Blog Archives
Fun and Realistic Education
Dali & Banksy’s Brave Bite Adventure follows two young explorers on a cozy, confidence-boosting quest that turns tasting new foods into an upbeat, family-filled adventure. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The Inspiration for the story was that I was teaching nutrition in the Flint Public Schools, and I was not happy with the book I had to read so I wanted one that was fun, realistic, and encouraged children to try new fruits and veggies.
Gram and Pepere add such comforting energy. Were they based on people from your own life?
Gram and Pepere are myself and my husband (Pepere is French Canadian). This is what Dali and Banksy call us.
The illustrations feel soft and welcoming. What guidance did you give the illustrator to achieve that mood?
The illustrations were perfect! Banksy knew who everyone was, and the illustrator was given pictures, and I just shared my vision for the book, most importantly, I wanted it to be kid-friendly and grab the attention of children and parents.
Do you imagine more Brave Bites Quests or other adventures for Dali and Banksy in future books?
Yes, the second book is currently in illustration, and it is about medically compromised children and helping them be brave.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
Dali and Banksy’s Brave Bite Adventure is a heartwarming, fun-filled story about two curious siblings who discover that trying something new isn’t so scary after all!
When Dali and Banksy are invited to try a new food, they aren’t too sure. What if it tastes weird? What if they don’t like it? With a little courage, a lot of imagination, and the support of each other, they take a brave bite, and learn that stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to tasty surprises and big life lessons.
Inspired by real-life siblings, this playful picture book encourages kids to be open-minded, adventurous, and kind. It’s perfect for children ages 3–8 and families who love stories about growing together, one small step (or bite!) at a time.
Great for: Picky eaters, new experiences, sibling bonding, courage-building, and shared family reading.
The Pressure of Testing
Tokyo Juku follows an eighteen-year-old student in Japan who, while studying all night in her cram school, discovers one of her teachers has been murdered, leading to an investigation into the education system. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The main inspiration comes from talking with my students. Their struggles inspired me to write about them. I teach at a university, so hearing from my seminar students about what they’ve been through really made me rethink the Japanese educational system from their perspective. One of the largest problems is the pressure of testing. Students hate tests. I mean, really hate them! My job entails evaluation, but more as individual feedback than standardized testing as social gatekeeping. Over the years, when I tell people that I teach at a university, they often cast their eyes down and mumble the name of their school, a little embarrassed at their past failings. Or, just the opposite, very proudly. That’s a sad reaction to what should be a life-transforming experience. In the novel, I wanted to take my students’ stories, my observations, and others’ experiences and condense them into the struggles of the main character, Mana. Like most Japanese, she has to learn how to navigate treacherous educational waters. As an educator and a writer, I’m on the side of improvement, but that’s easier said than done.
How has character development for Detective Hiroshi Shimizu changed for you through the series?
Hiroshi has evolved through the series. In the first novel, he had just returned from America and found the detective job through a connection. He works the job reluctantly but gradually finds he is pretty good at it, despite being resistant to crime scenes and the grittier aspects of the job. He reconnects with his college girlfriend, moves in with her, and they start a family in the latest novel. That idea of fatherhood causes him great anxiety because of what he’s seen behind the curtain. Does he want to bring a child into the world he’s glimpsed while working in homicide? But he has a knack for finding the pattern in the chaos of cases, and he’s needed.
Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?
An effective novel comes first. The moral is something that occurs in readers’ minds. I think if you push a moral or make themes too explicit, it takes away from the beautiful ambiguity of reading. As a writer, I can nudge readers in specific directions, but they will draw their own conclusions. So, if you push a moral without a compelling story, it comes across as preachy. Nobody likes that. Readers have their own reactions to the characters’ conflicts, which might yield a moral they take away, but it might also be something more complex—a conclusion or understanding that doesn’t fit into the frame of a moral. The conflicts and confusions of characters are at the heart of an effective story. I focus on that. My job as a writer is to keep them turning pages, thinking, and enjoying the ride.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Detective Hiroshi Shimizu and the direction of the next book?
