Welcome to my website. Feel free to browse. Leaf through some of the pages. You can dog-ear them for your next visit.
NOVELS:
Moody's Bluff - Contemporary Middle Grade Adventure - When five boys hike into the woods, they have no idea their camping trip will end with them looking down the barrel of a loaded Glock in the hand of the father of one of the boys.
The Archimedes Society - Is a 1940s-style screwball comedy in which Wylie Barking - inventor who is newly evicted for non-payment of rent - is befriended by Jasper Claxton, an eccentric, well to do inventor whose daughter must marry a member of The Archimedes Society in order to get her hands on Claxton's money. The only catch is, Wylie Barking is the only member of The Archimedes Society and he doesn't want to marry her.
The Knotted Gun - Contemporary Suspense - When 20-year veteran corrections officer Arnetta Wilcox is injured during a riot at Rikers Island, she retires to a tiny house north of the city. All she wants to do is read detective novels and dream of Idris Elba in peace and quiet. Eager to familiarize herself with her new town, she ventures out. Intrigued by smoke billowing from the chimney of a derelict property she believes to be uninhabited, she gets her snoop on.
The Long and the Short of It - Contemporary Rom-Com - When top model Gertie von Hegstrom shows up on Ollie Rushmore’s doorstep a decade after their brief affair in college, he’s less than thrilled to see her. As a Little Person, Ollie took the breakup particularly hard, being dumped for something totally out of his control, rocked his world, and not in a good way. Gertie’s back and contrite and wants the comfort and security she never got from another man. Ollie tells himself the flutter in his chest is from too much caffeine but he knows that’s a lie. Not wanting to have his heart trounced again, Ollie tells himself he’ll keep her at arm’s length. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.
Nooks & Grannies - Contemporary Quirky Fiction - YA - character-driven novel about two emotionally damaged friends on the threshold of adulthood. At 13 Amelia Granger's testimony sent her meth head mother to prison. Now 19, and Amelia and her best friend Keegan O'Rourke are living in his late grandmother's house. Unbeknownst to Amelia, her mother gets an early release from prison and shows up at the house. Keegan turns her away and keeps this news from Amelia, not wanting to upset her. Days later he learns of Amelia's mother's death and keeps that from her as well. Soon after strange things begin to happen in the house. Amelia thinks it's the spirit of Keegan's grandmother. Keegan has other ideas. Think The Catcher in the Rye meets Juno. You can read the 1st chapter here:
NOOKS & GRANNIES
This Ain't No Cowboy Movie - Contemporary Multicultural YA novel of Native American girl, Laurel Blue Stone. Her Zuni parents insist she date Navaho Reddington Cornudas who has convinced her father he is owed Laurel to pay off a debt. Sensing Cornudas' bad medicine Laurel runs to the safety of the mesa where she meets a white park ranger, Cal Trillig. Cornudas, now a bank robbing meth head, stalks and abducts Laurel and drags her into the New Mexican desert.You can read the 1st chapter here:THIS AIN'T NO COWBOY MOVIE
Death at the Drive-In - Contemporary quirky women's fiction of baby boomer Billie Jenkins who loses her murder mystery dinner theatre and her real life turns into a murder mystery when the real body count starts mounting. You can read the 1st chapter here: DEATH AT THE DRIVE-IN
Brogwin Frayney and How He Almost Saved a Kingdom - Middle Grade heroic fantasy taking place in 14th-Century Wagetania. Think: King Arthur-meets-Atlantis.You can read the 1st chapter here: brogwin_frayney_and_how_he_nearly_saved_a_kingdom-_chapter_1.pdf
Gatsby Delaney - 7th Grade Impresario - Middle Grade story of 12 year old Gatsby Delaney selling F. Scott Fitzgerald's muse - Zelda - on eBay in order to buy himself some new clothes after a growth spurt left him looking like a scarecrow and his uber frugal hippie parents are too self-absorbed to notice. Gatsby's partner in crime is his 8 year old sister, Zelda, and his best friend Mugsy - who just got her 1st training bra. You can read the 1st chapter here: GATSBY DELANEY - 7TH GRADE IMPRESSARIO
Dead Serious - Contemporary fiction - Former journalist, Michael Calder, is pursued by paroled criminal, Charlie Devon, who plans to kill him as retribution for journalist's efforts that kept him in prison for his full sentence. Michael and his children's book writer wife, Linda, decide to combine their talents and write a mystery. When Devon witnesses Michael putting Linda into the trunk of their car so she can empathize with their fictional kidnap victim, he makes his deadly move. You can read the 1st chapter here: DEAD SERIOUS
Medium Rare - Contemporary commercial fiction - Young woman with psychic abilities rents furnished sublet and 'sees' murder of previous tenant when she sleeps in the same bed. Befriends upstairs neighbor and after several flashes of images of what occurred in that apartment, begins to believe the upstairs neighbor was involved.
