The pastor of St. Vincent Church in Akron, Ohio, shares fanciful conversations with the stray puppy, Vinnie, that he takes in. A quick learner, Vinnie soon learns the duties of a church dog, and enjoys all the attention given to him as such. (Practical Life)

Nyagrodha! Command the wind to be still. And in the silence that follows the tree will shake down stories...As their train puffs away into the distance, three runaway children - Lily, Vicky and Aman - are led by Makhmal Khan the monkey into the shimmering world of the forest...Deep within its shadows, beyond the last cloud on the horizon, stands Nyagrodha, the ancient banyan. Within its magical labyrinth, the children encounter monarchs and mice, dreamers and scholars, paupers and fortune-seekers, braggarts and burglars, foppish fish and bloodsucking bugs, gory battles and incredible flying machines...But none of these can distract them from the dangers that threaten Simha the fierce young king and his friend Jeev, the musical bull. For the story of their tangled lives is very like the children's own...Will Aman, Vicky and Lily find their way back home through the maze of stories? Or will treachery destroy the friendship between Simha and Jeev, and leave the forest wounded and bleeding forever? 'This is an upside-down story, ' Hanumanta the Langoor warns the children. 'A story that will turn you inside out. Will you hear it unafraid?

Set within the netherworld of thoroughbred racing, this hair-raisingly funny new play by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of True West explores the classical themes of memory, loyalty, and restitution. Simpatico launches readers into regions where high society meets the low life, and where, as one of the main characters observes, "someone is cutting someone else's throat."

Rev. Joseph Kraker is the pastor of St. Vincent Church in Akron, Ohio. He was ordained a priest in 1964 and served as an associate pastor at St. Jude Parish in Elyria, Ohio, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Cleveland, and pastor of St. Timothy Parish in Garfield Heights, Ohio before coming to St. Vincent in 1994. Vinnie came to St. Vincent Parish in 1998. His previous history is largely unknown, as is his precise pedigree. He arrived at the tender age of six weeks, and has since become an integral part of the parish household. A quick learner, Vinnie soon learned the duties of a church dog, and enjoys all the attention given to him as such.

After becoming involved in a credit-card scam with his childhood friend, Vinnie McCloskey-Schmidt, small-time Long-Island crook Johnnie LoDuco receives an unpleasant surprise during a fishing expedition when he reels in Vinnie's head.

On a dark and cold November night, Vincent is on his way to close the biggest deal of his life and pave the way for his dream of opening his own tax firm to become a reality. But when he is nearly killed by his cousin's henchmen, his life is forever changed. Readers can unravel a web of betrayal, suspense, danger and revenge in Jason Ross' gripping novel, Don't Wound What You Can't Kill. Vincent works for his cousin William and is only disloyal in the way that he is about to abandon him and open his own business. He had no intentions on using any of his cousin's money, which he could have easily embezzled without his cousin knowing a thing. A man with principles, Vincent is the one who informed his cousin that his men, Harold and Ronald were embezzling from him. But he never expected William would repay his loyalty with death. Vincent barely escapes with his life, stinging at the pain of betrayal. His love for accounting and taxes had taken a back step to another more important matter revenge. Vincent now knew what he had to do, but he wonders at what price he would have to pay for his revenge. The choice is obvious, and there is no turning back. Vincent finally crosses that thin line between good and evil that he had straddled along when he was a child. His life as he knew it is over, and his life as he never envisioned is just beginning. Maybe man really does not have any control over how his life turns out how events both tragic and joyful help frame one's true destiny and set them on their true path. Is a life of crime Vincent's true destiny? Readers can unravel the answer and witness the intriguing events unfold in Don't Wound What You Can't Kill.

"With both of their marriages on the rocks, PI Maya Kendrick and PTA president Sandra Wallage investigate the dating scene until they are hired by the students to find out who killed their beloved teacher-a flirtatious high school Spanish teacher who had eyes for Maya"--