The next book will focus on the tourist industry, which has really taken off in Japan. I have culture shock—or maybe reverse culture shock—in parts of the city swamped with visitors from abroad. That’s changing the city. I’m not against that, but the influx of tourists and tourist money has not been clearly planned for. And much of Japan is highly planned. Japan is internationalizing, in good and bad ways, so that Hiroshi will be needed even more with his English and accounting skills. He’s got plenty more cases to work on.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
Eighteen-year-old Mana pulls an all-nighter at her juku, a private Japanese cram school that specializes in helping students pass the once-a-year exams. She failed the year before but feels sure she’ll get it the second time—if she can stay awake. The Japanese saying, “Four pass, five fail,” presses her to sleep just four hours a day, and study the rest.
When she wakes up in the middle of the night, head pillowed on her notes, she takes a break down the silent hallway. A light comes from an empty classroom, and still sleepy, she pushes open the door to discover something not covered in her textbooks. Her juku teacher, the one who got her going again, lies stabbed to death below the whiteboard, with the knife still in his chest and the AV table soaked in blood.
Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is called in, and though he’s usually the forensic accountant, not the lead detective, he’s put in charge of the case. With the help of colleagues old and new, he’s determined to find the killer before the media convicts the girl in the press, the new head of homicide pins it on her, or big money interests make her the scapegoat.
Hiroshi follows up on uncooperative witnesses, financial deceptions, and the sordid details of some teachers’ private lives. Even as he gets closer, the accumulating evidence feels meager amid the vastness of the education industry, and the pressures and profits of Japan’s incessant exams.
At the outset of the investigation, Hiroshi listens as an education ministry official lectures him on how education holds the nation together, but he soon discovers how it also pulls it apart, and how deadly a little learning can be.
Our Soul’s Lens
Unveiled: A Journey to Soul Realization is part memoir, part spiritual roadmap, and part therapeutic manual that weaves together personal stories, neuroscience, energy work, and metaphysical exploration into one cohesive, soul-centered narrative. Why was this an important book for you to write?
In my trauma practice, I work to help people realize what happened to them was not arbitrary but happened for a reason and has meaning. This was the reason for writing this book as well. We can learn from meaning and create new meaning. This is a powerful function of Unveiled.
I appreciated the neuroscience you incorporated into this book rather than just presenting spiritual information; the combination makes it easier to trust the process. Did you find anything in your research for this book that surprised you?
No, I this is basic to trauma therapists. Trauma therapy evolved with the simultaneous evolution of neuroimaging; thus, the practices being developed could be visually measured and understood, accounting for rapid brain changing therapies we do not see in mental health nor addiction.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Placebo as both miraculous and as what we can do with deliberate meaning change. I discuss our need for evidence and Placebo studies provide that in dramatic and stunning ways. The Self-Healing approaches take that idea of what is possible and plug in applications that are amazing. Of course, this book’s goal is to see through our Soul’s lens and Soul connection is perhaps the pinnacle moment in this text.
How has your experience in the mental health field helped you develop this process for healing and awakening?
Yes, my practice and my ascension evolved as one, energetically and that was amazing. My clients presented things I need to learn, not only as a trauma practitioner but as a spiritual practitioner as well. It was and still is an amazing synergy.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Threads
Have you struggled with letting go of past trauma or understanding why certain things have happened in your life? Have you ever considered a spiritual approach to healing? Or have you never even considered the existence of a soul? In Unveiled, licensed Creative Arts Therapist Herb Cohen challenges and guides our discernment about connecting to our soul and using that connection to better grasp the events of our lives.
With almost forty years of experience working with mental health, addiction, and trauma, Herb pondered the questions he repeatedly asked his clients and condensed years of informed practice into a concise approach to his process.
In this book, you will contemplate:
How separateness impacts our world
What role “awareness” plays in our lives
Why we see the world through certain lenses
How to connect to your soul and be guided by the essence of who you are
How to surrender to self-heal
The goal of this book is to take you on a spiritual journey from trauma or atrocity to one of love and bliss.
You Can Thrive
Sociomom is a raw and gut-wrenching memoir about surviving a childhood dominated by abuse, manipulation, and the long road toward emotional healing. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It was important to me to author this book not to share my story, but to illustrate that no matter what your past is, where you come from or what your current circumstances are, you can overcome and thrive.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
There are several:
- You are not alone in your struggles.
