Books published by Beacon Publishing Group

When Earth loses contact with a ship near Saturn, Fenroe and her crew are sent to search for survivors. But deep into their journey, cut off from support, their mission unravels.And so it was.The travelers went into the darkness.And dreamt with the stars.__Breathless is a journey through inner and outer space. Introspective sci-fi about loneliness and feeling lost while gazing into the abyss. In the vein of films like Alien and The Thing, a fusion of hard science and cosmic horror, blended by a common theme: what humanity finds in deep-space is its unconscious.

When Steven Dobrowski and his family move into their new home, strange things happen. At first, the hauntings perpetuated by the angry spirit are innocuous, but soon turn malicious and dangerous. Keisha-Steven's wife-insists the family move for the sake of the family's safety, but Steven's obsession with the spirit overshadows his judgement, and he refuses to turn his back on the house he believes he and his family deserve. As events unfold, eventually Steven is taunted by an entity that persuades him to perform evil acts on the ones closest to him. Not only are the Dobrowskis affected by an entity of the spiritual world, but also by someone of the physical world who is furious Steven moved into the community with his African-American wife and three mixed-race children. The family is victimized with threats and vandalism. Who will win the fight between good and evil?

Sensing early that a destiny of immense importance must lie in store for him, Louis Koenig rejects the small and silly life of his so-called peers in a satisfied town in the Rockies, and dedicates himself to bringing out his genius. But his failure to convert seething impulse into art threatens to crush him, and an enigmatic figure arrives with an offer that a desperate Louis cannot refuse. His meteoric rise begins with his production of a book revealing the return of Jesus Christ: a lowlife radical whose voice of new scripture lashes America’s prosperous and powerful in their pursuit of profit and empire. This portrait inspires the formation of a camp of lowlifes around Louis, who proceeds to enjoy the benefits of playing sun to lost planets. When he leads this fan club to a wild and secluded patch of Africa—where the interests behind him can reign freely over his captive audience—a thousand pioneers blaze past the frontiers of human experience into realms foreseen by prophets, poets, and crackpots.

When Mario Cruz finds a pithos in the ancient ruins of Greece, he is determined to find out just what is inside. A year later the world has grown into a chaotic state where people have given into the Seven Deadly Sins: Anger, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Fear and Pride! Astrid Sutherland is a psychologist who lives in New York City, whose roommate has given in to greed. Her entire world changes when her building is attacked and her only hope is Cruz, the archaeologist who could either be crazy or actually onto something. Together they form an alliance to put the world back to normal and bring hope to the chaotic destruction!

A top-notch American researcher, stumbling on a hidden agenda, survives a deadly plunge off the New England coast while keeping one step ahead of a government contract killer. Not far behind is a feisty female CIA operative hell bent on cutting him off from passing classified US material to a foreign power. With dying no option, Harmon Page grabs his life with both hands relying on instinct, self-preservation and wits to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Hundreds of books have been written (and are still being written) about Abraham Lincoln. But in the annals of Lincoln history, Thomas Lincoln, Abraham’s father, is a largely neglected figure. He rates a few paragraphs in an otherwise large biography and has served as a quick backdrop to the birth and childhood of our sixteenth president.Early Lincoln biography did not consider Thomas worthy of much mention. William Herndon set the pattern for how Thomas has been viewed historically. Thomas was seen as “roving and shiftless”, lazy beyond repair. Thomas was said to be uneducated and against education. He was portrayed as mentally and physically slow, “careless, inert, and dull”. He was the obstacle Abraham overcame to become great.That view of Thomas Lincoln is wrong. Thomas was not dull or inert or lazy. He lived in a different path from that chosen by his illustrious son but he was not an obstacle his son had to overcome.Because of this view, many will consider this volume to be revisionist history. In a sense, it is. It will revise the standard view of Thomas based on the historical record available and place him as he was in the events and time in which he lived. However, it is not revisionist in the negative sense that wording often suggests. It is not built from twisting events or rewriting timeframes to make history into something it was not. Thomas Lincoln: Abraham’s Father will correct the old and errant understanding of Thomas Lincoln and show him the man he truly was. It will not enlarge him into something he was not nor will it lower him to be what many have thought him.Lincoln history has a gap in not having the story of Thomas Lincoln readily available. Hopefully this volume will open the doors to taking a new and serious look at the father who raised and shaped Abraham Lincoln’s early life.

