Politics

by John Clayton Hale

I was a big Tom Clancy fan back in the day and I read everything he published. I started writing AR2 when I was twenty five and it is loosely based in the vein of a Clancy book. Donovan Carson was the first character I ever created, a journalist for the Washington Post. I have been obsessed with the newspaper business since writing for my small town newspaper thirty years ago. Carson's Editor, Andrew Lloyd, is loosely based on one of my old editors.  The idea of the story was pretty far fetched back then. There were no American billionaires and no one had attempted to overthrow the government...at least not seriously. A lot has changed since then and the concept is outdated, but I still love my story, no matter how unpolished and raw.

by John D Bertucci

The truth about news.

by Marilyn Q

They survived Acheron once. Now someone intends to finish what they started. Samantha “Sam” Kessler and her team fought their way through a mission built on secrets, betrayal, and a weapon capable of killing thousands. They made it out—but survival didn't end the threat. Acheron is still alive. Hidden beneath layers of classified operations and protected by people willing to kill to keep its secrets buried, the program has entered its final and most dangerous phase. Deep inside the fortified Jabal Sifr complex, the Welcome Protocol has been activated, and the people behind Acheron are preparing to erase what remains before the truth can escape. For Sam, walking away is no longer an option. Her team is battered. Trust has become a liability. And every step toward the truth reveals another trap waiting beneath the surface. What begins as a fight to survive becomes a race against annihilation as Sam and her team are driven deeper into a hidden war of underground facilities, lethal technology, shifting loyalties, and enemies who have prepared for their return. This time, rescue isn't enough. Acheron must be destroyed. But destroying it means going back into the fire—and facing the possibility that not everyone will come home. Explosive, relentless, and driven by loyalty, sacrifice, and a team that refuses to leave anyone behind, Deadly Conflict Over Acheron: The Final Reckoning brings the battle for Acheron to its devastating conclusion. They know what Acheron can do. They know what it will cost to stop it. And this time, there is nowhere left to run.

by Marilyn Q

She walked away from covert warfare four years ago. One classified name is about to drag her back in. Former Navy SEAL Lieutenant Samantha “Sam” Kessler has built a life far removed from the deniable missions that once defined her. Then her former commander summons her to a clandestine compound with an assignment wrapped in secrecy: enter the war-torn nation of Kharif, extract chemical systems engineer Dr. Elias Rourke from rebel-held Dar Qamar, and recover everything connected to a black program known only as ACHERON. Rourke’s research was supposed to neutralize industrial toxins. Instead, someone transformed it into a fast-acting nerve agent capable of killing thousands. Sam knows the mission is incomplete. She also knows that refusing means another team may be sent in blind. So she calls the five people she trusts most—Joe Hardy, Pete Reilly, Andy “Sparky” Kauffman, Owen “Judge” Mellon, and Hannah Thompson—and asks them to step back into the world they fought to leave behind. But when they arrive, they discover Meridian Tactical Group has been preparing for their involvement long before Sam ever agreed to the mission. Someone knew exactly who she would call. Once inside Kharif, the mission begins to unravel. Their intelligence has been manipulated. Communications are compromised. Rival military factions are closing in. And the deeper Sam pushes into Dar Qamar, the clearer it becomes that extracting Rourke is only the beginning. Because Acheron is not merely a chemical. It is a program. And hidden somewhere behind layers of classified files, buried laboratories, and competing agendas is a weapon powerful enough to turn a rescue mission into a catastrophe. With her team wounded, alliances shifting, and trust becoming more dangerous than enemy fire, Sam must decide who she can believe—and how far she is willing to go to keep Acheron from reaching the outside world. Fast-paced, tense, and packed with covert operations, battlefield action, betrayal, and a team that refuses to leave its own behind, Deadly Conflict Over Acheron: Into the Fire begins a high-stakes military thriller where the mission is classified, the truth is buried, and survival is only the first objective.