- If you want something different and better in your life you have to try different and better options to heal.
- No matter how hard you try, you can not and are not meant to do it on your own.
- There is no one size fits all approach but you have to lean into physical, mental and spiritual health options to move forward.
- Overcoming trauma and mental health challenges is a journey not a destination.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The most challenging part was having to relive my journey and put all of my “stuff” out there for the world to see.
The most rewarding was the validations from reviews and other feedback how the book has helped others be seen and be inspired to move forward in their journey.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
It is never too late, and you are not too broken to move forward and change your path to healing.
Author Links: Website | GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Tik Tok | YouTube | LikedIn
A Journey of Discovery
On a Sundown Sea follows a woman with the gifts of being a medium and clairvoyant who meets the leader of the American Theosophical Society, who guides her on a spiritual path that could make her mystical dreams a reality. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I grew up in Point Loma, near Madame Katherine Tingley’s Lomaland. Though she’s been gone nearly a century, stories of her remarkable life—and the extraordinary happenings on that hilltop—still echo throughout the region. I’ve long been fascinated by the mysteries surrounding her. Was she truly a medium and clairvoyant? How did she transform barren land into a flourishing Theosophical community with gardens, a school, and an arts colony? And did she really believe her husband had been reincarnated as a turtle?
Determined to uncover the truth, I spent five years researching and writing this biographical historical novel. While no full biography of Tingley exists, I immersed myself in her speeches, personal writings, and countless archival materials—newspaper articles, letters, photographs, court testimonies, ship logs, and passports. The Theosophists were prolific writers and publishers; Lomaland even had its own press that produced pamphlets and magazines. My greatest challenge was reconciling the many conflicting dates and facts I encountered.
To follow her journey, I traveled to her birthplace in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and to New York City, where her story first unfolds. And to better understand her esoteric world, I attended mediumship readings and worked with a shaman.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
A novelist’s job is to place obstacles between the protagonist and their deepest desire—and Katherine’s childhood vision of building a white city had no shortage of them. Every compelling story thrives on conflict, and characters become truly memorable when they reveal their touchstones, quirks, humor, and emotions. I also believe love, in one form or another, should always be present—it adds depth, humanity, and hope to even the most challenging journeys.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
After a twenty-year career as a public-school educator, I found myself drawn to writing. I began attending a weekly drop-in group, where the facilitator gave prompts and set a timer to get us started. Writing in community helped me keep my pen moving, even on days when I wanted to stop. Initially, I thought I’d write children’s books or a memoir about my time in the classroom—but that wasn’t what unfolded at all.
Instead, characters began appearing on the page seemingly out of nowhere, and I just kept following them. I’m an intuitive writer, composing all my first drafts by hand in a journal. When I started, I never imagined I would create the Anne McFarland Series, let alone On a Sundown Sea: A Novel of Madame Tingley and the Origins of Lomaland. It’s been a journey of discovery, both of the stories themselves and of who I am as a writer.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’d love to publish a collection of my nature poetry, as well as a personal development book inspired by my philosophy and blog, Crealivity. At the same time, I’m resisting the pull of a first chapter that has jumped onto the page for a fourth novel in the Anne McFarland Series. Over the past ten years, I’ve sent four novels and hundreds of poems out into the world, but right now my focus is on promoting On a Sundown Sea. I’ve many local events planned here in San Diego first, and then I’m taking the book on tour to other parts of the country.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website
In 1888, Katherine Tingley, a medium and clairvoyant, continues to have a childhood vision of a white city on a sundown sea. While serving the poor at her Do-Good Mission on Manhattan’s East Side, she encounters William Q. Judge, a mesmerist and leader of the American Theosophical Society. He recognizes her potential, convinces her to become his student, and guides her on a spiritual path that could make her mystical dream become a reality.
