Published Books
NEW SERIES by L.B. Tillit
The Way I See It Books
So what? Why should I care about your life if it doesn’t have to do with mine? To be real, you don’t have a clue on how bad it can get. As their world falls apart, the teens from Hancock High find that truth is not always clear. Will they be ready to accept help from the most unexpected places? …more…>
Ozzie – Book 1
Ozzie believes if he ignores all the voices in his head then he’ll make it. He’ll be what everyone expects him to be: Hancock High’s football all-star. But when the chance comes for him to prove who he really is, he becomes numb and doesn’t care about who may be hurt, as long as the comments don’t attack him. But Ozzie’s silence begins to impact those around him. As Ozzie’s world begins to fall apart, the voices in his head remain strong. If he takes a stand for anything, will it even matter? Or worse, if he does speak, will he cause more harm than good?…more…>
- Lexile Level: HL580L
- Interest Level: Young Adult
Deals with mental health/suicidal thoughts / Confronts harassment / Touches on racism and stereotyping / Encourages self-reflection / Provides homelessness awareness / Broadens viewpoints while providing hope
Order The Way I See It: Ozzie by L. B. Tillit
Published by My Easy Read Books™
Zonta – Book 2
by L. B. Tillit
Just deal with it! It’s part of growing up. It’s the way guys are! Zonta tries to blow off the unwanted attention that is thrown her way. But it’s not working. Zonta is tired of being nice! It doesn’t matter how polite she is, or how hard she tries, she still feels alone. And if that wasn’t enough, every time she tries to explain herself or her thoughts, she ends up feeling dumb. She tries to do what is right, what is expected, but it only makes things worse. Is there really no one who cares enough to help? Is there no one who gets her?
Empowers resistance to sexual harassment / Addresses impact of ADHD / Dives into the need to be heard/taken seriously / Introduces role of self-defense / Touches on bi-racial upbringing / Underscores the importance of healthy friendships
Order The Way I See It: Zonta by L. B. Tillit
Published by My Easy Read Books™
Blake – Book 3
by L. B. Tillit
Blake has a secret – a secret his mother has asked him not to share. If Blake can act normal, then no one will treat him differently. But Blake can’t shake the way others view him after the racist comments he made months earlier. To make things worse, fallout from a terrible attack on a student in his school turns his world upside down. Suddenly alone, Blake has only one hope left: wrestling. Can he win back his friends? Will people even believe his side of the story? Will his secret be safe, or should he defy his mother and let people know who he really is? As Blake faces his fears, he must also find a way to face his best friend who is suddenly his worst enemy.
Dives into the neurodivergent mind of someone with Autism / Addresses the destructive force of bullying and peer pressure / Introduces low-income family dynamics, strengths, and challenges / Embraces uniqueness and celebrates differences / Focuses on building healthy friendships
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Published by My Easy Read Books™
Emma – Book 4
by L. B. Tillit
Emma is pissed at the world. She has to be perfect, like her brother. But she won’t! She can’t be! Emma finds a reason to dislike most people. Yet, she is drawn to Blake, someone she used to hate. Without thinking it through she finds herself at the wrestling championship, hoping Blake feels the same way. But his world is very different from hers and she begins to wonder what she is doing. Her best friend, Billy, pushes Emma to look at why she makes bad choices. Emma refuses to listen to Billy and wrestles with a dark family secret as her anger spirals out of control.
Provides an Asian- American perspective / Deals with anger and judgment / Faces stereotyping and racism / Embraces differences between cultures / Addresses academic struggles / Provides homelessness awareness / Broadens viewpoints
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Published by My Easy Read Books™
Mateo – Book 5
by L. B. Tillit
Don’t draw attention to yourself! Blend in and stay quiet. It is how Mateo has been raised. Being chill and a loner at Hancock High has become his identity. But he is tired of it! He knows he needs to protect his community, but does that mean he should remain silent when something is clearly wrong? He knows that if he speaks out then people could be hurt. But if he doesn’t do something, someone he really cares about may continue to suffer. He hates that he can’t help his friend, but he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know who to turn to. Who can he trust? He holds onto the one thing that he does best, sing and shred his guitar. Mateo dives into his music, a safe place, a place where he can stand out and not worry. But when his rock band faces their first battle of the bands, Mateo has to face reality. He can no longer stay quiet.
