FOR NOTHING IS HIDDEN
FULL BOOK TITLE: For Nothing Is Hidden: Inspired by One of the Oldest Unsolved Missing Child Cases in U.S. History
AUTHOR NAME: John A. Valenti 3rd
PUBLISHER NAME: Bushwickborn Productions, Inc. / Pope Brothers Ink
LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Hidden-John-Valenti-3rd/dp/B0FX98ZVWM/
There are mysteries that entertain, and then there are mysteries that sit with you—quietly, insistently—long after exposure. For Nothing Is Hidden belongs to the latter.
Set against the manicured calm of 1950s Long Island, John A. Valenti 3rd’s debut novel opens with a moment so ordinary it feels almost cruel in hindsight: a mother steps into a bakery, a child waits outside, and the world tilts off its axis. Bobby Goodson is gone. No scream, no witness, no trail. Just absence. From that void, Valenti constructs a narrative that is less about solving a crime than about tracing the long shadow it casts over a family and a town for more than fifty years.
That sense of authenticity is no accident. Valenti brings to fiction the instincts of a journalist who has spent four decades uncovering truths that others missed or preferred not to see. A national award–winning reporter for Newsday, whose investigative work helped expose everything from a massive sports-fraud scheme to systemic failures in public safety, Valenti understands how facts erode over time—and how persistence and patience matter more than spectacle. This is a novelist who knows when to press and when to wait, when to let silence speak louder than accusation.
What makes For Nothing Is Hidden so unsettling is precisely that restraint. Valenti resists the easy theatrics of modern true crime. There are no melodramatic flourishes, no indulgent cliffhangers. Instead, the prose moves with the patience of an investigator turning over evidence that has already been handled too many times. The result feels eerily authentic—like reading a case file that keeps reopening itself against your will.
At the emotional center of the novel is Colleen Goodson. She is not flattened into a symbol of motherhood or tragedy. She is impulsive, wounded, defensive, and enduring. In an era quick to assign blame—especially to working-class women—Colleen becomes both the object of suspicion and the vessel of grief. Valenti never asks to absolve her; instead, he asks us to understand the cost of living inside unanswered questions. Watching her age through the decades, you feel how loss adapts itself to new false hopes.
As someone who does not seek out crime fiction—and who reads this book through the lens of parenthood—the experience is harrowing. For Nothing Is Hidden has a way of making the mundane terrifying. It makes you scan crowds differently. It makes you hold your children’s hands a little tighter and linger just a second longer at the curb. This is not anxiety for shock value; it is the natural byproduct of a story written by someone who understands how easily truth can vanish—and how long it can take to bring it back.
By the time Valenti closes the book, he has not handed the reader a neat solution. Instead, he leaves us with something far more honest: the ache of unresolved truth, the quiet insistence that time does not erase questions, and the unsettling reminder—echoed in the novel’s biblical epigraph—that what is hidden is never truly gone.
Author Bio:
A national award-winning reporter for Newsday and author of the critically acclaimed Swee'pea and Other Playground Legends, about former All-American Lloyd (Swee'pea) Daniels and New York City playground basketball [Published by Michael Kesend Publishing, Ltd., 1990 / Reissued by Simon & Schuster imprint Atria Books, July 2016], John A. Valenti 3rd has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows, including NPR and Good Morning America with Charles Gibson. He's had featured roles in The Legend of Swee'pea, an award-winning documentary by Benjamin May, and the Emmy-winning ESPN 30-for-30 Big Shot by Kevin Connolly - the latter the story of how John Spano fleeced Fleet Bank out of $80 million to buy the NHL New York Islanders while claiming to be a Dallas multimillionaire and how Valenti headed a team of Newsday reporters and uncovered the truth, leading to the federal conviction of Spano. A veteran of four decades with Newsday, Valenti has been honored with national first-places finishes in the prestigious Society of the Silurians, Associated Press Sports Editors and National Headliner Award competitions, including APSE Best Enterprise Reporting in 1996 as part of team that reported a ground-breaking series on concussions and for Best Investigative Reporting in 1997 for his investigation of Spano. He was the lead columnist on Newsday's "Death on the Roads" series that earned the esteemed Silurians Community Service Award in 2004, was part of a team that took first place in the 2007 Silurians competition for "Death of a Yankee," the reporting of the plane crash that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, and the 2012 First Place award by Silurians for Online Breaking News coverage of 2011 Tropical Storm Irene. He also was part of the Newsday team that won the 2024 National Headliner Award for breaking news coverage of the arrest of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. Valenti has covered Major League Baseball, the NBA, NHL, the 1994 World Cup Soccer Tournament, major-college sports and breaking news events and Newsday submitted his work for Pulitzer Prize consideration at least 10 times between 1987 and 2024. Among notable figures Valenti has interviewed include: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Billie Jean King, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Mario Andretti, Wayne Gretzky, Pele and the first two men to walk on the Moon - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. He was a candidate for the 1986 NASA-sponsored "Journalist in Space Project" and made his critically acclaimed debut as a poet in 13 Poets from Long Island in 2023. For Nothing is Hidden is his debut novel. Valenti lives in Elmhurst, Queens, with wife and longtime companion Elizabeth Eser Jose. He has one son, Jarek.