After Judge’s passing, Katherine assumes leadership of the Society and embarks on a world crusade to spread brotherhood, learn from ancient cultures, and search for a Himalayan Mahatma. In 1900, she moves the Theosophical headquarters to San Diego. Here, she sets out to establish Lomaland—a sacred space of learning, artistry, and divine harmony, built on a barren peninsula yet brimming with hidden potential. As people from around the world converge to share in her vision, they form a community united in purpose to spread enlightenment. However, betrayals, lies, and libels accumulate until a monumental court case ultimately decides her future and the fate of the white city on a sundown sea.
It’s NOT Just About Money
The Leader Connection – The Foundation dives deep into the human side of leadership, covering topics like empathy, communication, adaptability, and the nuances of eight distinct leadership styles, as well as providing actionable strategies for leaders. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Observing the current discussions and insights about labor, staffing shortages, and turnover, I felt compelled to share my journey and passion with a broader audience.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about leadership and employee connection?
It’s only about the money!
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
1. Understand Your Leadership Style
2. The Importance of Your Role in Building Connections and Enhancing Culture
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from The Leader Connection – The Foundation?
The book serves as a crucial resource for both novice and seasoned leaders, offering valuable insights to help achieve success.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
A Single Tapestry
Transcendence is a sweeping exploration of how the mind bridges science and spirit, revealing the brain as an oracle that connects intuition, dreams, and divine dialogue. What inspired you to weave neuroscience and mysticism together?
I’ve always felt that science and spirit aren’t rivals — they’re different languages describing the same mystery. Neuroscience gives us the wiring, but mysticism gives us the meaning. The inspiration came from realizing that breakthroughs in brain research — about memory, dreams, or intuition — echo things mystics have said for centuries. Writing this book was my way of drawing those threads together into a single tapestry. Since I was a child, I came to realize that in a way, people in the world around me appear in my dream world. Some people call it the astral realm or the ethers. It’s usually not for the better. I have had to learn boundaries, because they have tried to bring me down, or steal from me. Electromagnetic field (EMF) theories of mind/brain integration have been proposed to explain brain function for over seventy years. Interest in this theory continues to this day because it explains mind-brain integration and it offers a simple solution to the “binding problem” of our unified conscious experience.
Were there particular case studies or personal experiences that most convinced you of the brain’s “oracle” potential?
Yes. There are clinical cases where patients, in altered states of consciousness, reported insights or visions that later proved astonishingly accurate — like dreams predicting events or intuitions guiding survival decisions. But just as important were my own moments of deep meditation and dream recall, where the brain seemed to act less like a machine and more like a messenger. It convinced me that the brain isn’t just processing data — it’s participating in a dialogue larger than itself. From my own personal experience? In the past 15 years, I have had dreams of events that have happened. The dreams do not easily portray each future in a straightforward way. Sometimes, I might view an event from a completely different point of view, but when the event takes place, I am like, “Oh that is what that was.” So I had to study this to understand the “why” I get such visions.
The sections on dreams and prophecy are especially powerful. How do you personally practice dreamwork, and what have you learned from it?
I keep a dream journal. Writing first thing in the morning allows the symbols and emotions to stay vivid before they fade. Over time, patterns emerge — recurring images, motifs, even warnings. What I’ve learned is that dreams aren’t random static. They are coded messages from the deeper self, and sometimes from something beyond the self. They’ve taught me patience, humility, and a willingness to listen to what reason alone might dismiss.
Looking ahead, how do you imagine transhumanism and artificial intelligence reshaping our capacity for transcendence?
We’re entering an era where technology will blur the line between the natural and the artificial. AI might expand our access to knowledge, while neural interfaces could deepen our ability to map consciousness itself. But the real challenge will be ensuring that these tools don’t reduce us to data points, but rather help us reach further into the mystery of being human. My hope is that transhumanism doesn’t strip transcendence away but amplifies it — giving us new ways to experience awe, connection, and meaning.
Author Links: GoodReads
Bridging modern neurotheology with ancient wisdom traditions, Transcendence examines how prophetic dreams, intuitive cognition, and spiritual sensitivity are not anomalies but core features of the evolved human mind. Each chapter peels back layers of illusion to reveal how time, identity, memory, and perception are intertwined with sacred geometry, the aura, the gut-brain axis, and quantum possibility.