Provides a Mexican-American perspective / Touches on challenges immigrants face / Reveals struggles with fighting injustice / Faces stereotyping and racism / Addresses physical abuse / Focuses on building healthy friendships / Broadens viewpoints while embracing diversity
Order The Way I See It: Mateo by L. B. Tillit
Published by My Easy Read Books™
More on The Way I See It Series >
Gravel Road Books
Sometimes we find ourselves on a gravel road, not sure of how we got there or where the road leads. Sharp stones pellet the unprotected, and the everyday wear and tear sears more deeply. Saddleback’s newest series, Gravel Road, highlights the talents of our urban street lit authors.
Edge of Ready
by L. B. Tillit
Whatever happens, school comes first. Her mother said it like she meant it. These words played over and over again in Dani Garcia’s head. But life got in the way. There were mouths to feed and rent to pay. Plus someone had to watch baby Benny. Dani knew adversity, but she was the kind of strong that comes from within: strong in mind, body, and soul. Then a horrible rape and its powerful aftermath threatens to bring Dani’s life crashing down—forever…more…>
- Lexile Level: HL400L
- Interest Level: Young Adult
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Published by Saddleback Educational Publishing
Unchained
by L. B. Tillit
After two years in a loving home, TJ’s mother got him back. She was clean. No pot. No meth. His chest felt like it was burning. His heart was racing. Trapped. He felt trapped. He didn’t have a say. Everything he had come to care about would be gone. And the brutal life he’d escaped quickly reclaimed him. Kaden Cruz didn’t run after him. Instead his voice boomed, “You owe us.” TJ didn’t look back. But he knew this wasn’t the end of Kaden Cruz. He could still hear his father’s voice. It’s not free. You’ll have to pay them back one day…more…>
- Lexile Level: HL400L
- Interest Level: Young Adult
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Published by Saddleback Educational Publishing
2 Days
by L. B. Tillit
Sixteen-year-old Neema Powell was always the best-looking girl in school. But right now she was a wreck. Her mother’s sleazy boyfriend was towering over her screaming, “Get out!” And her own mother wouldn’t even look at her as she walked out of the apartment into the dead January day. Neema knew that Nate, her boyfriend, would take care of her. I’ll give Mom a couple of days to calm down. But those two days made all the difference, and Neema must draw from somewhere deep for the inner strength she will need…more…>
- Lexile Level: HL390L
- Interest Level: Young Adult
Published by Saddleback Educational Publishing
Other Published Book by L. B. Tillit
Books co-authored in different genres or published under a different name.
To Stand on Solid Ground: A Civil War Novel based on Read People and Events
by G.Keith Parker and Leslie Parker Borhaug
Genre: Historical Fiction
Winner of the 2020 Award of Excellence -The North Carolina Society of Historians
“. . .thought provoking, educational, enthralling, haunting, deserving of a second read, and worthy of praise and recognition.”
“Not lost on the reader are stark parallels between the politics and divergent opinions and loyalties that tore at the fabric of society, even families, during the highly emotional and turbulent years of the Civil War and the civil unrest that challenges the foundational core of the United States today.” Find out more… >
Sons of Mercy and Justice: A Transylvania Story
by G.Keith Parker and Leslie Parker Borhaug
Genre: Historical Fiction
“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.” -North Carolina Society of Historians Find out more… >
Order Sons of Mercy and Justice: A Transylvania Story by G.Keith Parker and Leslie Parker Borhaug