High School Epic follows a teenage girl through her high school years in the early 1990s who struggles with issues of abandonment and with discovering who she is and who she wants to be. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My own life is definitely the inspiration for High School Epic. I had a friendship and boyfriend breakup at the onset of high school that resulted in a type of heartbreak that only emphasized the feelings I had buried of abandonment from when my father left us (the first time) when I was six. Although he did return and remain with my mother for another 11 years, their relationship was shaky at best. Deep down, I was always anticipating when he would leave again for good.
In many contemporary coming-of-age novels, authors often draw on their own life experiences. Are there any bits of you in this story?
Yes! Every event is based on real events from my middle and high school years. Characters are derived from real friends and classmates. The main character has traits that are similar to me, but she really is her own person and not me.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Friendship and abandonment are the most important themes in the book, even within the context of the romance that happens.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?
I have a current project that is part memoir and part short story collection, all with the themes of relationships, love, loss, and heartbreak. I’m hoping it will come out sometime by the end of next year.
After her father vanishes, Dani Fetter begins high school already carrying the weight of abandonment. She expects her best friends to help her, but instead, they opt for parties, hookups, and popularity.
Left behind, Dani meets Kevin Martin, an outsider who seems to give her everything her world is missing. Until betrayal cuts deep, leaving her reeling once more. Dani’s circle keeps reshaping again and again: new friends like Ryan O’Leary offer comfort, while old wounds resurface.
Through each season of high school, Dani is tested through heartbreak, mistakes, and hilarious missteps, as she wrestles with who she is and who she wants to be.
Told in a unique blend of letters and chapters, Hannah R. Goodman’s HIGH SCHOOL EPIC captures the chaos of teenage life in the early 1990s with raw honesty, humor, and heart.
Dorm to Doorstep is a candid, big-sister-style guide that blends personal stories, tough truths, and practical advice to help young women navigate confidence, safety, relationships, and self-discovery as they enter adulthood. Why was this an important book for you to write?
As my daughter was approaching the end of her high school years, I observed the juxtaposition between the time in a young woman’s life when she is exerting her independence, crossed with really needing advice, and the last person she wanted to hear from is MOM. So, I packaged “evergreen” motherly advice into a fun, humor-filled yet sometimes serious book that attracts the reader with a structure resembling social media – colorful, short snippets and stories – a book that they can pick up for the AHA of the day, put down, and pick up again at their leisure.
Your book emphasizes personal choice. What experiences most shaped your belief that “you control you?”
Every day when we wake up, we can control one thing – us. Things will happen, people will say things, and we will make mistakes. How we perceive and interpret these things will drive our reactions and our learning.
I experienced some rough times as an adolescent and young adult. Circumstances I could not control. For many years, I sometimes chose to let insecurities and fear drive my decision-making. One thing that always kept me going, however, and led to real change was accepting that I am not a victim of anything that comes my way. I am in control of what I do about it. This is transformative when facing a challenge; I like to say you do you and I’ll do me, respectfully. I control the direction that I go, and my path is my own. My favorite thought each day is “Go out and make it a great day!” And, as you noticed, that is a consistent theme in Dorm to Doorstep. I believe the earlier young people feel empowered to forge their path, look at things in a proactive way, and control their emotions, the more successful they will be in facing adversity and achieving their goals.
If a reader could walk away remembering only one piece of advice from the book, what would you want it to be?
It is the first page of Dorm to Doorstep: Life is a journey; there is not one path. Embrace the ups and downs. And, I try to be a cheerleader in the journey by sharing tips, tidbits, and tales to help the journey be smoother, humor-filled, and fun.
How do you hope parents or mentors use this book when supporting the young women in their lives?
I view the book as a platform for discussion; to provoke honesty and sharing of personal stories to make connections and build relationships. If I were to visualize this, it would be a Mom and daughter having a fun conversation sparked from one of the pages in which they share their own thoughts and experiences as a way to bond and grow together.
