Racing Against Time follows Jeffrey Weiss as he moves from a late start in endurance sports to an astonishing personal transformation. The book traces his path from a worn-out teenager chasing a free t-shirt in his first 10K to a fifty-six-year-old pushing himself through ultramarathons, Ironman races, and long nights of doubt and grit. The early chapters set the tone clearly. Weiss frames running, triathlon, and extreme endurance not as sports alone but as a way to reshape the aging curve and reclaim a sense of purpose. His story grows from a simple memory of walking the last miles of a teenage race to the vivid description of cramping through the Valley of a Thousand Hills in the Comrades Marathon. It is a story of stubbornness. It is a story of self-reinvention. It is a story of learning to push past what you thought your body could do.
When I read Weiss describing that first failed 10K and how it gnawed at him for thirty years, I felt that sting in my own gut. The writing is not dressed up with fancy literary tricks, and that works. His voice is honest. He talks about fear, pride, ego, and the weird little lies we tell ourselves when we are chasing a goal that scares us. I like how he lets the reader sit with his uncertainty, especially as he deals with injury, aging, and the emotional toll of training alone. The chapter where he stands in the Marine Corps Marathon start area, wrapped in old sweats while surrounded by thousands of runners, has this intimate energy. I found myself rooting for him, even when he doubted he should be out there at all.
I also enjoyed how Weiss talks about the messy parts of chasing big goals. There is no glamor here. He describes feeling awkward in his first triathlon swim. He admits he hated running at first. He talks about the grief after his father’s death and how that loss pushed him to confront his own decline. The way he connects exercise to identity hit me hardest. It’s not a lecture. It’s more like listening to a friend unpack years of mistakes and tiny wins and then laughing a little at himself. I appreciated the warmth with which he writes about the people who pushed him along, like his coaches, his brothers, and his wife leaving encouraging notes during races. That tenderness snuck up on me, and it made the whole story feel fuller and more relatable.
This book would hit home for anyone in mid-life who feels stuck or who worries that their best years are gone. It would be great for new runners who want a companion who admits every fear they are feeling. It would be even better for people who have always wondered what it might feel like to chase a ridiculous dream just to see if you can do it. Weiss makes the case that it is never too late to change your curve, and he does it with heart.
The book is part memoir, part meditation, and part fishing journal. Mike Carotta takes us through five decades of surfcasting on Martha’s Vineyard, but fishing is only the surface. Beneath the striped bass and bluefish lies a deeper story about fathers and sons, the friendships that form in salt spray, and the way a place can wrap itself around your heart. He writes about the rhythms of the tide, the cast of characters who gather every spring, and the sense of the sacred that can sneak up on you when you’re standing waist-deep in the Atlantic. It’s not a manual on how to catch more fish. It’s a love letter to memory, ritual, and the Island itself.
Carotta admits, again and again, that he’s not all that great at fishing, and that humility makes the book sing. The style is conversational and warm, the kind of voice you want around a campfire after a long day outside. I found myself laughing at his stubbornness about new techniques, nodding along when he described how old hurts can fester, and tearing up when he spoke of his father. He isn’t afraid to mix the mundane with the profound. One page has him fumbling with tackle, the next has him brushing up against something eternal.
I loved how he wove in the idea of “liminal space,” that thin place where heaven and earth feel closer. His way of describing the Vineyard at night, with stars overhead and saltwater in his boots, made me feel like I was right there beside him. By the end, I wasn’t thinking about fishing at all. I was thinking about family traditions, about the way landscapes hold onto us, about how we carry certain people with us long after they’re gone.
A Long Cast is not only for fishermen, though anglers will find plenty to savor. It’s for anyone who knows what it feels like to return year after year to a place that heals you. It’s for readers who like stories told straight from the heart, without polish or pretense. If you’ve ever stood in your own version of the surf, whether that’s a kitchen, a church, or a backyard garden, you’ll find yourself in these pages.
Monkey Flip follows a pair of precocious kids whose father is accused of murder, so they call in a reclusive and grumpy, yet brilliant, talking chimpanzee detective to find the real killer and clear their father’s name. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The book is set in the world of professional wrestling, and many wrestling personalities and storylines inspired the central mystery. Originally, the father was going to be a firefighter, but I love wrestling, almost as much as I love monkeys, so making him a wrestler felt natural. However, it wasn’t until CM Punk held a now-infamous press conference that the mystery truly came together. For the other themes, such as grief and overcoming loss, I drew on my own experiences, as I can be quite the reclusive chimp.
I enjoyed your characters, especially Sebastian Winthrop. What was your favorite character to write for and why?
