Idealistic school teacher Ellen is bowled over by news that many of the survivors of the shipwrecked Golden Venture, run aground off the coast of New York in 1993, will be detained in her local York County Prison in York, PA.

Upon attending vigils on behalf of these INS detainees now seeking political asylum, she becomes enthralled with the group of humanitarians she meets as well as with the cause of justice and freedom for the world's oppressed and downtrodden.

On the other hand, her husband Dan is not the least enthralled with her involvement in this cause of "cutting illegals a break." Major problems develop on the home front, all the more so as their daughter Christi becomes drawn into the cause.

Little does Ellen or the INS realize until the very end, but the detainee to whom Ellen has been assigned as his "Guardian Angel" is none other than the 20th century's most famous freedom icon: Tankman, the man who stood up to the tanks at Tiananmen Square.

Tankman in America encapsulates the tragedies, both personal and national, that have been and are the result of America's often misguided treatment of people seeking asylum from this world's many oppressive regimes.

Tankman in America is a story of great heroism, nobility, anguish, tragedy and joy. It is a thought-provoking, heart-breaking, inspiring and powerful story about the course of freedom in America.

I suppose it is inevitable that a jazz musician would want to ‘blow his own trumpet,’ but I truly believe that this novel contains such a detailed insight into the drama that unfolds, that it could not have possibly been written by someone else. The story is about social politics in America and beyond during the twentieth century, as seen through the lives of a family of jazz musicians. Their work takes them into areas where racism and bigotry abound not only in the States but abroad too, but, ‘The music goes round and around,’ despite their misgivings. Their recordings provide the ‘pictures’ on an otherwise blank canvas, for without them there would be only hear say. Their story is taken up by two reporters who finally get to the bottom of a racist conspiracy on the other side of the world. It follows that a knowledge and empathy with the past is all important in a story such as this. I’m an historian and retired teacher of politics as well as being a part-time jazz musician, and I have just concluded a radio show called ‘Jazz Dreams.’ I’ve come across racism in many different guises and in many corners of the Globe during my lifetime, and I know how insidious it can be. In this story I have tried to explain how important it is that individuals take personal responsibility and confront it. That takes courage and the book is about this also. A recent visit to New Zealand including Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound gave me the idea for a perfect hiding place. (Bond meets Lord of the Rings perhaps?)

The novel ( 100,000 words) is in 4 parts and follows the life of Sue Parker a Police Officer in the Avon and Somerset Police force as she attempts to get to grips with crime and her own personal love life that usually seems to come out second best as work takes priority. Part 1, (Title above) begins and ends in Bath but takes many twists and turns along the way, usually following the reminiscences of a suspect. Africa features but so do Tokyo, Munich and Washington over decades. Questions of conscience arise in different scenarios. Sue is a PC. Part 2 is called ‘Croquet at Chateau Chevalier’ and sees Sue embroiled in a murder at a Management Motivational weekend in a country ‘hotel’ run by a company called ‘Muck&Brass,’ a term that alludes to their penchant for outdoor trials, such as Quad Bikes. There are so many suspects, but here the onus is on lack of conscience as people make their decisions. Sue has been moved up to Sergeant. Part 3 is ‘Troublesome Talk at River Walk’ and is set in Frome, a small town near Bath where Sue has been promoted to Inspector. It begins with the suspicious death of an old lady and goes on to explore her background in the Spanish Civil War, and in the Resistance in World War Two. This story highlights the dilemma that is faced by individuals, when competing definitions of right and wrong clash. Part 4 is ‘Flotsam and Jetsum’ Sue is retired but gets involved on holiday when a body on a beach near Portsmouth leads her into a dangerous International Conspiracy in the Baltic Sea and beyond, even into Russia itself. An absence of guilt once more leads Sue to identify her suspect, but she also finds ‘Silver Linings’ in her love life again.

Don't Squander Our Dearly-Bought Freedom tells a story of political turmoil in the Post-apartheid era. Vista University campus becomes a site of protest, where demonstrators decry the education of so-called slaves and claim that inferior education should not be allowed.

www.ShaneAFeldman.com

Seven unique short stories from the same person who published Burn: A Bipolar Memoir and the Metamorphosis series. The stories range in content from a talking dog to an American soldier in Iraq. Each story is ardent, poignant, and socially interesting.

