Books
BOOKS Offered by Singing Cat and Mule
1. Historical books that are scholarly, well researched and entertaining. These include “A Quiet Glory” and “Lucy Long, Robert E. Lee's Other Warhorse: The Mare with Mysteries.”
2. Books to delight and relax the young reader, those who are young at heart and those who love animals.
3. Fictional works that have been reviewed as entertaining and enjoyable. These include: “When the Red Jacket Sings” and “Harmonic.”
Several of these are available as E-Books from on line stores such as amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Reviews of these books can be found at bookbaby.com.
To order a hard copy contact: Sant1425@aol.com
BOOKS TO DELIGHT ANIMAL LOVER OF ALL AGES
Prices for books with shipping and handling are available upon request. Email: SAnt1425@aol.com to place order.
RANGER THE CAT:TALES OF THE YELLOW TAVERN CAT.
This story is set in the historical town of Heathsville, Virginia. It tells the tale of the cat who “owned” the people restoring Rice’s Hotel/ Huglett’s Tavern in the 1990s. Presented in a very upbeat fashion, with wonderful quotes about cats scattered throughout the text. (Suitable for ages 12 through adult).
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Mare with Mysteries "Lucy Long, Robert E. Lee's Other Warhorse:
This is the story of LucyLong, Robert E. Lee's little mare, who served alonside Traveller in the Civl War. Though not as famous as the General 's beloved gray horse, she certianly was deeply loved. Lucy had a wonderful life filled with adventures, with periods of rest at splendid plantations of her era and peaceful days as a beloved family riding horse. For a time after the War she was lost to the Lee family. Their search for her, their eventual reunion and some of the mysteries surrounding her from the fall of Richmond in 1865 to Christmas of 1866 make an interesting read. And above all else, Lucy was a survivor. Though an unlikely warhorse with her quiet, easy disposition and soft way of going, she was one of the longest living horses that actually served and experienced combat condition in that war.
E-BOOK: Available at Amazon.com
Novels:
When the Red Jacket Sings:
Many of the best times of Ramona Zeller's life are associated with a red jacket given to her as an adolescent by a loving mentor. However, the red jacket is front and center in the kidnapping of her husband and in the fear brought to the musicians of a metropolitan area. A series of twist and turns with embezzlements, insurance frauds, more kidnappings, dashed hopes and stolen identities, through which Ramona must endure finally brings closure and the promise of better things to come. Though the police especially a detective who is a good friend of Ramona's BFF is very helpful, it is actually Ramona herself who does the work is attempting to find her husband. Throughout the story the relationship of this world famous musician and her friends is emphasized. It is not only Ramona's loved ones who are the focus of the kidnappings and thefts, members of a symphony orchestra as well as music students throughout the city are also targeted. Even as the criminals are arrested, Ramona and her family are not completely safe. Years later she will have to face the anger from the accused. However, the red jacket will be seen as very lucky to Ramona and her friends, as it seems to always appear or to be found or to be worn at the best times of their lives.
E-BOOK: Available at Amazon.com
Harmonic:
This is a love story based in the world of classical music and amateur music competition amid politics, rivalries
and jealousies. Though it is fictional, the people and incidents will ring true to anyone familiar with professional and amateur music circles. There is a child involved and a love triangle. Though there is some mystery and intrigue, many of the characters in the story are quite humorous and endearing. The setting includes New York City, Philadelphia, Nashville, sites in Arizona and the Northern Neck area of Virginia. This is a story for the adult reader as it contains some sexual content. Violence is minimal.
E-BOOK: Available at Amazon.com
“A Modern American Christmas” is not a typical Christmas Story. It is more in the genre of the Chevy Chase movies or Dave Barry’s story. Though it is funny and somewhat irreverent, it is also not meant to be disrespectful. The story-line is framed in Christmas traditions and serious ethical and moral issues of the times. It is a humorous look at how over-the-top things can become in modern American Society. It does poke fun at consumerism to the extreme, double-standards, keeping up appearances and personalities who don’t “do what they say” or “don’t say what they do!” The story is that of a young college woman home for the holidays only to discover that the beloved family home is in the foreclosure process. The ‘squatters/renters’ who have been living there until the actual owners (her family) can return for the one last ‘Spectacularly Sensational and Shiny’ Christmas in the home are quite the characters. There is some mystery, some romance, and an interesting cast of personalities. Anyone who feels his or her Christmas or any holiday was not all it could or should have been will realize, as they read this story, “they are not alone!”
