In August 2016, David agrees to Dr. Warner’s unethical form of therapy consisting of delving into the past and artist dates. Reflecting on the year he turned sixteen, David discovers he had the God-given talent, determination, and a once-in-a-life time opportunity. Several things stood between him and a gold medal at the 1979 World Games Diving Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway: his age, inexperience, family’s secrets, and finances. The springboard finals find David leading the best diver...

Cracked Surface is the sequel to Surface Tension and continues exploring my personal struggle with the desire to lead a "normal" life through the eyes of David Mathew. In Surface Tension, David is sixteen years old, represents the USA, and wins the gold medal at the 1979 World Springboard and Platform Diving Championships in Tønsberg, Norway. David has a secret. In spite of his unprecedented victory, he attempts to hide his tumultuous journey of grooming, manipulation, coercion, and sexual...

What if the greatest journey we ever take is the one that leads us back to ourselves?In a luminous exploration of awakening, healing and positive change, John-Michael Lander blends lyrical prose with profound insights drawn from his own life of transformation and the experiences of a fictional character, Soliel, to remind others that the truth of who we are—eternal, divine, and already home—lies beyond fear and illusions.Guided by Spirit, Soliel embarks on an otherworldly ody...