It is 1965 and Gary Seiler is a fourteen-year old boy with a very big problem. He’s got a girlfriend named Wendy and a whole summer ahead of him to spend with her and to work on his game, so he can try out for the varsity golf team when school starts in the fall. But then his plans are upended when his father is critically injured in a car accident and Gary is sent off to spend the summer with his grandparents in Fairweather, a small town in Oklahoma where he is sure nothing good is going to happen.Upon arrival in Fairweather, Gary is met by his Uncle Bob, who is only seventeen himself, and who has plans of his own for the summer that do not include “wasting his time” with Gary. However, at the insistence of Gary’s grandparents, Gary and Bob are stuck with one another and immediately embark on a series of adventures, including car races, finding a dead body in the woods and Gary’s first “real” kiss, which presents him with a bigger problem than anyone could have imagined.Along the way, Gary meets a girl named Darby, who teaches him about sportsmanship and a strange boy named Gideon, who somehow seems to have stepped out of the past. Gideon soon befriends Gary and before the summer is over, not only saves his life but also helps Gary to understand the meaning and importance of family, love and forgiveness.

We don't just want to live a long time. We want to live young! We want to enjoy life, be active, look good, travel, make love and socialize. Robert Yonover, PhD, attacks the problem of aging with personally researched techniques and practical advice from today's medical experts.Jennifer Armstrong, M.D., Advanced Skincare and Surgery Medcenter, Newport Beach, CA, shares guidelines for keeping skin young.Adam Crowe, PDC, permaculture consultant, herbalist and organic farmer, gives practical advice on growing bursting-with-nutrition food.Katie Amato, BS, MA Public Health, shares healthy and delicious recipes.Hardcore Health-Live Young! is a wellness and health book that attacks the problem of aging by staying healthy, fighting age and disease with diet and lifestyle, and "living young."We seem to be bifurcating as a society into those who learn about how to be healthy and take care of themselves and those who choose instead to simply live the commercialized low-nutrient, high-toxin, sedentary lifestyle. Since you are reading this book, I suspect you are one of the former.Not only have the guidelines to healthy living presented in this book been shown effective, but having practiced this myself virtually my whole life, I have had direct personal experience watching what happened to my friends and family according to the choices they made…Do you want a shorter life burdened with disease and fatigue? Or do you want a life of vitality and adventure? The choice is yours. -Joseph Pizzorno, ND, author of the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (2,000,000 copies in six languages), the internationally acclaimed Textbook of Natural Medicine, The Toxin Solution.

A hundred-year-old body is discovered walled up in the flat above one owned by the daughter of Nick and Rosemary Storey. How did he get there and why? Deal was a notorious smuggling town and, as a former Customs Commissioner, Nick thinks it might be a smuggler or an exciseman. As a former Chief Inspector in the Fraud Squad, Rosemary prefers to find evidence. From censuses and other old archives, clues emerge. Could Samuel Rust, inventor of "Rust's Tonic" be involved? Or Gerard Culpeper, bankrupted by his brother Charles? Or two rival schoolmasters Percival Dromgoole and Jerome Barfoot? And why are their investigations causing someone to write threatening letters, which move on to a bomb in the petrol tank of their car? Will the concerns of the living enable Nick and Rosemary to discover the secrets of the dead, by way of some of the genteel towns in Kent?Richard Hernaman Allen is a former Commissioner of Customs & Excise, who has written nearly thirty detective stories, mostly set in Customs & Excise.

Before Penn provides the little known but fascinating history of the European settlement of the Delaware River Valley prior to the founding of Philadelphia by William Penn.The background tells of a legendary visit to North America by Irish monk St. Brendan in the seventh century and continues with a litany of European explorers searching for a short cut through the North American continent that will lead to the treasures of the Far East. During the process, abundant natural resources are discovered, leading to competition among major powers.The foremost of these, The Dutch, grab a large region of the Northeast, including the Delaware River Valley, which they name New Netherland, and establish an extremely lucrative fur trade with the Native Americans. Eventually, disgruntled Dutch businessmen partner with Swedish backers to create a rival venture on the Delaware called New Sweden. The two nations squabble continuously over control of the fur trade with the Indians leading to the construction of forts intended to to outflank each other in a territorial chess match. As command of the Delaware and it's resources swings back and forth, it is made even more complex when a separatist group from New England attempts to encroach on the fur trade. It comes to an end when the Dutch launch a bloodless takeover of New Sweden.The colonists stay put however, pledging loyalty to New Netherland and increase settlements throughout the region. Then in 1664, the English absorb New Netherland and all it's holdings, including the Delaware River colonies.There are many unique personalities and events involved in this engrossing narrative that include Johan Printz, bombastic governor of New Sweden, and his counterpart from New Netherland, the irascible Peter Stuyvesant; the first brewer on the Delaware, and possibly the finest name-Foppe Outhout; Alexander d'Hinyossa, who took corruption to a whole new level; and the issue of the Penn and Calvert property dispute that continued well into the twentieth century.Punctuated by over eighty original color and black & white illustrations, Before Penn is a comprehensive overview of an important region of the U.S. whose history has been largely underserved.

