Paul Lonardo

In an instant, without warning, without reason, the life my children and I knew was ripped from us and we were left alone. My children were without their father, and I did not have my husband. My incredibly whole and happy family was gone. I didn't know who I was anymore. I went from being someone who was happily married, just beginning the middle of a life with three young daughters, to a single mother and a widow. I was becoming an empty shell of the person I used to be and I had no idea what life was going to become for us. The struggle to survive the overwhelming grief, and emotions of confusion, guilt, anger, debilitating sadness, PTSD, while trying to sustain and rebuild a life was some days close to impossible. There were days I didn't think I was going to survive let alone be happy again. However, it seemed God and the universe had other plans for me. I believe the same is true for each and every one of us. No matter what you believe is supposed to happen, or what direction you think your life should take, fate may have something entirely different in store for you. Author Bio: Janine holds a Bachelors degree in both Psychology and Elementary Education. She is currently attending Graduate school working towards a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband Dennis, three beautiful daughters, Jacqueline, Victoria and Olivia and their dog Sonny. Her strong faith in a higher power has kept her moving forward giving her the strength, determination and courage to tell her story. This is her first novel.

The one thing eleven-year-old Jake Lupo loves more than anything else is baseball. However, despite his father being a professional pitcher, Jake's fear of failing has kept him from competing against children his own age. When his father, who has recovered from a serious arm injury, is invited to pitch for an independent team, Jake and his parents move to Pine Barrows, a far flung forested mountain outpost. Jake is excited about his father's chance at a comeback, but he soon learns that he is not the only one in Pine Barrows who loves baseball. Goblins love to play baseball, too, and Pine Barrows happens to be chock full of them. Then Jake discovers that the region is occupied by two factions of warring goblins. Seeking to take control of the goblin kingdom, the leader of the evil goblins kidnaps Jake's mother and bans baseball, a game which itself is a natural source of power for the goblins. It turns out that Jake has a secret kinship with the legendary beings, and he is the only one who can save them, their kingdom and his mother. However, Jake must believe in himself and play a winner-take-all game against the best goblin players in Pine Barrows.

The one thing eleven-year-old Jake Lupo loves more than anything else is baseball. However, despite his father being a professional pitcher, Jake's fear of failing has kept him from competing against children his own age. When his father, who has recovered from a serious arm injury, is invited to pitch for an independent team, Jake and his parents move to Pine Barrows, a far flung forested mountain outpost. Jake is excited about his father's chance at a comeback, but he soon learns that he is not the only one in Pine Barrows who loves baseball. Goblins love to play baseball, too, and Pine Barrows happens to be chock full of them. Then Jake discovers that the region is occupied by two factions of warring goblins. Seeking to take control of the goblin kingdom, the leader of the evil goblins kidnaps Jake's mother and bans baseball, a game which itself is a natural source of power for the goblins. It turns out that Jake has a secret kinship with the legendary beings, and he is the only one who can save them, their kingdom and his mother. However, Jake must believe in himself and play a winner-take-all game against the best goblin players in Pine Barrows.

We walked in on a surreal scene. There are few words, if any, to accurately describe the abject horror... What Jeannie and Kevin McDonough saw was a wanted, multi-state serial killer about to take his next victim-their own daughter. What happened next was a thrilling true-crime story of a fight for justice and the harrowing struggle with the unexpected nightmare of "survivor guilt".