by Marilyn Q

**Former Navy SEAL Lieutenant Samantha “Sam” Kessler has built a life far removed from the deniable missions that once defined her. Then her former commander summons her to a clandestine compound with an assignment wrapped in secrecy: enter the war-torn nation of Kharif, extract chemical systems engineer Dr. Elias Rourke from rebel-held Dar Qamar, and recover everything connected to a black program known only as ACHERON.**\ \ **Rourke’s research was supposed to neutralize industrial toxins. Instead, someone transformed it into a fast-acting nerve agent capable of killing thousands.**\ \ **Sam knows the mission is incomplete. She also knows that refusing means another team may be sent in blind.**\ \ **So she calls the five people she trusts most—Joe Hardy, Pete Reilly, Andy “Sparky” Kauffman, Owen “Judge” Mellon, and Hannah Thompson—and asks them to step back into the world they fought to leave behind. But when they arrive, they discover Meridian Tactical Group has been preparing for their involvement long before Sam ever agreed to the mission. Someone knew exactly who she would call.**\ \ **Once inside Kharif, the mission begins to unravel.**\ \ **Their intelligence has been manipulated. Communications are compromised. Rival military factions are closing in. And the deeper Sam pushes into Dar Qamar, the clearer it becomes that extracting Rourke is only the beginning.**\ \ **Because Acheron is not merely a chemical.**\ \ **It is a program.** Long Book Description **She walked away from covert warfare four years ago. One classified name is about to drag her back in.**\ \ **Former Navy SEAL Lieutenant Samantha “Sam” Kessler has built a life far removed from the deniable missions that once defined her. Then her former commander summons her to a clandestine compound with an assignment wrapped in secrecy: enter the war-torn nation of Kharif, extract chemical systems engineer Dr. Elias Rourke from rebel-held Dar Qamar, and recover everything connected to a black program known only as ACHERON.**\ \ **Rourke’s research was supposed to neutralize industrial toxins. Instead, someone transformed it into a fast-acting nerve agent capable of killing thousands.**\ \ **Sam knows the mission is incomplete. She also knows that refusing means another team may be sent in blind.**\ \ **So she calls the five people she trusts most—Joe Hardy, Pete Reilly, Andy “Sparky” Kauffman, Owen “Judge” Mellon, and Hannah Thompson—and asks them to step back into the world they fought to leave behind. But when they arrive, they discover Meridian Tactical Group has been preparing for their involvement long before Sam ever agreed to the mission. Someone knew exactly who she would call.**\ \ **Once inside Kharif, the mission begins to unravel.**\ \ **Their intelligence has been manipulated. Communications are compromised. Rival military factions are closing in. And the deeper Sam pushes into Dar Qamar, the clearer it becomes that extracting Rourke is only the beginning.**\ \ **Because Acheron is not merely a chemical.**\ \ **It is a program.**\ \ **And hidden somewhere behind layers of classified files, buried laboratories, and competing agendas is a weapon powerful enough to turn a rescue mission into a catastrophe.**\ \ **With her team wounded, alliances shifting, and trust becoming more dangerous than enemy fire, Sam must decide who she can believe—and how far she is willing to go to keep Acheron from reaching the outside world.**\ \ **Fast-paced, tense, and packed with covert operations, battlefield action, betrayal, and a team that refuses to leave its own behind, Deadly Conflict Over Acheron: Into the Fire begins a high-stakes military thriller where the mission is classified, the truth is buried, and survival is only the first objective.**

by Warren C Daniels Jr.

Poetry and Short Stories for the Perpetually Bored By Warren C. Daniels Jr. Warren C. Daniels Jr.’s debut collection is a fearless blend of raw poetry and surreal short fiction that speaks directly to the human condition. These are not polished fantasies or lighthearted diversions; they are confessions, fragments, and stories pulled from the deepest corners of experience. The poetry ranges from stark, minimal meditations to sprawling lyrical pieces, each written with an honesty that refuses to look away from pain. In poems like Her Heart of Madness and The Insolvable, Daniels captures the intimate chaos of trauma and the silent endurance of survival. In others, such as Justice?! and Spit and Rage, he confronts the injustices of systemic racism, poverty, and corporate greed, connecting personal wounds to wider social scars. The short stories push these themes into dreamlike narratives. In Wonder, nightmares bleed into reality, pulling readers into a surreal landscape of fear and longing. In Tuesday: Sometime in June, the line between sanity and delusion dissolves, leaving behind an unsettling portrait of a mind under siege. Each story is vivid, hallucinatory, and deeply human. What unites both the poetry and the stories is a refusal to turn away. Daniels does not romanticize trauma, but he does recognize its weight and its echoes. His writing is a hand extended in the dark — not to rescue, but to remind readers that they are not alone in their silence. More than a debut, this is an act of solidarity. Daniels writes for those who have been told they are broken, for those who have been silenced, and for those who wonder if their struggles matter. His message is clear: you matter, and your story deserves to be heard. For fans of Sylvia Plath, Ocean Vuong, Charles Bukowski, or Anne Sexton, Poetry and Short Stories for the Perpetually Bored offers a contemporary voice that is unflinching and necessary. It is a book for anyone who seeks words that heal by naming the hurt, and stories that haunt because they are true. Step into this collection, and find not just poetry and stories, but survival made visible.

by Marilyn Q

The deadliest shot is the one you never hear. They sent Olivia Kane into the frozen shadows to stop a war before it began. Her mission: track a rogue assassin whose bullet could ignite an international crisis. Her reality: the Arctic isn’t just cold — it’s a predator. Cut off from her team and hunted through a labyrinth of ice and lies, Olivia must outthink an enemy who knows her every move. Allies can’t be trusted. Truth and deception blur. And one wrong step will echo in blood across the snow. From the moment the crosshairs find her, Olivia learns the first rule of survival in the Arctic: you never hear the shot that kills you. The Silent Trigger is a relentless thriller for readers who crave shadow wars, deadly precision, and heroes who refuse to break — even when the ice does beneath them.

by Dbutler

Fierce rivalry, ambition, greed, and a homicide investigation mark the deadliest mayoral race in history. Thirty-nine-year-old Lorna Meadows has a target on her back as her mayoral campaign gains momentum. Known for fearless advocacy for women and underserved populations, Lorna speaks the truth regardless of whose toes she steps on.\ \ Citizens rate Lorna as the strongest candidate for mayor, but a treacherous plan aims to destroy her. She must fight and keep fighting to survive.