Head's Up - Contemporary commercial fiction - Low-life sociopath, Lenny "The Kraut" Schneider, forces his girlfriend to seduce a wealthy Montauk writer in order to blackmail him. Things don't go according to plan when his girlfriend decides she'd rather be with the kind writer and refuses to obey Lenny's orders. You can read the 1st chapter here: HEAD'S UP
Jamaica Moon - Contemporary fiction - Biracial female pilot who flies tourists around the Caribbean Islands, Jamaica Moon saves a toddler from a house fire while his drugged-out, has-been groupie mother hides from her wealthy New Yorker husband who is hunting for her to get his son back, and from mobsters who want her dead. You can read the 1st chapter here:JAMAICA MOON
A Scoundrel's Tale - Chick Lit - A hedonistic Englishman decides to abandon his excessive wicked ways to show the Owner of the Matched Set that he can change for the better.You can read the 1st chapter here: A SCOUNDREL'S TALE
Motorcycle Babies - Contemporary YA novel of disenfranchised teen girls believing the way out of their shabby lives is to get pregnant and reap the benefits of public assistance.You can read the 1st chapter here: MOTORCYCLE BABIES
NOVELLAS:
Chadman Breach - 1928 Southampton, NY - The coming-of-age story of Chadman Breach, the son of a banker who wants to be an artist rather than follow in his father's footsteps and falls for the bohemian wife of the town gravedigger. You can reach the first chapter here: CHADMAN BREACH
Greetings From Hell!- Humor - Englishman in Witness Protection Program is relocated to Central Florida where the culture shock is killing him. You can reach the first chapter here: GREETINGS FROM HELL!
SCREENPLAYS:
Dead Serious (with co-author Carol Daub)
Greetings From Hell!
STAGE PLAY:
Greetings From Hell! - Produced March 18, 2010 at the Naked Stage, Bridgehampton, NY. Ex-pat Brit in the Witness Protection Program finds himself in central Florida and is desperately trying to escape.
SHORT STORIES:
The Return of Annabella Del Fuego - My homage to S.J. Perelman. A 1940's-style private eye meets his match when the kidnapped woman he was hired to find, finds him first.
The Annexation of James Littleton - When James Littleton's spirit guide does not do his job in looking out for his human, things go from bad to worse.
Walter Capshaw’s Come Undone - Walter has not been taking his meds and the hallucinations are getting worse.
Pearl’s Portal to Heaven - The city wants Pearl out of her Harlem brownstone so they can build some high-end condos. Pearl refuses to vacate the premises despite a generous payout because she believes there's a portal to heaven in her bedroom closet.
Duncan Blunt - Husband nearly manages to get away with framing his wife for his murder. Accepted for publication in the East Hampton Star 2016/2017.
Ambrose Podgorny - Young man stumbles back in time to the day Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated.
Lucky China Buffet - Woman gives birth to twins in kiddy pool above Chinese restaurant. Accepted for publication in the East Hampton Star 2016/2017.
Zephyr Rafferty - Grown son caring for his aging father on their farm. Published in the East Hampton Star - 6/2/16.
Pinkie - Contemporary fiction of lonely man and his airy companion. Published in The Improper Hamptonian - October 2003.
Dot & Dash - First story published in The East Hampton Star - Contemporary humorous fiction - 30-something twins in NYC - Dot climbing corporate ladder and obsessed with fashion. Dash - avid idea man and inventor who is obsessed with cosmetic surgery until his epiphany. [Series of 10 short stories currently available on Impactmagazine.us.]
Boxo & Emma - Contemporary humorous fiction - English bookshop owner meets American living in London.
