Books published by Pearlsong Press

Small town boy journeys from Ponce, Puerto Rico to Manhattan: a riff on many famous movies and books. Except in this case the boy is gay, confused, frightened, and trying to find where he will fit in and be happy.The story has a happy ending-of sorts. Boy from Ponce finds companionship, happiness, and his proud gay identity in the Big City. But it also has a sad ending-of sorts. Boy from Ponce finds out he has HIV, almost dies, gets almost well, then meets another illness-Inclusion Body Myositis. He is confined to a wheelchair. And yet-In the same year he becomes wheelchair-bound, the man rediscovers an old love: writing poetry. He begins to write. He writes more. He becomes adept. His poetry soars. "This," he says, "is what I should have been doing all along."As you read the poems of Félix Garmendía, you will say to yourself, "This is what I should have been reading all along." You will discern influences from Whitman, from Neruda, and also from the art of Frida Kahlo, with whom Felix feels a particularly strong kinship as a disabled artist. After all, he says, they both fly on invisible wings.In this book you will discover poems light as the summer art in Fort Tryon Park, poems as down and raunchy as a honky-tonk on Canal Street, poems as pensive and stately as the Statue of Liberty and her pedestal. For in many ways this book also pays homage to New York, Félix's fiercely loved home since 1988.Happy, sad, frightened, soaring, ecstatic, loving. Moods galore and then some. Images that magic you from deep anguish to utter excitement and bliss. Come fly with Félix. You will never read anything quite like these poems. You may even find your own invisible wings.

All Pamela Spencer wants, is to help her brother, Tom, get his life back on track. After a job-related accident, he is confined to a wheelchair, unable to do anything except endure excruciating pain. When Pam discovers an ad in the newspaper, advertising for "a worthy heir" to inherit Fiona Bainbridge's millions, she jumps at the chance that will allow Tom to be back under a doctor's care. After all, it was Fiona's company, Bainbridge Corporation, that caused Tom's problems in the first place.Reese Bainbridge, Fiona's grandson who has refused to have anything to do with Bainbridge Corporation, quickly returns home when he discovers that his fanatical grandmother has run an ad in the newspaper for someone to replace him as her heir. His frustration with his grandmother grows much stronger when he discovers that she has moved the beautiful, voluptuous, green-eyed blonde and her freeloading brother into the house that he's supposed to inherit.

Prince Siddhartha, raised behind palace walls and showered with every extravagance, abandoned his protected life to embark on a spiritual journey. He ultimately reached enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, which means "one who is awake." He then spent his life teaching that all have the potential to awaken...Meet Syd Arthur! Living in the cloistered world of suburbia, Syd is a middle-aged Jewish woman who is potentially awake, but likes to start her day with a strong cup of coffee, just in case. Her daughter has just left for college and her diet is once again off track. While for most of her life she's been convinced that happiness can be attained by a magic number on the bathroom scale - or a really great shopping day at Bloomingdale's - she finds herself in the grocery store with an empty cart wondering if there just might be something more.When East unexpectedly meets West, Syd embarks on a journey as a spiritual seeker. Soon she's in over her chakras as her search takes her from yoga studio to meditation hall to ashram gift store to the pages of Zensational catalogue. Her Mah Jongg group insists it's merely a midlife crisis. But nothing's going to stop Syd's journey toward Nirvana - not even the hottest sale at Nordstrom's. Follow Syd as she finds her bliss and discovers a richness that rivals a Godiva truffle, making for one delicious enlightenment.

Sassy, irreverent Aggie Stockdale should have gotten the lead in her high school's production of Hello Dolly! It's her dream role; she's had the part memorized since she was ten; and she and Roger Morton, who's playing the male lead, definitely had chemistry in the audition. But Aggie isn't just a talented actress, writer, and athlete. She's also the fattest girl in the senior class. What happens after she checks the cast list for the musical will hurl Aggie into an unexpected journey of tears, friendship, jealousy, revenge, Oreos, and lots of lots of theatre. She'll discover hidden talents and new friends; she'll survive a daunting audition and revel in a thrilling opening night; she'll search for love, inspiration, help with her math homework, and the perfect closing number; and her emotional ride won't be over 'til the fat lady sings.