by K. B. Thelusma

Rae has spent her entire life feeling out of place. Raised in the northeastern United States, the marine biology major has always felt an inexplicable pull toward the ocean and a persistent discomfort in her own skin. Now home for the summer, she’s about to discover why she’s never quite fit into the world above the waves. Rae is a hidden mermaid heir, and her golden tail is unlike any seen in centuries. But a legacy this rare comes with dangerous consequences. Both the Pod of Neptune and the forces behind Triton’s rebellion have reason to target her, thrusting Rae into the center of a conflict she barely understands. To survive, Rae must learn to control the extraordinary magical abilities awakening within her and uncover the truth behind her heritage. Her most urgent task is to release the ocean’s anchor before mermaid magic disappears forever. But as she navigates rival factions, ancient power, and a world she never knew existed, Rae begins to suspect that the conflict is far more complicated than it appears. The fate of mermaid magic rests on her shoulders, but the greatest danger may be the truth hiding beneath the surface.

by David Speer

As they mature in their faith, Sophia shakes the U to its foundations and Esperanza awakens a sleeping Church. Signs and wonders follow them both. Together they will leave permanent marks on Minneapolis and St. Paul.

by Isaac Y Brooks

Featuring a spiritually exhausted Pisces, an infuriatingly attractive spy, international chaos, weaponized emotional unavailability, and enough questionable relationship decisions to concern several intelligence agencies, *OMG My Super Secretive Boyfriend Might Be a Spy… I Think* is an absurdist romantic comedy about love, lies, and discovering that sometimes the biggest red flag isn't that your boyfriend might be a spy.

by Sammie Settlemire

How To Be White For Dummies A completely unofficial, wildly unnecessary field guide to suburban white culture. Have you ever wondered why otherwise rational adults become emotionally invested in grass? Why Costco feels like a religious experience? Why people spend entire weekends putting up seasonal decorations only to spend another weekend taking them down? Or why being asked to "bring a dish" can trigger a full-scale existential crisis? In How To Be White For Dummies, author Sammie Settlemire takes readers on a hilarious tour through the customs, rituals, and contradictions of suburban American life. From HOA enforcement squads and lawn maintenance warfare to pumpkin spice season, garage clutter, small talk etiquette, and the mysterious power of the fitted sheet, nothing escapes observation. Writing from the unique perspective of life in a fifth-wheel RV and trailer park communities, Settlemire contrasts suburban culture with a world where survival, resourcefulness, and community often matter more than appearances. The result is a funny, affectionate, and sometimes painfully accurate look at the ways people try to create order in a world that stubbornly remains chaotic. Perfect for fans of observational humor, social satire, David Sedaris-style storytelling, and anyone who has ever: •Argued about trash cans •Purchased something unnecessary at Costco •Pretended to care about grass •Folded a fitted sheet and lost the battle •Smiled through an awkward conversation about the weather No membership card required. Readerful Tags / Keywords •Humor •Satire •Cultural Humor •Suburban Life •HOA •Costco •RV Living •Trailer Park Life •Social Commentary •Comedy Essays •American Culture •Observational Humor •Lifestyle Humor •Small-Town America •Memoir Humor •Funny Nonfiction •Community Life •Modern Life •Lighthearted Satire •Everyday Absurdity Genre Primary Genre: Humor Secondary Genres: •Satire •Social Commentary •Humor Essays •Cultural Observations •Memoir Humor

by Nolan Bell Douglas Jr.

**When a tech entrepreneur from the working class of Washington D.C. dismantles Washington’s financial corruption with a radical transparency app, a disgraced Majority Leader and a secret intelligence apparatus align to execute a silent, systematic execution before he can reshape the American state.**

by Michel Gerren

Dalia Njeri left Kenya behind and built the life she once dreamed of—a successful music career in Los Angeles, sold-out performances, fame, and fortune. But when her childhood friend **Juma is murdered outside a Nairobi courthouse** while investigating corruption, Dalia returns home and discovers his death was only the beginning. Following the trail Juma left behind, she uncovers missing activists, suspicious government contracts, poisoned communities, and secrets reaching into the highest levels of power. As public anger grows and ordinary Kenyans begin demanding answers, Dalia realizes her fame has given her something more powerful than celebrity: **a voice people will listen to.** Using that voice comes at a price. Dalia becomes a target, forcing her to choose between the comfortable life she created and the dangerous fight Juma left unfinished. ***The Gilded Cage*** is a political thriller about friendship, corruption, sacrifice, and a woman who discovers that having a voice means nothing if you're too afraid to use it

by Jeremy NoFucks Ryan

Hospital monitors beep steadily as federal agents whisper outside the door, waiting for Jeremy Ryan to flatline. But before the silence claims him, his entire defiant existence surges back into focus.   Born into severe rural neglect and subjected to horrific medical abuse under Munchausen by proxy, Jeremy refused to be caged. Breaking free from small-town Wisconsin's psychiatric wards, he fled south into the mid-2000s criminal underworld of Detroit's notorious Cass Corridor. Adopting the street handle Fuzzbuster, Jeremy moved weight, outmaneuvered rival operators, and found a fierce, grounded love in Dominique.   Even as an aggressive cancer diagnosis and punishing radiation threatened his body, Jeremy refused to yield to weakness or fear. But survival in Detroit demands blood. When a fatal neighborhood ambush tears his world apart, claiming Dominique and their unborn child, Jeremy is catapulted into agonizing grief, exile, and a profound psychedelic rebirth.   Origins of a Demon is an unfiltered, heart-pounding journey through institutional violence, organized crime, and relentless personal resilience. Discover what happens when a corrupt system tries to break a man—and creates a demon instead.

