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Reviewed by Ronél Steyn for Readers’ Favorite
Kevin D. Miller delivers a captivating environmental thriller in Blood of Yarumaya. Isabella Delgado is two weeks late in arriving for her assignment with Dr. Dominic Quinn in the Amazon. This was her opportunity to write her thesis on botany with firsthand rainforest experience, but now the doctor is missing. She just broke up with her boyfriend and is still dealing with a knee injury that shattered her gymnastic goals. To make things worse, the radio is broken, it’s humid, and the mosquitoes are hungry. When Dr. Quinn finally arrives at the field lab, he doesn’t resemble the forty-something man Isabella expected. Instead, he looks closer to her twenty-six years. What follows is a race to uncover the secrets of the Kawirén people’s longevity and help them survive the impending destruction of the Amazon.
Author Kevin D. Miller proves to be a master storyteller. Vivid descriptions immerse readers deep in the rainforest and awaken all their senses. With strong protagonists leading the story, there’s no doubt about wanting to turn those pages and keep reading. The pace is swift, creating an urgency that drives the plot forward. It ticks all the right boxes for action, adventure, love, and discovery, ensuring any reader will fall in love with the Amazon and making Blood of Yarumaya perfect for fans of nature and science. The dialogue is sharp, and the detailed stages of experimentation won’t leave you confused. Due to some strong language and closed-door sexual scenes, this book is best suited to a mature audience.
The Darker Undercurrents
Dark, Cold Eyes follows two private investigators who are investigating a series of murders linked to a long-forgotten cult in a small upper-crust neighborhood. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My passion for infusing my narratives with real historical facts is unparalleled. These facts breathe life into the story in a way that nothing else can. When readers uncover that the unsettling details are rooted in truth, the story resonates more deeply. Michigan, for instance, has a rich and often overlooked history with both cults and mafia organizations, spanning decades from the past into the present. It’s not the only state with such shadows, but it’s rarely the one people think of first. Even with the Jimmy Hoffa mystery resurfacing in national headlines from time to time, the darker undercurrents of Michigan’s criminal past remain largely unnoticed. Bringing these truths forward doesn’t just enrich the setting; it gives my characters real-world forces to navigate the kind of conflicts any of us might unexpectedly encounter.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
Creating characters with deep human traits is at the heart of my storytelling. I ensure they have fundamental flaws because none of us is perfect, and neither should they be. Life unfolds in awkward, messy, and sometimes unexpected moments, and I want my characters to reflect that. Maybe it is a playful wife choosing the worst possible moment to grab her husband’s tush, or a spouse becoming angry even after the other just saved the day because the situation could have gone terribly wrong. These imperfect reactions feel genuine. Even something as simple as a character tripping while walking across a room can make them feel alive and relatable. Human moments like these anchor a story in truth and draw readers closer.
What was the hardest part about writing a mystery story, where you constantly have to give just enough to keep the mystery alive until the big reveal?
I am not a fan of obvious foreshadowing, but I love weaving subtle hints throughout the story. My readers have probably learned to pay close attention to that first chapter. I often hide key information early on, then bury additional clues deep within the narrative. A few chapters later, they discover that the small detail my characters casually dismissed actually plays a significant role in the mystery. The problem is that you don’t know exactly which detail to pay attention to. That mirrors real life, where we often overlook something vital until it suddenly matters.
Where does the next book in the series take the characters?
I am not sure yet. No new storylines for Keri and Jade Shaw have come to me. I have always struggled to write books in a strict sequence, which is why I usually work on two series at once. Moving between them helps keep my creativity flowing. What I never want to do is force a story onto my characters. Stepping back for a while, much like taking a real vacation, often gives me the space to let the proper storyline rise to the surface.
Author Links: GoodReads | BlueSky | Facebook | Pinterest | Website
Book 4 in the Shaws Investigation Series
by Kay A. Oliver
Six murders. One small town. And a case that refuses to play by the rules.
When Lieutenant Valencia begs the Shaws to break their cold-case-only rule and dive into an active investigation, Keri and Jade Shaw reluctantly agree. But nothing about this case is ordinary.
Jade unknowingly sets off a chain reaction when he takes an ancient book linked to a long-forgotten cult—unleashing danger that hits far too close to home. Now, their strongest ally, Valencia, has been taken hostage. They have to find her before she’s killed.
