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Adam Martin Swope was driven out of his beloved Chicago by his self-created but ill-advised celebrity status as a "finder." To avoid the
emotional turmoil taking a toll on his psyche, he fled to Cancun, Mexico. Forced back to the United States by the resurgence of his mother's cancer, he decided to
take a job as columnist for the Tweet; the newspaper purchased by his long-time friend Larry Archibald in the small West Virginia town of Canary Corners. He moved
into the Canary House, an apartment house reputed to have resident ghosts. His next door neighbor Livinia Blossom told him the story of Canary House and introduced
him to her grandniece, Marti, who quickly became his semi-constant companion. What Adam didn't realize was how soon his investigative and finder skills would be
called into play to solve a murder. He was also unaware of how much assistance his dog Bagel, and the clues he provided, would be during the investigation.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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When there's a rash of burglaries in Canary Corners, West Virginia, the sheriff
asks Adam to use his finder skills to help figure out who the burglar is.
Unbidden, Bagel, Adam's beagle, offers clues through the use of Boggle dice and
the game of colors to help Adam and the sheriff solve the mystery of the burglar
and the murder he has committed.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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It's been snowing in Canary Corners for three days and, basically, everything
has ground to a standstill. Even Marti's school closed it's doors. This gives
Adam and Marti the perfect opportunity to go snowmobiling. Unfortunately as they
are traversing a valley, Marti hears a gun shot and a deer stagers down the hill
and drops dead right in front of them. While helping the game warden, park
ranger, and sheriff figure out who the poacher was, another killing takes place
and this time it is not a wild animal that is killed but an animal of the human
species and now it is up to Bagel to give Adam and Marti clues to help them
ferret out the guilty party.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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When Adam, Marti, and Livinia attend the ghost party at the Canary House
apartments on New Year’s eve, they are told the story of the lost Chandler gold
mine. Knowing full well that he can't leave a mystery like that unsolved, Adam
starts on a quest to follow the trail of well-hidden clues that, he hopes will
help him solve one of the most storied mysteries in the history of Canary
Corners, West Virginia. In the process of ferreting out clues, a couple of dead
bodies are found and Adam, Marti, and Bagel have to figure out who the murderer
is while continuing to search for the mine.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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Adam is assigned the interview of Donovan Arnold, a rich eccentric who owns his
own private zoo. Arrangements had already been made for the interview.
Unfortunately, when Adam arrived, he found Donovan dead and the zoo animals
released into the wild, including three elephants. Then it was up to Adam to
solve the mystery of who killed Donovan and why. Perhaps it was the animal
activists who claimed it was cruel to keep so many endangered species captive.
Or could it have been one of the descendants of the miners killed when his
father ignored safety regulations in the coal mine he owned? As Adam and the
sheriff investigate they uncover additional suspects. Of course, Adam will have
to rely on Bagel’s help to solve this perplexing mystery.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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When a seven year old boy, affectionately known as Robin Hood, by his friends
and family goes missing, it is up to Adam, Marti, and Sheriff Stibbens to follow
the clues provided by Bagel, Adam’s pet beagle, to find Robin Hood as quickly as
they can so he can be reunited with his parents.
This is a short story written in approximately 13,000 words.
The short story is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read a preview here. |
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When Aaron Franks turned sixteen he was accepted into the Order of Magic. Because of his membership he would be expected to spend the next school year at the
Montana Academy for Advanced Magic and Wizard Studies. At his party his Uncle Randy tells him his father, Jefferson, whom he thought was dead, is alive and in hiding from a black-hearted
wizard named Boragon. He's hiding because Boragon wants Jefferson to tell him where the Suit of Levathian once owned by Leonardo De Vinci can be found. Unfortunately, Jefferson doesn't
have any idea where the Suit is hidden if it even exists. At the academy Aaron and his five friends will have to deal with several attacks by followers of Boragon known as black-hearts.
Along the way they'll meet a number of magical creatures including Waggery, the half-dog, half-elf or delf, Flittery, the half-cat, half-owl or cowl, and the half-beaver, half-dog or deaver.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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When Aaron Franks and his friends return to the Montana Academy for Advanced Magic And Wizard Studies after Christmas vacation they continue to have
problems with the top black-hearted wizard Boragon. Thus, when Aaron's father Jefferson uncovers some information that may lead him to the hypothetical Suit of Leviathan that
Boragon is after, he begins a quest that leads him on a circuitous journey to Milan, Italy hoping to find Leonardo da Vinci's secret studio.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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The case begins as a simple, although profoundly gruesome, murder of a homeless
person in downtown Denver, Colorado. Soon, everyone
realize that the Cherry Creek Choker is back. His original killings of four
hookers, their bodies left at Cherry Creek Park for anyone to find, scandalized
and terrified the city. Josh Brayburn, the
lead Denver detective, thinks the Cherry Creek Coker may be the same sleazebag,
Roger Gibbons, who killed Josh’s wife and been sentenced to five to ten for the
crime. When Josh finds out that Gibbons has been granted early parole and his
release corresponds with the new Choker killing he is almost certain Gibbons is
the killer. The problem is, there is no proof. No clues have been left at any of
the crimes, including the latest one. When a state senator’s daughter is
kidnapped, Abby Swope, the lead Ft. Collins detective, is called in to try to
help solve the case. Josh and Abby feel an immediate, mutual attraction. Then
the senator’s daughter is ransomed but found murdered. Unfortunately, this
killing has nothing in common with the other ones Josh has been investigating.
Thus, no one, including Josh, has any idea that the killings, are done by the
same maniac. When a schoolteacher, who had previously been convicted of child
molestation, is killed, the mystery deepens. Josh eventually discovers that to
learn who the killer really is and what motivates him, he must travel a path
that leads through Jacksonville, Florida. This is where his grandfather, who is
an ex-cop, and his murdered wife’s grandfather, who had gotten rich in real
estate, both live.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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Suppose, just for a moment, that you realized one day that you had a special
power such as being able to see the future or move objects with just the power
of your mind. Now add to the mix that you exist with many other humans as well
as imps, brownies, and elves, who hate humans with such powers. Just think how
difficult it would be to guard against revealing your powers to someone who
might react in a hostile manner to such a revelation. This is the daunting task
facing the young Wizards Alberon, who grew up on the streets doing anything
necessary to survive, and Anjur, who was the daughter of a rich merchant and
lived a life of luxury until her power was realized. Fortunately, Alberon and
Anjur are located by Mondrian and Andela who will mentor them on how to control
their powers. But, just as the pair has settled into their relatively calm life
in the valley of the Wizards, the ultra-powerful weapon, the Sword of Dalamar,
is stolen. Now the Wizards must find and defeat the thief if they are to
survive.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and you may read the first five chapters here. |
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So, you’ve bought several houses, or someone bought them for you, because you
want to create a Christmas village. Or, perhaps you bought just one house
because you thought it was cute. Now what do you do? Well, if you’re like most
people, you will clear a spot on some table, put down a little cotton batting,
position your house or houses, surround the houses with your other village
elements such as animals, people, and, of course, trees, and you have a very
presentable display. But, with just a little more effort, using the techniques
shown in this book, you can have a truly eye-catching display. You will learn
how to create a diorama for your Christmas village and, along the way, you will
learn techniques that can be used to create dioramas for any display such as
your model cars, military displays, train set, or anything else you can think
of. You will even learn how to create some of your own diorama elements such as
a stone fence, from simple materials. Finally you will learn one thing to do
when you have a large number of buildings and other accessories.
The book is available on Amazon at this address
and a preview is available here. |