Author Vincent Havelunds new epic work of fiction explores how Earths development has been intertwined with that of a distant planet called Orbsey. It all begins in the year 1 and races to its conclusion in the twenty-fourth century. As the people of Earth looked to the heavens in search of others, the people of Orbsey were doing more than just looking; they were planning. In this first book of the series, the adventure begins when two cultures, two peoples, two worlds meet at long last. Thanks to their mastery of fourth-dimensional travel, explorers from Orbsey reach Earthand neither planet will ever be the same. Humanity is still a young and developing race in the year 1. To the visitors, humanity is a barbaric and wild race. What must humanity think of their new guests? In rural China, a bright, ambitious young girl by the name of Sun Li I dreams of a life of fulfillment and even love. But when she begins to dream of a long lifeof 285 yearson a distant planet, she could never had imagined that what appeared to be a dream was actually memories of a real life lived on Orbsey. Sun Li is not alone. She is one of countless humans who would be integrated into Orbsien society over the centuries; while many chose to stay, some did return to Earth. This is their story and the first installment of The Star Series.

A Second Chance At Love Single mom Vickie Lawson is back in her Texas hometown, intent on making a better life for her children. But when her son's troubles lead childhood sweetheart Jake Torres to her door, she realizes her feelings for him never went away. Now a State Trooper, Jake vows not to be distracted by the beautiful woman who once held his heart. He's never revealed to her the secret that tore them apart. Jake fears if he does, she—and the whole town—will never forgive him. But if Vickie and Jake can untangle the past, they may have another chance at forever.

This book outlines the lives and achievements of one hundred entertainers and athletes, mostly Americans, who served their nations well, both in times of war and in times of peace. It spans the period from the Spanish American War, 1898, up to 2020, but concentrates most heavily on World War II. The book was initiated in response to an apparent difference noted between the reactions of entertainers and athletes to the events of September 11, 2001, and those following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It began as an effort to understand who those earlier people were, what they did, and why; to identify the one hundred who did the most during World War II; and to rank them in accordance with their achievements. This proved to be an impossible task since there was no way to identify the one hundred, and there was no common basis for comparison: some were truly heroic, some were wounded and some killed, while others simply served to the best of their abilities. The best that could be done was to categorize the men and women selected and subjectively rank them with their peers. Over time, this effort expanded to be more inclusive: touching lightly upon the Spanish American War, World War I, the Korean War, Vietnam, the war on terror, and upon more recent events. Some of those presented herein served before becoming famous, some after; some volunteered and some were drafted, while others served as civilians in their chosen fields. Two became presidents of the United States. Three won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Aside from their service, however, these were truly remarkable men and women whose stories deserve to be told if for no other reason than to give us a glimpse into the kinds of people who made the United States the greatest nation in the history of the world.

During the American Civil War, songs united and inspired people on both sides. The North had a well-established music publishing industry when the war broke out, but the South had no such industry. The importance of music as an expression of the South's beliefs was obvious; as one music publisher said, "The South must not only fight her own battles but sing her own songs and dance to music composed by her own children." Southern entrepreneurs quickly rose to the challenge. This reference book is distinguished by three major differences from previously published works. First, it lists sheet music that is no longer extant (and listed nowhere else). Second, it gives complete lyrics for all extant songs, a rich source for researchers. And third, a brief historical background has been provided for many of the songs. Each entry provides as much of the following as possible (staying faithful to the typography of each title page): the title as published, names of all lyricists, composers and publishers; dates of publication; cities of publication; and if applicable, the names of catalogs or magazines in which the song appeared. Music published in Southern cities under Federal occupation is excluded.

Gaylon Finklea Hecker and Marianne Odom began the interviews for this book in 1981 and devoted a professional lifetime to collecting the memories of accomplished Texans to determine what, if anything, about growing up in the Lone Star State prepared them for success. The resulting forty-seven oral history interviews begin with tales from the early 1900s, when Texas was an agrarian state, and continue through the growth of major cities and the country’s race to the moon. Interviewees recalled life in former slave colonies; on gigantic ranches, tiny farms, and sharecropper fields; and in one-horse towns and big-city neighborhoods, with relatable stories as diverse as the state’s geography. The oldest interviewees witnessed women earning the right to vote and weathered the Great Depression. Many remembered two world wars, while others recalled the Texas City explosion of 1947 and the tornado that devastated Waco in 1953. They witnessed the advent of television and the nightly news, which helped many come to terms with the assassination of a president that took place too close to home. Their absorbing reflections are stories of good and bad, hope and despair, poverty and wealth, depression and inspiration, which would have been different if lived anywhere but Texas.