E-BOOK: Available at Amazon
A Modern American Christmas
The Lynx and the Lioness: When a Sibling Kills
This is a story of a young woman who faces the challenges of growing up with a brother whose mental disorder presents as menacing, violent and angry. Family life is centered on his maintenance and on avoiding confrontations that would hurl him into one of his “Moments!” Daily life with Brian and his parents on the family farm is depicted as is the life of his sister, Brie, who has moved from home to finish her college education in New York City. Despite extreme vigilance on the part of the parents, and despite the monumental costs of failed treatments, the young man does the unthinkable. He kills innocent children and teachers. However, this is not the story of his atrocity. While some details of his mass murder are presented to further the story, the gruesome killings are not the focus nor is the description of his plan and method of attack. The emphasis is on the aftermath of this horrific behavior on his sibling. This should never be construed to mean that the plight of the victims and their families is being minimized. This is definitely not the case. However, little has been written about how the lives of the siblings of mass murders are affected. The story offers a glimpse into what has happened or can happen to a sibling. While it is only the story of one sister, it contains “themes” from many siblings thrust into this situation. Negative events that happen to Brie after that awful November day are not all the result of her brother’s act. She learns that life happens, and regardless of what her brother did, her own life will have its positives and negatives. Not everything that goes wrong can be blamed on his outrageous act. She is certainly accused, accosted and like her parents held responsible (morally and legally), even if only in terms of “she-should- have-known.”
The tale illustrates how simply being born into a family with a brother or sister who is volatile, and who has not been or perhaps cannot be helped by modern psychiatry and/or psychology, had profound influences (both good and bad) on the life of a sibling. This story contains elements, though unidentifiable, from interviews and assessments that the author conducted many years ago on the families of murderers and on the families living with aggressive and unpredictable offspring. While not a true story it contains experiences that were common to many true stories. It certainly argues for better prevention, better mental health facilities, follow-up, and if needed, constant care and supervision for those who suffer and cannot be integrated safely into society.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Sweet Man in the Woods
This is the story of a young thirty–something woman who is caught in a verbally abuse marriage. Though at times she desperately wants to leave that marriage and to free her spirit, she is finding it very difficult. On one of her daily walks with her beloved dog, she meets a man in the woods ---- a very sweet man in the woods. From her interactions with him and her eventual love for him, she finds the courage to set a plan in motion to leave her abusive husband. The logistics are not easy. Once she escapes from her husband, she is so hopeful of a lifetime with this man from her walks in the woods. Things do not work out exactly as planned. Her life takes many turns and twists. There is definitely grief in her story. There is also hope. There are strong bonds of friendship with people she has known all her life. And, there is the story of her developing a new life for herself. In the end, she finds love where she least expects it. The sweet man in the woods gave her a wonderful gift.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Tin Noses, Tim Roses: Love Stories from World War
Though the story of the “Tin Noses, Tin Roses: Love Stories from World War I” is framed against the awesome facial disfigurements that some soldiers faced from their combat with the enemy, it is not a sad or depressing account. It is a love story, actual several love stories, across the times and events from World War I through World War II. Even war, disfigurements and distance cannot diminish true love. It is also the tale of finding one’s passion in life ---- whatever that passion ----whether that is a passion for medicine or music or art ---- and pursing that passion fully. It describes how sometimes when one discipline like medicine can go no farther to repair what has been broken in a human being, another discipline like art or sculpture or casting can be used to make life better. In the early days of World War I, artist and sculptor, Francis Derwent Wood, founder of the Tin Noses Shop, said it best: “My work begins where the work of the surgeon is completed. My cases are generally extreme cases that plastic surgery has ----had to abandon …” Any shrapnel wound, unlike a straight line wound from a bullet, consisted of twisted metal shards that could rip a face off. The ‘tin noses’ of the WW I era were constructed to fill in/cover whatever parts of the human face that had been blown away by shrapnel and which could not be totally repaired by surgery. And so, this is also the story of those little masks of tin that improved the lives of wounded soldiers ---- sometimes only until more surgery could be completed, sometimes until time led to an acceptance of the disfigurement and other times as a lifelong protection against cruel stares and comments. The skill needed to make those ‘tin noses’ could easily be used to make the less practical but beautiful, ‘tin roses.’ In order to better understand the story of the Tin Noses, a little background in hospitals during the war is presented. The reader will find information on field hospitals, evacuation hospitals and base hospitals. There were base hospitals throughout France. In fact, the Medical Department of the U.S. Army lists approximately 138 Base Hospitals. Some of these were located within the United States to care for soldiers who arrived home. Not all Base Hospitals operated in France. Since the hero of the story and his family are from Virginia, specifically the Northern Neck, the Base Hospital that would have played an important part in their lives is Base Hospital #18 at Bazoilles-sur-Meuse at least initially. This hospital was formed from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and found a physical home at Bazoilles to offer medical services during the war. However, it was established in Baltimore from volunteer doctors, student doctors, nurses, cooks, workers, carpenters etc. They were all transported as a group on the Finland to France. Many of the Base Hospitals remained as functional units until well into 1919 after the war had ended. These Base Hospitals were the last stop before a soldier was sent home.
