Joe Pitts, a brilliant if somewhat obsessive and cynical graduate student from a wealthy dysfunctional family lashes out under pressure against what he sees as the hypocrisy of society and the futility of his life in it. Briefly committed to a psychiatric ward in the aftermath of an altercation with one of his professors, he meets Dr. Margaret Wright, a resident and Susan Holland, a somewhat mystical nursing student. Just as Joe begins to believe that his intellect and his Ego can overcome what he sees as a minor troubling interlude in his life, he receives a shock. It is a diagnosis of terminal testicular cancer.

With the aid of Dr. Wright, Susan, Roberta Turner, a philosophical fellow student and Dr. Shultz, the very professor with whom his altercation began this odyssey, and a man whose wife has just made the final passage, Joe learns in the hospice to revere his own, now fleeting existence and gains the humility necessary to face the next and final stage of his life.

Laura Rogers, Ph.D., teaches religious studies at the local university. When she reads of Dr. Charles Comptons theory about primordial states of attention, she feigns mental illness in order to meet with him. While with Dr. Compton, Laura probes the doctors mind in hopes of gaining a clearer understanding of his realms of consciousness theories. Laura is intrigued by his speculation that reverence might be the most basic attention state of man. This is very much akin to her own speculations concerning the myth of Eden. In her pretense of having a psychiatric disorder, Laura contends to be a witch and to some degree bewitches the middle-aged psychiatrist. In their ensuing interaction, significant others are affected by suppositions that revolve around the difference and the interactions between frames of reference and frames of reverence. Lauras obsession with reverence is manifest in her resolution to write a fictional narrative entitled My Eden. Laura is confident that she will demonstrate Eden as a state of consciousness that transcends the subjective and objective perspectives of our egotistical existence. www.witch-novel.com

This allegorical narrative portrays the timeless debate over the perspectives of unity and diversity as a Jewish psychiatry resident and a Hindu psychiatry resident become involved in each others lives. A Christian faculty psychiatrist supervises their mystical encounter. In this West meets East interaction, science and the psychology of reverence become inextricably entwined in the biological, social and psychological aspects of the individuals involved as well as in the complex medical field of psychiatry. Case histories of various patients are used to demonstrate the complexity of attempting to clearly distinguish between cognition and emotions. Frames of reverence and frames of reference are portrayed as being continually fraught with illusions, and even delusions, as the characters seek to establish some logical format that will bridge perspectives of unity and diversity. www.bridge-to-unity.com

This allegorical novel explores the interaction between two of the oldest information processing paradigms dating back to antiquity. Maya's Eastern religious orientations confront a more logically formatted Jewish religious heritage. Just as in life, unity and diversity must be balanced. The characters in this novel continually attempt to maintain the tenuous balance between passion and reason.

www.strange-attraction-novel.com

A young medical student becomes enthralled with a seemingly brilliant neurosurgery professor. He and his wife are thrilled when invited to visit the professor and his wife at their beautiful home on a large horse farm. John's naive admiration for his professor blinds him to the fact that his mentor has interests other than neurosurgical research. As these interests become more manifest, John is thrown into a state of depression and despair. Over time, John is able to reorient himself after what he had considered the ultimate loss. After coming to terms with his inner self, John is rewarded by Grace.

www.grace-novel.com

Several University graduate students, from very different fields of study, find themselves fortuitously enmeshed in life changing interactions. Their growth is largely catalyzed by the life and death of an elderly, retired physics professor, who also serves as a substitute minister at a Unitarian Church. Egotism and emotions overrule scholarly logic as their chaotic interactions evolve. Their lives are altered by their participation in a veiled reverential format, in which they grow to appreciate the transcendental unity of religious expression of reverence. The emotional expression of Pentecostal ecstasy and quiet mystical contemplation are finally appreciated as different expressions of the same sense of unity with the Spirit. www.in-the-spirit-novel.com

Rose, a timid, sweet young woman and secretary to Reverend Howard, demonstrates her complete devotion to the old minister not only by caring for his terminally ill wife, but also by marrying the old widower in order to care for him. Reverend Howard never initiates romantic involvement with his young wife. He does have compassion for Rose and in appreciation for her loyalty, the Reverend initiates the adoption of a child to bridge the gap that lies between he and his wife. Even with a child, Rose continues to find herself in a lonely marriage and becomes filled with frustration and confusion. A long-standing conflict between the minister and his son is resolved in a paradoxical way which costs Rose her life rather than her virginity.

www.a-prayer-for-rose.com

Catherine's self-centeredness leads to marital collapse, isolation, bitterness and finally dependency on alcohol. An unexpected confrontation with impending death leads to an almost miraculous transformation of her attitudes toward life and those closest to her. Ironically, her interaction with her former husband s girlfriend becomes her most treasured relationship. Their exploration of the meaning behind finite and infinite, unity and diversity results in a mutual increased sense of reverence that transcends all selfish concerns. During her stay in the hospital, Catherine experiences moments of "Grace" that leave her and the reader changed forever. Join Catherine on her three-day journey filled with despair, fear, acceptance, love, and ultimately self- actualization.

www.cross-to-bear.com