by KURT W SCHULLER

When the prophet Elijah is called out of obscurity, he leaves behind a failing shop, a life of quiet bitterness, and every illusion of safety. Charged by God to confront King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, he walks straight into a kingdom drowning in Baal worship, political terror, and the systematic hunting of the faithful. Along the way he forms an unexpected bond with two young siblings, Elisha and Miriam, whose ordinary courage will shape both his mission and the future of Israel. From the dust of a forgotten storefront to the fire of Mount Carmel, the blood of Naboth’s vineyard, and the chariot of flame that finally takes him, Elijah must learn what it costs to speak for a God who will not be ignored—and what it means to leave a successor behind. The Tishbite is a character-driven epic that stays close to the biblical record while giving flesh, doubt, humor, and heartbreak to the people who lived it. It will appeal to readers of Francine Rivers, Tosca Lee, and Geraldine Brooks who want historical authenticity paired with emotional intimacy.

by Sammie Settlemire

For the people who survived me, shaped me, and kept me from losing my damn mind, and for everyone who learned life the long way around. Twelve short chapters of plain common sense: consequences are real, emotions are not facts, red flags are not decorations, boundaries are not rude, therapy is great but accountability is better, and nobody is coming to save you. Funny where it can be, honest where it has to be.

by Sammie Settlemire

The HOA does not just run the neighborhood. The HOA is the neighborhood: a group of adults who gather voluntarily to enforce rules nobody asked for, like the PTA and the IRS had a baby that grew up to police the color of your mailbox. A comic anthropology of modern suburban life, taking on lawns as identity, Costco migration patterns, the fitted sheet crisis, the emotional support houseplant you are going to kill, and what all of it looks like from a trailer park and a 94 Bounder.

by Patrick Sarak Sang

by Raymond Underwood

In the early 1990s, as Angola prepares for its first democratic election after decades of civil war, American political consultant Randall Kane is dispatched by the International Republican Institute to teach campaign strategy to emerging political leaders. He expects dusty lecture halls and fragile optimism. Instead, he walks into a geopolitical powder keg. Before Randall even boards his flight, the CIA approaches him with an ultimatum. Facing a looming FBI investigation over a past “dirty trick” in a U.S. Senate race, Randall is offered protection if he agrees to collect intelligence on Angola’s vast rare earth mineral deposits. China is already maneuvering for control of Angola’s Longonjo deposit, one of the largest untapped reserves in the world, and Washington wants leverage. Complicating matters further, Randall’s trip supervisor is secretly reporting to Israeli intelligence. Chinese operatives are courting rival presidential candidates. Mercenaries roam the countryside. And Angola’s fragile peace hangs by a thread. Once in Luanda, Randall is struck by the country’s raw scars: three decades of war etched into its markets, its people, its infrastructure, yet also by the fierce hope surrounding its first true election. As he begins training candidates, he finds himself drawn into the campaign of Pip Nehlo, a reform-minded contender whose power base sits atop the coveted Longonjo deposit. Meanwhile, a Chinese corporate envoy, backed by the CCP’s Ministry of State Security, attempts to secure exclusive mining rights through bribes, coercion, and violence. When a roadside ambush leaves bodies in the dust and exposes the shadow war unfolding beneath the election, the stakes escalate. CIA handlers scramble. Israeli operatives move to contain exposure. Chinese agents tighten their grip. Randall’s hired protector, a former French Foreign Legionnaire, wages a quiet counterwar in the background. Caught between intelligence services, rival superpowers, and Angolan political factions, Randall must decide whether he is merely a pawn or something more dangerous. As election day approaches, secret deals are struck in safe houses, kidnappings are orchestrated, mercenaries are silenced, and control of Angola’s mineral wealth becomes the true prize behind the ballot. Randall ultimately leverages what he has learned, not just about rare earths, but about power, to outmaneuver the very agencies that sought to control him. When he returns to Washington, he is detained by the FBI. But Randall no longer arrives as a compromised consultant. He carries something far more valuable than intelligence. He carries leverage. Set against the volatile intersection of post-Cold War Africa, emerging Chinese global ambition, and covert Western power plays, this political thriller explores how democracy, espionage, and resource extraction collide in a world where elections are only part of the game, and the real contest is for the future of global dominance over critical natural resources.