The main characters in this book are all fictional and have sprung from the imagination of the author. The only non-fictional people in this book are Francis Derwent Wood, Anna Coleman Ladd, and Dr. Harold Gillies. These historical figures, who did so much for the facially disfigured soldiers of World War I, are mentioned and celebrated throughout the book, as well they should be. They give the story context and historical significance. It must be emphasized that the fictional characters are just that: Fictional! They have no counterparts in real life and are completely from the imagination of the author. Any similarities of these characters in “Tin Noses, Tin Roses: Love Stories from World War I” to actual people is accidental and co-incidental.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Woman to Woman: Two Novellas of Friends and Enemies
"Woman to Woman!" includes two novellas about friends and enemies. Most women have had the experience of very dear and supportive women friends. These are certainly cherished. However, sometimes women can be their own worst enemies. They don't need men to criticize them, to disrespect them or to destroy their plans. These two Novellas reflect both: women as dear friends and women as nasty enemies. Though the themes and events are real, the characters and the settings have been as completely disguised as humanly possible. The support, the caring and the friendships are real. The jealousy, the hostility and the various attempts at sabotaging the goals of their female friends and acquaintances did happen. Hopefully these two stories will also give an historic perspective on the struggles of achieving women during the mid to late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. The first novella, "The Guest." involves graduate students toward the end of their course of study for advanced degrees. The central character, the epitome of attractiveness to many of the male students and male professors at the time, is extremely entitled. She becomes the guest of a very intelligent younger student whose attempts at hospitality fail. The Guest quietly but purposely seems to be out to hurt her hostess in several ways. The second novella, "Lovely Lola," is the story of a woman who suffers abuse in terms of witnessing it as a child and then later as the wife of an abuser and as the mother of an abuser. Lola is entitled. Though a skilled horsewoman, who is capable of supporting herself through her skills, her approach to life is that she is owed and that nothing is her fault or her son's fault. Everyone else is to blame. She is right even in the face of contradictory evidence. She knows all despite the mess that surrounds her! She is the perpetual victim as is her son! And yet, like the main character of the Guest, she is capable of kindness and generosity.
EBOOK: Availavle at Amazon
Childrens Books:
SNOW PRINCE: THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS PONY OF HEATHSVILLE, VIRGINIA. 
This story related the adventures of Jen and her best friend, LaVarne in finding a magical pony during the Christmas season. Set in the historic town of Heathsville, Virginia, the history of horses, of colonists and of mythical tales of the area are woven into the story.
And The Purple Pig Played Piccolo
This is a whimsical tale of a purple pig and his human family. Adventures befall Henry as he adjusts to his magical powers and his life in a musical household. Wonderful friendships develop among Henry and a young girl, named Harriet, her cat and her Basset hound.
The Adventures of McCue, My Wonder Horse!
This is a series of stories about the author’s life and adventures with a true character of a horse, told with humor. His personality gets them into some strange situations. There were many unexpected thrills and chills loving and sharing life with McCue for 23 years.(Appeals to twelve and older, adolescents and most definitely, adults.)
Fanny-Grace: Herself the Harp.
Fanny-Grace is a magical Celtic harp who can talk and sing. The story relates her adventures with her current person, Bridget, from their first performance together to their kidnapping to New York City. The reader is given some historical information about the development of the harp in a very palatable way. Readers also meet such musical characters as Howard the Cello and Bradford the Bassoon. (Appeals to twelve and older, adolescents and most definitely, adults.)
Keeokee, The Beautiful Swimmer.
