When his mother dies of influenza, a five-year-old boy is dropped off at the doorstep of Mr. Piggles, the proprietor of the York Soap Factory. Cared for by Penelope, Mr. Piggles' daughter, this green-eyed boy with red, curly hair is called Apples. Ten years old in 1812, Apples seeks to find his father; the only clue is a battered brass button.

His search leads him to a chance encounter with Major-General Isaac Brock, Canada's legendary figure assigned to protect the Canadas. Apples reveres Brock and sees him as a fearless and assertive leader.

Meanwhile in Washington, nineteen hotheaded senators determined to invade the Canadas believe the conquest will be a cakewalk, and the American army attacks. Brock acts decisively, and assassins are sent to eliminate him. Immersed in loyalty and defiance, Apples unravels the American's plot to kill Brock. His bravery saves the major-general's life.

An engaging historical narrative of adventure and bravery, "Apples and the Fallen Idols" provides a view of the times, events, and heroes of the War of 1812 as seen through the eyes of a boy soldier.

A nostalgic romp through the sixties that changed everyone's lives forever, "Mods, Minis, and Madmen"(c) presents a story of remarkable achievement during the twentieth century's most significant cultural reboot. It celebrates a wondrous age drugged by the can-do attitude of youth.

Revolutionary London was the birthplace of the boutique, and Mary Quant introduced the mini-skirt-named after a car. John Stephen introduced heart-racing male boutiques on Kings Road that soon carved out a global niche. Lesley Hornby- also known as Twiggy, the Cockney dolly bird-strutted her popsicle legs while touting mini-fashions. East Londoner Vidal Sassoon gave new life to tousled hair with a look that is still with us today.

And of course, British sounds, led by the Beatles, hammered the charts in every country able to tune in. The lyrics spoke to us and seemed to sympathize with our turmoil, revealing an honest understanding of life as it would be, up to the age of sixty-four. It was a booster shot that pumped up everyone living in the sixties, and their tales would be told decades later.

"Mods, Minis, and Madmen"(c) is the tale of a writer and his disciples from the New World arriving in the old, just as the explosion was about to take place.

A nostalgic romp through the sixties that changed everyone's lives forever, "Mods, Minis, and Madmen"(c) presents a story of remarkable achievement during the twentieth century's most significant cultural reboot. It celebrates a wondrous age drugged by the can-do attitude of youth.

Revolutionary London was the birthplace of the boutique, and Mary Quant introduced the mini-skirt-named after a car. John Stephen introduced heart-racing male boutiques on Kings Road that soon carved out a global niche. Lesley Hornby- also known as Twiggy, the Cockney dolly bird-strutted her popsicle legs while touting mini-fashions. East Londoner Vidal Sassoon gave new life to tousled hair with a look that is still with us today.

And of course, British sounds, led by the Beatles, hammered the charts in every country able to tune in. The lyrics spoke to us and seemed to sympathize with our turmoil, revealing an honest understanding of life as it would be, up to the age of sixty-four. It was a booster shot that pumped up everyone living in the sixties, and their tales would be told decades later.

"Mods, Minis, and Madmen"(c) is the tale of a writer and his disciples from the New World arriving in the old, just as the explosion was about to take place.

When his mother dies of influenza, a five-year-old boy is dropped off at the doorstep of Mr. Piggles, the proprietor of the York Soap Factory. Cared for by Penelope, Mr. Piggles' daughter, this green-eyed boy with red, curly hair is called Apples. Ten years old in 1812, Apples seeks to find his father; the only clue is a battered brass button.

His search leads him to a chance encounter with Major-General Isaac Brock, Canada's legendary figure assigned to protect the Canadas. Apples reveres Brock and sees him as a fearless and assertive leader.

Meanwhile in Washington, nineteen hotheaded senators determined to invade the Canadas believe the conquest will be a cakewalk, and the American army attacks. Brock acts decisively, and assassins are sent to eliminate him. Immersed in loyalty and defiance, Apples unravels the American's plot to kill Brock. His bravery saves the major-general's life.

An engaging historical narrative of adventure and bravery, "Apples and the Fallen Idols" provides a view of the times, events, and heroes of the War of 1812 as seen through the eyes of a boy soldier.

In 1965, author D. Richard Truman is a Canadian advertising executive searching for adventure and a warmer climate. When he is transferred to Nigeria, he arrives wide-eyed and blunder-prone. Tossed into the country to promote and encourage free enterprise, Truman is ill prepared for what he finds. Although Nigeria has enjoyed independence for the past five years, a civil war is under way, and Truman is about to witness Africa's first self-inflicted "coup." In a world where Russian Bolsheviks, old and new imperialist powers, big oil and big money, and corruption is ruining the country, Truman must navigate the treacheries of being a foreigner in the midst of a nation turned inside out. Historic gaffes, tribal in-fighting, religious differences, and massive business corruption are bubbling in Nigeria, poisoning the government, and leading to the death of African democracy. "Democracy Shot Dead" is Truman's recollections of his experiences in Nigeria from 1965 to 1966. Full of gripping detail of a time in Nigerian history when a democracy turned into a military state in a matter of years, Truman's account resonates with the devastation, confusion, and survival of a country suffused with turmoil.