Vanilla Heart PublishingEnjoy a brief glimpse into our terrific novels!
The Unexplored Heart by Marilyn Celeste Morris
Impoverished but proud Vanessa Danforth is forced from her mother's home by her new stepfather's treachery in 1860s England. After graduating from stenographer's school, she accepts a position at the estate of famed world explorer, Harrison Courtland.Made a widower by his wife's tragic death in the Himalayas, Courtland has retreated into his work ...while Vanni forges friendships with his daughter Katrin and the handsome physician from the neighboring estate.
As Vanni encourages Courtland to unearth the ancient ruins at the edge of his property she discovers not only a stunning secret and a hidden treasure, but also her own heart's desire.
Impeccable by L.E. Harvey
Carol -- abandoned - waiting...for what, she couldn't know.. She couldn't see that there was more life waiting for her.
Carol is forced to face the demons of her past as well as begin to face life without Alex. Struggling to make sense of it all, Carol experiences her new life and all of the highs and lows that come with that life. Will Carol finally make peace with both her past and present?
Traitors Among Us by S.R. Claridge
With Tetterbaum's Truth revealed and her true identity exposed, Angel Martin tries to adjust to her radically new role as head of the Chicago Maratinzano family. Unfortunately, Mafia life offers little down time.
The sudden kidnapping of her mother and Aunt Olga leads Angel on a path to a past she's never known and an adversary she is unable to find. When an FBI mob bust against her family is fueled by administration level information, Angel turns to the other Chicago Bosses for answers; but every trail dead ends and every person is not who they seem.
Racing to save the people she loves most, Angel must learn to trust her instincts, even
when she comes face-to-face with the scariest truth yet... there are Traitors Among Us.
Sweet Victory by Angela Kay Austin
For her employees' sakes, Victoria James quits her job to save theirs. That decision loses her the man she thought she loved, and sends her back to Memphis, TN with everything she owns to face a neglected and forgotten relationship with her grandfather.
Everything she has is stolen. Chad Kirkpatrick, her childhood love, the first man to break her heart, now a police officer, comes to her aid.
Can she move forward, and put her past behind her? Will Chad forgive her? Will they ever taste...Sweet Victory?
Jock Talks...The Series by Malcolm R. Campbell
The stories in these books appeared in Morning Satirical News, a weblog dedicated to satirizing real and/or imagined events. The offerings here represent a selection of the good, the weird and the utterly insane of investigative reporter Jock Stewart's news stories and Night Beat columns.
Some of the material previously appeared in Worst of Jock Stewart.
Stewart, who refutes charges that he was raised either by alligators or hyenas, believes that modern-day journalism would be going to hell in a hand basket if hand baskets were still readily available. He has chosen to make his stand for old-fashioned reporting at the Junction City Star-Gazer, a newspaper that—while run by fools and buffoons—knows the difference between real news and "stuff that sounds like real news."
Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma…
Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors.
Before long, Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.
Tetterbaum's Truth by S.R. Claridge
Angel Martin plans to marry Tony and live happily ever after… until Tony disappears. Nursing a broken heart, she takes a job at Tetterbaum’s Pub, unaware it is the most prestigious Mafia hangout in Chicago. In a world filled with a pretense of innocence and a past filled with iniquity, Angel’s life hangs in a twisted balance of deception and revenge. Through an unlikely turn of events, Angel discovers her entire life has been a carefully orchestrated lie. No one is who they say they are and everyone has an agenda of their own.
Finding herself in the middle of a revengeful scheme from a past she’s never known and a Mafia blackmail scandal that’s already left several dead, Angel races to find answers. The trouble is, the closer she gets to hidden evidence and tainted truths, the more the crime families want her out of the way. With her true identity now exposed, learning who she can trust becomes a matter of life and death and unraveling the past is her only hope for staying alive.
Reconstructing Charlie by Charmaine Gordon
Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. “This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own.”
Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.
Healwoman: Dark Moon by Janet Lane Walters
Born under a dark moon, named misbegotten, Norna must battle society's disdain and the atmosphere of hatred toward those unfortunates believed to be tainted by evil. Norna learns of her mother's plans to abandon her at the temple and flees to join the Healwomen... those few remaining followers of The Teachings of The Three. As she flees a dreadful future, she meets Shandor, a priest in training, and together they face enemies, battle the forces of Midran, and discover strengths...and weaknesses.
