Featuring original interviews with Everest mountain guides and climbers, this is “a fast-moving, nuanced account of the peak’s transformation from the ultimate mountaineering challenge into a booming business opportunity” (Joshua Hammer, New York Times bestselling author).Anyone who has read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or has seen a recent photo of climbers standing in line to get to the top of Everest may think they have a sense of what the worl...

Coyote weather is the feral, hungry season, when everything is drought-stricken and ready to catch fire. It’s 1967 and the American culture is violently remaking itself while the country is forcibly sending its young men to fight in a deeply unpopular war. Jerry has stubbornly made no plans for the future because he doesn’t think that, in the shadow of Vietnam, the Cold War and atomic bomb drills, there is going to be one. Ellen is determined to have a plan, because nothing else seems capa...

Warning! New parents are likely to experience:Scorekeeping—An exceedingly complex, often relentless, tit-for-tat war waged by husbands and wives over the division of parenting responsibilities and domestic chores.The Ten O'Clock Shoulder Tap—Considered by many men to be a form of foreplay. A paw on a wife's shoulder is how some men indicate their desire for sex. The Tap is rarely accompanied by a term of endearment or any other verbal form of communication and is seldom wel...

Featuring original interviews with Everest mountain guides and climbers, this is “a fast-moving, nuanced account of the peak’s transformation from the ultimate mountaineering challenge into a booming business opportunity” (Joshua Hammer, New York Times bestselling author).Anyone who has read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or has seen a recent photo of climbers standing in line to get to the top of Everest may think they have a sense of what the worl...

Gulliver Station is a chance for a fresh start. Most colonists are eager to start a new life on the new Gulliver Station, one without corruption and violence, but some want to carve out their own crime empire. It takes generations. Who will win?The complete series in a box set: A New Start, The Challenge, Hard Choices, Revolution.

I Wish I Never Had a Teacher Like You! by Zenobia Cockrell is a heartfelt and inspiring children's story about resilience, self-worth, and the power of seeing yourself through a positive lens.The story follows Zamiya, a bright and hopeful student excited for a new school year. Her joy is challenged when her teacher greets her with frowns and harsh words. Despite the negativity, Zamiya leans on the wisdom of her mother, who reminds her of the beauty and mea...

Rugged individuals armed with hand tools, sweat, and ambition began building covered bridges in Oregon during the mid-1850s. These bridge builders often camped out at remote sites, living off the land or contracting with local farmers for food. Early owners of covered bridges financed construction by charging tolls�3� for a sheep, 5� for a horse and rider, and 10� for a team of horses and wagon. In the early 20th century, the state provided standard bridge and truss designs to each county,...

December is the time of year when we appreciate the feelings of good will toward our fellow human beings. A mix of western, modern and scifi, this collection brings together short stories that explore human kindness and charity. The last story in the collection is a teaser from my upcoming series, Gulliver Station.In The Welcome: After the death from illness of his parents, Ian Washington is now responsible for his three sisters. Can he make it to the nearest settlement before the w...

Settled for sixty years, Gulliver Station's young Erin Gillespie, granddaughter to Conway Gillespie, follows his advice about the crime syndicate, The Family, he founded. Move slowly, he advised, manipulate the elections, take over the unions, slow and steady, don’t be greedy. Her lieutenant, James McMahon, thinks she’s weak and misses opportunities for more power and money. He’s begun to challenge her. Meanwhile Rory Patton, a fan of Fergus Boylan's vision, still tries to make Gulliver St...

The discovery of oil in Tinsley, Mississippi, in 1939 captivated the South and has deeply affected the region ever since. At the end of 1940, over 133 wells were flowing, and speculators were drilling holes and staking claims all along the Gulf Coast and its immediate environs. Consequently, the region's economy, ecosystems, and politics have been shaped by black gold since the end of World War II.Alan Cockrell, a petroleum geologist, provides an insider's account of the science of...

Hardship, hunger, and thirst plague Kyra and Alyssa after their escape from the Children of God. A lucky find allows them to re-arm and resupply. Now they've found another survivor community and after watching the place for two days they decide to risk introducing themselves. They're greeted with enthusiasm at the door but by that evening, find they're trapped again in a community teetering on the brink of desperation. The survivors beg Kyra to help them remove the community's leader but h...

Gulliver station, a byword along the space lanes for corrupt government, where crime and misery is legend, teeters on the edge of revolution. Jolene Harris and the Adirondack return to Gulliver Station one last time. Lemuel Calahan, the Underground leader, needs to balance the need for secrecy against his need for recruits. Kenna Gillespie, leader of The Family, hears reports of unrest and strengthens her hold on the corrupt government while fighting her rivals, James McMahon and his son, ...