Silent Sonora details the life of a heroic young girl, Lillian Carroll, whose family resides in two tents during the 1920's and 1930's. Set in depression-era Scottsdale Arizona, the book reveals Lillian's daily life experiences, the family's struggles, and her quest for a better life through education. Lillian tells readers directly about tent life, the local "emerging" Arizona communities, and the ongoing hardships she and her family confront. Both of Lillian's parents are deaf—her father...

Performing live music in front of an audience is fun and rewarding. These stories give the reader a "behind-the-scenes" look at what we think it ultimately takes to become a popular and successful local musician—and why we enjoy music. In this compilation of memoirs and narratives, several musicians talk about their backgrounds, their motivations, their aspirations, and their successful and not-so-successful experiences. Think of it. Musicians are performing in your town, somewhere, probab...

John Fleming, unlucky in love and weary of endless and meaningless talk, has had enough. The story is built around a compilation of suicide notes he has written to his therapists, family members, his loving dog, and his "beloved"...the mysterious woman who is the object of his eternal affection. The suicide notes (and poems) describe his painful dissatisfaction with the mental health system, American pop culture, the scripted nature of modern life, and what he believes is the inability of ...

1040 culture—like it or not—exists because the United States government taxes personal income to raise trillions to fund the federal treasury. This amount will undoubtedly increase in the future—but so will American commerce and the GDP. The focus of this book will be how we can raise 3.5 or 5.0 or 6 trillion dollars efficiently and accurately while eliminating the unwieldy 1040 tax return process. The TFP plan, basically, is to "automatically" assess a 1 cent fee (.01 dollar) on all track...

August Nightingale, in late middle age, has had little success with relationships-- and not much meaningful satisfaction in the world of work. Abruptly deciding to "leave it all behind," he embarks on a snowy road trip to visit Civil War battlefields in Pennsylvania. His journey becomes one of self-realization. A mishap on the highway, the kindness of his beautiful neighbor Sarah (who helps him to convalesce), and the friendly people of Aurora change his life and his heart. This mature rom...

Community colleges provide valuable learning experiences for millions of Americans. But they are not mini-universities or dedicated trade schools—they offer a unique higher-ed pathway which is often misunderstood and sometimes under-appreciated. This book provides a behind-the-scenes look at daily community college life—from student, administrative, board, and faculty perspectives! You will learn (or recognize) a great deal about daily community college machinations and the "characters" wh...

A sixty-three-year-old literature professor and his forty-one-year-old student fall in love despite criticism (and moral judgement) from his university, the community, and their circle of friends. Sam and Cassie's commitment to each other, and their love of poetry, sustains the relationship and brings them new awareness about the connections between art and life. Brought together by a powerful destiny, their romance is also nurtured by the world of nature and honest and direct communicatio...

This quirky and fast moving romance revolves around passionate lovers in tangled and mostly unfulfilling relationships. The tale is complete with hot housewives, rock musicians, exotic dancers, motorcycles, steamy nail polish-melting love scenes, hard drinking college professors, hybrid alien children, a romantic bug exterminator, girl fights, a New Year's Eve brawl, religious zealotry, prophecies (The Temple of Just DOET) —and more. Ultimately, Love in the RV Park is about the male percep...

Many people consider Canada, particularly in comparison to its southern cousin, as a "peaceable kingdom." However, as the historical record demonstrates, Canadians have never been a thoroughly non-violent people. Violence in Canada highlights from an interdisciplinary perspective the major areas and contexts where violence takes place.Consisting of thirteen contributions, the book forms an indispensable guide to the subject. All of the authors are experts in their field, many with internat...

Our 1972 motorcycle ride took us on a four-thousand-mile trip from Arizona to Canada and back. Some nights we camped out along the highway; other nights we found a motel. Some days the rain was fierce and debilitating… but every day was fun and filled with great experiences and amazing landscapes. Each of us rode a 500cc two-stroke motorcycle on the journey. We had no cell phones, roadside assistance coverage, custom ear plugs, or sound systems. The attractions of the open road, Canada, an...

Students, faculty, and staff from Central Arizona College, a formerly "rural" community college, share learning and working experiences—and personal reflections—from the 70s, 80s, and 90s era. The book is primarily built around first person narratives—memories—but also includes references to "historical" documents, newspaper articles, and "snippets" from period college resources. Several tributes to iconic college employees add to this celebration of CAC. The reader will learn so much abou...

Our 1973 motorcycle ride took us from Beatrice, Nebraska, to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Albuquerque, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, Vacaville, Lake Tahoe, Denver, and then back to Nebraska. We were teenagers, and we had relatives, friends, acquaintances, and girlfriends to see all along the journey. Some nights we camped out, others we stayed in a friend's travel trailer, and some nights we enjoyed regular beds and access to a swimming pool.Each of us rode a 350cc two-stroke moto...