Are you ready to go from WHAT NOW to I GOT THIS? Are you ready for your own PERSONAL CHEERLEADER? Are you ready to HAVE FUN?
Dorm to Doorstep is a fun, engaging, coming of age/adulting guide written just for you, the young woman heading out on her own! Organized in layers, just like your favorite ice cream sundae:
Glow Up, Girl: Personal Growth & Insights Glam Bam, Thank You Ma’am (the sauce): Fashion, Beauty & Wellness Laced with Grace (the whipped cream): Relationships & Demeanor Gather Round with Goodness (the cherry on top): Tips & Tidbits for Daily Living
Author Hilary Afshary dives into life lessons in full, living color. Every page is bright, just like your future, with colored sprinkles of learning scattered throughout. Oh, and watch for RED moments-cold, hard truths that pop up when you need a reality check.
Dorm to Doorstep can be read page to page or casually open for the AHA of the day; picked up again and put down at leisure.
Every word comes from the author’s place of truth from her own life and raising a daughter. Thoughtful, respectful, and real-words that wink and say Trust me, You WANT to read this. Words that cause pause, stories that stick and moments that will leave you smiling- or even laughing out loud.
Dorm to Doorstep is the perfect gift for a birthday, holiday, graduation, care package, college send off or just because…it is your manual for adulting 101 and living life away from home.
A Mother’s Promise follows a fed-up thirteen-year-old boy who runs away after his mom’s partner starts drinking again, and witnesses a brutal attack on a helpless stranger, where he steps in to help. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I always wanted to write a story that combined both magical, fantastical elements with real-life, everyday occurrences that a lot of families experience around Christmas. I wanted to show the harsh truth that leaving a volatile relationship like that is extremely difficult for some people, but with enough courage, it can be done.
Grace and Dylan are both looking for a Christmas miracle and find it in different ways. What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
Throughout my life, I grew up knowing friends who are in the same position as Grace and Dylan. There are female friends of mine who wanted to remain loyal to a very flawed partner who, only when circumstances become dire, they see as very selfish. I wanted to keep the story grounded within reason and make the fantastical scenes feel a bit more real.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Hmm…that’s a tough one to answer because there were a lot. I guess if I were to narrow it down, the main themes were: the courage to do what’s right and knowing when to leave a bad situation. So courage, forgiveness, and redemption. Forgiveness is very important around Christmas time because nobody knows how much time we have left on Earth. So the one question I always ask is: do you want to leave here bearing a grudge and have others hating you? Or do you want to leave here with a clean slate and a clear conscience?
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
The next book I’m getting ready is the final, action-packed book in the YA horror series, The Hopps Town Quadrilogy. That will be released in April 2026. Then I’m finishing, When Worlds Collide, the third book in my YA epic fantasy series, The Zargothian Saga. There are a number of screenplay scripts I’m working on, as well as making AI movies. So 2026 will be pretty busy, but I’m very grateful to be able to do all these wonderful things.
Some Christmas Miracles Come From the Most Unexpected Places…
Dylan Sanchez used to love Christmas. But for the last three years, the holidays have been anything but festive. Like clockwork, Greg – his mother’s partner – gets intoxicated and spirals from awkward jokes to tense, needling arguments that drain the joy from the season. Every year, his mother says it’ll be different. Every year it isn’t. When Greg slips back into old habits just days before yet another Christmas, Dylan can’t take it anymore. He grabs his coat and walks out, leaving behind the wreckage of promises too thin to stand on.
But when he witnesses a brutal attack on a helpless stranger out in the dark streets, his split-second choice to intervene sets off a chain of events unlike anything he could have imagined — something that’s nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
Sometimes, a thirteen-year-old boy’s fierce heart is exactly what the world needs to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Fragments of Light follows a young Archivist named Keela as she uncovers relics of a forgotten civilization while ancient machines awaken beneath the ice. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Winter. It all started with that. I live where winter is a VERY present concept, and as much of an avid reader as I am, rarely did I ever find a compelling SciFi story that took place in winter or somewhere where winter was the norm. So I figured that starting everything there would be something that could generate a different type of texture to the narrative. And one of those threads is the impact – or I should probably say “impacts” – of climate change. As harsh an environment as the Arctic is, climate change has a disproportionate effect on it; everything seems magnified. So to me, that area would likely be a natural refuge for human civilization should the World go to Hell in a handbasket…
Keela’s emotional journey feels incredibly intimate. Was her character shaped by any personal experiences or themes you wanted to explore?
