My Books

Hiking Alaska From Cruise Ports:
Hikes, Walks, and Strolls

Whether you're cruising to Alaska or traveling independently, hiking is a great way to escape the crowds and explore Alaska's stunning nature at your own pace. Feel like climbing to spectacular views over a glacier? Just want to take an easy stroll through an old-growth forest?  Either way, this book is for you. 

Inside:

-Great ideas for hikes, walks, and strolls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Homer, Kodiak, Whittier, Seward, and Anchorage. 

-Practical information on the trails, including distance, difficulty, elevation gain, and how to get to the trailheads.

-Pictures

-Trail stories

-A few longer routes for those traveling independently

-Tips on hiking safety, offline maps, etc. 

Day hiking in Alaska:  free, beautiful, perfect.

Buy Hiking Alaska From Cruise Ports on Amazon now.

Cruising Alaska on a Budget; 
A Cruise and Port Guide

Soaring mountains, ice-blue glaciers, and forested islands. Colorful history and culture. Majestic wildlife. This is Alaska, one of the most beautiful places you can cruise.

Happily, it's more affordable than you think.

Cruising can be one of the least expensive options in places like Alaska, where food, transportation, and accommodations on land are often pricey and where the popularity of cruising drives down cruise rates.

The problem is that cruising guidebooks don't target shoestringers. Budget guidebooks don't target cruisers. However, this cruise and port guide speaks directly to budget cruisers, a savvy group of travelers who like exploring the world from the water but who also like saving money for the next adventure.

If you've never been to Alaska by cruise ship, read Cruising Alaska on a Budget to see what this great land holds for you—and how to make it affordable. If you're returning to Alaska because you fell in love the first time, you'll find tips here on new things to see and do on a budget.

Inside this book:

• Free and inexpensive attractions in each port, with prices listed
• Practical information for each port and embarkation city, including public transportation
• Descriptions of free and beautiful hikes within easy reach of the ship
• Canadian ports that you may visit on your cruise
• How to find good cruise prices and what to expect in the way of hidden expenses
• Life aboard a cruise ship
• Cruise lines and Alaskan itineraries
• Fascinating tidbits about glaciers
• A quick wildlife guide, including hints on where and how to spot various animals
• Pictures
• Resources, including lists of books, movies, and TV shows about the places you'll see

You can easily carry this e-book around with you on your phone, tablet, or e-reader as you explore your ports of call.

If you've ever dreamed about visiting Alaska, seize your chance now.

Available on Amazon

Chaos Rises
Fantasy short story

The day the hill tiger attacks, young Hala realizes excitedly that she may have the gift. As time passes, however, she wonders what good it is: a power that manifests itself only in the ability to accidentally summon animals at inconvenient times. The local mage hasn't been able to teach her to control it, and she can't even reliably summon her own sheep. Then one day she returns home to find a black-cloaked stranger holding her village under a terrible spell. Alone, she must find a way to save her family, her friends, and the boy who has finally begun to notice her.

You can enjoy this stand-alone short story by itself, or read it in conjunction with Far-Knowing, which takes place after the events in Chaos Rises.

Get your free copy today at Smashwords or Amazon

Also available at other online e-book retailers

Far-Knowing
YA Fantasy

After the Chaos Mage traps their mentor within a deadly spell, two apprentice mages set off to find and defeat this menace to the kingdom. But how can these inexperienced young women possibly track down and battle the sort of man who destroys villages with summoned wind or fire just for fun?  They've learned no aggressive magic and never tested themselves against a real enemy.

Kallinesha, still an apprentice after seven years, struggles against her lack of raw magical power, compensating instead with discipline and study.  Daughter of the High Commander, driven relentlessly by the duty in her blood, she knows they can defeat the Chaos Mage and safeguard the kingdom.

Ista, a commoner and daughter of a city baker, harbors no such delusions. But after only three years of study, her power burns much brighter than Kallinesha's.  The task before them terrifies her, but she loves her mentor too much to let her waste away under the Chaos Mage's spell.  Not if there's the slimmest chance of saving her.

The two have never been able to get along while studying magic.  Will they be able to work together now when so much is at stake?

Direct links to Far-Knowing on:

Amazon.com

Smashwords.com

Leaving Home

Short stories, flash fiction, and travel essays

Love Mysteries and Thrillers?  Read about a blackmailer who makes a mistake, a businesswoman who reluctantly smuggles drugs, an internet romance that may not be what it seems, and a vacationer living in fear on a cruise ship.

Like to Discover New Places and Cultures while you Read?  A traveler plays bridge with tipsy Polish retirees, hikes through Mayan ruins in the darkness, and mourns her lost towel.

Short on Time?  Try the several pieces of flash fiction, which deliver complete stories in under two minutes.

Fantasy and Science Fiction Fan?  You'll especially enjoy "Ethereal," where fairy godmother magic comes from an unexpected source.  In other stories, a pirate boy finds love, a scientist studies mermaids, and a maiden leaves her tower.

Just Want a Good Story?  Feel the pain of a young father leaving home, a jealous sister whose revenge backfires, and a daughter struggling for her father's acceptance.  Enjoy "On the Train to Warsaw," a contest-winning story about a group of strangers who learn to see each other differently when their train breaks down in the middle of a snowy winter.

Enjoy all this and more in Leaving Home, a collection of my short stories, flash fiction, and personal travel essays.

Works included in Leaving Home have been published in Ellipsis Literature & Art, Travel Belles, THEMA, Fairytale Magainze, In the Know Traveler, and Tales from a Sweltering City, an anthology of short story contest winners.  My flash fiction collection won an online contest.

Only $1.99 on 

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Sony Reader Store

iTunes

Smashwords.com

If you don't have an e-reader, you can easily read e-books from your computer or tablet using Amazon's cloud reader (free online program, no download required).  For instructions, click here.