The Shaws must race against time to unravel the mystery. Because whoever’s behind the killings isn’t just hiding in the shadows…They’re watching. And they’re ready to strike again.
Some secrets kill to stay hidden.
Intrigued By International Espionage
The Flight Enigma follows a couple seeking peace in Magnolia Bluff, only to be drawn into a national crisis when one of their friends becomes entangled in the disappearance of secret stealth technology. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Response: We are always intrigued by international espionage and the intersection it has with the technology world. We love taking technical facts and real world scenarios then place believable characters (okay, fictional) in harm’s way to see what happens. More times than not, the characters advise us of where the story should go and we get surprises we didn’t expect. We’re storytellers.
What inspired your characters’ interactions and backstories with Mike and Ashley? Are they based on anyone you know in real life?
Response: Just about every character we put into our stories has been a real live person we’ve known. Understand that is where we start but then we stretch, pull, and push the character definition so we can stress them and the situation for the drama and realism we want the readers to enjoy. Also, we change the basics of the character for plausible deniability. 😁
What is the creative process like when working together to create your novels and maintain a cohesive tone and voice? How do you handle conflicting ideas about how the plot should develop?
Response: We use our patent pending technology of “Literary ping-pong” to bat the evolving story and characters back and forth between us until we get the polish of the story just the way we want. This literary ‘scrubbing’ also allows us to make the story sound and read like there is only one voice to the reader. Even our first line editor can’t tell who wrote what if we’ve polished the story correctly. As far as creative story conflict, we have always used ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors’ to arbitrate disagreements when they arise. Know that Breakfield has NEVER won a ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors’ conflict resolution. 🤣
What is next for the residents of Magnolia Bluff?
Response: You should understand that the town of Magnolia Bluff is actually a global magnet for crime and mayhem. The residents will just have to expand the cemetery and cheerfully accept new business for it.
Author Links: GoodReads | X Series | X Author | Facebook Series | Facebook Author | Website | Blog Series | Blog Author | YouTube | Pinterest | Instagram | Email
JJ receives an urgent request from his longtime friend, Mike Hayes, a high-ranking official in the U.S. military, to tackle a critical segment of a clandestine project. The development of next-generation stealth technology progresses, veiled in tight confidentiality and restricted to those holding top-secret clearance. As pressure mounts, Mike finds himself increasingly distracted by tumultuous relationship issues with his wife, Ashley, and a series of unnerving health concerns. What was once a meticulously planned operation is now teetering on the edge of collapse, with looming deadlines and compromised communications.
Calamity strikes when a key team member gets unexpectedly hospitalized. Their condition defies medical explanation. Amidst the chaos, the project’s crown jewel—the clandestine stealth technology—vanishes into thin air. Federal authorities storm onto the scene, demanding answers, while the local police, led by the relentless Chief Tommy Jager, scramble to uncover the truth, blissfully unaware of the project’s gravity. JJ finds himself thrust into the eye of a looming national crisis, driven by a desperate need to vindicate his friend and unravel the mystery before it spirals further out of control.
Meanwhile, Jo embarks on her investigative journey, determined to uncover the secrets Ashley harbors and the dark shadows that threaten their friendship. Emotions whiplash through anger, heartbreak, and poignant revelations as the tangled threads of their stories begin to unravel. The specter of fear, veiled threats, and deep-seated shame loom over Ashley, endangering every relationship she holds dear.
JJ and Jo navigate this perilous landscape of deception and intrigue. They uncover a labyrinth of lies that could forever alter their lives. With each revelation, the stakes escalate, and the air thickens with danger. Can JJ and Jo piece together the fragmented clues in time to rescue their friends and avert a national disaster?
‘The Flight Enigma’ is a gripping tale of suspense and mystery, where the slender line between loyalty and betrayal hangs in the balance, and every heartbeat pulses with the urgency of truth, begging to see the light of day.
People Can Become Unrecognizable
The Small Hours follows a psychologist who, after finding out his closest friend has died, and his marriage is over, returns to the unsolved mystery of his uncle’s disappearance during the Spanish Civil War. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When I was living in Spain in 1981, a man in a nearby village came out of hiding 42 years after the end of the civil war and a full five years after the death of the dictator, Francisco Franco. I was impressed by the kind of fear Franco generated in people and began to investigate the topos or the moles as they were known by.