CHARLEY'S NEW FRIEND
FULL BOOK TITLE: Charley’s New Friend
AUTHOR NAME: Wendy B Wenger M.A. ILLUSTRATOR: Djacson Stvil
PUBLISHER NAME: Balboa Press
LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Charleys-New-Friend-Wendy-Wenger/dp/B0DCZVJTXQ/
At first glance, Charley’s New Friend appears to be a gentle woodland story—lush illustrations, a curious child, a talking animal companion. But beneath its soft colors and inviting tone lies a carefully constructed emotional framework, one that speaks as much to adults as it does to children.
Wendy B. Wenger, M.A., brings her background as a therapist and life coach directly into the DNA of this book, crafting a narrative that does not shy away from difficult emotions but instead invites young readers to name them, explore them, and ultimately grow from them. Rather than positioning hardship as something to avoid, Charley’s New Friend reframes challenge as a source of inner strength—a message delivered with warmth, patience, and respect for a child’s emotional intelligence.
The story follows Charley, a thoughtful and observant child, who ventures into a familiar wooded path while feeling lonely and disconnected. His chance encounter with Arthur, a wise and unusually colorful snake, becomes the heart of the narrative. Arthur’s multicolored rings serve as a powerful visual metaphor: each ring represents a life experience—joyful, painful, frightening, or transformative. The brighter the ring, the more difficult the experience that created it. This symbolic device is accessible and profound, allowing children to externalize their emotions and see them as meaningful rather than overwhelming.
What makes this book especially effective is its restraint. Wenger does not lecture. She allows dialogue, reflection, and shared storytelling between Charley and Arthur to do the work. As Arthur recounts experiences of loss, teasing, grief, and resilience, Charley gradually recognizes parallels in his own life—missing siblings, navigating fear, and learning how to cope with embarrassment and anger.
The illustrations by Djacson Stvil deepen the book’s impact. His vibrant, expressive artwork mirrors the emotional spectrum of the story. Arthur’s rings—muted, radiant, or dazzling—visually reinforce the emotional lessons being shared.
The inclusion of a substantial “For Parents and Other Readers” section further distinguishes this book from standard children’s literature. Wenger provides practical, compassionate guidance on emotional regulation, boundaries, resilience, empathy, and self-esteem. This section makes the book a tool for families and caregivers seeking to foster emotional literacy in children.
This is a book that invites conversation, reflection, and repeated reading. It belongs on classroom shelves, in counseling offices, and in homes where emotional growth is valued as highly as academic success. Charley’s New Friend leaves readers with a simple but enduring truth: nothing we experience is wasted, and even the hardest moments can become badges of courage.
Author Bio:
Wendy B. Wenger, MA, had been working as a therapist and advocate for children and adults since earning her master’s degree in psychology from Pennsylvania State University. She worked with many local, state-wide, and international organizations throughout her career. Wendy employed both traditional and somatic therapeutic techniques to assist individuals, couples, and families with various important life issues. Now she is publishing the stories that she wrote for her adopted children. She has also created other resources to help children, parents and other readers to engage in a healthier experience.
Early in life Wendy knew that her purpose had to include helping others. This started in her early life as she, her sister and mother volunteered in different organizations helping those who were less fortunate. In addition, as with all experiences, Wendy learned that life is its best teacher. She calls it on-the-job training as a parent, along with healthy self-reflection which offered some of the best parenting skills she learned. And this was even after many college courses and parenting classes.
