Sons of Mercy and Justice: A Transylvania Story
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
by G.Keith Parker, Leslie Parker Borhaug

"This is a magnificent story of the McGaha family and how they lived their lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  It describes their way of life in such a way that the reader is able to share their emotions in all different situations and at all levels.  Every now and then the story shocks us, surprises us, as something happens that was not expected... just as it happens in 'real' life.

"The reader can learn a lot about life in the 1800s here and not just from the text or story line.  The authors have creatively interjected dated paragraphs and attached the 'headlines of the year' so that the reader knows a little more about the time period the next segment of the story takes place in.

"A vast amount of history can be gleaned from this novel.  It not only tells a powerful story, but it brings the people back to life, the relationships they formed, their way of life, how they lived it... and their word 'respect,' a word slowly being erased from our current society.  It is done in another unique manner, by weaving two stories into one.  While the McGaha story is taking place in the early 1800's, another story is beginning at the start of Summer 2012, when 'Millie' is picked up at the airport by her 'Mammaw,' and taken back to her house where she will spend her summer vacation.  Millie would end up at the McGaha Chapel and this, in addition to family tradition, is where Millie feels the sense of 'belonging.'

"The book is set up where we are with the McGaha's in one segment, Millie the next, McGaha, Millie, and so on; past present, etc.  We were taken in by both storylines, never bored... we didn't have time to be!"

North Carolina Society of Historians' Judges

Order Sons of Mercy and Justice: A Transylvania Story by G.Keith Parker, Leslie Parker Borhaug
Published by CreateSpace Publishing
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Toll Sam
Genre: Children’s Book
by L. B. Tillit

Troll Sam wakes one morning to find his understanding of The Woodland will be changed forever.  He has to suddenly believe in Trolls that he never knew existed.  He and his new friend, Maya, discover a lost Magical Troll.   This strange new troll, who calls himself Lord Lukas, will only be able to return to his home in a magical world if his young Woodland Troll friends can decipher clues from a rhyming word map.  In a race against time, they must locate the missing parts of a magical door before the magic fades.  New fast moving friend Trevor and his tool belt help the trolls overcome a series of obstacles in the quest to help Lord Lukas get home. Troll Sam and his new friends must rely on each other, because when they think they have solved the puzzle, they find that things aren’t always what they seem.

I wrote Troll Sam because of the need for material that would engage a child in the story while building early reading fluency skills.  The child can become captured by the characters and story line and as a result finally become a more fluent reader.