Each short is no longer than 2,000 words yet each contains an inimitable message and moral. This relatively short fiction is an easy read for anyone who considers himself or herself interested in human nature.

In a sequel to his award-winning A Sense of Honour, Roy French returns with another tale of the Raven, once the most feared of all paramilitary enforcers in Ireland.

Daniel Riordan is trying desperately hard to put his past behind him, but when his friends are killed in a house fire and the police believe it was accidental, Riordan must return to the arcane skills of his past, to the being that was the Raven, in order to uncover the truth.

The path, however, leads back to his former life, re-opening old, painful wounds and places his own life in jeopardy. He finds help from an unexpected source. John Waters, a commando from the elite Special Air Service, is tracking a notorious terrorist who has been contracted by the very people for whom Riordan is searching.

His quest is also very personal, totally unsanctioned, and in coming to Riordan's aid together they manage to lay old ghosts to rest.

Once again, French takes us on a wild ride from the dark mountains of Ireland, to the forests of British Columbia and on to the calm, blue waters of Cuba, the plot twisting and turning all the way.

In the late Eighteenth Century, a goldsmith and early European banker by the name of Meyer Anselm Rothschild convened a secret meeting in Frankfurt Germany, of 13 prominent Jewish banking families, for the purpose of formulating a plan to oppose the power of the Catholic Church and gain control of the western world through financial and political manipulation. Throughout the centuries, this close affiliation of international bankers and heads of state has been referred to by many different names; the Family, the Circle, the Olympians, the Money Power, the Elites, and most prominently, the Illuminati. Their identities have remained shrouded in secrecy, but their objectives and their tactics have remained consistently true to the original plans of the thirteen bloodline families. Through the ownership and the manipulation of the central banks of Europe, and that of the United States; democracy itself. The current trends toward corporate globalization are a direct result of their plans for a one world government; the New World Order. At the start of the millennium, one thing is clear; their plans are working.

John Doe is Everyman; born into an aristocratic family of the international banking elite, but raised in anonymity of a normal American family. With his unknown birth father's guidance, he discovers and explores the little known world of his ancestors and the world-dominating force they have become. He conducts a thorough study of American history to uncover the influence of the illuminati in the past, and relates that influence to the political and economic conditions affecting the present course of world events and threatening the future of the human race. Ultimately, he uses what her learns about the Illuminati to reveal their plan to the unsuspecting public, to confront the Illuminati in their own arena, and to provide the American public and the world with an antidote to the new World Order. In an anonymous run for the presidency of the United States, John Doe exposes the plans of the Illuminati, and lays down his guidelines for a moral, responsible, and sustainable world; the philosophy of Futurism.

Through his own journey of enlightenment, John Doe himself discovers what it means to be a Shadow King.

---

I suppose it is inevitable that a jazz musician would want to ‘blow his own trumpet,’ but I truly believe that this novel contains such a detailed insight into the drama that unfolds, that it could not have possibly been written by someone else. The story is about social politics in America and beyond during the twentieth century, as seen through the lives of a family of jazz musicians. Their work takes them into areas where racism and bigotry abound not only in the States but abroad too, but, ‘The music goes round and around,’ despite their misgivings. Their recordings provide the ‘pictures’ on an otherwise blank canvas, for without them there would be only hear say. Their story is taken up by two reporters who finally get to the bottom of a racist conspiracy on the other side of the world. It follows that a knowledge and empathy with the past is all important in a story such as this. I’m an historian and retired teacher of politics as well as being a part-time jazz musician, and I have just concluded a radio show called ‘Jazz Dreams.’ I’ve come across racism in many different guises and in many corners of the Globe during my lifetime, and I know how insidious it can be. In this story I have tried to explain how important it is that individuals take personal responsibility and confront it. That takes courage and the book is about this also. A recent visit to New Zealand including Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound gave me the idea for a perfect hiding place. (Bond meets Lord of the Rings perhaps?)

