First Stories

When the Germans occupied France during World War II, the Resistance fought back against the invaders. That didn't stop Marie and Christof from falling in love, despite the consequences.

I bought the bikinis on a whim. Actually, it was the towels that caught my eye and made me stop, but the bikinis were there, too, at the sidewalk vendor's stall. And I was in a hurry, so I didn't examine things very much. I trusted the girl working there to offer me information I should have sought out. Anyway, I bought matching bikinis for my wife and daughter. Turned out they were very small bikinis. My wife's reaction wasn't what I expected. My daughter's reaction blew my mind.

Young people say it all the time: "That's not fair!" Who said life was going to be fair?

A Climbing the Ladder Story (1)
Part of the A Well-Lived Life universe
'Climbing the Ladder' is the story of Jonathan Kane, a young man from rural Ohio, who begins a new life in Chicago in the mailroom of Spurgeon Capital. This is a story in the 'A Well-Lived Life' universe, and provides history and backstory for Spurgeon Capital, the Spurgeon family, the Glass family, the Lundgren family, Anala Subramani, Tom Quinn, and others from the 'A Well-Lived Life' series. The story stands on its own, and does not require reading any other stories in the universe.

The cure for loneliness may be right in front of you. If you're lucky the cure is more adventurous than you can ever imagine.

A Lucky Tickets Story (1)
A teenage boy stumbles upon a roll of "lucky tickets." Thus begins this "coming of age" story about this lucky boy. (Foreword + 20 chapters + afterword; 146,342 words total) / (Reviews)

The trails and tribulations of Timothy Abbott. Will Tim find love, or will he succumb to the trauma of his past?