Wendy has done just that with her many years of helping others as a therapist and advocate. She has also written picture books and early readers for her children when they were young. The author wrote the stories to help her children better navigate life, complete with all of its successes and difficult moments.
Wendy is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Her writing has been published in local newsletters and newspapers, and her stories have been used in her son’s school district. Many children, professionals, and parents supported the author by listening to the stories and providing helpful comments. Two of her stories even won awards from a local council of the arts.
Djacson Stvil is a Newark-based illustrator working in digital media since 2010. Inspired by Yoji Shinkawa and his father Daniel, he brings emotional depth and subtle detail to every scene. Djacson began by sketching loved ones as characters from video games and anime, sparking a lifelong passion for capturing mood and meaning. His use of color, environment, and perspective helps stories come alive—and he loves helping others express their ideas visually.
DELAWARE AT CHRISTMAS
FULL BOOK TITLE: Delaware at Christmas: The First State in a Merry State
AUTHOR NAME: Dave Tabler
PUBLISHER NAME: Dave Tabler
LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Delaware-Christmas-First-State-Merry-ebook/dp/B0F4NJ2KTZ/
Delaware at Christmas is a quietly powerful book. Rather than treating the holiday as a single tradition, it looks at Christmas as something that has grown and changed along with the people of Delaware. Dave Tabler shows how the holiday reflects the state’s history, identity, and mix of cultures in a way that feels both thoughtful and sincere.
Instead of relying on nostalgia, Tabler builds the story through research and context. He traces Christmas in Delaware from its earliest settlers through the present day, highlighting the influences of Scandinavian, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, Orthodox Christian, and African American communities along the way. The result is a portrait of a holiday that has always been diverse and evolving.
Some of the most enjoyable moments in the book come from the small details — things like outdoor decorations, neighborhood house tours, and even mid-century punch-card wreaths. These glimpses of everyday creativity show how deeply Christmas has been woven into community life.
Tabler doesn’t shy away from harder history, either. His discussion of Christmas traditions among free and enslaved Black families before the Civil War adds real depth and honesty to the story, reminding readers that the season hasn’t always been experienced the same way by everyone.
Archival photographs throughout the book help bring the past to life, grounding the narrative in real homes, churches, and streets. You don’t just read about tradition — you see it.
In the end, Delaware at Christmas isn’t really about sentimentality. It’s about continuity — how traditions adapt, how communities pass meaning from one generation to the next, and how a place shapes the way its people celebrate. It works both as a historical reflection and as a reminder of how holidays connect us to the people who came before us.
Author Bio:
Ten year old Dave Tabler decided he was going to read the ‘R’ volume from the family’s World Book Encyclopedia set over summer vacation. He never made it from beginning to end. He did, however, become interested in Norman Rockwell, rare-earth elements, and Run for the Roses.
Tabler’s father encouraged him to try his hand at taking pictures with the family camera. With visions of Rockwell dancing in his head, Tabler press-ganged his younger brother into wearing a straw hat and sitting next to a stream barefoot with a homemade fishing pole in his hand. The resulting image was terrible.
Dave Tabler went on to earn degrees in art history and photojournalism despite being told he needed a ‘Plan B.'
Fresh out of college, Tabler contributed the photography for “The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics,” which taught him how to work with museum curators, collectors, and white cotton gloves. He met a man in the Shenandoah Valley who played the musical saw, a Knoxville fellow who specialized in collecting barbed wire, and Tom Dickey, brother of the man who wrote ‘Deliverance.’
In 2006 Tabler circled back to these earlier encounters with Appalachian culture as an idea for a blog. AppalachianHistory.net today reaches 375,000 readers a year.
Dave Tabler moved to Delaware in 2010 and became smitten with its rich past. He no longer copies Norman Rockwell, but his experience working with curators and collectors came in handy when he got the urge to photograph a love letter to Delaware’s early heritage. This may be the start of something.
THE END?
FULL BOOK TITLE: THE END?: Hope Is The Enemy Evil Fears Most (Kachada Trilogy)
AUTHOR NAME: Don Sedei
PUBLISHER NAME: Blue-Eyed Falcon, LLC
LINK: https://www.amazon.com/END-Enemy-Fears-Kachada-Trilogy/dp/1734303476/
THE END? is a novel driven by velocity—of thought, of violence, of history itself. In the third installment of the Kachada Trilogy, Don Sedei delivers a story that reads less like conventional fiction and more like a classified dossier pried open under pressure. It is blunt, unfiltered, and unapologetically intense, pulling readers into a world where morality is fluid and survival depends on knowing which truths are worth exposing—and which are better buried.