The novel ( 100,000 words) is in 4 parts and follows the life of Sue Parker a Police Officer in the Avon and Somerset Police force as she attempts to get to grips with crime and her own personal love life that usually seems to come out second best as work takes priority. Part 1, (Title above) begins and ends in Bath but takes many twists and turns along the way, usually following the reminiscences of a suspect. Africa features but so do Tokyo, Munich and Washington over decades. Questions of conscience arise in different scenarios. Sue is a PC. Part 2 is called ‘Croquet at Chateau Chevalier’ and sees Sue embroiled in a murder at a Management Motivational weekend in a country ‘hotel’ run by a company called ‘Muck&Brass,’ a term that alludes to their penchant for outdoor trials, such as Quad Bikes. There are so many suspects, but here the onus is on lack of conscience as people make their decisions. Sue has been moved up to Sergeant. Part 3 is ‘Troublesome Talk at River Walk’ and is set in Frome, a small town near Bath where Sue has been promoted to Inspector. It begins with the suspicious death of an old lady and goes on to explore her background in the Spanish Civil War, and in the Resistance in World War Two. This story highlights the dilemma that is faced by individuals, when competing definitions of right and wrong clash. Part 4 is ‘Flotsam and Jetsum’ Sue is retired but gets involved on holiday when a body on a beach near Portsmouth leads her into a dangerous International Conspiracy in the Baltic Sea and beyond, even into Russia itself. An absence of guilt once more leads Sue to identify her suspect, but she also finds ‘Silver Linings’ in her love life again.

A journey of two men and a dog on a quest to discover the loss of American Humanity.

This is a collection of essays represents an attempt by the author to strike a blow for the freedom of thought and expression- even if its wrong. Anything that smacks of orthodoxy is avoided where possible, and rigidity of thinking and establishing dogma are treated with equal suspicion.

No claim is made for scholarship, only for an honest attempt to eliminate some of the prejudices from which we all suffer. "Don't kid yourself" is the goal that is strived for - though it may seldom be reached.

Above all, it is hoped that these essays my encourage some people to think for themselves rather than to passively absorb the dubious pronouncements of our self-styled 'authorities', 'religious' and otherwise, who are only too willing to tell us how we should live and what we should believe. This should be our decision only. We betray our birthright when we allow other people to do our thinking for us.

"Blow up all of their electrical power lines! This will cut off their water supply!" was the word from the chief terrorist to his lieutenant in America, so they started with small transfer stations for practice. After the second one was demolished, Ryan Masters asked for a community meeting to seek a way to deter them from disrupting their power. A former marine sergeant suggested a warning device he had experience with, and the community accepted it. Did it work properly, or did the terrorists override it? Was their water supply rendered useless? What other types of attack did the terrorists do to harm American citizens? The answer came directly from the pen of Simmons so you can find out!

Chapter XIII

His walk back to the inn that afternoon was not only long, but he was beginning to comprehend some of the reasons for the uneasiness he felt when he first met with the citizens in the marketplace. The problems were many; and much of the malaise seemed to be caused by the moral integrity, or lack thereof, in the kingdom. If moral decay appeared to be at the center of the multitude of problems facing the kingdom, where better to further his investigation than at its religious core? To this point his investigation had revealed many troublesome problems. Some of the citizens had given him indications as to the nature of these problems, and even possible solutions to some of them. However, they were only partial and superficial solutions to a problem that was more endemic and threatening to the survival of the kingdom. If the kingdom was to survive, its morality had to be dominant. Should this morality not be intact, then was the kingdom worth saving?

During his many visits to the university grounds he could not help but notice at the center of the university complex the cathedral, an awe-inspiring edifice that had been grandly designed and constructed many years before. The logic to his search inevitably led him to this moral center of the kingdom...

