I am on a mission to make a difference through The Torn Trilogy memoirs, which addresses family dysfunction, domestic violence, child abuse, mental illness and drug addiction issues, and the destructive effect it has upon human lives.

Most people read books for two reasons: to be entertained and to be informed.

Many readers have been conditioned to view nonfiction writing as a medium that is purely informational and fiction writing as purely entertaining. The fact is, nonfiction can be both entertaining and it can pack a powerful informational message as well; as an example, the movie Titanic was filled with information about a historical event, but it was also highly entertaining; a fact that also holds true to literature, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote was hailed as a masterpiece in nonfiction literature simply because Capote wrote a true story as though it was fiction.

I have lived an extraordinary life in which the odds were heavily stacked against both me and my children, placing our mere survival at risk countless times. The element of rising suspense that captivates audiences was an actual part of our lives, and the unusual twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, was a normal part of our survival. When the saying ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ was coined, it aptly applied to our lives and the multitudes of people who have lived similar lives.

Torn From the Inside Out, The Journey and Out of the Maelstrom, each tells a story that is filled with both entertainment value and informational content. Each of the memoirs can provide whatever a reader is seeking: a good read, insight and information, and entertainment. Regardless of the reason for reading The Torn Trilogy, the reader will come away entertained and enlightened and in the process, the dark veil of family dysfunction will have been lifted a little higher with each reading.

The traditional publishing route that at one time was accessible to many writers is practically closed to new talent as the market is now glutted with hundreds of thousands of new writers each year. The open door of Smashwords simplifies things by providing an avenue for new authors to get into multiple markets quickly.

Knowledge and insight is like a light in a dark tunnel, especially if that 'tunnel' is years of denial. I delight in providing insight through my writings that empowers and enables people to change their lives for the better. Most people do not realize the fact that knowledge can help a person forty or fifty years after a traumatic event by shedding light on hidden secrets and enabling people to reexamine the way they saw themselves.

A large percentage of drug addicts and a disproportionate number of the mentally ill are troubled by a past that involved domestic violence or some form of abuse during their childhoods. Light needs to be shed upon those faulty perceptions and attitudes that create a self image that is often laden with guilt and shame.

My writing enables me to become a light bearer in a dark place.

My 'fans' are people, men women and children of all ages, and hopefully from all cultures and ethnic groups. I may never meet them, but each one possesses the power to change at least one life during their lifetime, and if I have moved even one fan to live a better life I am happy.

My daughter Ariel (The Journey), committed suicide in February of 2013, after over fifteen years of threats to do so. Ariel was mentally ill and as a young child, she survived the trauma that moved me to write Torn From the Inside Out.

Ariel was an exceptionally intelligent young woman who had gained access to several major universities before her complete breakdown. Ariel's driving ambition in life, right down to the last days of her life was to finish 'her book': On the Wings of Moonlight.

I will complete it for her by January 1st, 2014, and release it on her birthday.

John Grisham's entire collection of Crime Thrillers; A Time to Kill is my favorite of his: The plot is a fictional depiction of real life social and societal conflicts translated into great story telling. These things really happened, perhaps not exactly as in A Time to Kill, but thousands of times throughout history in a similar fashion. The pain, hopelessness and raw emotion enriches the plot.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky: The personal drama is contained within a man against himself plot that is worked out in the protagonist's head, producing a powerful story of moral dilemma and societal rules.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is also a favorite because it is a savage revelation of what Capitalism and Poverty does to human survival under the most austere situations. The dignity of the impoverished Joad's stands out amid desperate conditions. The writing captures the ready from the first scene and holds your attention to the end-the promised 'Grapes' were Grapes of Wrath.
Night by Elie Wiesel and The Diary of Ann Frank, are two of my favorite Memoirs (other than my own), in which the spirit of humanity remains alive in the darkest of times.