Norna and Shandor are plagued by Britha and Vorgan, two determined to destroy whatever chance the two wandering warriors might have at happiness. When Shandor is brutally injured, Norna uses her new found skills as a Healwoman to bring him back to health...But will she and Shandor ever have a chance for their love to grow and prosper? Will the child she bore ever know the love and care of a family safe from danger? And will their world survive?
Appalachian Justice by Melinda Clayton
Billy May Platte is a half Irish, half Cherokee Appalachian woman who learned the hard way that 1940s West Virginia was no place to be gay. As Billy May explains, "We was sheltered in them hills. We didn't know much of nothin' about life outside of them mountains. I did not know the word lesbian; to us, gay meant havin' fun and queer meant somethin' strange." In 1945, when Billy May was fourteen years old and orphaned, three local boys witnessed an incident in which Billy May's sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the dynamics of the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow, West Virginia forever.
Swerving with the kind of deliberate precision only blind rage can empower, the black pick-up crushes Kansas Oil Tycoon, Lou Martin Miller, leaving Miller’s widow with an impossible choice: Cover the sin that lead to her husband’s death and conceal the identity of his killer, or risk the destruction of her family. She carefully weaves a net of protection around her family, but the day she dies it begins to unravel, leaving her grandson, Tom, and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Kate, in grave danger. Missing evidence, mistaken identity and manipulation leave private investigator, Stephen Braznovich, trapped between white lies and dark lusts, as he races to piece together a family secret before the next victim falls prey to deep-rooted revenge. The trouble is anyone who gets close to the truth winds up dead. Tom must decide between a confession that could save his marriage or lie to save himself. Tension mounts as Tom and Kate’s lives hang in a twisted balance of crossed lines and misunderstood motives, all pointing to one simple truth... there is No Easy Way.
Mistress of the Moons by Janet Lane Walters
The Three sworn to the Mistress of the Moons are dying. They must call three women out of time and space; The Seer, The Warrior,The Healer to Come. As the three make their way to The Place of Choosing in the Shanara Mountains, they face many challenges, many dangers, and in the chaos, each discovers the heroic strengths they hold inside… and discover their own truths...
Passionate Hearts Anthology of Love, Passion, and Romance
Sixteen fabulous tales of love, passion, and romance from sixteen incredibly talented authors: Victoria Howard, Jacqueline Seewald, Chelle Cordero, Michael Bracken, Charmaine Gordon, Melinda Clayton, Marilyn Celeste Morris, Angelica Taylor, Robert Hays, Kathie Harrington, Misha Crews, Allison Wonderland, Sandy Nicks, KC Sprayberry, Smoky Trudeau Zeidel,and Billy Burgess.
Carol Mathers, born a sickly child, in a home fraught with undercurrents that threaten to sweep away any chance she might have for a ‘normal’ life. Now in her mid-thirties, she's a highly sought-after IT guru in St. Louis. She has built a great life for herself with her partner, Alexandria, even though the two face prejudice as lesbians, and as an interracial couple -fighting tragedy and sometimes, finding triumph.
Carol discovers that she has acquired AIDS as a result of a childhood transfusion from the dark period of time before AIDS was widely known… or understood, not even by the medical profession. Now, the two women face even more obstacles, prejudice, and a strange, new life as AIDS patients and it all causes her to wonder about the meaning of and purpose of her own life… or if there is any purpose at all…
It was 2:30 a.m. when the phone rang. I fumbled for it, my heart starting a race toward bad news. Our doctor s voice urged me to hurry. I crammed into clothes as if I expected this call. It is only a fever that won t go down, isn't it? Our doctor shook his head. ...We did everything possible to save him. I held him in my arms when he took his last breath. Carly, I m so sorry. Settling in beside my Bob, I held his cooling hand and asked the two words spoken many times during our years together. Now what? This time there was no response. I was on my own for the first time. When my fingers touched his wedding ring, I slipped it off and held it in my fist. The gold band was warm. I clung to him. Come back to me, dearest. Sometimes what you wish for is more than you can live with.