I actually created Sebastian, the book’s chimp detective, when I was a teenager. Back then, he was Sebastian Winthrop, Millionaire Chimp, and I intended to turn him into a comic strip. Nothing came of it, but I never forgot about him. Writing Sebastian is easy because he’s just an exaggerated version of myself. I also really enjoyed writing Addie, the little girl. I tried to make her like a character in an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. Her interactions with Sebastian were always fun to write, and their love/hate relationship is the heart of the story.
How did the mystery develop for this story? Did you plan it before writing, or did it develop organically?
When I earned my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, one of my mentors was Victoria Thompson, who wrote the Gaslight Mystery Series. Vicki was the best and taught me everything I know about plotting a mystery. Monkey Flip is my third novel, and I always start with the victim, the suspects, the suspects’ motives and secrets, and the key clues. From there, I structure a loose plot outline, where I know the beginning, the end, and about five “tent pole” scenes that have to be there. That provides the backbone, and then I still have the freedom to discover things along the way. I do a more detailed outline before each chapter, noting the characters’ motivations, obstacles, and goals.
I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to continue the story. Is there a second book planned?
Yes, a second book is in the works. This time, the story will take place at a comic book convention. Still ironing out the details, but the actual writing will commence soon. With luck, it should be out next summer.
When Addie and Bennett Pajakowski learn that their father, the fearsome Bonecrusher Brannigan, is accused of murdering one of his fellow professional wrestlers, they seek the help of Sebastian Winthrop, the world’s greatest detective. So, imagine their surprise when they discover that the reclusive Sebastian is a talking chimp!
Monkey Flip chronicles Sebastian’s investigation into the death of Mitch Mayhem, the heavyweight champion of a local independent wrestling federation. Along the way, Sebastian teaches Addie and Bennett what it takes to be good detectives while they show him that life should be lived and not mourned. The book takes a comedic, satirical look at the fanatical world of professional wrestling and touches on such themes as grief, acceptance, and the importance of family.
Some are already calling Sebastian one of the best detectives in fiction. Others call him the best. Just don’t call him a monkey.
Maverick and the Big Game follows a young boy as he prepares for the championship hockey game, who is excited but nervous about messing up and disappointing his team. Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?
Absolutely. Maverick and the Big Game is very personal to me. The character of Maverick is inspired by my own son, and many of the emotions he experiences—like nervousness before a big game, the desire to make his family proud, and the lessons about teamwork—come directly from moments we’ve shared. As a hockey mom who’s spent countless hours at the rink, I wanted to capture the heart, pressure, and joy of youth sports from a child’s perspective, but with all the love and encouragement that exists behind the scenes, too.
What was your favorite scene in this story?
One of my favorite scenes is when Maverick takes a deep breath and finally steps onto the ice for the big game. It’s a moment of bravery and self-trust, and it’s such a turning point for him. You can feel his nerves and his excitement, and it’s a beautiful reminder that courage doesn’t mean not being afraid—it means doing it anyway.
Will there be a follow-up book to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Yes! There will definitely be more adventures with Maverick. The next book will focus on Maverick learning new life skills—both on and off the ice. He’ll face a new kind of challenge that tests his confidence in a different way, while still building on the friendships, lessons, and hockey love that started in Maverick and the Big Game. We’re also expanding the world around Maverick to show more of his life, his team, and even his dreams beyond hockey.
Maverick has played in many hockey games, but today is different—it’s the championship game! As he laces up his skates, Maverick feels excited, but also a little nervous. What if he misses a shot? What if he lets his team down?
Follow Maverick as he faces one of his biggest challenges yet and learns that being brave doesn’t mean not being scared—it means playing your best, no matter what!
Luka follows a hockey player navigating the aftermath of a traumatic injury who crosses paths with a woman who forces him to power through his pain and enter the world of community outreach. What made you write a romance story within this setting?
Who doesn’t love a romance with a damaged hero and a feisty heroine LOL!
When we were writing “Lincoln”, the first book in the series, we’d set Luka up as a ridiculously handsome, happy-go-lucky playboy who spoke several languages. He was so endearing and charming that even the women he broke up with had nothing but nice things to say about him. That kind of perfect life had to come with a price tag eventually. Reading about a few players in real life who had suffered injuries from skate blades, it seemed like the obvious source for Luka’s downfall. But was he so vain that having his perfect face marred would be enough to send him off the rails? It also raised the question of could someone really have had such a perfect life, or was there something he’d been hiding even from his teammates? Those are the questions we want readers to be asking themselves.