This is the story of a magical blue crab and his special friend, a young Native American, Young Eagle. It is set during the colonial period of history and explores their many adventures together. Though they come from totally different worlds, they share a deep bond that cannot be broken even by a separation. Their friendship lives forever in the stars. This story also contains many interesting facts about shellfish. (Appeals to the nine and under reader best.)
Merlin: The Magic Marimba.Merlin is a talking marimba who can also play music by himself or with special people whom he loves. Artie is the hero of the story. Though he is a very little boy, he dreams about playing the marimba and taking music lessons at a Music School. Merlin and Artie have their first adventure together. Their friend, Randolph, the marimba playing rabbit helps with the music and with their bonding. (Appeals to the seven and under reader best.)
Paula: The Perfectly Pleasing Pigeon.
Paula is a trained racing pigeon who becomes very tired during one of her first flights. She stops to rest at a farm. While she is there, she becomes friends with a lonely little girl named, Willow. Though eventually the girl must return Paula to her rightful owner a wonderful friendship develops. Letting someone go doesn’t always mean losing them forever. The story contains many interesting facts about pigeons and the heoric acts they performed during various wars. (Appeals to the ten and under reader best.)
The Wardley Stories: The Life and Times of Foxfyre Jaspers Wardley.
By Victor E. Gramigna. This is the story of a wonderful dog, named Wardley and his adventures while growing up in a big city. Wardley has many special friends whom the young reader will meet in this story. All of Wardley’s times are told in his own voice. (Appeals to those who want Grandma or Grandpa to read them a story or to the very young reader.)
HISTORICAL BOOKS IN PAPER EDITIONS
Menominee, Lost Lights!
The tug, Menominee, and its three barges left Norfolk/Hampton Roads,Virginia to deliver lumber and coal to Connecticut. They would never arrive. The German submarine, U-754, was waiting in the waters along the Atlantic seacoast off the Eastern Shore of Virginia as the tug traveled north. The relentless attack of U-754 on an unarmed tug and its tow and the aftermath are the subjects of this story. However, the proximity to the Virginia coast and the number of German subs in the Atlantic seaboard frame the account. The secrecy about the threat and the extent of the German presence on the coastline imposed by the government of the United States due to wartime demands are also highlighted.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Available as paperbacks for purchase at sant1425@aol.com
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org
(Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com
(Phone 804-580-8581)
"Menominee, Lost Lights! as a play has been performed in Illinois and Austrailia"
The Old Jail and the Magic Brick
This is the true story of events about the actual Old Jail in Heathsville, Virginia, its history and its remodeling. It also includes the historically accurate accounts of some of the people associated with it. However, the ‘magic brick’ and the adventures on which it takes the young boy, Noah, are a fantasy. Young readers have found these historical trips of the main character to be quite delightful. This story is a very pleasant way to learn about jails and their history in the American colonies up to and including the 20th century.
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
The Home Front: Northumberland County, Virginia in World War II.
This is an account of the Home Front in a small, somewhat geographically isolated farming, fishing and lumbering community on the East Coast of the United States. The story of those who lived through the war at home is frequently told in their own words. Discussions of POW camps in the state and submarines in the Chesapeake are also included.
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
A Quiet Glory, The Life and Times of Dr. James Skelton Gilliam, Civil War Surgeon, Beloved Country Doctor of Northumberland and Lancaster Counties, Virginia” This is the biography of a much loved and respected Civil War surgeon and family physician. Set in the beautiful agricultural and waterside counties of Northumberland and Lancaster, Virginia, it discusses the intellectual and emotional issues of the times in which Dr. James Skelton Gilliam lived and worked. His life and that of his beloved wife, Eliza Hudnall Bates Gilliam, span a most interesting period in American history from the 1830s until just before the close of that century. Though possessed of medical skills and abilities that could have placed him in any company, anywhere, he chose to serve a very quiet glory as a country doctor. And serve he did: very, very well, indeed!”
available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Lucy Long, Robert E. Lee's Other Warhorse: The Mare with Mysteries.