As he neared the cathedral, citizens were entering in small groups. The wanderer, once inside, located a pew toward the rear of the chamber so he might better observe some of the citizens and their reactions to the sermon that morning. His first impression of this house of worship was the artistic detail that predominated. There were intimately detailed statues that almost humanized, yet idealized, those figures representing church history from early times, and a series of artistically detailed and colorful murals on the walls, which further developed the history of the religion. The multi-colored stained glass panels, which permitted the outside light to filter into the cathedral, colorfully accented the interior. The atmosphere reflected a well-organized and strategic plan, orchestrated many years before, to visually and spiritually elevate this sanctuary above and beyond the common existence of its believers...

The minister, a gray-haired elderly citizen, from his pulpit high above the faithful appeared to be a fatherly and accepting church leader. This was unexpected to the wanderer, who had envisioned a more powerful and domineering representative of the church. The fatherly minister began his sermon with a scripted presentation, which was apparently part of the religious rhetoric used over many years to establish a reverent tone for his presentation that was to follow. This device, which was more mechanical than inspiring, had apparently functioned over the years, so it became an integral part of the weekly presentation. Once past this mechanical portion of his address, he began his sermon by identifying some of the major problems that the church believed were of concern to the citizens. His identification of those problems was certainly in consonance with many of those problems presented to the wanderer during his travels. The difficulty the wanderer was having with the fatherly minister's presentation was that his critique was more accepting than critical. His message seemed to be that the times were changing, and many of these issues that would have been severely criticized or acted upon in past years, were now being accepted, or at least tolerated, in the name of change....

Upon completion of the service, the wanderer visited the minister's quarters, a rather plain attachment to the rear of the cathedral. As was the case with the minister at the sermon, his quarters were similarly unremarkable in appearance. The wanderer knocked on the large wooden door and presently a pleasant appearing lady, who was apparently in the employ of the ministers, opened the door. After a congenial exchange of greetings, he was ushered into the home and asked to wait while the pleasant looking lady departed to fetch the minister...

The minister's discussion was both moving and believable, unlike his earlier presentation at the church. But behind this compelling presentation, the wanderer detected a fatalism and acceptance of the changing position of the church. The church, the wanderer concluded, would not, in and of itself, be the vehicle around which the kingdom could rally to stem this decline. As the wanderer departed, thanking the minister for his valuable time, he observed the minister hobbling back up the stairs, again the aged religious leader he had observed when he first arrived.

September 11, 2001 put into motion the beginning of a terrorist network within the borders of the United States of America. Susan Paul is the Media Liason to the Department of Homeland Security. It is her job to keep the American people informed on the status of the current terrorist threats and report any new developments as soon as they are released for public information.

Tracker Mangas is the President of the United States' Personal Physician and member of the elite Covert Task Force.

Several terrorist incidents occur and the country is in fear and panic. The Republican National Convention is being held in San Diego and it becomes apparent that chemical and biological weapons are being smuggled into the United States through Mexico. It is up to Colonel Mangas to find the smugglers and destroy the weapons before the Convention begins.

A story full of adventure and action depicting today's events and what America could be experiencing tomorrow.

Five per cent of the proceeds of this book will be donated to St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The donation will be made on behalf of Epsilon Sigma Alpha International, a women's philanthropic organization, to which the author is a member.Ê

Israel Strikes-Out! is inspired by the many conflicts occurring in the Middle East over the last ten years. The book deals specifically with problems that have been brewing between Israel and Iraq, especially after the Scud Missile attacks launched by Saddam Hussein against Israel during the Gulf War in 1991.

The book explores concerns raised by high-level officials in the Israeli intelligence organization, the Mossad, regarding the threat presented by Saddam Hussein. A Mossad operative, Menachem Yariv, suggests a strategy to insert an operative into the Iraqi military who can get as close as possible to the Iraqi leader so that Israel can make an assassination attempt against him. After a few set backs, the Mossad stumbles on to an Iraqi defector in Amman, Jordan who gets into position in the Iraqi Special Republican Guard to at least make an attempt on Saddam Hussein's life. The effort is not simple and takes a few twists and turns before an attempt is made. The C.I.A. even gets involved when it gets wind of the operation.

After entering into a joint operation to strike Iraq, the U.S. and Israel experience several unexpected consequences of the effort that include some disappointments and some successes for both, as well as for the individuals directly involved in the operation.