The novel follows Kachada, a hardened operative whose past is inseparable from the global conflicts he navigates. From Texas motels to Moscow safe houses, from biker gangs to senators’ chambers, Sedei constructs a narrative that moves seamlessly between street-level brutality and geopolitical intrigue. The prose is sharp and confrontational, mirroring a protagonist who operates without illusions. Violence is not romanticized; it is transactional, sudden, and consequential.
What sets THE END? apart is its layering of history with fiction. Sedei weaves real-world events—intelligence failures, terrorism, political maneuvering—into the story’s spine, creating a sense that the plot is brushing dangerously close to reality. Conversations unfold like interrogations. Power is negotiated over breakfast tables and behind locked doors. Even moments of intimacy are tinged with threat, reminding the reader that nothing in Kachada’s world exists without cost.
The novel’s pacing is relentless, but beneath it lies a quieter meditation on loyalty and disillusionment. Kachada is not a hero in the traditional sense; he is a survivor shaped by betrayal, memory, and a code that predates modern politics. Sedei’s prose does not soften its edges for comfort. The dialogue is raw, often profane, and intentionally abrasive.
By the novel’s close, the title lingers as a question rather than a conclusion. THE END? refuses neat resolution, instead leaving readers with the unsettling recognition that history rarely ends—only reshapes itself through new players and familiar mistakes.
Author Bio:
Don is a contemporary writer and artist based in Dallas, Texas.
Raised in the Rust Belt in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he studied at the prestigious La Roche University in Pittsburgh, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and design. After graduation, Don immersed himself into the world of advertising, creating original ideas for some of the world’s largest brands that opened many new doors, including the ones for his ad agency.
His commitment to fighting the disease of mediocrity earned him national and international awards, including the one he is most proud of, the induction into La Roche University Distinguished Alumni Circle for his excellence and lifetime achievements. Likewise, that background has exposed Don to a collection of unique experiences that informed his belief today’s audiences are adrenaline junkies looking for an original, entertaining, and unpredictable tale taking their emotions on a rollercoaster ride. Enter the emotional and moral struggle of an assassin’s tale, Kachada Trilogy, an action-packed thriller where the chilling ancestral traditions of the Comanche tribe, and the ruthless code of the Sicilian Mafia mysteriously intersect. On the lighter side, Tale of Bronco & The Wizard is based on a true story written as a lighthearted urban fantasy about friendship, football, and wizards. A magical ride that will leave readers with their hearts full.
TWO HEARTS, ONE QUEST FOR FREEDOM
FULL BOOK TITLE: Two Hearts, One Quest For Freedom
AUTHOR NAME: Sheri Lynne
PUBLISHER NAME: Christian Faith Publishing
LINK: https://swlynnebooks.com/
Sheri Lynne’s Two Hearts, One Quest for Freedomis a historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Hungary. With lyrical skill, Lynne tells a multigenerational story that blends romance with the immigrant experience while capturing the turbulence of a nation on the brink of change.
The novel centers around Marta, a young woman whose coming-of-age journey is shaped by the shifting political landscape and a growing hunger for freedom. Her relationship with the principled and loyal Captain Jonathon Bartholomew is both emotionally resonant and morally complex, given his service in the Austro-Hungarian military. Their love story, marked by quiet devotion and high stakes, unfolds with poignancy and authenticity.
Parallel to Marta’s journey is the romance of her parents, Susanah and Frank—a narrative thread that deepens the novel’s intergenerational scope and reflects the long arc of sacrifice and survival.
Lynne’s strength lies in her immersive depictions of Hungarian life. From village streets to secret tunnels, she paints a vivid portrait of a country on the brink of change. Her dedication to historical accuracy is clear, though at times the exposition can lean heavily into detail. Some moments blur the line between dialogue and narration, momentarily slowing the pace.
The story’s action crescendos in a dramatic and emotionally charged rescue sequence. With danger surrounding them, characters must make split-second decisions that reveal their loyalties and inner strength. The tension is high, but Lynne avoids melodrama, grounding the scene in personal stakes rather than spectacle. The aftermath—reunions, regrets, and quiet relief—carries genuine emotional weight. The love between Marta and Jonathon, tested by hardship and sacrifice, is sealed in a moment of intimate honesty.
