Long before she became a museum curator, Jan Krulick-Belin curated memories... photographs and mementos of her father, who died in 1960 when she was just six. Her mother rarely spoke about him again, until a year before her own death in 2002, when she gave Jan a box of nearly one hundred love letters he had written between January 1942 and September 1944 while he served in the Army Air Corps in North Africa and Italy. Not reading them until five years later, they revealed a treasure trove of information about her parents' relationship years before they eventually married... and brought back to life the father she thought she'd lost forever.

What follows is the true story of the author's emotional and life-changing pilgrimage of the heart to find and reclaim the father she barely knew.

The letters lead Jan on an extraordinary journey following her father's actual footsteps during the war years. Each letter evokes another time and place, while a series of amazing twists, turns, uncanny coincidences, and the kindness of strangers lead to unexpected discoveries from Morocco to Paris to upstate New York. The adventure comes full circle when Jan reconnects with the Jewish-Moroccan family that provided a lonely soldier a feeling of home, fulfilling a wish unearthed in one of his letters.

Along the way, she learns about her parents' great love story... about the war in North Africa... about the horrific fate of the Jews in Morocco, Germany, and France while connecting with her own Jewish roots. She makes a lasting connection with a family a continent away. And most importantly, she discovers the man she thought she would never have the opportunity to know.

Love, Bill: Finding My Father through Letters from World War II brings a bygone era to life, but is also a testament to the enduring power of determination, love, family, and the unbreakable bond between fathers and daughters.

The book's design and organization took its cue from the letters written by the author's father. Each "chapter" heading begins as the letters begin, with a place and date. The theme of "letters" is carried out throughout the book--from the letters she carried home from school on the day her father died, to the love letters written by her father to her mother, to the varied correspondence that traces her extensive research and resulting friendships around the world, and finally, the letter written to her father at the end of the book.

The quotes introducing each "Part" of the book were drawn from the author's favorite books, movies, and inspirational sayings. They were carefully chosen to set the scene for the following section.

The book is also about journeys--the ones we travel physically as well as the ones we make within ourselves. The book is also about getting to know our parents and about understanding our own family legacy. The author also encourages us to trace our own family's military history by including resources in the Appendix, or exploring the reader's own family memorabilia, like love letters, journals or photo albums. They are rich in clues to who we are.

One of the unexpected outcomes of the author's journey was in the process of finding her own family legacy she wound up touching the lives of complete strangers, who have not only become like family to her now, but helped put their broken families back together.

The book shows us that sometimes we learn more about our own heritage, in this case, Jewish heritage, by learning the stories of our parents and grandparents. Only then, do they become our own reality.

Growing up during the Depression and forced to live in coal mining camps throughout Appalachia, Virgie Hopkins is subjected to child molestation, the KKK, murder, homelessness, starvation, and ridicule for being the daughter of the town whore. Virgie grows up hating her mother who was taken away when she was nine years old and while she was gone, she and her brother were put into foster care, starved, and abused. When her mother returned, she did not know her husband or her children and Virgie could not understand why she had changed. At 16, Virgie made the decision to leave Kentucky and the only life she had ever known after discovering her prostitute mother was having an affair with the young boy Virgie loved. Filled with hatred, resentment, and shame for the woman she called Mom, it was not until her mother’s funeral, did she learn the horrible truth, the reason for her change and the reason why she became the town whore, a weedmonkey. A haunting true story… Special note about Weedmonkey from the author: "My mother Victoria started writing this book when I was a little girl and the recollection is from her memory of her childhood. In 2006, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given three months to live. I was not only heartbroken because my mother was dying, but because her dream of writing the book was dying with her. On her deathbed, she asked me to finish writing it for her. I hope I've made her proud."

One of the 20 Best Books of 2016, Redbook Magazine

Readers’ Favorite Award: Honorable Mention

Millions of people watched sportscaster George Michael each week on the Sports Machine, including his daughter Cindi. Cindi Michael appears to live a charmed life: she’s happily married, has a successful career, and is a loving mom to two wonderful children. Yet she longs for a father who hasn’t spoken to her in twenty years, and even secretly watches him on TV when the longing becomes unbearable.