This story of Lucy Long, another of Lee’s beloved warhorses, contains many twists and turns. It follows Lee’s loss of the lovely little mare immediately after the Civil War and her discovery in Essex County, Virginia as well as her interesting reunion with the Lee family. The reader will become familiar with the names of important characters that played a prominent role in Lucy's story. These include Captain Hopkins, Major Harmon, Dr. Garnett, Dr. Fauntelroy, Mr. William Campbell, Mr. Peter Derieux, General Rooney Lee, Captain Robert E. Lee, Jr.,, Mr. Riplogle, and Mr. MacKey.In addition, the Lee family and their various animals, all of which were deeply loved, are discussed. This is not a story of the rights and wrongs of the Civil War but simply a true and well documented tale, from many historical sources never before used, of the return of a much beloved mare to her rightful owner. Letters of Robert E. Lee were used with the expressed permission of The Virginia Historical Society given to the author. This account is well footnoted and documented. Though it is enjoyable to the casual reader it is also a valuable source of information to the historian. This book is protected by copyright as of October 1, 2011. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author. The story of Lucy Long as written by Susan Anthony-Tolbert has three separate editions: the one sited here, one for young adults and an e-book described earlier.
Available as paperbacks for purchase at:
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Until the Guns Went Silent! The lives and Times of those Who Served in WW! from Northumberland County, Virginia.
They were young men, boys really, who left their rural Virginia county, Northumberland County, to fight in WW 1. Like Private Loren W. Anderson, they faced a war of unimaginable weapons and hardships. His never-before-published letters to his family tell a story and place the war in a more personal context. Letters from other Northumberland County residents serving in the war supplement that story. In addition, this book provides a glimpse of the Home Front in the county, some battle experiences in Europe and the remarkable Hospitals of the Red Cross, YMCA and Salvation Army at the front.
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Barge Dog: Virginia Coast, 1942
Barge Dog: Virginia Coast, 1942” is the story of Snowball, the little white, fluffy pup who served on the barge, Ontario, at the beginning of World War II as the Barge Mascot. He was a ‘coastwise barge dog’ meaning that he lived on barges traveling up and down the Atlantic coast of the United States. Barges towed by tugs carried much needed supplies and materials up and down the Atlantic seaboard. The story begins with Snowball being adopted by his human guardian. It describes how he learned to adapt to life on a barge being towed on the Atlantic. Much loved by his human guardian, Orris P. Riggin, Snowball faced danger and adventure in the early days of U.S. entry into World War II. The attack on the tug, Menominee, and her three barges, the Allegheny, the Barnegat and the Ontario, on the night of March 31, 1942 by a German U-boat about nine miles off the coast of Virginia was one of those dangers. For readers who like maneuvers at sea, the attack of the German sub and the attempt to escape and save his tug by Captain Leslie Haynie of the Menominee will prove fascinating. The actions of the seamen on the barges that night make for a good read. This attack resulted in the loss of the lives of sixteen Merchant Mariners. It also showed the courage and devotion of this little white dog. Declassified government records as well as newspaper accounts will show the reader the veracity of this little known piece of maritime American history. While being an enjoyable story about a much loved little dog, this account also provides the reader with some very interesting events and policies at the time of WW II.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
The Ditch of the Bells, World War !:
The Story of Red cross Nurse, Bessie W. Omohundro, from Northumberland County, Virginia.
In an era when women were on the brink of achieving equal rights in the voting box and at the beginnings of being taken seriously in their professional lives, many volunteered to face sacrifices and hardships in the Great War. This was their own special test. Bessie W. Omohundro was one of those magnificent nurses who served. She was from a small, rural community in Northumberland County, Virginia but left the safety of her home and family to face a foreign and dangerous world in the war in France. She found herself truly in a “ditch” of mud, disease, unimaginable injuries and suffering. Much of the good of humankind had been thrown into that ditch! But, for the gritty and adventuresome Bessie, the sweet, sonorous “bells” of love and happiness would indeed ring again. This is her story.
available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Not Quite as Smooth as Silk.
Joseph Butler left for work at the Silk Mill in Buena Vista, Virginia one morning in early summer. He carried his black lunch box. He would never return to his pregnant wife and six children. He was gone! This is the story of his disappearance; the story of his family coping immediately after his disappearance and the story of their lives years later. It is set against the silk mill industry in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century.
available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Adrienne: Lafayette's Sweet Fire.
