Books

Tiny Tot Tiger Says Happy Birthday, America! teaches children to celebrate our freedom in the greatest nation in the world, promotes unity, and informs children about our men and women in uniform who help preserve our God-given freedom. Picture book 2 from Dirt Dog and Friends, ages 4-8. Literacy workbooks and audiobooks will soon be available. 

How to Survive in Babylon is a powerful guide for those seeking to rise above the challenges of modern society. Drawing from personal experiences and revolutionary insights, Courtney Sharpe takes readers on a journey to reclaim their strength, purpose, and sense of self in a world designed to keep them down.

In this book, you’ll discover practical strategies for navigating the complexities of daily life while staying true to your values. Sharpe’s no-nonsense advice on work, relationships, and self-growth will inspire you to break free from the limitations of individualism and embrace a more unified, fulfilling way of life.

Whether you’re trying to find balance in a chaotic world or striving to better understand your role in society, How to Survive in Babylon offers the tools you need to thrive. This is your roadmap to empowerment in the face of struggle.
Survive. Thrive. Rise above.

When Gabby Gopher finds Buster the Bear in a meadow with his head stuck in a log, she knows she needs to get her friend help—and get help fast! When initial attempts by several animals to free Buster are unsuccessful, Gabby seeks the sage advice of Oliver Wendell Owl, III. Oliver quickly makes a plan, but it’s clear they will only get Buster’s head unstuck if all the animals on Bridger Mountain work together as a team. Will the wise old owl’s plan work? You’ll have to join the adventure in order to see if the animals can set Buster free!     

The year was 1969 when twelve-year-old Maggie Stone’s world suddenly begins to spin out of control. Her mother, Lillian Stone, who suffers from a mysterious mental or neurological condition that frequently sends her to bed in an unresponsive state for hours at a time, has forced Maggie to be the responsible adult at far too young of age. When her mother goes into a debilitating spell that she cannot be revived from, Lillian ends up in a San Francisco hospital and Maggie is dispatched to an orphanage. As Maggie deals with her conflicting emotions, she finds herself both fiercely protective and scornful of her mother’s abandonment.

And just as she’s beginning to adjust to a tough new life at the orphanage, a grandfather she’s never met suddenly appears to turn her life even further upside down. Ira Stone, who has been estranged from his daughter Lillian since she ran from home pregnant at fifteen, shows up on the orphanage doorstep and whisks Maggie away to his ranch in remote eastern Montana. Ira is a hard man of few words who has etched out his successful ranch through backbreaking work in the unforgiving plains of Montana. A widower and a WWl veteran with battle scars, Ira struggles to relate to a young preteen he has never met. Having to adapt to volatile circumstances with her mother over the years, a tough-skinned Maggie swallows her emotions and makes the best of a completely foreign situation.

As a young girl on the cusp of womanhood but still a child who has spent her life taking care of her mother, Maggie is thrust into a completely foreign situation with no cultural or geographical familiarity to her life in San Francisco. Without her mother and close friends she can relate to, Maggie feels abandoned, unloved and resentful. She is fearful for her mother and her future, and is insecure about meeting the expectations of a stern and demanding grandfather in learning her new roles and responsibilities on the ranch and caring for animals she has never seen.

As one reviewer states: “…it is all so intricately described through vivid descriptions and authentically poignant emotions. The organic transformation of Maggie and Ira’s relationship, and her assimilation into the small rural community is so beautifully drawn. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I fell in love with this story and highly recommend it to young adults and adults alike.”

Book 1 of Dirt Dog and Friends Series, Dirt Dog Invites Prissy Poodle to the Prom

Dirt Dog has worked up the courage to ask an important question. After getting cleaned up and ready, his day does not go as planned.

When things get messy, Dirt Dog keeps choosing kindness and courage. By the time he reaches Prissy’s door, children discover an encouraging truth. Who you are matters more than how you look.

This warm and reassuring picture book is perfect for children navigating self-doubt, friendship, and the desire to belong.

The Dirt Dog and Friends Series is created for families, teachers, and caregivers who want stories that are engaging, emotionally thoughtful, and grounded in positive values.