In the end, Two Hearts, One Quest for Freedom is more than a historical romance. It is a tribute to cultural identity and is a reminder of what people are willing to risk for love and liberty. While the prose occasionally edges into over-explanation, the novel’s heart remains undeniable. It is a memorable story that will resonate with fans of heartfelt historical fiction and those who understand that the quest for freedom—like love—is never easy, but always worth it.
Author Bio:
Sheri Lynne is the owner of a small business in southern Michigan which keeps her busy along with caring for her special-needs son Bryan, who holds a very special place in her heart. Over the years, Lynne has been involved with Compassion International, a ministry aiding children in third-world countries, bringing them and their families out of poverty, providing them with food, education, and medical assistance, and teaching them the love of Christ. In her spare time, Lynne enjoys spending time with her daughter Wendy and her husband Joe and their daughter, her darling granddaughter Madilynne.
THAT'S NOT THE HELP I NEED
FULL BOOK TITLE: That’s Not the Help I Need: Real Talk for Women About Winning at Work
AUTHOR NAME: Tiffany G. Rosik
PUBLISHER NAME: Authors on Mission
LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Thats-Not-Help-Need-Winning/dp/B0DKJWQ81H/
Tiffany Rosik doesn’t just write a career guide—she kicks the door open, looks corporate culture dead in the eye, and says what every exhausted, overlooked, overqualified woman has been muttering under her breath in the parking lot for years. This isn’t a book that politely asks for a seat at the table; it rearranges the chairs, dims the fluorescent lights, and demands a workplace that actually makes sense.
Rosik’s book is part memoir, part manual, and part intervention. She brings receipts—real stories of what happens when talented women shrink themselves inside systems never designed for them. Her account of being micromanaged into daily 8 a.m. check-ins until she realized she didn’t need correction but advocacy is just one example. There’s an electric honesty to her storytelling. She owns what she didn’t know, what she tolerated for far too long, and what she now refuses outright.
What makes the book exceptional is Rosik’s ability to turn lived experience into tools. Concepts like the “4 Rs”—Risk, Rejection, Reset, Resilience—aren’t motivational fluff; they’re the backbone of her strategy for navigating toxic managers, corporate politics, motherhood bias, and performance-review optics. She never frames women as the problem—she frames the system as absurd and women as the only ones still trying to operate it with dignity.
A standout moment comes when she breaks down early salary negotiations, showing with surgical clarity how a $3,000 concession becomes a $54,000 loss over five years thanks to bonuses and percentage-based raises. It’s the kind of math that makes readers sit up straighter and rethink every “sure, that’s fine” they’ve ever said.
Rosik is refreshingly unromantic about corporate culture. She doesn’t pretend speaking up will always work, nor does she sell HR as a neutral refuge. She names the political machinery plainly—and the toxic leadership even more plainly. Her story of a manager who demanded constant updates and tried to control her personal time isn’t sensational; it’s painfully familiar for many women in male-dominated fields.
What elevates this book above standard leadership literature is its emotional intelligence. Rosik shows that workplace success—especially for women—is as much a psychological battle as it is a skill-based one. Her three key questions—“Why not me? If not me, then who? If not now, when?”—function less as slogans and more as invitations to finally dismantle the quiet, corrosive self-doubt society implants early on. By the end, That’s Not the Help I Need feels like a fierce professional companion for women who are done settling, done shrinking, and done accepting “maybe next year” as an answer. It’s not a book meant to sit quietly in the self-help aisle—it belongs with the disruptors, the strategists, and the leaders who are less interested in climbing the corporate ladder than in rebuilding it entirely.
A bold, necessary read—and exactly the kind of real talk the workplace has been needing.
Author Bio:
Tiffany Rosik, CEO of TGR Management Consulting and trusted advisor to Fortune 1000 companies, tackles complex projects by fostering high-performing teams that deliver results. Tiffany is passionate about helping women achieve their full workplace potential by serving as a Mentor, Coach, and Leader. Her book bridges the theory-practice gap, empowering women to thrive in the real world. Tiffany holds a Master's in Information Systems from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Millikin University, as well as numerous certifications.
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