Fiction
Fame and Misfortune
Published June 2017
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
Kevin Clayton wanted to be thin and attractive and to wear normal sized clothing. However, after rising to prominence as an accomplished fitness guru following an extraordinary transformation and weight loss of 200 pounds, he finds that happiness remains elusive. His marriage to his childhood sweetheart shattered, his relationship with his daughter destroyed, and unable to trust the countless women who swoon over him because of his new looks, Kevin struggles to find meaning for his remarkable accomplishment and his efforts to teach others how to change their lifestyle and lose weight. Kevin longs for his wife and wants to make amends with his daughter, but his career and staff have other plans for him. Ultimately, he is torn between pursuing his ex-wife, Jennifer, or yielding to the advances of his sexy young assistant, Mika, whose motives are questioned when Kevin discovers that she and a trusted ally, his trainer, Johnny, may be responsible for altering more than his diet.
Published June 2017
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
Kevin Clayton wanted to be thin and attractive and to wear normal sized clothing. However, after rising to prominence as an accomplished fitness guru following an extraordinary transformation and weight loss of 200 pounds, he finds that happiness remains elusive. His marriage to his childhood sweetheart shattered, his relationship with his daughter destroyed, and unable to trust the countless women who swoon over him because of his new looks, Kevin struggles to find meaning for his remarkable accomplishment and his efforts to teach others how to change their lifestyle and lose weight. Kevin longs for his wife and wants to make amends with his daughter, but his career and staff have other plans for him. Ultimately, he is torn between pursuing his ex-wife, Jennifer, or yielding to the advances of his sexy young assistant, Mika, whose motives are questioned when Kevin discovers that she and a trusted ally, his trainer, Johnny, may be responsible for altering more than his diet.
The Captain and the Queen
Published April 2014
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
Baxter Edwards, a lonely widower attempting to save a Carnival organization suffering from declining membership in changing economic times, selects a blues singer to serve as its monarch in hopes he will infuse the club with vitality. When Baxter, the club’s captain, chooses his best friend’s college-age daughter, Claire Boudreaux, to serve as queen, they develop feelings for one another. Claire’s boyfriend, Scott Dixon, a vain and selfish college quarterback, her jealous mother Kathy, and Baxter’s disapproving daughter present obstacles for the cross-generational relationship, and should Baxter leave Claire alone to graduate and begin her career without the pressure of dating a man in a different phase of life?
Threatened by the resurgence of Baxter’s club, Newton Lavoisier, the captain of a rival organization, uses unethical means to cause financial harm. He conspires with the krewes’ float-builder, encouraging him to manipulate contracts for his club’s benefit, but discovers alternate avenues to profit from Baxter’s newfound success.
Published April 2014
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
Baxter Edwards, a lonely widower attempting to save a Carnival organization suffering from declining membership in changing economic times, selects a blues singer to serve as its monarch in hopes he will infuse the club with vitality. When Baxter, the club’s captain, chooses his best friend’s college-age daughter, Claire Boudreaux, to serve as queen, they develop feelings for one another. Claire’s boyfriend, Scott Dixon, a vain and selfish college quarterback, her jealous mother Kathy, and Baxter’s disapproving daughter present obstacles for the cross-generational relationship, and should Baxter leave Claire alone to graduate and begin her career without the pressure of dating a man in a different phase of life?
Threatened by the resurgence of Baxter’s club, Newton Lavoisier, the captain of a rival organization, uses unethical means to cause financial harm. He conspires with the krewes’ float-builder, encouraging him to manipulate contracts for his club’s benefit, but discovers alternate avenues to profit from Baxter’s newfound success.
The Captain of Her Heart
Published October 2014
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
The celebration of New Orleans continues and the heat is turned up when Claire Boudreaux returns home from college and finds herself torn between her father’s best friend, Baxter, with whom she has a mutual love for New Orleans heritage and has known all of her life, and a co-worker, Jared, an accomplished investigative reporter who mentors her as she embarks on a career as a television news reporter. She loves them both, and struggles to make her own decision despite external influences. Will Claire and Baxter’s age difference and disapproving family members cause her to choose Jared? When Baxter, Captain of the Krewe of Sancus, becomes embroiled in a scandal involving corrupt city officials, will Claire wash her hands of him and his Carnival activities and political machinations, or will he become the captain of her heart?