Each book:

· Is written for ages four through eight

· Works well as a read-aloud or shared reading experience

· Encourages conversation about kindness, courage, and character

· Supports social and emotional growth in age-appropriate ways

New adventures are on the way, and more friends will be joining the series soon in Book 2, Tiny Tot Tiger Says Happy 250th Birthday, America! and Book 3, Cool Cat Moo Moves to a New School.

Dirt Dog is working on the Dirt Dog Reading Champion activity book to help children learn and have fun. The printable version will be available at no cost. 

Drugs, sex and rock and roll – that was the name of the game for hard rock musicians. Like the Blue Mask. Founded by singer Alix Lane and lead guitarist Joel Stark, in 1985 they lived the anthem. A year later both the band and their drummer were dead. 1988 saw a new Blue Mask - cleaned up, regrouped and touring. It is now 1990. AIDS is still an epidemic for both hetero and homosexuals. Social media is not a thing. Or smartphones. Or the age of unlimited information. But it is the year of the Blue Mask. Dreams do come true and their star ascends with international fame and success. Nothing can go wrong for Alix and Joel’s band and their close circle of friends. Until it does. But this group has only each other to rely on and they will survive tragedy. This is their story.    

A Heart’s Battle

Highland Covenant Series · Book One

Arabella MacIan has been raised to obey, not to choose. But when danger in the Lowlands forces her into the rugged Highlands, she finds herself under the protection of a man she was never meant to trust — the quiet, commanding laird Alasdair MacDonald.

A fragile peace holds the clans together, but old grudges burn deep. Arabella is caught between loyalty to her family and a growing bond she never expected — a bond Alasdair tries to ignore, even as it threatens to undo them both.

When hidden enemies strike and secrets rise from the glen, Arabella must face the hardest truth of all:
love may be the bravest battle she will ever fight.

Perfect for fans of sweeping Highland romance, tender slow-burn connection, and stories of courage and devotion.

Readers of Brenna Ash, Heather McCollum, Laura Frantz, and Julie Klassen will feel at home in this world of faith, duty, and enduring love.

People of the West: A short story timeline

By D.M. McGowan

A collection of 9 short stories (along with some back-ground) and 14 poems available on several sites

1793 Marker of Stone, 1867 Lucky, 1888 Into the Mountains, 1914 Stealing Janet’s Cattle, 1936 A Voice from Beyond,

Just Feeling Good, The Reason for the Season, An Old Rancher’s Christmas

1940 Deacon,

Native Sons in World War I, Inclusion, Education

1942 Invasion

The Road That Couldn’t Be Done, Hiking Mountain Ranges

1963 Sure, I can do that! , 1966 Blizzard!

What if justice wasn't always about rules but about results?

David M. McGowan’s Boundaries is a captivating and richly woven tale that transports readers to 19th-century British Columbia, a land marked by untamed wilderness, shifting alliances, and the unyielding spirit of those who call it home. With its vivid depiction of frontier life and a nuanced exploration of morality, identity, and resilience, Boundaries is a standout in the realm of historical fiction.

This book is a bold, gritty, and incredibly absorbing read.

Fast-paced, unpredictable, and layered with moments that keep you thinking long after the chapter ends. The author has crafted a character-driven narrative that is both thrilling and thought-provoking.

Call him a bounty hunter, a rangeland detective, an actor, a chameleon, a puzzle solver; whatever title you choose, Bob Morgan will find a way to reshape depravity, corruption and destruction into the manageable and acceptable. All that is necessary is to not expect too much, appreciate whatever improvement may be realized, and don’t look too closely at Morgan’s past.

From the same vault that holds the work of William Johnstone, Matt Braun, Max Brand, and Louis L’Amour.

Sully Wheeler doesn’t care why his cattle are disappearing.

He doesn’t care why but it has to stop. Perhaps it’s part of the cost of hiding from his past, but who would steal from a one-time gunfighter? The NW Mounted Policeman that Sully contacted appeared more intent on stopping vigilante action than in stopping theft. If that proves to be the case, Sully will recover his own property, even if it takes gunfire to do it. Who is this Mountie, anyway? Is he a cop or something else entirely? Is he working to support the crown, leave the crown or actually do something for the settlers? And while we’re talking about that Mountie, isn’t he spending too much time with that newspaper lady?