We’d set up how active the Quakes organization is in the community, including a charity gala event where they raised money for the Quakes Foundation in “Lincoln”. Before the accident, Luka even tells they guys he’s excited to be helping out with a reading program since Spanish is one of the languages he speaks fluently. We wanted to carry through with that idea of what if he backs out of it. How would a struggling non-profit react? It made for a great, conflict ridden beginning of their story. We also wanted to reflect the real life commitment to their city our actual NHL team has shown throughout the years.
We also wanted to shine a light on two very real tragedies in the hockey world and raise awareness of ways to prevent them. One was the tragic death of former NHL player Adam Johnson, whose neck was fatally cut in a game in London and subsequently died on the ice. Since then, cut-resistant gear has been given more attention but there’s still a lot that can be done to make the game safer. The other is head trauma, which is a concern not just in hockey but other sports as well. There is developing new technology that reduces impact and has sensors to monitor the impact and send real time alerts to the training staff.
What comes first for you–the plot or the characters–and why?
With our hockey books, characters come first and then we figure out how they meet and their story. That’s the fun of writing a series like this is riffing about future storylines in the process of writing one book. We had no idea Luka would end up where he did in his book when we first introduced him, but as crazy as it sounds, we had to get to know him better to know where his story would take him.
Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?
That’s the great thing about two main characters – there’s something for everyone! On one hand, we relate to Liliana. She takes no prisoners and is protective of her kids. Lily wants to do more with her life by making a difference.
On the other hand, we’re also drawn to Luka. We all have wounds, internal and external, that change our perspective on who we are at once point in our lives. How we handle them is the thing and the fact that Luka falls down in that department from time to time makes him relatable to a lot of people.
You didn’t really think we were going to choose one of our children over the other, did you? LOL.
Where will the third book in this series take readers? When can fans look forward to seeing it released?
Yes! Matthew, our very angry D-man on the Quakes blue line, is next up. Without giving anything away, readers will literally get to see there are two sides to every story and Matt’s is both emotional and hilarious. At the very least, we use a plot device that we can honestly say we haven’t seen in any other hockey romances. His book releases on July 15th, 2025 in both eBook and paperback at your favorite online retailer.
As the hottest left-winger in the league, I was the handsome golden boy for the L.A. Quakes. But after suffering horrific injuries during a game, my life is on a breakaway to disaster. My biggest fear is a darkness from my past is about to repeat itself. All I want to do is hide from the world, but fate has another plan.
Feisty beauty Liliana Alvarez doesn’t suffer fools lightly, especially when it comes to her kids in her new non-profit outreach. She’ll drag me, kicking and screaming, if necessary, from the hole I’ve crawled into if it’s the last thing she does. For some reason, she is patient enough to wait for me to heal and something sparks between us, wounds, and all. But her abusive ex-boyfriend threatens to shatter our hopes of a happily ever after.
Can enemies-turned-lovers help save each other or is the ice tilted against us?
Luka: Hockey Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Beauty & The Beast, Tortured Hero, Curvy Heroine Different Cultures, Stalker Ex-Boyfriend
Luka is a gut-punch of a sports romance wrapped in raw emotion and resilience. It follows Luka Ribic, a star hockey player whose life takes a brutal turn after a devastating injury. His face and his sense of self are permanently scarred when a skate blade slashes across his temple during a game. What follows is a slow-burn, tension-filled journey as Luka grapples with his trauma, drowns his pain in whiskey, and isolates himself from the people who care about him. Then, there’s Liliana Alvarez, a fiercely determined woman who doesn’t take crap from anyone. She calls Luka out on his broken promises and drags him (sometimes literally) into her world of community outreach, where his past, his fears, and his future collide in ways he never saw coming.
Luka’s character is layered and heartbreakingly real. The opening scene slams us straight into his nightmare, his body hitting the ice, the crack of his head, the searing pain of the blade. The injury isn’t just physical, it’s mental. His panic attacks, his self-loathing, the way he pushes his friends away, it all feels painfully authentic. One moment that sticks out is when a little kid in a grocery store takes one look at Luka’s scarred face and runs away in fear. That hit hard. It’s a reminder that his struggles aren’t just in his head, his reality has shifted, and the world sees him differently now.
Then there’s Liliana. If Luka is fire, she’s an explosion. She storms into his life, calling him an “arrogant shit” to his face, and honestly? He needs it. Their first interaction is hilarious. She’s furious that he bailed on a reading event for underprivileged kids, and she doesn’t care that he’s a pro athlete with a sob story. But as the book unfolds, their chemistry goes from sharp and combative to something deeper. One of the most satisfying moments is when she calls him out on his self-pity, but later, she’s the one to defend him when she learns about his injury. The way their relationship shifts from enemies to reluctant allies to something more is so well done that you don’t even realize when you start rooting for them.