The story of beautiful, seductive Julia-a young Middle Eastern woman-and her men, spanning three continents. After a failed first marriage, she is constantly in search of a man who would be husband mate-rial. She is engaged to be married to a Frenchman of noble ancestry. During their year-end trip to Moroc-co, she meets an Argentinian grain merchant who pursues her. However, she is attracted to his son Luis, a dashing young man, seven years her junior. She rebuffs the father's advances but does not forget the way Luis kissed her during an impromptu dance. After having separated from her fiancé, she meets a prominent Swiss banker with whom she seriously contemplates marriage. She has finally met the love of her life. She now lives in Geneva and accidentally bumps into Luis. A seething, tumultuous love affair ensues and she is torn between her love for the two men who both want to marry her. The banker offers her a stable future but she is rather doubtful about a volatile future with the much younger Luis. Her exhausting double life goes on for a few months until an unexpected event complicates her dilemma. In desperation she turns to her ex-husband who she coinci-dentally meets on a trip up the Nile. The story starts in Egypt of the 1950s and takes twists and turns through Morocco and Europe of the 1960s and ends in La Jolla, California with a surprise ending. It is a story of passion, love and forgiveness.

Curious Proviso is a book about a common American experience of attending high school. As you read the combined vignettes in this book, think of a generalist’s and journalistic approach.  Digging deeper became the modus operandi for the author. Asking hard questions and describing the good, the bad, and the ugly are necessary in understanding the complex journey and condition of Proviso.  Observations made, lead to changing perspectives on public education, public education policy, and lifelong learning. Other reflections in politics, economics, race and gender relations, popular culture, personal identity, and community development also come into play. In totality it’s a people story.Told in a story form, author Robert Cox informs readers about his experiences at Proviso East High School and the over arching negative perception that haunted its reputation. The three-part narrative covers Proviso change over four decades, 1968 to today, and bridging the 20th and 21st centuries. Part One, is part memoir and a part cultural history lesson that includes through interviews, two additional perspectives from a classmate and a teacher who were both there in 1968-1972. Part Two discusses the ramifications of public education under attack, public apathy, hostile media, punitive politics, elections and political machines interference to student focused policies and practices. Cox as a candidate and an elected Board of Education Member describes with candor his 2007-2011 experience with take-aways.Part Three informs about the present condition of Proviso East including the chronicles of a 21st Century 2008 graduate Proviso student and the school’s planned reinvention and transformation from a failed system to a valued progressive education institution.  Curious Proviso is the closest thing to a Proviso Primer, the informed general public could then use it to breakdown the barriers, find common ground, get supportive, become an advocate for all students, and then navigate the new Proviso East High School. A sustainable model of hope for other American High Schools to learn from and ask questions about. 

Ray did not expect his life to take the turns it did. He had always been a simple man who enjoyed modest pleasures and a few travel experiences. In fact, he thought he might have travelled more. But life just sort of happened and he never got around to the things he wanted to see. Now, on the biggest journey of his life, going places he could only imagine in his dreams, he is not sure he wants to be on this path. He is not sure how he got on this path or where it will take him next. Perhaps the biggest question is, “Who is in control?”

Gideon Greenwich, a delinquent nerd, is given two choices: join the football team or be expelled.To be "initiated" into the team, Gideon attends a violent fraternity party, where he has a startling discovery: the jocks are being controlled by an evil god of sports! As the conspiracy unfolds, it appears that the entire high school has been hijacked by otherworldly beings posing as teachers. To resist their dark powers, Gideon must look beyond social cliques and team up with star quarterback, Doug Rock, and the beautiful cheerleader, Cynthia McDaniels.Together, the unlikely friends take on the god of sports, the goddess of fashion, and the god of popularity. But defying the "gods of cool" takes courage, a willingness to look stupid, and mind-bending adventures through parallel universes. In this thoughtful and hilarious critique of high school life, national award-winning storyteller, Stephen Gashler, will make you question what it means to be "cool." 