Tut's Hiccups & Glitches - Sci-Fi humor of two of the few remaining androids in post-apocalyptic America in search of lithium for their batteries. (Thelma & Louise-meet-AI)
A Snowy Bethlehem - A young couple driving in a snowstorm from Bethlehem, PA to NYC pick up a hitchhiker who could be an angel.
The Gideon Girls - Adult twin sisters - one a reclusive hoarder, the other a successful business woman. One a sociopath.
Hammond House - A short story about my experiences as a teenager living in a haunted house for seven months in Valhalla, NY.
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS:
(Co-Authored with Beddy LoBalbo and each book is accompanied by four original, professionally produced songs)
Illustrated by Davina Pellatt)
Best Foot Forward - Dexter (a young crow) and Jinx (a young seagull) meet at the beach and help each other get out of mishaps due to their differences. Comes with CD of four original professionally produced songs.
Brendan the Penguin - Brendan, an antarctic penguin, finds himself on a shrinking ice floe and arrives at the beach where Dexter & Jinx hang out. Together they attempt to build a vessel for Brendan to get back home.
Run Amok Duck - Shunned by her fellow ducks because she cannot fly in proper "V" formation. Dexter & Jinx help her get her bearings and overcome her fear of flying.
NOOKS & GRANNIES
This Ain't No Cowboy Movie - Contemporary Multicultural YA novel of Native American girl, Laurel Blue Stone. Her Zuni parents insist she date Navaho Reddington Cornudas who has convinced her father he is owed Laurel to pay off a debt. Sensing Cornudas' bad medicine Laurel runs to the safety of the mesa where she meets a white park ranger, Cal Trillig. Cornudas, now a bank robbing meth head, stalks and abducts Laurel and drags her into the New Mexican desert.You can read the 1st chapter here:THIS AIN'T NO COWBOY MOVIE
Death at the Drive-In - Contemporary quirky women's fiction of baby boomer Billie Jenkins who loses her murder mystery dinner theatre and her real life turns into a murder mystery when the real body count starts mounting. You can read the 1st chapter here: DEATH AT THE DRIVE-IN
Brogwin Frayney and How He Almost Saved a Kingdom - Middle Grade heroic fantasy taking place in 14th-Century Wagetania. Think: King Arthur-meets-Atlantis.You can read the 1st chapter here: brogwin_frayney_and_how_he_nearly_saved_a_kingdom-_chapter_1.pdf
Gatsby Delaney - 7th Grade Impresario - Middle Grade story of 12 year old Gatsby Delaney selling F. Scott Fitzgerald's muse - Zelda - on eBay in order to buy himself some new clothes after a growth spurt left him looking like a scarecrow and his uber frugal hippie parents are too self-absorbed to notice. Gatsby's partner in crime is his 8 year old sister, Zelda, and his best friend Mugsy - who just got her 1st training bra. You can read the 1st chapter here: GATSBY DELANEY - 7TH GRADE IMPRESSARIO
Dead Serious - Contemporary fiction - Former journalist, Michael Calder, is pursued by paroled criminal, Charlie Devon, who plans to kill him as retribution for journalist's efforts that kept him in prison for his full sentence. Michael and his children's book writer wife, Linda, decide to combine their talents and write a mystery. When Devon witnesses Michael putting Linda into the trunk of their car so she can empathize with their fictional kidnap victim, he makes his deadly move. You can read the 1st chapter here: DEAD SERIOUS
Medium Rare - Contemporary commercial fiction - Young woman with psychic abilities rents furnished sublet and 'sees' murder of previous tenant when she sleeps in the same bed. Befriends upstairs neighbor and after several flashes of images of what occurred in that apartment, begins to believe the upstairs neighbor was involved.