by Isaiyan Morrison

Veronica Austin's life is turned upside down when her mother vanishes without a trace. Her search for answers leads her into the hidden world of the Deamhan—psychic vampires who have secretly thrived in Minneapolis for decades. As Veronica uncovers the truth lurking beneath the city's streets, she finds herself caught between supernatural factions, dangerous secrets, and a growing web of deception. But the deeper she digs, the more she begins to suspect that the greatest threat may not be the creatures hiding in the shadows. It may be her own father, the leader of a powerful organization willing to do whatever it takes to protect its interests. As alliances shift and betrayals mount, Veronica must navigate a deadly world where nothing is as it seems and trust can be fatal.

by Melissa Rovelli

Writer Paisley Storm has a problem. She's in love with a man who doesn't officially exist. He is a "No Such Man," an NSA agent fighting terrorism on the home front. When Paisley Storm decides to use real life agent Asa Speer and his undercover pursuit of Al Qaeda as the basis for her next novel, she ends up in the crossfire between the NSA and the local cell. To make matters worse, cell leader Mustafa Mohammed blames the writer's erotica for corrupting him and his divine mission. Knowing that his nemesis, Asa is involved with her makes her the perfect target for his bomb plans. Now Paisley must decide whether to delete her troublesome "No Such Manuscript," which has finally gotten an agent's attention or face bringing the war on terrorism to her door. She already has Big Brother in her bed, delving into secrets she never wanted anyone to see.

by Ed Quest

Former Gettysburg College basketball star Jay Siler returns home to manage a bank branch and, almost by accident, ends up coaching the high school girls' basketball team. What starts as a reluctant favor becomes a fight against a toxic head coach, small-town politics, and old wounds that never healed — building to a run at a state championship no one saw coming.

by F.J. Blooding

Victoria Armstrong is running for senate on a promise she can't keep. Something in Kins City's water finds the para gene and turns it into a death sentence, and proving it means going after the men who own the labs, the insurance companies, and the ballot. Winning means becoming the thing her wife and best friend may no longer respect, but if it keeps her alive... does it matter? October Sky reads tarot for a living and insists that's all it is. When a fourteen-year-old slips her a note about the people going missing, she lands in a vigilante crew run by a detective and starts seeing disasters her cards deliver just late enough to watch. Dannika once hunted paras for the government. She was sent to infiltrate a youth center, and now the man who runs it is helping her with her own para abilities, and she has no idea how to tell him what she came there to do. Everyone standing in their way believes they're the hero. Before it's over, one of these women will erase a mind to save a life. One will erase a nation's records to save a people. And one will ask to have her own gift taken from her. *For readers of M.L. Wang, J.D. Evans, and Krystle Matar.*

by Meridian Lyra

How exactly did Io get into this predicament in the first place? Oh yes, that's right, by stupidly volunteering. Now she was the future bride of an alien King, and about to be the queen of an entire planet. *Her* planet, if one wanted to be technical- he wasn't from there, nor did anybody want him there. But there he was.  Sixteen years ago, they came. The Imdalians. War was waged and was lost. Well, humans were the ones on the losing side of that battle, and just over half a decade later they'd officially lost control over Earth. His Majesty took over, redrew borders, renamed countries, established themselves so well it was like they'd been there to begin with.  But with further bloodshed and riots, continued rebellions over the years, something needed to be done about it. Earth history was scoured for a solution, and that solution was a peace treaty- one that was solidified by a royal wedding. How lucky Io was, to be the human to marry the queen. But was she really that lucky, or was she about to find herself in way over her head?

by L J Temple

To the seekers of wisdom, the tireless questioners of existence, and the diligent builders of a more enlightened world. This work is a testament to the enduring power of foundational principles, gleaned from the echoes of antiquity and offered as a compass for our contemporary journey. May these Articles of Life illuminate your path, sharpen your discernment, and inspire you to contribute your unique verse to the grand, unfolding narrative of human civilization. May your inner kingdom be well-governed, your community bonds strengthened by unwavering morals, and your understanding of the cosmos deepened by the profound mysteries that lie both within and beyond. To those who tirelessly strive to balance the scales of justice, to preserve the sanctity of knowledge, and to learn from the grand tapestry of history, this book is humbly offered. It is for the scholars who humbly begin their quest, the masters who grapple with the complexities of ethical living, and the seekers who gaze into the infinite possibilities of existence, daring to understand our place within the celestial dance. May you find within these pages not mere information, but illumination; not simply knowledge, but wisdom; and not just guidance, but the courage to embody the timeless truths that have guided humanity towards meaning, order, and enduring prosperity since the dawn of time. This is a tribute to the enduring spirit of inquiry, the profound capacity for growth, and the unyielding human desire to live a life of purpose, integrity, and transcendence. This book is for the following: Readers interested in philosophy and ethics. Those who enjoy exploring foundational moral and societal principles, the nature of good governance, and the pursuit of a meaningful life will find the in-depth exploration of the Articles of Life compelling. Students of comparative religion and mythology. Individuals fascinated by the blend of biblical narratives (Enoch), ancient legal codes (Hammurabi), and mythological references will appreciate the synthesis of these elements. Readers seeking a structured and wisdom-driven narrative. The book's organized structure of articles and progression levels will appeal to readers who enjoy clear frameworks for understanding complex concepts and a journey towards self-improvement and transcendence. Academics and researchers of ancient law and governance. The detailed inclusion and analysis of Hammurabi's Code, alongside other historical and philosophical underpinnings of civilization, make it valuable for scholarly exploration.