The music industry is changing the way it signs new talent. With reality TV shows making young wannabes famous by public opinion, the established talent is struggling to cultivate a younger fan base while keeping their own careers viable. Chudamani Amoretto, is a popular fifty-something year old entertainer in the Italian music industry. He struggles to appease the demands of his record label while battling the questions that arise caused by a two-year absence from performing. In this fast-paced industry, his record label believes there's more to what he is telling them.Enter Danielle Bennet, a young American translator whose colorful wardrobe compensates for her melancholy past. The record label assigns Danielle to Chudamani as his personal translator and teacher of all things American. But feeling the push back from the stubborn entertainer, she must devise a plan to gain his trust. What they realize is that what they see in each other may not be all that different from the battles each is facing internally. The hardships that come with loss always compensate with a light at the end of the tunnel. With the help of friends, family--and each other--they discover the hope of reviving sunshine in their lives.

Spanning 30 years, Child of Wrath is the story of Jonah, initially a tough ten-year old survivor who wants nothing more than a real home where he can be a normal kid. Jonah's erratic and abusive father leads the family on an endless nomadic quest for the next "great thing". This dangerous odyssey brings the Franklin family to one cult-like compound after another, culminating in a caged life in a missionary compound in the highlands of Papua New Guinea where Jonah will do almost anything to escape. This coming of age climaxes in joining the Israeli para-troopers and ¿ghting in a war in the Middle East.Can a child of wrath escape the insanity, become his own man, and ultimately create a home for his own son in the aftermath of a train-wreck childhood?

Blood of the Beast is the story of an international French eco-terrorist group who has taken its name, 'Le Gang de la Clé de Singe,' from Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang. Although they originally formed to combat large corporations who showed little or no regard for the environment, they have recently decided to wage a world war against all poachers and big game hunters, as well as anybody in the world that targets any animals for sport, all in the name of Mother Nature. Leading the charge are two friends, Todd Styles (aka Rodin,) a Vietnam draft dodger who has become a leader in the international eco-terrorist group and Buzz Murdoch, a Hippie stoner living in Jamaica with his sidekick: a 1600-pound Bumble Bee Grouper. Blood of the Beast interweaves Rodin's life of eco-terrorism, murder, and revenge with Buzz's laidback peace-loving existence, ultimately bringing them together to fight a common enemy. Le Gang de la Clé de Singe encounters many enemies, from elephant poachers in Africa to Japanese whalers in the Antarctic. Their targets range from a pro- football cheerleader to a Nazi sympathizer to a wealthy ex-presidential candidate and his family. Members of Le Gang de la Clé de Singe always leave a special calling card: a yellow flag emblazoned with a black skull and crossed wrenches hung around their victim's neck. They are ruthless and show no mercy, be it man or woman there are no exceptions. The gang is considered by every nation to be pirates and outlaws leaving them constantly on the run to continue to fight the self-righteous belief that the world is ours to destroy.

In his last year at Princeton, Alex Williams discovers that, in a school where the best and the brightest are around every corner, does not always mean that life is a long, lazy weekend at the beach.  Alex lives in one of the eating clubs, the epicenter of Princeton's social scene. His best friend and roommate, the wealthy son of a U.S. Senator, is at school to do anything but study and appears to be holding something dark inside him. Alex discovers what that is but does not realize that the tragedy will take an even worse turn.    Alex struggles to address the demands of school, athletics, social interactions and figuring out his life's path. Alex's relationship with his girlfriend is rocked by accusations of infidelity and mistrust. Alex also runs into conflict with his crew coach as they both question his desire and responsibility to the team. As senior year winds on, Alex grows increasingly concerned with what he is going to do after graduation.  He has a life changing meeting with a very wealthy alumnus that will give Alex some clarity as to what he may want to seek in his future. The Last Autumn questions what constitutes success in America and are these goals really worth striving for. The novel takes jabs at what society values as "having made it." Although funny and satirical, the novel confronts serious issues such as child abuse, drugs, privilege, power, sex and suicide.  

In a world of death and chaos, how can they ever hope to be together again?Lydia Jones is ready to spend the rest of her afterlife mourning the man she once loved more than life itself. That is, until she is offered a special position from the angels as Fate, the pure soul who makes the impossible choice between life and death over all the mortals. Centuries have passed since Luke Rogue had begun his search through Afterlife for the love of his life. Just when he thought she had moved on to Afterlife, Fate appears, ready to claim the soul of a loved one and bringing with her the demons of their past. Overjoyed, he wants to pick up where they left off, but Fate is less than agreeable to his intentions.Determined not to be distracted from her destiny by love, Fate tries in vain to ignore her desires for Luke at every turn, but her heart fights against her resistance. With every touch, every word, and every heated kiss, Luke chips away further and further at the wall she had so carefully erected around her heart, softening her resolve while chaos reigns around them. But with evil stepmothers and stepsisters, demons, and monsters, is all hope for their love lost? Or is there still a chance that true love can truly conquer all?