The stories of Michael and Delia are complex, and their personal battles are fascinating. What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
Having worked as a psychologist, I was always fascinated by the human condition because I’ve known what humans are capable of. Under stress, people can become unrecognizable with the way they individually handle it. Plus, as we all now know, we become as adults the culmination of years of childhood learning, good or bad, and this can create astonishing consequences worthy of fiction.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Loyalty and goodness are themes that I am smitten with. In this book, it was not easy to approach these themes in the midst of a civil war. I am always pleased when people do the right thing in spite of what the consequences might be.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My next book is called When They Were Gone and considers what can happen to a family when tragedy strikes. It takes place in the 1960’s. I expect that it will be published in spring of 2026.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Website
Will Michael solve the mystery of his Uncle Robert’s disappearance? Will Delia continue running and, should she? Will Maria del Carmen and the villagers of La Jolla de Malaga prevail in the covert continuation of the erstwhile civil war, or will the evil that lingers decades after any civil war ostensibly ends, proceed unchecked?
Suspension of Disbelief
Auberon Manor follows a rich paranormal skeptic who is drawn into the mystery of Auberon Manor, an estate with a long, dark reputation, where he discovers something more frightening than a ghost. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Many people will tell you they do not subscribe to the notion that ghosts or other supernatural entities are real. If you were to drop one of these non-believers into an old, isolated, creepy house, I’m willing to wager they’d feel some level of anxiety. Introduce a few odd, not easily explained noises, and even the fiercest skeptic might be tested. What interested me the most in writing this book was the characters’ reaction to discovering a supernatural entity. That’s hardly an everyday occurrence, and I’m sure it would test most people to their limit. I created a group of characters and threw them into that frightening scenario to see what they would do. I admit, I would have fled on day one. Thankfully, my characters are far braver than I would have been. Suspension of disbelief.
Your novel features some very interesting characters with flaws, but who are still likable. How do you go about creating characters for your story?
My preference is for strong, capable characters. The kind of people you can count on when the going gets tough, who run towards a problem instead of away from it. Having said that, not every person is skilled, capable of courage when called upon, nor are they dependable when you’re forced to rely on them. I’m fascinated by human behaviour in all of its forms. Too often, a protagonist has to go out of his or her way to navigate around another person’s shortcomings to reach a goal. That’s life. That’s real. No story proceeds in a flawless straight line. Humans are sometimes bumps in the road that need to be navigated. I want the reader to share that frustration.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
This genre has no limits. If you can imagine it, you can put it on the page and not be criticized for breaking the rules of physics or angering a reader for forcing them to suspend their disbelief. They want to suspend their belief for a story like this. The author and the readers are all on the same page.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
In addition to writing in this genre, I also write action-adventure, legal thrillers, and tech thrillers. My next book is titled ‘Legacy of a Silent Man.’ This is an action book. Work is underway, and the publication is expected in the first quarter of 2026.
Author Website
For the curious and adventurous, the stories read on the website inspire them to make the journey to Pennsylvania and see the manor for themselves. Over time, the stories about the house grow darker with reports of visitors suffering injuries. When an amateur group of investigators conducts a scientific examination of the house, disaster strikes. Members of the investigative team suffer broken arms, a broken rib, and a near-fatal concussion. This compels the owner to prohibit any further visits.
When the story of the Auberon haunting reaches a bored and wealthy young man named Dane Ledger, he’s encouraged by a friend to take a ghost-hunting road trip. To Dane, who doesn’t believe in ghosts, it presents an opportunity to debunk the ridiculous notion that this house, or any house, is haunted. He and his friend arrive at the manor to discover recently erected fencing and a guard who refuses them entry. All of this security makes Dane and his friend even more curious about the house. They approach the homeowner for permission to inspect the property, but are firmly denied. After money is exchanged and Dane agrees to assemble a team of professional paranormal investigators to inspect, identify, and exterminate the entity from the manor, permission is finally granted.
With the team assembled, they enter Auberon Manor and discover its frightening occupant. Terrified by what they’ve discovered, and too frightened to go back into the house, they struggle to find a way forward. Letting the entity remain in the home is not an acceptable option, as it would imperil every future visitor. They don’t know what they’re battling, but it’s not a ghost. It’s something much worse.
LITERARY TITAN 