by Piper Lazarus

**One murder. One hidden enemy. One secret worth killing for.**  One phone call changes everything. ***Murdered.*** And the scene waiting for me is worse than anything I've encountered in my years as an investigator. Someone didn't just want her dead—they wanted to send a message. The problem is, I don't know who the message was meant for. *Until the first clue leads straight to me.* I rush to Jack's side expecting grief, answers, and a case I can solve. Instead, I find myself stepping into a deadly maze of deception, hidden alliances, and secrets that reach far beyond a single murder. The evidence doesn't add up. Witnesses are disappearing. Someone is erasing clues before I can find them. And buried beneath the murder is a connection to something no one saw coming. Then Axel appears. Again. Dangerous. Controlled. Impossible to read. He has a talent for finding the truth while hiding his own—and I can't shake the feeling that he knows exactly why I'm here. He says he wants to protect me. But I've learned the hard way that protection and possession can look frighteningly similar. The closer I get to Axel, the more questions I have. He knows too much about the murder—and far too much about me. All of it feels like a trap waiting to spring. **Then another murder.** That's when I realize this isn't about *her* anymore. Someone is hunting anyone who gets too close to the truth. The deeper I investigate, the more I uncover a hidden world of power, loyalty, and secrets protected at any cost. And somehow, my past is at the center of it. And if I uncover the secret they're willing to kill for, I may finally learn the truth about my past…about *them*... **Right before I get buried with it.**

by Piper Lazarus

***My past is coming for me…*** I’ve spent my life chasing the truth—uncovering secrets, solving the unsolvable, and exposing the darkness others fear to face. But now, the past I can’t remember is hunting me. I woke up with no recollection of who I am.\ \ **No name. No past. No idea why I’m running for my life.**\ \ All I know is that the people after me will stop at nothing until I’m erased. Somewhere in my shattered memories lies a secret—a royal scandal drenched in betrayal, deception, and blood. And if I don’t piece the puzzle together soon, it will cost me everything. Then there’s Axel. ***A storm wrapped in shadows, dangerous, unreadable, and laced with secrets that could shatter me.*** He claims he’s here to protect me, but the fire in his eyes tells a different story. His presence is intoxicating, his touch a temptation laced with danger. Every glance pulls me deeper, every whispered promise ignites something inside me I don’t understand. But one question lingers in the air between us. **Is he my savior—or the executioner waiting to strike?** With time slipping away and danger closing in, I must make an impossible choice: *trust the man who could betray me or face the enemy I can’t even remember.* One wrong move, and I lose everything—including my life. **The past holds my salvation—or my death. And the clock is ticking.**

by Steven Jacobs

Defense attorney Adam Reed believes in the system until he's recruited into Themis Lodge—a 400-year-old shadow government controlling judges, senators, and policy worldwide. When Adam refuses to join, the Order systematically destroys him: his cases fail, his license is suspended, his marriage fractures as his wife believes he's having a paranoid breakdown. His pastor is revealed as an Order member. His best friend Marcus is the Architect coordinating everything. Only Isaiah Cole, a disillusioned security guard, believes him. As Adam tries to rebuild and reconnect with his family, a mysterious fire traps his son Leo in a burning bedroom. The novel ends with Adam losing consciousness, Leo's fate unknown, and everything Adam fought to protect consumed by flames. A devastating exploration of how the most dangerous power is the kind nobody recognizes.

by Stephen Sulkey

In the summer of 1863, a single bullet kills Colonel Joshua Chamberlain at Gettysburg—and changes the course of history. The Confederacy wins the Civil War, the United States is absorbed into a new Southern nation, and slavery survives into the modern age. By 2001, the Confederate States of America has become a powerful global empire of fifty-two states, governing through tradition, racial division, and an increasingly ruthless central authority. Thomas Mann is a hard-drinking New York Times reporter and a Southerner by birth, accustomed to living with the contradictions of his country. But after returning from a bloody revolt in Puerto Rico, he is approached by a frightened abolitionist carrying a mysterious message. Before Mann can learn more, the man is dead. Drawn to Washington by the promise of a story that could shake the nation, Mann meets the intelligent and captivating Laura Dane and is pulled into a secret struggle against forces willing to kill anyone who threatens the established order. Pursued by a relentless assassin and agents of the government, Mann must uncover the truth before it disappears forever. What begins as an investigation soon becomes a fight for survival—and a journey that forces Mann to decide whether he will merely report history or risk everything to change it.