When Cindi was eleven, her father fought for sole custody of her and her siblings, raising three children on his own despite being a bachelor and rock ’n’ roll DJ in New York in the 1970s. But with his rising fame as the host of the popular show Sports Machine, his 80-hour-a-week work schedule, and his second marriage, the close relationship Cindi shared with her father began to crack; she did everything to earn his love and attention, but for perfectionist George, it was never enough―and when she was eighteen and a freshman in college, in a burst of anger he told her never to come home again. As the years went on, Cindi struggled to steel her heart while still remaining hopeful that they would one day reconcile, just as her father did with his own dad, and transcend painful family patterns that span generations. Candid, moving, and ultimately hopeful, The Sportscaster’s Daughter is a family story of forgiveness, faith, and strength.

Winner - Bronze Medal Reader's Favorite Book Awards 2017 NonFiction/Memoir CategoryHonorable Mention - Eric Hoffer Book Award 2017 NonFiction/Memoir Category
Heartfelt and spare, The Butcher's Daughter is a riveting account of what it means to be the daughter of Holocaust survivors.

Florence Grende knew from childhood on that something evil resided in herhousehold, separate from the rages and tears that gripped herparents--that evil an entity her parents called Der Melchome, The War. It rested in the thick silences surrounding her as her parentsforged on creating a new life all the while ignoring the impact of thepast. A past that, while sheltered in shadow, nonetheless haunted themall. 

In short chapters divided into three sections, Grende leads the reader on a journey of discovery and beyond. She begins (Outside America Waits) by vividly recounting her 1950's and 1960's Bronx life. Events comealive as she describes in graphic, sensual detail her experiences andconflicts while straddling an immigrant Jewish life in a post-WarAmerican world. Section two (Der Melchome) shifts to her family's survival in the frozen Polish forests of WWII. Using her father'spost-War testimonial outlining his partisan activities, as well asresearch and bits of stories told her, Grende reimagines, with grippingimagery, both of her parents' survival struggle. Section three (Afterwards) recounts her parents' post-War attempts to rebuild their lives, first in Poland, then in Germany. It describes the years after her father died and herongoing troubled relationship with her mother. This section alsodescribes Grende's week in Wannsee, Germany, where, with otherdescendents of survivors and perpetrators of the Third Reich, she seeksto confront the past and lay demons to rest.

Written with brutal honesty and compassion The Butcher's Daughter embraces the beauty, complexity and resilience of the human spirit.

2015-2016 Sarton Story Circle: Memoir Winner

2016-2017 Readers Views Award: Memoir/Autobiography/Biography Winner, West Pacific Regional Winner

2017 Independent Press Award: Relationships Winner

2017 Northern California Publishers and Authors Second Place in Book Cover

2017 Northern California Publishers and Authors Second Place in Memoir

2017 Readers' Favorite Book Award Bronze Winner

2017 International Book Awards: Autobiography/Memoir Finalist

2016 National Indie Excellence Awards: Memoir Finalist

As a bereavement care specialist, Dr. Virginia Simpson has devoted her career to counseling individuals and families grappling with illness, death, and grieving. But when her own mother, Ruth, is diagnosed in 1999 with a life-threatening condition, Virginia is caught off guard by the storm of emotions she experiences when she is forced to inhabit the role of caregiver.

In a quest to provide her mother with the best care possible, Virginia arranges for Ruth to move in with her―and for the next six years, she cares for her, juggling her mother’s doctor’s appointments, meals, medication schedules, transportation needs, and often cranky moods with her own busy schedule. In The Space Between, Simpson takes readers along for the journey as she struggles to bridge the invisible, often prickly space that sits between so many mothers and daughters, and to give voice to the challenges, emotions, and thoughts many caregivers experience but are too ashamed to admit. Touching and vividly human, The Space Between reminds us all that without accepting the inevitability of death and looking ahead to it with clarity, life cannot be fully lived.

A native of England, Claire Crisp had it all—a strong marriage, three healthy children, and her own home in Bristol. Then came the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009. It took only vaccine—one seemingly innocuous vaccine to Mathilda, the baby of the family—to change their lives forever. Diagnosed at age three as the world's youngest child with narcolepsy, the joyful and energetic Mathilda rapidly dissolved into someone unrecognizable. In this compelling narrative, Claire Crisp chronicles the fight for Mathilda's treatment. Leaving their family and country in England, the Crisps begin a new journey—one of faith, of loss, and of love as immigrants to the western shores of the United States.