This is the story of a woman who was on fire with love for her husband, Gilbert La Fayette. It traces Adrienne's life through her childhood and the early years of her marriage. Then, it looks at how she responded to Gilbert's trips to America and his long absences from her. She was always worried about his safety. Even during a difficulty pregnancy she had to confront his sexual misconduct involving noble ladies at court. She had a pervasive feeling that she if only she could measure up, his extramarital affairs would stop. Prior to and during the Revolution when LaFayette became an "émigré," Adrienne, alone, had to protect her children as best she could. Nobles were being guillotined by the various factions. Along with her Mother, Grandmother and one sister, Adrienne suffered imprisonment. Though she was spared, her beloved family members were killed. She faced a constant fight to save her husband and in fact she would join him along with her two daughters when he was imprisoned. This imprisonment was not good for any one's health but had terrible consequences for Adrienne. After an enormous amount of work and politicking, Adrienne and her family were freed. She would get to spend some years at La Grange with her husband and children in a rather idyllic setting. Her love for Gilbert Lafayette spanned more than 30 years.
Adrienne was certainly a woman ahead of her time in terms of her emotional strength, her ability to get along with a variety of people from different backgrounds, her handling of any and all tasks she was given and her educational accomplishments. Adrienne would fit well with the modern woman in terms of these skills. She had an outstanding moral compass. She was determined and steadfast in her endeavors. Her "sweet fire" spread compassion and love to all her family, friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately, she was not loved by Gilbert La Fayette in the way she would so desire or in the way she loved him. Though he did love her and had great affection for her, it seems that she never really felt she pleased him. While there was great joy in her life, there was also tremendous sadness, loss and suffering.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Signs, Songs, Silences and Secrets
This is the story of a young woman and her best friend as they attempt to establish lives as independent adults in the 21st century. Both are extremely close and loving with their parents. They are CODAs (hearing children of deaf adults). It is not only the interpreting needs of their parents, but the love, care and support the daughters have been given, which determine this closeness. English and American Sign Language (ASL) are not the only languages used in their homes. Being bi or tri-lingual offered both young women choices of college majors and career tracks. These varied languages are only a backdrop to the life-events, harrowing experiences, adventures and romances that the two mid-twenty-somethings experience in their lives.
Due to circumstances in Paris toward the end of their internships in their senior years of college, Aubrey’s published romantic novella, based loosely on the love story of her Great-Great Grandmother and Great-Great Grandfather becomes involved. This ‘story set within the story’ takes place on Martha’s Vineyard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It relates the harmonious relations between the hearing, many of whom signed, and the deaf on the Island.The use and ultimate demise of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) is an important part of this story.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Behind Lady Liberty's Right Shoulder
Before the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Nine-Eleven Twin Towers Attack, there were the Black Tom Island and Kingsland Explosions (1916-1917). These two were acts of sabotage as well as terror. Black Tom has been noted as one of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. While it took years to unravel the sabotage plot, three women played significant roles in the realization by authorities that the Black Tom explosion was no accident. Had not the telephone operator at Kingsland stayed at her board and warned the workers, so many lives would have been lost. This is the story of four courageous women told before and after World War I.
EBOOK: Available at Amazon
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
Horse of the Sand Pounder: Coast Guard, World War II
When one thinks of the services of the Coast Guard of the United States, a mounted division does not readily come to mind. However, mounted Coast Guard protected the United States’ East and West coasts during World War II. They watched for infiltrators, for spies, and for enemy shipping off shore. German U-boats plied the waters especially off the East Coast. These mounted men gave Americans, living on or near beaches, a sense of security. This is the story of a horse that served as the beloved mount of a young recruit in the Coast Guard Beach Patrol on one shoreline off the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. In telling the story of this one bay horse, Flash, it is hoped to honor all those horses who served the Coast Guard during WW II. The reader will learn about the selection and training of horses that would serve the Coast Guard. Though the story of Flash is historical fiction, the related events and experiences are similar to those that actually did happen to several of those brave men and horses during the war. The experiences of those on the Home Front in the story are also like those described in personal accounts. Events are based on recorded and documented history. Anyone who loves horses should enjoy this story. The young recruit and a young woman who lived near the beach dearly loved Flash and did all in their power to protect him. There is a great deal of adventure in the story and a little romance typical of the 1940s in rural U.S. A. In reading the story, one will get a feeling for this part of American history when the coast lines were very vulnerable to attack. Flash was one of the lucky Coast Guard horses who had a happy ending with the people how loved him and whom he loved.