The Warrior of Bast by Janet Lane Walters
Circumstances and finances have kept Tira from becoming an archeologist, and her future is shattered by her older sister, Luci’s, murder by a drug dealer. A crumpled flyer offers an escape…The answer is in your stars. Tira flees her pursuers where she is offered refuge, but must undertake a dangerous quest. She will be unable to speak of her world, or anything alien to the culture she enters and… she will remain there forever. Kashe is the unloved middle son of the nomarch of Mero. Though Kashe wants to become a warrior of Horu, his father has other plans. To see his eldest son, Pian, as pharaoh, the nomarch plots with the priests of Aken Re. The sets out opair n the quest for the symbols which will save the Two Lands; the flail, the crook and the double crown. Tira learns this Egypt has many differences from the Egypt she has studied. They must face nearly insurmountable challenges as they pursue their sacred quest.
His Lucky Charm by Chelle Cordero
What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas... this time it follows Brandon and Caitlyn across the country and into a world of espionage and danger. The one thing that Brandon knows for sure is that he can't afford to lose his lucky charm, Caitlyn.
Will their romance survive a foreign threat to national security, kidnapping, personal tragedy and a murder attempt? (Previously released as Forgotten, 2008)
Starting Over by Charmaine Gordon
Each morning, Emily Kendrick runs on the hard-packed sand of St. Augustine Beach. She runs to clear her mind and heal her heart. From the widow’s walk of the house perched high on the dunes, a man trains his binoculars on Emily…
One early morning run, he sees tears spill down Emily’s tanned face. She stumbles and falls, crumpling into a heap in the sand...and doesn’t get up. A lone runner reaches Emily’s side. Her watcher slams his binoculars onto the railing as he throws his coffee cup against the steel and Plexiglas windscreen…
The Sun Singer by Malcolm R. Campbell
When Robert Adams sees the statue of the Sun Singer in a lonely meadow he hears the song of the sun and receives the gift of prophecy. He excels as the Soothsayer of West Wood Street until a psychic dream graphically foretells the death of his best friend’s sister, Julianne. Robert blames himself for the tragedy he cannot prevent and shoves his bright talent into the dark shadows of the future where, he suspects, it will one day save him… or kill him.
Common Bond, Tangled Hearts by Chelle Cordero
Layne Gillette’s world is turned upside down when a man she has never met shows up to lay claim as the father of her 6-year old son. Justin, the victim of a fraternity prank, and Layne, the subject of a forced insemination, have produced a beautiful child that they are both willing to protect at all costs. The two parents realize they can love each other, but when Layne’s abusive “ex-husband” shows up, they are torn apart by danger, kidnapping and lies. Justin won’t give up until Layne is returned to him. Layne uses her newfound strength, courage and knowledge to defy Charlie’s ugliest demands.
To Be Continued by Charmaine Gordon
Elizabeth Malone wakes up the morning after an amazing night of passion with her husband of forty years to find a note: "Dear Lizzie, it's not you, it's me." Abandoned by her husband, disappointed in daughter Susie's casual attitude – ‘Dad's having a mid-life crisis’, Beth decides to re-establish herself as the winner she once was. When Frank Malone returns, he's in for a big surprise!
Observations of an Earth Mage by Smoky Trudeau
In this collection, Observations of an Earth Mage, by Smoky Trudeau, readers will be delighted and enchanted by the prose and poetry celebrating the beauty and splendor of the natural world. Humor and drama. From the magnificent vistas of El Capitan to the grandeur of the crashing seas, share the mysteries of the world with author Smoky Trudeau.
Unbreakable Hostage by L.E. Harvey
Lareina Oliveira; high school math teacher, she wants to share her passion for math. So it is back to school for Lareina…a tough Ph. D. program. A classmate is captivated by Lareina’s beauty and intelligence, and despite her repeated refusals to his attentions, he kidnaps her! Only her determination and wits can save her… Will her family, roommate, and a wily detective from Missing Persons get to her before it is too late?
Sabbath's Gift by Marilyn Celeste Morris
When New York writer, Joanna Elliott, flees her abusive husband to the Texas Hill Country, she and her six-year old son, Jason, unwittingly become a killer's prey. Despite Realtor Tommy Joe Greenleaf's warning that Wanda and Ralph Spencer had mysteriously disappeared from the remote farmhouse, Joanna moves in. Joanna adopts a cat that "had belonged to a witch."