No personal experience per se. However, being a parent, I see that many young people – and having been one myself – are unsure of the potential in them; of the strength that inhabits them. Sometimes it’s easier to wait for someone else to do what needs to be done, but most of the time, YOU could do it, and you could probably do it better. As for the archivist part, that’s purely projection: I’m a big history nerd! I just find it fascinating – good and bad – how technology throughout the ages shaped humans; how it creates a virtuous (or perverted, depending on where you stand) cycle where humans create technology that changes them and allows them to create more “advanced” or different technology that in turn changes them again, and so on and so forth.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Resilience. Ambiguity. Adventure. Friendship. And as corny as it sounds, humor. Because I really do not want to live in a world where even during the worst of the worst we are not able to smile or laugh. Maybe not at what’s happening, but surely at how we deal with ourselves and others.
The machines beneath the ice feel both mythical and scientific. What was your process for designing their nature and purpose?
Well, in Fragments of Light, machines are not generally “under the ice.” Some are, but it’s more because of their purpose, really. In the subsequent books, we see that Keela and Anina need to go outside the safety of their known world – the Arctic – and cross entire continents to continue their quest and get to interact with many different societies, machines, and people. . Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that machines are left over from a technologically advanced world that existed pre-Fracture. One where geo-engineering was seen as the way to stop/reverse/curb global environmental collapse. Think huge sun reflecting mirrors, carbon catchers, water purifiers, methane gas processors, etc. These would need to be massive, on a scale that would blow your mind, in order to affect the climate of a system as big and complex as the Earth. And you are right, as with anything that is old, eventually they did drift into mythology or quasi-myth.
BENEATH THE ICE, THE WORLD STILL SINGS. Keela was meant to guard the past, not be claimed by it. In the frozen city of Lumik, she touches a relic that hums with memory, and nothing stays buried. Her quiet life shatters, pulling her into a truth no one else will face.
With Anina, a gifted technician who reads machines like language, Keela follows its call across a fractured Earth. Engines stir beneath snow. Salvage-built cities whisper of healing long abandoned. Wonder ignites, but so does danger, as rivals twist awe into power.
This is not destiny. It is choice. And when no one else steps forward, Keela must.
For fans of Skyward, Scythe, The 100, and Ship Breaker. Discovery-driven sci-fi with brave heroines, hidden tech, and the courage to do what must be done. Scroll up to begin.
Caroline’s Purpose follows a once-promising athlete and equestrian who, after an accident, struggles to navigate college, broken relationships, and haunting memories, while trying to find purpose in a life that feels hollow. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration for the setup of my story was my own journey. I tried to be the best at different things, only to come out on the other side hollow and disappointed. I wanted to encourage readers that God always has the best purpose for our lives. We don’t have to rely on ourselves. We don’t have to strive to be the best at something for fulfillment or to find our identity or value. Our identity and value are found in who God made us to be. Caroline needed to discover that by losing the identities she had worked endlessly for. Her pain is relatable for anyone who has lost dreams or the identities they created for themselves. God uses our pain to bring us back to Him and the value He created us with
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
There’s a whole lot of me in this story. I played softball in high school and was a pitcher. I chose not to play in college because I didn’t think I was good enough. I was offered an academic scholarship to the University of Arizona. I lived out my dreams of pitching for the U of A through Caroline. At U of A, I majored in Equine Science. A riding accident in middle school led me to playing softball. The Equine Program at the U of A was my return to the horse world, like it is for Caroline in the book. Luna, the weanling, is based on the weanling I was assigned in the weanling class. Her name is Goldee, and she is now my horse. Edison is based off of the real-life Edison I leased and then owned until he had to be put down two years ago. Edison is the horse who gave me my confidence back. He wasn’t abused, like the Edison in the novel, but he was a huge part of my healing and moving forward.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The themes that were important for me to explore in this book were God’s purpose for each life and healing from the pain of the past. It is easy to get stuck in the pain, especially when multiple dreams have fallen apart. It is easy to feel like God has forgotten about us or doesn’t care about us. I wanted to create a story to show readers that God always loves and always cares and always has a purpose for us. I wanted to create characters that would show that healing is possible.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
Caroline Davis, a sophomore in college, finds herself at a crossroads, suffocated by fear and anxiety. Everything she claimed to be or dreamed of becoming has been lost to her, including her faith in God.