EBOOK: Availavle at Amazon
Available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
“The Adventures of Sloane Treblot! (Part 1 of a Series)”
The twenty-something heroine of this twenty-first century series gets involved in some intriguing though not
excessively violent mysteries. She discovers that she is very skilled at solving them. Part 1
contains three novellas: Sloane’s first three adventures. 1. Plain Blue, Blue Plains. Mr. Darian
Treblot, Sloane Treblot’s father, has gone missing. Was his disappearance a ‘truck-theft-gone-
bad’ or is it something else? The local police allow Officer Jared Thomas to stay in the
apartment over the garage/equipment shed at the Treblot farm for the protection of Sloane and
her Mother as well as their extended family. The two young people develop a
friendship/romance and start to investigate the disappearance on their own. Sloane has a startling
revelation with both the Labor Day weekend and the anniversary of 9-ll looming. Terrorism is
feared. The story ends with a pursuit, a rescue, a friendship damaged and a new love. 2. Forget-
Me-Nots. This is the story of the investigation into the shooting and death of a young police
officer. His wife and son don’t accept that he is really dead even after five plus years. Sloane is
hired as a consultant to an insurance company through the FBI and is looking into the family’s
claims. Sloane and Jared investigate his shooting in Virginia and the two piece together a
complicated and complicit situation. Many questions arise with twists and turns Sloane solves
the case. 3. Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. Sloane, again as an insurance investigator, and Jared,
as a rookie FBI agent, are invited to review the disappearance of a twelve year old girl who had
gone missing four months earlier in a rural area of Virginia. Is she alive or dead? Mary is an
enigma: beauty queen; math whiz; champion equestrian; and bully supreme with roller-coaster
emotions. Sloane suspects that a teenage neighbor is involved. The resolution of this case does
not help the young couple’s relationship. The ending offers quite a surprise.
(Available as an e book at Amazon.com)
Poetry and Rhymes
Eight Rhymes without Reasons! Four Stories for the Seasons!
The first part of this book includes eight short, fantasy vignettes written in rhyme, whose main
“actors” are a variety of animal characters: a rabbit; a cat; a goose and a moose; an owl; a skunk;
a beaver and a groundhog; a pigeon as well as a plant character named Willy the Wonderful
Willow. Themes are set in current times. In various presentations by the author, these pieces
have been described as “sweet and endearing,” “positive and delightful,” “lovely, clever and
very readable,” and “well-crafted.” Because of their warm reception, the author was encouraged
to place them on a platform available to a wider range of readers. The second part of the book
contains four stories: one about a flying purple pig; another about a harp that talks as well as
plays music; a third about a magical Christmas pony; and the last about a crab with a friendly
and philosophical attitude. Characters include adults as well as children whose ages range from a
very mature five year old to a thirteen year old. Though written for middle school children, all
ages seem to enjoy them. These are for the young as well as the young at heart. They have found
warm acceptance by adults who feel that they are a respite from the harsh times of modern life.
Available as an e book at Amazon.com
Cat Songs, Smiles and Stories! (Some Sweet Things in Life)
(Keith, not sure we want or need a picture here)
This is a collection of poems and stories about cats: their behaviors; their unique personalities;
their foibles and their affections for their human caregivers. It also reflects the love and care
given to felines by their human companions. It is meant to entertain and to offer a respite from
the worries and stresses of life. The poems in the first part of the book are all based on cats that I
have known and with whom I have shared my life. A number of my adventures with cats have
been included. Cat guardians will recognize some of the antics of their own cats. Six of the
stories in the second part of the book are actually events from the lives of my cats. The
remaining two stories involve cats that I did not know personally but whose stories I felt the
reader would enjoy. I did know people with whom these cats shared their lives. “Ranger, The
Yellow Cat” tells the story of a wonderful feline who graced the historic Hughlett’s
Tavern/Rice’s Hotel in Heathsville, Virginia Tavern in the 1990s. His presence is still felt today
in the bustling historic site. If these stories make someone smile and reflect on joyous times with
their own animal companions, I will be very happy and will have achieved my goal.
(Available as an e book at Amazon)
Impressions: From Someone of a Certain Age
(Keith—what about using the cover with your pictures – again I have
a PDF but no JPEG. I guess it depends on space
This book contains more than seventy poems inspired by my life or by the lives of my friends
and acquaintances as well as by nature and by my animal companions. They are presented in a
variety of styles and forms and are meant to give pleasure and to entertain. If they make the
reader smile or remember something nostalgic from their own life, I will be extremely pleased.
(Available as a soft cover print book from Amazon)
All books except for novels and novellas are available as paperbacks for purchase at
Lancaster Virginia Historical Society - history@lancastervahistory.org (Phone 804-462-7280)
Northumberland County Historical Society - nchsva1@gmail.com (Phone 804-580-8581)
