Going Hard Going Home

This poetry book tells about my spiritual journey, love of Christ, and meditation over the years.

"It's not that Stewart 'Scuff' McSkimming goes looking for trouble, it's just that trouble seems to have a way of finding him. And when opportunities land in his lap (sometimes quite literally) he's been taught to grasp them with both hands. It doesn't always make for an easy life but it sure makes for an interesting one! From his early antics as a schoolboy in Clyde to his many near misses in agricultural aviation and skydiving, two near drownings, being chased by a guy with a gun and surviving four major earthquakes in a year, this is a colourful tale filled with highs and lows. Go Hard or Go Home is about hard living, hard knocks and why Stewart found getting in touch with his softer side the hardest lesson of all. Stewart McSkimming is the co-founder of Global Tractors Ltd. He lives in Christchurch and has spent most of his working career in heavy machinery sales and brokering. He has a long-standing passion for rotary wing aircraft and is now an ambassador for the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust"--Back cover.

Book 1 of The Survivalist Series If society collapsed, could you survive? When Morgan Carter’s car breaks down 250 miles from his home, he figures his weekend plans are ruined. But things are about to get much, much worse: the country’s power grid has collapsed. There is no electricity, no running water, no Internet, and no way to know when normalcy will be restored—if it ever will be. An avid survivalist, Morgan takes to the road with his prepper pack on his back. During the grueling trek from Tallahassee to his home in Lake County, chaos threatens his every step but Morgan is hell-bent on getting home to his wife and daughters—and he’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Fans of James Wesley Rawles, William R. Forstchen's One Second After, and The End by G. Michael Hopf will revel in A. American's apocalyptic tale.

First published in 1998, this Darlington child care study looks at the return experiences of children looked after by local authorities. It shows that although the great majority of children go back to their families and home communities, little is known about the process. How can professionals and carers make the transition as easy as possible? The book takes forward ideas first reported in the Dartmouth publication, going home: The return of children separated from their families and tested in subsequent research. It charts patterns of separation and return, considers the experiences of those involved and highlights factors associated with the likelihood of return and its success. Because the factors described in the earlier research have since been confirmed in a blind prospective study they are among the most robust indicators available.

In his first collection of short stories, author Bill Mooney presents a journey through the minds of complex characters seeking life change amid turmoil and shares a window into the foundation of what creates a simple life: love, commitment, and self-discovery. In "Eddie Masters Down Under," Eddie Masters is stuck in Australia, living the life of a drifter and awaiting funds to get back to the States. But when he is offered a tempting proposition, Eddie is faced with a tough decision. "Hunting the Kohinoor" introduces Walt and Abbey St. George, an attractive married couple who once had lofty dreams and goals, but now live a humdrum life in a Philadelphia suburb. But when a renowned jewel goes missing, the St. Georges decide to go hunting for the diamond worth millions of dollars, sending them on an adventure halfway across the world. In "Going Home," newspaper reporter Willie Cole, who has just finished writing the obituary for his friend and co-worker, has no idea his life is about to take a dramatic turn. Going Home is a poignant collection of engaging novellas and short tales that, through the unforgettable experiences of its diverse characters, share the important message that choices inevitably lead to destinies.

Many of the details of the main character’s life parallel’s actual life events of the author. The author earned an MBA in finance, served four years in the military, and 14 years with the Department of Homeland Security. The motivation for the book arose when a Jewish friend asked him to describe his feelings about the afterlife. After that, he wrote the book with inspiration for the story being the Two Great Commandments from the Bible as well as thoughts from The Inescapable Love of God by Thomas Talbott and finally a lifetime of experiences. The author was highly inspired by a quote from the movie Gladiator, “what we do in life echoes in eternity.” The book was intended to be more action/romance than spiritual but as he experienced a spiritual awakening of his own, the author’s point of view of the world changed. People would ask, “how are you doing?’ and he would answer, “better than I deserve.” The author was dazzled at the extent of religious fervor in many communities but was all too keenly aware of the sadness and desperation brought about by generational poverty on the part of many and generational greed on the part of others. He was also deeply saddened at the spread of godlessness in the secular world. The author earnestly wants to produce an allegory showing a broken special ops soldier, representing every broken man or woman within the reach of this book, nevertheless making his way to heaven to experience the love of God. How can such a man, or any of us, achieve eternity in heaven with the Holy Father when faced with all that we have done? Joe, the special ops man, was told by the archangels that ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden there had been a vicious struggle in the Universe between God and the Devil for the souls of the living. The angels in heaven are tasked to assist the Heavenly Father in this struggle. Joe and other warriors were masters of the skills needed to help the Heavenly Father in this effort.