by Sean Runyon

**Synopsis: *The Last Witness*** *"This war did not begin with a nuclear flash swallowing billions into the footnotes of history. History rarely grants us that kind of honesty. It began with secrets stamped NATIONAL SECURITY, with lies folded into origami excuses, and with men who had already sold your future branding the transaction as stability. It began with a population drowning in noise until it mistook confusion for intelligence. And the greatest lesson Liam Roberts would learn was this: people do not fear tyranny for what it is. They fear uncertainty. Tyranny simply learns to disguise itself as relief."* These are the opening words of investigative journalist Liam Roberts' final broadcast As the last witness to civilization's collapse, Roberts explains that the world did not end in a blinding nuclear exchange or a single catastrophic event. Civilizations rarely collapse in fire first. They collapse in ink, paperwork, euphemisms, and administrative language polished clean enough to disguise the smell of decay. Before revealing how the world unraveled, Roberts takes his audience back to where it all began with a phone call from a man named Thomas Riker, a soldier whose existence has been systematically erased from history. Roberts has built his career exposing corruption and uncovering stories others wanted buried, but nothing prepares him for what lies beneath the surface of the modern world. What begins as an investigation into one impossible man quickly becomes a fight for humanity's survival. Riker reveals that behind every major conflict since the Second World War stands the Doctor, the hidden architect of the Syndicate, a clandestine organization that has transformed wars, governments, and human suffering into decades of experimentation in pursuit of a single objective: Project Helix. Following Riker through classified military operations, abandoned facilities, and forgotten programs, Roberts begins to see a pattern stretching across generations. Every trail leads back to Facility 47, where the Doctor's work has evolved beyond biology into something far more dangerous: understanding, predicting, and ultimately directing human behavior itself. With every discovery, Roberts realizes the Syndicate's greatest weapon was never military power. It was its ability to shape what people believed to be true. As the evidence grows, Roberts confronts the Doctor's most devastating discovery: people rarely surrender to force; they surrender to fear, convenience, and the promise of safety. By manipulating information instead of relying on violence, the Syndicate has quietly conditioned entire generations to mistake certainty for truth and security for freedom. By the time Roberts understands that humanity itself has become the experiment, the conditioning is already complete. Unable to remain an observer, Roberts joins a small band of resistance fighters determined to expose the Syndicate before its plan reaches its final stage. As they dismantle hidden facilities and uncover decades of deception, they make a devastating realization. They are no longer trying to stop the Doctor's plan; they are witnessing its completion. Their search ultimately leads them to Bastion Zero, where Roberts learns the Syndicate has already succeeded in ways the world has failed to recognize. The Doctor never intended to rule through armies alone. He intended to build a civilization that would willingly participate in its own conditioning, believing every decision was freely made while every outcome had already been engineered. Riker finally confronts the man who transformed his life into an experiment, while Roberts makes the only choice left to him. Rather than allowing the truth to die with him, he broadcasts it across every remaining frequency, preserving a final record of how humanity surrendered its future one compromise at a time. The novel ends where it began. Alone inside Bastion Zero, Liam Roberts delivers his final message  not in the hope of saving the world, but to ensure that someone, somewhere, might one day understand how it was lost. Whether anyone survives to hear his testimony remains uncertain. The truth, however, endures.

by Christopher Gaffney

The World Cup, at times, goes beyond merely a sporting event. Watching Argentinians sing their national anthem will tell you that. After the preliminary round finished, most Argentines quietly noticed something: the possibility was there. Something they always secretly hope for. The possibility was there, another game versus England. This is significant. To this day, banners that say "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" can still be found at almost every football match in Argentina. That phrase is more than just a proclamation of ownership of the set of islands off Argentina's coast. It is a warning. A warning to England. a warning that says that the entire South American nation seeks revenge, revenge against England for what most Argentines view as thievery of "Las Malvinas," or as the English call them, the Falkland Islands. When the Argentine players tackle a little harder than normal, when the Argentine fans sing a little louder for this game. They are doing it for their fallen family members and countrymen. So this game means more. And it scares me.

by Maurice Huff

When the Time Comes (WTTC) questions if modern life has robbed us of the ability to prioritize the appreciation of living. WTTC asks how do Intelligent well-intentioned people build systems whose long term consequences they cannot fully forsee?

by Eric Halstead

by Eric Halstead

by LA Stonebear

When a young boy disappears during a routine medical transfer, Eliza Morningstar becomes involved in a case. This case initially focuses on the missing child but soon reveals something much more dangerous lurking beneath the reservation's land and water. As the tribal clinic reaches its limits and the county ambulance never arrives at the hospital, Eliza navigates a maze of jurisdictional dead ends, corporate stonewalling, and a county sheriff’s department eager to distance itself from responsibility. What begins as a disappearance becomes a deeper investigation into environmental contamination, falsified compliance records, and a corporate footprint expanding into tribal territory under the guise of “community benefit.” The more Eliza uncovers, the clearer it becomes that Milo’s disappearance is not an isolated failure but part of a larger pattern—one that ties into PMEP’s operations, county politics, and a system designed to let Native children fall through the cracks. As tensions rise and the community fractures under fear and suspicion, Eliza must confront the limits of her authority, the fragility of interagency cooperation, and the widening gap between what the county claims and what the evidence shows. Each step forward reveals another layer of buried truth—about the land, the water, and the people willing to exploit both. **Book Two deepens the series’ central themes:** - the weaponisation of jurisdictional boundaries - the systemic failures that endanger Indigenous communities - the quiet, grinding violence of environmental harm - and the way a single missing child can expose the rot beneath institutional promises While Book One focused on the immediate human cost of jurisdictional neglect, **Book Two expands the lens**, showing how environmental exploitation, political ambition, and corporate influence intertwine to create a threat that is both intimate and structural. It sets the stage for the broader conspiracy that will unfold across Books Three through Five, each reservation revealing another piece of a system built to fail the people living within it. At its heart, this book is about a boy who vanished—\ and the truth rises when a community insists on remembering him. *Beyond Jurisdiction* is a series that examines the manipulation, weaponisation, and corruption of jurisdiction on sovereign Indigenous Nations. It explores the uncomfortable truth that **Native Americans are U.S. citizens — yet they are the only citizens not consistently counted when they go missing.** The situations are real.\ The historical context is accurate.\ The documentation shows the systemic failures. But the reservations, characters, and storylines are fictional — crafted to illuminate the truth without exposing actual families or communities to further harm.