When she meets Connor Taylor, Caroline finds that he is able to relate to her pain more than she would have thought possible.
With the help of Edison, an abused horse, Connor seeks to help Caroline learn to use her past as a stepping stone towards the future.
As her relationship with Connor grows, Caroline must make a choice to conquer her fear or to stay where she feels safe. Their relationship and her future hang in the balance.
The Ghost’s Gambit, the third installment in Stephanie Cotta’s Iron Kingdom series, sweeps readers back into the dark, perilous world of the Iron Kingdom, where rebellion burns quietly under the thumb of a brutal empire. The story picks up in the midst of chaos, rebels fleeing through snow, soldiers in pursuit, loyalties torn to pieces. Author Stephanie Cotta crafts a world that is both cruel and tender, filled with haunted warriors, hidden magic, and fragile hope. The narrative follows a cast of complex characters, Wraiths, Conjurers, and outlaws, each wrestling with their own ghosts as they defy a king who seeks to crush them. It’s a tale of defiance, sacrifice, and the flickering light that refuses to die in the shadow of tyranny.
Cotta’s writing moves with fierce rhythm, sometimes sharp as steel, other times soft as snowfall. Her descriptions pull you straight into the fight, the clang of metal, the sting of regret, the ache of loss. What struck me most wasn’t just the action, though it’s thrilling, but the intimacy of the quiet moments in between. When Rowan bleeds for his brother, or Tahira whispers spells through tears, or Akaran faces the cost of vengeance, it hits hard. The book isn’t afraid to show how grief shapes courage, or how love can bloom even when surrounded by blood and ruin. I found myself caring deeply for these characters, even when they stumbled, even when they broke.
The pace shifts swiftly, cutting one moment and lingering the next. There are scenes where the prose leans into drama, yet I couldn’t fault it because it felt honest to the pain the story carries. The dialogue has a rawness that fits the world’s brutality, and while the lore is dense, it rewards you for paying attention. What really lingered with me was the emotional weight beneath the battles. This isn’t just a fantasy about swords and sorcery; it’s about forgiveness, loyalty, and the ghosts we carry when the fight is done.
The Ghost’s Gambit is a story that grips you and doesn’t let go, yet somehow leaves a quiet warmth behind. I’d recommend it to readers who crave epic fantasy with heart, especially those who love stories like Throne of Glass or Mistborn but want something cleaner in tone and more focused on the ties between family and faith. It’s dark, yes, but not hopeless. If you like your fantasy with both grit and grace, this book is worth every page.
The Dragon Moonstone follows a young man who discovers he’s inherited wizard blood and must learn to control his unstable magic before it consumes him. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I write primarily to inspire my grandsons to discover the joy of reading. We’re all flawed—that’s what makes us human—and I wanted them to see Noah, a young man who discovers his inherited wizard blood, grappling with unstable magic just like any beginner. Even the greatest wizards start somewhere, and I hope Noah’s journey shows them that mastering your gifts is a process worth celebrating.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
My stories tend to unfold organically as I write—I never start with a rigid plan, and it often feels like Noah himself is in the driver’s seat, steering the adventure. The inspiration for the brimming world of The Dragon Moonstone came from my love of classic fantasy realms, blended with everyday wonders I share with my grandsons.
