Why am I passionate about this?

I firmly live by the saying, ā€œWhere we are in life is a direct reflection of the choices weā€™ve made, or failed to make.ā€ The theme of choice and consequence has not just been a way of living but the very trope in all my novels. The beauty in showing the process of making a choice, for my characters, in their stories, brings them to life. It forces the reader to step inside that decision tree, to analyze and predict the outcome despite the unknown. We are continuously propelled into the unknown and we make choices based on the notion of understanding what those choices will mean.


I wrote

Book cover of Create Destruction: Phase I

What is my book about?

Doctor Larson is a maniacal genius bent on harnessing the parapsychic powers of Thomas, a 12-year-old boy. Using a "thought-terminatingā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Burned

Ryan A. Kovacs Why did I love this book?

Ellen Hopkins is the master of novel-in-verse style writing and the true inspiration for my particular style.

She harnesses the human condition in ever-evolving characters while simultaneously displaying their choices and subsequent consequences. Her stories embody the true philosophical underpinnings that make readers question everything, and for good reason.

With a few of her novels being banned due to their content and free-thinking inspiration, her stories beg to be read and characters empathized. At the core, she is a poet, much like myself, and any poet who loves a good story can identify with her compelling stories and stylistic approach.

By Ellen Hopkins,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Burned as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream.

It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step toward hell and eternal damnation.

This dream is a first step for Pattyn. But is it to hell or to a better life? For theā€¦


Book cover of Meditations: A New Translation

Ryan A. Kovacs Why did I love this book?

As someone who incorporates philosophical underpinnings throughout my literary works, Marcus Aurelius not only lived these values and lessons but taught them in such a profound way.

This book transcends time, applying teachings and wonders to mankind for likely an eternity.

I re-read pages, finding new ways to apply his wisdom or question my relationships or thoughts on particular matters unlike any other. I found this memoir life-changing; Marcus' words resound regardless of anyone's values or beliefs.

By Marcus Aurelius (lead author), Gregory Hays (translator),

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Meditations as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life.

Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161ā€“180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcusā€™s insights and adviceā€”on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with othersā€”have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generationsā€¦


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Book cover of The Catalysts

The Catalysts by Joseph Guzzo,

Red is a shelter cat adopted by the Gioppolo family. Fatty is a nameless stray who wanders into Redā€™s backyard and begins a tentative friendship with him. Sheā€™s had a horrible encounter with a human before, so sheā€™s wary of joining the family. After seeing that Red appears to haveā€¦

Book cover of Raw Thoughts: A Mindful Fusion of Poetic and Photographic Art

Ryan A. Kovacs Why did I love this book?

When it comes to poetry, one canā€™t help but visualize the emotions often conveyed as readers see with their mindā€™s eye.

In this book of visceral poetry, John eloquently touches on different motifs with poems and photography, all while exploring the human condition, giving true shape and identity to each piece.

From one poet to another, the principles of understanding require an inward look at oneself, and John does this without blemish. Striking heart cords to the tune of sophisticated emotions in their simplest form, Raw Thoughts lives up to its title.

By John Casey, Scott Hussey (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Raw Thoughts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Raw Thoughts: A Mindful Fusion of Poetic and Photographic Art is a visceral exploration of mindfulness and hope via a symbiotic fusion of poetic and photographic art. Each successive poem-photo pairing (each 'raw thought') builds on an underlying philosophy that compels us to assess and adjust what and how we think, with the aim of improving our lives-and by extension, the lives of those around us.

Raw Thoughts is Book One in The Raw Thoughts Series. Book Two is titled Meridian: A Raw Thoughts Book.

Raw Thoughts was nominated for the National Book Award and the Griffin Poetry Prize. Selectā€¦


Book cover of The Things They Carried

Ryan A. Kovacs Why did I love this book?

Singlehandedly one of the greatest fictional books about war, Tim finds clever ways of imbuing readers with captivating characters.

Each short story gives insight into a war still misunderstood to this day.

As a veteran, I identify with the curious war stories and the unique character attributes displayed throughout them.

While cynical and the fictitious content questioned, The Things They Carried carries the weight of war and its lasting effects. 

By Tim O'Brien,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked The Things They Carried as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

The million-copy bestseller, which is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

'The Things They Carried' is, on its surface, a sequence of award-winning stories about the madness of the Vietnam War; at the same time it has the cumulative power and unity of a novel, with recurring characters and interwoven strands of plot and theme.

But while Vietnam is central to 'The Things They Carried', it is not simply a book about war. It is also a book about the human heart - about the terrible weight of those things we carry throughā€¦


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Book cover of Paper Dolls

Paper Dolls by Robert Tucker,

Paper Dolls is the memoir of a girl who becomes a young woman in a passionate search for an enduring friendship. Deprived of her older sister, Tess Vanderveer, by the neediness of an Irish ghetto girl, Dove Delaney, Gwen also loses the friendship of Millie Dietz, the beautiful daughter ofā€¦

Book cover of Because I Am Furniture

Ryan A. Kovacs Why did I love this book?

This novel-in-verse tugs at the heart and soul of any individual who has suffered at the hands of abuse.

Written from the perspective of a teenage girl searching for her identity, she and her siblings come to know abuse in this relatable story.

A coming-of-age story trapped in the grasp of an abusive and alcoholic father whose selfish tendencies are haunting, this story and its tropes of love and acceptance will stick with you well after the last page.

By Thalia Chaltas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Because I Am Furniture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Ankeā€™s father is abusive to her brother and sister. But not to her. Because, to him, she is like furnitureā€” not even worthy of the worst kind of attention. Then Anke makes the school volleyball team. She loves feeling her muscles after workouts, an ache that reminds her she is real. Even more, Anke loves the confidence that she gets from the sport. And as she learns to call for the ball on the court, she finds a voice she never knew she had. For the first time, Anke is making herself seen and heard, working toward the day sheā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Book cover of Create Destruction: Phase I

What is my book about?

Doctor Larson is a maniacal genius bent on harnessing the parapsychic powers of Thomas, a 12-year-old boy. Using a "thought-terminating process," Larson employs trigger words that catalyze Thomas' abilities so he can use them for his evil purposes. But as those powers grow, Thomas finds himself slowly stripped of choice and all self-control while treading a path of total annihilation.

Will Larson succeed, or will he be forced to watch as the boy is entirely consumed by his own conflagration?

Book cover of Burned
Book cover of Meditations: A New Translation
Book cover of Raw Thoughts: A Mindful Fusion of Poetic and Photographic Art

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