Winner of the 2018 Book Excellence Awards in the memoir category Winner of the 2016 Independent Authors' Network Outstanding Non-Fiction Award Second Place Winner of the 2016 Independent Authors' Network Book of the Year It’s a story about loss, love, compassion, and finally redemption. At times, life can feel like a challenging feat of survival. Whether it’s living through abusive relationships or figuring out the complexities of what it means to be a woman searching for love, Realizing River City is a memoir that proves how despite the troubles we may face, there is hope in the way we continually risk ourselves in search for the life we want to live. In her poetic exploration of past relationships, Melissa Grunow’s honest words do not falter in the face of so much loss. Taking the rage we all feel about grief and pain, and funneling it into truth, beauty, and ultimately redemption on each page, Realizing River City is about discovering how the most important relationship is the one we have with ourselves. Realizing River City Just the Right balance of vulnerability and strength. DDT

Breaking Bad meets The Basketball Diaries! Amazon Best Seller in Drug Dependency and Personal Health!

In 1996, Scott was nineteen and lost in adulthood with an endless job and no future ambitions. Teenage Degenerate is his story about drug addiction, music and growing up. Over the course of ten months, he quickly descends into the dark and dangerous world of crystal methamphetamine.

Scott experiments with crystal meth in a dark, deserted parking lot in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado and soon after his crew of misfits will do almost anything for their next high. One by one, family and friends disappear, and he is left alone with a decision to continue fighting or give up. This is his struggle to reclaim a normal life and the search for something real.

Teenage Degenerate is a vivid, heartbreaking, and harrowing story that explores the depths of addiction.

"Dreams can often turn into heartbreak. Just ask Kaleb, a renowned female illusionist whose tumultuous journey from Texas to New York to Hollywood, and back again, serves as the catalyst for this tragic but ultimately inspiring true story. Appearing on national television as his alter ego “Sarah Summers,” Kaleb immerses himself in the Hollywood celebrity culture, including heavy drug and alcohol abuse. He uses his talents to beguile women while confusing men. When he falls in love with a famous rock star, his world is turned upside down. Every peak Kaleb reaches in the entertainment world is followed by stumbles into many self-imposed despairing valleys. A series of tragic events sends him back to New York where his world becomes even darker and more ominous as this once enchanting creature turns into a homeless alcoholic struggling through New York City’s shelter system. Kaleb’s determination to turn his life around and resurrect his entertainment career is hard fought and awe inspiring." This is the true story of my life. Some names have been changed to protect those involved.

"You have cancer". Those words changed my life. After I heard them, all I could think was, "My daughter's only 8". It just over whelmed me. "How many dreams would I be able to help her make come true?"
PRAISE FOR 'Dream Accomplished'

"Your book is amazingly inspiring" -@AfterAllMyLove

"The amount of effort & love that has been put into this book is brilliant! Swifties go order now! Truly Amazing! It brought tears to my eyes" -@Taylor13Parmis

"I went through 100 pages at one sitting! Your story is so riveting that I couldn't put it down and with such raw emotion it's as if I was feeling the same emotions. Thank you for sharing your story, I know it will change lives." -Laurie W.

"Your story will for sure inspire and help others." -@akronohiomoms

"I sat right down and read the whole book! I'd known you'd met Taylor, but I couldn't believe all the pictures and details about how! Just Amazing! All I can say is WOW!" -Jo W.

"Have read your beautiful story 3x already! This is the most inspiring cancer book I've read in a long time!" -Vicki H.

"Very easy, compelling reading. I can sure identify with hearing those words, "You have cancer". I think it's great how you involved your daughter. This story is unbelievably moving." -Nancy G.

"What a moving story. I do so admire your courage." -Jane G.

'Dream Accomplished' FEATURED IN THE NEWS: (see http://www.dreamaccomplished.com for links)
WKYC Ch 3 Cleveland News
NBC4i Columbus News
Hudson Hub Times Newspaper

AWARDS:
Mom's Choice Award
Reader's Favorite 5 Star
Reader's Favorite Gold Memoir
New Apple for Excellence