Come back to The Big Easy where the good times continue to roll.
Published October 2014
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
The celebration of New Orleans continues and the heat is turned up when Claire Boudreaux returns home from college and finds herself torn between her father’s best friend, Baxter, with whom she has a mutual love for New Orleans heritage and has known all of her life, and a co-worker, Jared, an accomplished investigative reporter who mentors her as she embarks on a career as a television news reporter. She loves them both, and struggles to make her own decision despite external influences. Will Claire and Baxter’s age difference and disapproving family members cause her to choose Jared? When Baxter, Captain of the Krewe of Sancus, becomes embroiled in a scandal involving corrupt city officials, will Claire wash her hands of him and his Carnival activities and political machinations, or will he become the captain of her heart?
Come back to The Big Easy where the good times continue to roll.
Forever Her Captain
Published April 2016
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
As wedding planning commences, new challenges arise for Claire, whose career soars while Baxter struggles with life after Sancus. Can Jared, who is covering the Carnival scandal for the National News Network, convince Claire that marrying Baxter is a mistake? With federal investigators continuing their probe of city hall corruption, is it the right time for Baxter to begin a campaign to become New Orleans’ mayor? How will the illicit relationship between Leslie and her boss, the U.S. Attorney, affect the government’s efforts to imprison city officials whose actions have tainted the city’s cherished heritage?
Come back to The Big Easy where the intrigue continues while the good times roll.
Published April 2016
www.Amazon.com, $1.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
As wedding planning commences, new challenges arise for Claire, whose career soars while Baxter struggles with life after Sancus. Can Jared, who is covering the Carnival scandal for the National News Network, convince Claire that marrying Baxter is a mistake? With federal investigators continuing their probe of city hall corruption, is it the right time for Baxter to begin a campaign to become New Orleans’ mayor? How will the illicit relationship between Leslie and her boss, the U.S. Attorney, affect the government’s efforts to imprison city officials whose actions have tainted the city’s cherished heritage?
Come back to The Big Easy where the intrigue continues while the good times roll.
But for the Grace of God
Published December 2012
www.Amazon.com, $2.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
Craig Weiss and his mother endured decades of financial hardship and loneliness after Peter Weiss left them without any means of financial or other support. However, when he and his father are reunited at a funeral thirty years later, Craig, to the surprise of his wife, mother, and father, inexplicably and resolutely forgives Peter for his parental neglect.
When Craig begins his quest for information about his father’s temperament and prison sentence, he meets resistance from loved ones who want to shelter him from his father’s past of violence and failed relationships. Craig becomes preoccupied with the condition of Peter’s victims and conducts his own research to find the answers to his questions and, ultimately, reconsiders forgiving his father.
Ultimately, Craig suffers from a form of survivor’s guilt, realizing that he and his mother easily could have ended up enduring pain and suffering experienced by Peter’s victims…But for the Grace of God.
Published December 2012
www.Amazon.com, $2.99 Kindle or $12.99 paperback
Craig Weiss and his mother endured decades of financial hardship and loneliness after Peter Weiss left them without any means of financial or other support. However, when he and his father are reunited at a funeral thirty years later, Craig, to the surprise of his wife, mother, and father, inexplicably and resolutely forgives Peter for his parental neglect.
When Craig begins his quest for information about his father’s temperament and prison sentence, he meets resistance from loved ones who want to shelter him from his father’s past of violence and failed relationships. Craig becomes preoccupied with the condition of Peter’s victims and conducts his own research to find the answers to his questions and, ultimately, reconsiders forgiving his father.
Ultimately, Craig suffers from a form of survivor’s guilt, realizing that he and his mother easily could have ended up enduring pain and suffering experienced by Peter’s victims…But for the Grace of God.