Head's Up - Contemporary commercial fiction - Low-life sociopath, Lenny "The Kraut" Schneider, forces his girlfriend to seduce a wealthy Montauk writer in order to blackmail him. Things don't go according to plan when his girlfriend decides she'd rather be with the kind writer and refuses to obey Lenny's orders. You can read the 1st chapter here: HEAD'S UP
Jamaica Moon - Contemporary fiction - Biracial female pilot who flies tourists around the Caribbean Islands, Jamaica Moon saves a toddler from a house fire while his drugged-out, has-been groupie mother hides from her wealthy New Yorker husband who is hunting for her to get his son back, and from mobsters who want her dead. You can read the 1st chapter here:JAMAICA MOON
A Scoundrel's Tale - Chick Lit - A hedonistic Englishman decides to abandon his excessive wicked ways to show the Owner of the Matched Set that he can change for the better.You can read the 1st chapter here: A SCOUNDREL'S TALE
Motorcycle Babies - Contemporary YA novel of disenfranchised teen girls believing the way out of their shabby lives is to get pregnant and reap the benefits of public assistance.You can read the 1st chapter here: MOTORCYCLE BABIES
NOVELLAS:
Chadman Breach - 1928 Southampton, NY - The coming-of-age story of Chadman Breach, the son of a banker who wants to be an artist rather than follow in his father's footsteps and falls for the bohemian wife of the town gravedigger. You can reach the first chapter here: CHADMAN BREACH
Greetings From Hell!- Humor - Englishman in Witness Protection Program is relocated to Central Florida where the culture shock is killing him. You can reach the first chapter here: GREETINGS FROM HELL!
SCREENPLAYS:
Dead Serious (with co-author Carol Daub)
Greetings From Hell!
STAGE PLAY:
Greetings From Hell! - Produced March 18, 2010 at the Naked Stage, Bridgehampton, NY. Ex-pat Brit in the Witness Protection Program finds himself in central Florida and is desperately trying to escape.
SHORT STORIES:
The Return of Annabella Del Fuego - My homage to S.J. Perelman. A 1940's-style private eye meets his match when the kidnapped woman he was hired to find, finds him first.
The Annexation of James Littleton - When James Littleton's spirit guide does not do his job in looking out for his human, things go from bad to worse.
Walter Capshaw’s Come Undone - Walter has not been taking his meds and the hallucinations are getting worse.
Pearl’s Portal to Heaven - The city wants Pearl out of her Harlem brownstone so they can build some high-end condos. Pearl refuses to vacate the premises despite a generous payout because she believes there's a portal to heaven in her bedroom closet.
Duncan Blunt - Husband nearly manages to get away with framing his wife for his murder. Accepted for publication in the East Hampton Star 2016/2017.
Ambrose Podgorny - Young man stumbles back in time to the day Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated.
Lucky China Buffet - Woman gives birth to twins in kiddy pool above Chinese restaurant. Accepted for publication in the East Hampton Star 2016/2017.
Zephyr Rafferty - Grown son caring for his aging father on their farm. Published in the East Hampton Star - 6/2/16.
Pinkie - Contemporary fiction of lonely man and his airy companion. Published in The Improper Hamptonian - October 2003.
Dot & Dash - First story published in The East Hampton Star - Contemporary humorous fiction - 30-something twins in NYC - Dot climbing corporate ladder and obsessed with fashion. Dash - avid idea man and inventor who is obsessed with cosmetic surgery until his epiphany. [Series of 10 short stories currently available on Impactmagazine.us.]
Boxo & Emma - Contemporary humorous fiction - English bookshop owner meets American living in London.
Tut's Hiccups & Glitches - Sci-Fi humor of two of the few remaining androids in post-apocalyptic America in search of lithium for their batteries. (Thelma & Louise-meet-AI)
A Snowy Bethlehem - A young couple driving in a snowstorm from Bethlehem, PA to NYC pick up a hitchhiker who could be an angel.
The Gideon Girls - Adult twin sisters - one a reclusive hoarder, the other a successful business woman. One a sociopath.
Hammond House - A short story about my experiences as a teenager living in a haunted house for seven months in Valhalla, NY.
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS:
(Co-Authored with Beddy LoBalbo and each book is accompanied by four original, professionally produced songs)
Illustrated by Davina Pellatt)
Best Foot Forward - Dexter (a young crow) and Jinx (a young seagull) meet at the beach and help each other get out of mishaps due to their differences. Comes with CD of four original professionally produced songs.
Brendan the Penguin - Brendan, an antarctic penguin, finds himself on a shrinking ice floe and arrives at the beach where Dexter & Jinx hang out. Together they attempt to build a vessel for Brendan to get back home.
Run Amok Duck - Shunned by her fellow ducks because she cannot fly in proper "V" formation. Dexter & Jinx help her get her bearings and overcome her fear of flying.