From the teachings of mystics and prophets to cutting-edge insights into magnetoreception, biofields, and heart-brain coherence, this book maps a path forward for the spiritual seeker in a digital age. It investigates technospirituality, lucid dreaming, neurodivergent sensitivity, and the destiny of the awakened soul in a rapidly shifting world.
Transcendence is not just a book—it is an invocation to reclaim your inner oracle. You will discover practices, questions, and revelations that align intuition with divine will, empowering you to walk your highest timeline with confidence and clarity.
Perfect for readers of Joe Dispenza, Carl Jung, Gregg Braden, or Michael Harner, this book is a must-read for mystics, visionaries, spiritual empaths, and anyone drawn to the sacred intelligence of the cosmos.
A Parody Turned Novel
The Eye of Osiris follows a Mexican American woman working at a law firm whose boss turns up dead, and her being accused of murder, while an ancient Egyptian curse is the real cause. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As regaled in my introduction to this book series, it was a way of survival while working in a toxic environment. I’m a workaholic and I need to be busy. I had run out of work while my creepy, abusive boss was out of town. So my fingers started moving vigorously typing a story about how he got murdered! Yes, it was like a parody that turned into a novel. That is definitely a happy ending to a bad job. (No, he did not die – only in my mind.) And, it still makes me giggle.
I found Moriah Maizon to be an intriguing character. What was your inspiration for this character?
This was my first book; inspired by my circumstances of that time in my life. In many ways, Moriah is a reflection of me. Although Moriah is in many ways much more serious than I ever hope to be. However, I did go through some life changing events reflected in Moriah’s story, such as losing a brother. I have a great deal of passion about life and through this character, I was able to express it.
There is one huge difference, I was born in El Paso, Texas where almost every Mexican American speaks both English and Spanish. I was very surprised at how little many Mexican Americans in Northern California didn’t speak Spanish and how little they knew about our wonderful culture. Of course, as time went by I realized how much racism there was against us and why many did not want to open that can of worms.
Speaking of worms, I am very lucky to be living in Mexico today where I can speak any language I wish without fear of unlawful detainment by the American Nazi-like Gestapo now known as Ice Agents. Why, you might ask, would I compare these armed soldiers to worms? Because they are people who oppress by means of unfair opposition (gangs) and threats of violence. In the end, they will crawl away, just like a worm, in shame.
Can you tell us where the book goes and where we’ll see the characters in the next book?
In the next book, Osiris the Second Coming, Moriah is married to Luis Mendoza who is now an attorney. They have a son, Thomas and their life is perfect. Then, the evil cult starts up all over again in San Francisco. The city is under siege and the Osiris cult is on a new mission to get to her and her family. Through Luis’s family who has an extensive library and knowledge of all things ancient, they search for the key. When the Heliacal rising of Sirius arrives, Moriah is ready for the trip into an unknown world and another dimension.
In Osiris 333, she returns to San Francisco along with her son and best friend Veronica; while Luis and family continue with their research. Still, the cult is in hot pursuit and on the trail of Moriah, their long, lost, reincarnated princess. They take refuge in Florida. A major clue is found by a couple in San Francisco after purchasing a home in the Sunset District. Their find is a unique Mayan Codex written in three languages. From that, they travel to Chichen Itza.
The Osiris Trilogy Mystery series is an adventure about cultural history, challenges, family, friendship, and the glue that holds it all together, love.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Instagram | Website Books | Website Author | Scrib Intel
Disturbing the dead is never a good idea. Stealing from the dead is even worse. Importing ill-gotten goods from the sands of Egypt; that is definitely the road to hell. Unsuspecting beneficiaries of a sacred Egyptian papyrus had no idea this gift was the result of an unholy theft.The curse started with donor, Jim Patton, partner at a law firm located in the Pyramid Building in San Francisco. When news of the sacred papyrus gets out, the Eye of Osiris cutl emerges on a mission.
Moriah Maizon, his legal assistant, was next. She suddenly finds herself in jail for Jim Patton’s gruesome murder. And that, was just the beginning.
The Osiris Mystery Trilogy Series is about a Mexican American family on a mission to stop an Egyptian curse.
LITERARY TITAN 