When an old lover comes East, eager to win back the heart of Gillian Forrester, she must choose her future and find the deepest desires of her heart.

The Fosters meets The Great Gilly Hopkins in this moving novel of a young girl who as sets off on an important mission to save a fellow foster kid from the home that still haunts her nightmares. Twelve-year-old Pavi Sharma is an expert at the Front Door Face: the perfect mix of puppy dog eyes and a lemonade smile, the exact combination to put foster parents at ease as they open their front door to welcome you in. After being bounced around between foster families and shelter stays, Pavi is a foster care expert, and she runs a "business" teaching other foster kids all she has learned. With a wonderful foster family in mom Marjorie and brother Hamilton, things are looking up for Pavi. Then Pavi meets Meridee: a new five-year-old foster kid, who is getting placed at Pavi's first horrendous foster home. Pavi knows no one will trust a kid about what happened on Lovely Lane, even one as mature as she is, so it's up to her to save Meridee. With help from Hamilton, brooding eighth grader Santos, and Hamilton's somewhat obnoxious BFF Piper, they set off on an important mission with life-changing stakes. Pavi will stop at nothing to keep Meridee safe.

When an old lover comes East, eager to win back the heart of Gillian Forrester, she must choose her future and find the deepest desires of her heart.

A FREE RomanticWomen's Fiction Novel. The first in a series about how a young single mother, faced with the task of keeping an inn and winery going in Oregon wine country, becomes the matriarch of a family filled with love and unexpected surprises as the inn continues to grow into a well-known hotel. A family saga filled with love… In 1970, Violet Hawkins’ only wish at eighteen is to escape her life in the Dayton, Ohio, foster-care system and make her way to the west coast to enjoy a mellow life and find the love she’s been missing all her life. Lettie makes it to San Francisco, but soon learns she needs a job if she’s to live properly. A kind young man named Kenton Chandler offers her a sandwich and a job at his father’s inn and vineyards. With nothing to lose, Lettie takes him up on his offer and begins a whole new life in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. She immediately falls in love with the land and is fascinated with the idea of growing grapes to make wines. She, Kenton, and Rafe Lopez become friends as she learns about running the small inn on the property. At the same time she marries Kenton, a stroke kills his father. And then before she can tell Kenton she’s pregnant, he dies in an automobile accident. Heartbroken and burdened with the gift of the Chandler Hill Inn and Winery, she’s left with the task of making them a success. Struggling to raise a child alone while working to grow the business, Lettie makes a shocking discovery that changes everything. A love story of a family with heart… Be sure to read the other books in the series: Coming Home and Home at Last. And check out Judith Keim’s other series – the Hartwell Women, The Beach House Hotel series, the Fat Fridays series, the Salty Key Inn series, the Chandler Hill Inn series, the Desert Sage Inn series, and the Seashell Cottage Books that readers are loving. This is a women's fiction novel that deals with the strength of women, family, and the will to survive and live life with love. A great read with a glass or wine or anytime! Contemporary women's fiction, Contemporary Women's Romance, Friends Fiction, Family Saga, strong heroine, Finding love, Family Life Fiction, Mothers and Daughters Fiction, Friends fiction, Women's literary fiction, strong women face challenge, Oregon winery, Women's domestic life fiction, friends, country inn, hotel, vineyard, winery,