The Baby River Angel by Robert Hays
When Birdie Wilson and his two boys find a baby floating in a basket on the Ohio River, they can’t begin to imagine the impact their discovery is to have on their little town of Cambria. Accepting Birdie’s dictum that the child welfare people will name her “Baby Jane Doe” and lose her in their impersonal system, the townspeople, led by Mayor Johnny White, set out to keep the baby a secret from authorities and take care of her until they find out who she is... and where she came from.
A Chaunce of Riches by Chelle Cordero
The day that Ben Johnson was hired as a bodyguard for some rich widow and her kid, he never expected to be working for the woman who had abandoned him just when he had needed her the most so many years before. Damn it all, he still wanted her. Samantha Chaunce never thought she would see him again. She never thought she would have to explain why she married the rich man over the man she had sworn she once loved. And she certainly never expected to find out that her rich husband had been murdered and fingers were pointing to her former lover.
Sabbath's House by Marilyn Celeste Morris
Best selling author Joanna Elliott and her growing family are looking for another house because, quite frankly, finding bodies in the cellar and a psychotic old woman kidnapping her son were not events conducive to bringing her new child into the world. She discovers a charming old Victorian mansion owned only by women of the Emily Harris family, but the remaining heiress has no descendants to inherit. Once the family moves in, however, psychic black cat Sabbath encounters spirits determined to continue the legend, once again putting the family in peril.
Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire by Malcolm R. Campbell
Mainstream humor with a dash of mystery... Jock Stewart is a mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down...
Conquering Venus by Collin Kelley
In the summer of 1995, young American writer Martin Paige agrees to chaperone a group of high school seniors on their graduation trip to Paris as a favor to his best friend, teacher Diane Jacobs. Diane hopes Europe will act as a catalyst to lift Martin from his grief following the suicide of his lover, Peter. The trip proves to be so much more...
Hostage Heart by Chelle Cordero
Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood... An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her ... a man who isn't all he seems...no, he is so much more.
Deputy Sherriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full... investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife. He meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of them in danger...
The Life and Death of Lizzie Morris by Robert Hays
Life is good for Bradley Morris, except for the nightmares and horrible memories of long-past days in combat. With his beloved wife Lizzie at his side, he travels back to the battlefield in Sicily and finds that facing his demons head-on helps bring peace of mind. But now he faces a far more painful situation: the potential loss of Lizzie, … in good health one minute and near death the next.
Courage of the Heart by Chelle Cordero
Courage of The Heart shows us that sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.
Loving Her is a collection of short stories celebrating love and life between women; each story tells a story, and together, they create a depth and understanding of women's love for each other and for life. Loving Her shares the stories of remarkable and ordinary women- women learning to love and women making a difference, all while managing the world around them...as lovers do.
Within the Law by Chelle Cordero
Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiancé. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him.
Forces of Nature by Marilyn Celeste Morris
"An edgy, well-written suspense by the same author as the wonderful The Women of Camp Sobingo, Forces of Nature has everything from thriller and horror to romance and human foibles... Each of the characters resonates with the reader with depth and clarity, all while making an entertaining evening's reading..." -Carl Benson, fan
Circles in the Water by Robert Hays
Whatever else this story may be, it is primarily one of young love of childhood sweethearts in a setting both charming and ugly, and the young man and woman they become. It interweaves their contemporary lives with the chronicle of their early years as part of an inseparable foursome of troubled youth and the tragedies that befall their comrades, DJ and Ray-Gene.
The Women of Camp Sobingo by Marilyn Celeste Morris
Four women of diverse backgrounds form a bond… Their experiences in a far-flung military compound strengthen three of the women, but a fourth chooses to end her life there. A reunion twenty-five years later reveals long-held dark secrets and sorrows … The Women of Camp Sobingo shares the story of four women; friends who share the life of army wives in a strange land, with husbands who serve.
Bartlett's Rule by Chelle Cordero
Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.
Historical fantasy, with a hefty dose of romance thrown in. James-Cyrus Hoffmann has just inherited his grandfather’s farm, and with it a mysterious cabin deep in the woods on Hoffmann mountain; a cabin he has dreamed about since childhood. When James-Cyrus enters the cabin, he is vaulted back through time to the Civil War era, and into a world of mystery...