To utilize the mysteries of theater and the legends of Loretto Heights College while writing a mystery where the "main" character (usually) follows the instructions of the detective assigned to the case.

In the 1920s, faced with the dire consequences of the Bolshevik takeover of their country, many Georgian Jews made the life-altering decision to leave their homeland, looking for a safe place to live and raise a family. This is a story of Jewish emigration from Georgia to Palestine. How did this flight take place? What conditions did they face in Palestine? Why were so many visa petitioners left behind in Georgia until the 1970s? The book Elusive Dreams: Letters to Zion, will answer these questions by investigating powerful, personal letters that were only recently found. These missives allow us a glimpse into their lives, to better understand the Georgian Jewish immigration to Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. This is also the tale of a Georgian Zionist leader, Nathan Eliashvilli, who was inspired by the Zionist dream of becoming a free and sovereign people in an ancient homeland. He was, simultaneously, misled by the Zionist propaganda machine and led unprepared members of his community to settle in the appallingly harsh conditions of Palestine in the 1920s. The challenges and disappointments this group faced while pursuing the vision of a better life are starkly revealed throughout this book through an in-depth analysis of documents that are only now being shared with the public. The anguish of the persecuted Jews left behind, and the terrible dilemma to encourage further immigration or not, is concurrently studied through the examination of potent communications between Eliashvilli and Jewish friends and family languishing in Georgia and seeking escape from their unrelenting hardships.

John Freeman manages a successful hardware store to support his family, but he dreams of doing something more with his life, something important. He hopes to buy the store someday, but will that be enough? John's wife Hannah dreams only of raising a family of decent, well-behaved children, but demons from her past haunt her, and her family crumbles. John and Hannah's son Aaron hopes for a pro basketball career. When he wins a basketball scholarship to a top tier school, he is on his way, but he faces long odds: Is he good enough for the pros? Aaron's sister Sally hopes one day to become a pediatrician, but Hannah, the one person who should provide her primary support, thwarts her dream and drives her from home into an uncertain future. The fractured family turns outward for support, finding it in unexpected places when fate intervenes. Dreams are elusive, and they sometimes die, but others often arise to take their place. In the end, all it takes is a little love from those closest to you.

Creating a perfectly imperfect family. Moving into his grandparents’ house in coastal Maine, Marine Erik Storm is determined to honor the promise he made to a dying mother. Protect her two young children despite the injury that left him barely able to walk. When his neighbor offers to help, he sees the shy teenager he knew in a different light. Years in foster care has left Tessa Porter leery of people, yet Erik’s injuries have softened his once tough exterior and he’s not the same intimidating teen she had a crush on. When Erik’s claim on the children is questioned, he and Tessa arrange a marriage of convenience to retain custody. A scarred soldier and an agoraphobic loner make the perfect couple. But their practical arrangement quickly evolves when unexpected feelings arise. As Erik and Tessa navigate their new roles as husband and wife, they must confront their deepest fears and desires. And when the reason for the marriage is threatened, will love be enough to keep them together?

Mickey G was my friend. This is a story about his father. Mickey grew up without his father, and he was in his late 50s before he learned what happened to his father and why his father never returned home. I feel very lucky that my life and Mickey’s crossed paths.

My Elusive Dream is a Depression-era story of tragedy, adventure and triumph in which Robert Hartley, a farm boy from Arkansas, is forced to come-of-age in the big city, fight class prejudice, struggle to retain his core values and discover the true meaning of love.