by D. K. Dowdy

Kade Rourke has a reputation across the Verse as the **worst smuggler alive**. When a job goes sideways, Kade bolts for the farthest place in civilization: **New Eden Station**, a rusted atmo‑outpost clinging to the edge of the Empty. From the moment his shuttle drops out of FTL in a shower of sparks and panic, nothing goes right. The station is a maze of broken systems, predatory officials, and species who’d sell their own lungs for a handful of credits. Worse, the Pinkertons are already hunting him. But trouble finds him first, and unfortunately, the universe hates him.

by Ed Quest

**America’s Town**  In the era of Caitlin Clark and the unorthodox style of *Ted Lasso*, an accidental coach leads an under-appreciated girls’ high school basketball team in Gettysburg, America’s most famous small town, through a season no sports parent could ever predict-or forget.  Former Gettysburg College basketball star Jay Siler returns to the scene of his glory days to manage First Colonial Bank’s downtown branch to complete his last rotation as an executive trainee. As Jay’s business star rises, city fathers urge him to become assistant coach of Gettysburg High’s girls’ basketball team. Hesitant at first, Jay takes the job, only to face conflicts with verbally abusive, dim-witted, and unwelcoming head coach, Barry Hughes.  Jay cannot look the other way as he sees Coach Hughes act his worst against Stefani Baker, a promising player ordered to sit in favor of Megan Reynolds, the less-skilled daughter of a local power broker, president of a rival bank. Jay’s older sister was similarly abused; her basketball dreams ended with her suicide. His sympathies lie with Stefani, but he must get her to change her flippant attitude and play to her potential. Jay joins with Bonita Blount, her teammate and best friend, Gettysburg’s most recruited basketball star in a generation, to make Stefani their personal project.  As a promising season goes awry, Coach Hughes’ abusive actions reach a head. Jay takes over and puts Stefani into the starting role she deserves, over the objections of Megan’s father, Stan. As Stan relentlessly attacks Jay’s personal and professional credibility, it’s up to Stefani to rise to the occasion to help Gettysburg win its first state championship. Will Stefani and Jay respond to their challenges, or will the community’s basketball aspirations end in disappointment?

by Alex Waldman

After centuries on Earth searching for people like herself, Chloe knows that magic is a terrible burden. When she screams her loneliness to the void of space, she’s finally granted her wish of company as a group of magical humans appear and drag her through a portal to another planet in the future. As she tries to find her place in a new culture, she discovers she was conceived for a political purpose and that her exile to the past was orchestrated by the fascist leaders of one of the ruling political parties. Now that she’s back, they’re insisting she help them remake the government, using the emergence within her of another type of magic wrapped up in sex and mind control. The enigmatic leader of a rival party tries to support her in resisting the fascists’ control, but truly helping means risking impeachment or even assassination. With the freedom of her new society on the line, Chloe must decide if she’s willing to risk enslavement to awaken her dangerous mental magic and if she’ll trust the man learning he’ll break every taboo to keep her safe and win her heart.

by J.A. St. Thomas

***Foray* into this *highly* entertaining and thrilling mystery series where Stephanie Beroe, risks everything to combat the dark side of the one percent.**

by Judah Ray

In 1955, a secret experiment at the Large Hadron Collider tore open a doorway to another realm.\ \ Extradimensional beings came through, possessed the top scientists and military officials in the room, and kept the portal open.\ \ One of the first crossed over and took a human infant as its host. That infant was Christina.\ \ The only issue is that Christina forgot what she was,  and the others could not enter or control her, but she could see them. So they declared her unstable and institutionalized her.\ \ Years later, world leaders, billionaires, media figures, and political dynasties are all possessed. The New World Order is not a conspiracy theory. It is literal possession.\ \ A decade later, Christina escapes and resurfaces in Berlin. The forces that have tracked her since childhood want her reclaimed or eliminated.\ \ With the help of Jory, who has been able to see the entities inside people since surviving a near-death experience as a child, Christina uncovers a power structure that has ruled humanity from within for generations.\ \ When she learns she is one of them, she must choose between her own kind or the man she loves and the humanity she chose to protect.\ \ They have ruled the world from inside us.\ Now one of their own stands against them.