The writing is sharp, the emotions hit hard, and the banter is top-tier. There’s humor in the darkness. Luka’s dry wit, the way his teammates refuse to let him spiral too far, Liliana’s family roasting her for not realizing she was about to meet a hockey legend. The book does a fantastic job of balancing heavy themes like trauma, self-worth, addiction with the lightness of friendship, love, and redemption.
Luka is perfect for fans of sports romances with grit, heart, and plenty of heat. If you love a broken-but-badass hero, a heroine who doesn’t take any nonsense, and a love story that burns slow but explodes when it counts, this one’s for you. And if you’re into hockey? Even better.
Sean McLaine, a high school junior, faces the kind of challenges that resonate deeply with anyone who has ever felt outmatched or overlooked. As a late-blooming soccer talent, his ambitions outstrip his physical growth, leaving him to contend with teammates who wield his smaller size as an advantage against him. At school, he’s practically invisible, a shadow moving through crowded hallways, unnoticed by classmates and seemingly forgotten by girls—except for one. Yet as Sean immerses himself in soccer, a pivotal question emerges: Can he balance his relentless drive for success with the budding promise of something more meaningful? Or will his dedication to the sport demand a sacrifice too great to bear?
One Happy Accident, by Gary Simonds, is a stirring exploration of ambition, resilience, and self-discovery. With Sean at its heart, the novel captures the grit and determination of a young athlete striving to achieve greatness on the field while navigating emotional and personal hurdles. From the first chapter, Simonds weaves a world that feels immediate and real, where raw perseverance often eclipses innate talent, and the divide between ambition and struggle is razor-sharp. Adding depth and nuance to Sean’s journey is Kayleigh, a thoughtful and layered peer whose presence introduces themes of connection, growth, and unexpected transformation. Their dynamic brings warmth and introspection, offering readers a lens through which to explore the profound impact of relationships on our lives.
What sets One Happy Accident apart is its ability to intertwine universal themes of resilience, mental health, and community without losing the emotional intensity of its characters. Sean’s story compels readers to confront enduring questions: Where do we find strength when our dreams feel unattainable? How do we reconcile hope and determination with the inevitable setbacks of life? Simonds writes with precision and heart, crafting vivid soccer scenes that pulse with energy and moments of vulnerability that linger long after they’re read. The dialogue sparkles with authenticity, blending humor and insight in a way that grounds the narrative in a deeply human reality. Each character feels alive, their flaws and triumphs forging a powerful connection with the reader.
For those who appreciate tales of perseverance and emotional complexity, One Happy Accident is a must-read. Soccer enthusiasts will revel in the thrilling depictions of the game, but the novel’s appeal extends far beyond the pitch. It is, at its core, a story of hope and inspiration, one that leaves an indelible mark long after the final page is turned.
Unrivaled, by Norman Jetmundsen and Karin Fecteau, chronicles the legendary 1899 Sewanee Tigers football season, a feat of athleticism and endurance unmatched in sports history. This small Southern college’s team embarked on a grueling journey of 12 games in six weeks, including an astonishing streak of five games in six days across 2,500 miles. They remained undefeated, outscoring opponents 322-10. The book dives deep into this epic season, providing a vivid portrayal of the players, the societal context, and the sheer grit required to achieve such greatness.
From the moment I started reading, I was hooked by the palpable passion and depth of historical detail. The writing brings the era alive, especially when describing how the players contended with brutal physical conditions. Chapter 7, “The Season,” is a highlight, vividly illustrating the no-huddle, non-stop nature of football in 1899. The way the players managed to triumph despite minimal protective gear and relentless injuries is simply inspiring. It gave me chills to imagine men like Henry “Ditty” Seibels and Ormond Simkins pushing through bone-deep exhaustion with an unshakable will.
The book also does a fantastic job of weaving in broader cultural narratives. For example, the chapter on the societal ties between the Civil War and Southern football traditions was eye-opening. Jetmundsen shows how the region’s pride and resilience were mirrored on the gridiron. This made the Tigers’ victories feel even more monumental.
What stood out most to me, though, were the unsung heroes. The chapter on Cal Burrows, the team’s African-American rubdown man, was incredibly moving. It underscored the invisible labor that made the team’s success possible. It’s humbling to think about how much these contributions mattered, even though they’ve often been overlooked in the broader story.
Jetmundsen and Fecteau’s Unrivaled is a testament to the human spirit. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves sports history, particularly those who appreciate a good underdog tale. Whether you’re a fan of football or simply someone who enjoys tales of resilience, this book will stick with you.
LITERARY TITAN 