AUDIO / EBOOK / PRINT

Tom Brash is educated, traveled, trained and for 1866 well aged

Frank Clement is uncouth, unsophisticated, uneducated and young.

Tom believes young Frank who has no idea where they are and is completely unaware of the dangers they face will not survive traveling alone.

Frank thinks the “old man” will get himself killed with his fancy talk and fancy guns.

Can they work together to fend off the renegades trying to kill them out on the plains in Canada’s Western Wilderness? Will their differences make it impossible to work together at all?

Ride along with these men who find renegades, Blackfeet, the most feared people on the northern plains, US Cavalry, gold miners, policemen, thieves and killers.

From the same vault that holds the work of William Johnstone, Matt Braun, Max Brand, and Louis L’Amour.

Hank James and riding partner Harry Gilmore ride the rails east to look for the woman Hank thought would be his mate for life. They unload their horses and gear at Canmore and immediately make an enemy.

Riding on into Calgary they find Sharon but Hank is suddenly not sure if she is who he thought she was. He does decide to stay around long enough to see if she is.

Or isn’t.

If they are staying around for awhile anyway, Hank and Harry become homesteaders. When they met Portis Martin east of Canmore he did not think they showed him proper respect but as homesteaders they became threatening enemies.

Hank and Harry’s new enemy is manager of a very big cattle ranch. He has the money, the livestock and the manpower. He does not have time for saddle tramps. He also doesn’t have a conscience that will interfere with getting them out of the way.

By any means possible – including attacking this woman that seems to interest them.

From the same vault that holds the work of William Johnstone, Matt Braun, Max Brand, and Louis L’Amour.

Hank James is trying to make his fortune panning gold but it isn’t exactly working that way. However, with the help of an “inside source” he does well betting on a prize fight.

With his winnings Hank invests in a new business hauling freight to build the new railroad. With luck, hard work and good help he does well. Then his “inside source” from the days of the prize fight expects help when the BC Provincial Police face off against the North West Mounted Police.

While the police forces fight each other who is watching the criminals? If Hank is identified as helping the law, will they try to make him pay for his interference? And while the police forces are fighting each other and ignoring the thieves steeling Hank’s horses, how can he be expected to keep his freight business working?

And while all the thievery, shooting, killing, arrests and trials are going on, what happened to Hank’s new girl?

In digital / print / audio 

Black Sheep is a hard-hitting story about a young girl's struggle with an abusive mother and its fallout from childhood to adolescence. During a tumultuous and often harrowing journey, the main character means with an unlikely guardian where she must compromise what is right in order to survive, detailing the story's outlandish finale, because 'everyone loves a happy ending'.

Mare Nostrum. Our everyday sea. That's what the Romans called it, without knowing exactly how far that sea stretched, which in principle was only the Mediterranean. That sea that begins with the beauty of a beach and never ends, because the sea is infinite. A setting of endless horizons, stormy reactions, and limitless routes.

Have you ever wondered about the mystical world of the Rider-Waite Tarot? 

Dive into the symbolism and secrets behind the beloved deck with my book 'Decoding the Wisdom of Rider-Waite Tarot'. Uncover the hidden meanings and stories behind each card, and learn how to tap into the wisdom of this iconic deck. Get ready to unlock the mysteries of the universe, one card at a time. 

I discuss all 78 cards of the Rider-Waite Tarot in detail in my book. Further articles provide valuable tips on how to use the Tarot and alternative perspectives on the metaphysical. 

The original German edition is already considered 'one of the most modern Tarot books around'. Readers are particularly fascinated by the sensitive presentation of the dual nature of each card, which demonstrates that they can have both negative and positive connotations, in line with the idea that everything has two sides. Eleonore Radtberger offers a positive and encouraging perspective. Her interpretations are characterised by great intuitive clarity. 

Colonial Virginia: early 1800’s. Young Sylvia, an enslaved child born into bondage, has learned to silence her heart through every tragic moment. But everything changes when the family moves to a plantation in Georgia where she meets John Paul, the enigmatic son of wealthy white socialites, who sees beyond the chains that bind her.

John Paul was raised in privilege, yet he feels suffocated by the cruel legacy that his family upholds. When he and Sylvia form a forbidden connection, their defiance to social standards threatens to destroy everything. As their love deepens, so does the danger - from overseers, society, and even the ones they love.