Courage, perseverance, and the drive to make things right were essential themes I wanted to weave throughout The Dragon Moonstone. These aren’t just plot devices—they’re the story’s true heartbeat, lessons I hope to impart to my young readers. Noah embodies this when life hurls challenges his way: unstable magic, self-doubt, and unexpected losses. Through it all, he learns to step up, push through, and emerge stronger, reminding us that true power comes from facing our flaws head-on.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Noah and the direction of the next book?
Grief has threaded through Noah’s journey so far, and the next book dives deeper into it as he learns to process his sadness and confront his challenges head-on. Along the way, he’ll discover that kindness isn’t a weakness—it’s a quiet strength—and that being the underdog comes with its own fierce advantages. Above all, Noah will embrace the power of paying it forward, turning his losses into legacies that inspire those around him. Expect more magic, more heart, and even higher stakes when you dive into The Griffin Moonstone.
The Dragon Moonstone: Book Two of The Moonstone Legacy Series
Noah never asked to be a wizard—too bad magic doesn’t take requests. Patience? Not exactly his strong suit. With messy, unpredictable powers that have a mind of their own, Noah puts his friends at risk. So, his great-aunt Shirley pulls some strings and sends him and his friends to Castle Dragon, where they’re in for a bumpy ride convincing the legendary sorcerer to come out of retirement and train them.
As Noah’s emotions tangle with his chaotic magic, a seemingly harmless shortcut spirals into disaster. To fix his blunder, he must find rare dragonroot, the only cure for his magical mishap. But fate throws him another curveball: the Dragon Moonstone has gone missing, and the realm’s balance hangs by a thread. Without it, chaos could reign, endangering everyone he cares about.
With a vengeful witch, a devious bounty hunter, and nearly every Fae in the Otherlands pursuing their own agendas, Noah knows he can’t do this alone. His quirky and brave friends offer their support, but in a world rife with deception and treachery, trust is a dangerous gamble.
When tragedy strikes, Noah confronts a haunting question: does the reluctant hero have what it takes to save the realm, or is he destined to be the guy who always ruins everything?
Join Noah and his friends on a fast-paced fantasy adventure filled with magic, humor, and action. Tailored for teens and adults who enjoy action-packed contemporary fantasy with a mystery to solve.
Wing Haven follows a fairy who finds herself queen after being betrayed by her sister, and along with some unlikely allies, enters into a dangerous adventure. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
I looked on Submittable for short story and flash fiction writing contests because I think it’s a good way to flex your writing muscles, and saw one which must have had a fairy or forest theme. I hit the word count limit and had so much more to say about Almond’s journey that I just kept going.
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?
I think archetypes are powerful tools for storytelling, and each character has a role: the hero, the sidekick, the love interest, the comic relief, the villain, the muscle, etc. In Wing Haven, the hero is a fairy, the sidekick is a chipmunk, the comic relief is insects—and they have motivations and quirks corresponding with their roles in the story that I hope draw the reader into a suspension of disbelief that allows them to go along for the ride.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Some of Wing Haven’s most important themes are self-reliance, chosen family, and acceptance. Almond must learn to live outside of the regimented Fairy Nook, where there are no rules or safety nets, but also learns to trust the creatures she befriends. They’re a ragtag group of very different creatures who accept each other as they are and appreciate each other’s strengths.
Can fans of Wing Haven look forward to more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?
I am excited to share that I’m working on my first closed circle murder mystery, but I also have ideas for more adventures for the Wing Haven crew, so sign up on my website for updates.
When Almond Nettlesworth is taken from the Fairy Nook, she is desperate to find her way home. Alone in the dark forest, Almond collects a ragtag gang of characters and together, they transform an abandoned dollhouse into a haven for tiny creatures. But when the Fairy Queen sends the Knight of the Nook to bring her back, Almond must decide between the home she knows and the home she’s built.
LITERARY TITAN 