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Fort Raphael in the News

FORT RAPHAEL IN THE NEWS!

Reflections of Valour by James Elsener

"Reflections of Valour" by James Elsener

A new novel from author James Elsener (self-publishing as Ledger Publishing, Inc.), Reflections of Valour is an American story of untested lovers from opposite backgrounds during the tumultuous early days of the Vietnam War.


Brenda Walker attends an exclusive east coast women's college and enjoys the trappings of her wealthy suburban environment. She begins seeing John Briggs, a young man from a modest midwestern working class family who has enlisted in the military.


The Marine Corps owns Briggs' loyalty. When he is called to war, Briggs is torn between a sense of duty and having to leave behind the woman he loves. His departure leaves many unanswered questions about their future. 


In Vietnam, Briggs emerges as a leader among the young troops trying to survive combat. The reader experiences the exhilaration, the boredom, the confusion, and the horrors of war. Eventually, the hunter becomes the hunted when Briggs' squad is ambushed. After a fierce firefight Briggs leaves the battlefield alive, but critically wounded. He faces slim odds to recover from wounds and exposure to Agent Orange. 


John Briggs' place of honor on "The Wall" is more than a name. Like 57,939 other names, it is a life story. Two decades after they said goodbye, Brenda finally learns why he was drawn to war and what happened to him afterward. Her life is changed forever by knowing him and loving him. 


Reflection of Valour is a novel of love, of peace, and of closure.


To pick up a copy for yourself, click here.

"Class Dismissed" by Mike Conklin

Journalist and author Mike Conklin (self-publishing as Write Stuff Publishing) presents a new novel of intrigue, murder and small-town machinations.


Every small, rural community has secrets, some harmless and embarrassing and others dark and ugly. No question what's hung over Harrison, a college town in southern Indiana.


The mysterious death of Marlene Scott, a precocious high school student, has gone unsolved for 50 years. Enter Phillip J. (Flip) Doyle and a course he teaches at Harrison College, a sleepy, staid academic fortress yet to discover the 21st century.


The school's ambitious, new president, Jonathan Casey, wants to change all this with new, barrier-breaking faculty like Flip and their curriculum proposals. First, Flip must tiptoe his way past tenure-obsessed colleagues, an entrenched dean, and arcane department meetings sure cures for insomnia. Through Flip's networking, the students got their work published in the local Hoosier-Record, helping to revive a struggling newspaper faculty considered a joke. And, looking back, it was inevitable the ambitious, young teacher and his merry band of bright students would run head-first into the Marlene Scott case.


Could they solve a 50-year old murder mystery? Did new technology open doors to a solution? Could the killer be found on Google?


Joining Flip and the students in this exercise was a helpful, young woman, Maria, an outsider who opened their eyes to a world under their noses. Little did they know her own story was as compelling as the one they chased.


For your copy of Class Dismissed, click here.

Class Dismissed by Mike Conklin
Inspired Manifesting: Elevate Your Energy & Ignite Your Dreams Through the Akashic Records by Dr. Linda Howe

"Inspired Manifesting: Elevate Your Energy & Ignite Your Dreams Through the Akashic Records" by Dr. Linda Howe

Dr. Linda Howe has helped tens of thousands all over the world learn to use the Akashic Records, bringing this ancient knowledge to a new generation of seekers. Here, self-publishing as Energy Integrity Publishing, Dr. Howe presents "Inspired Manifesting through the Akashic Records: Elevate Your Energy and Ignite Your Dreams," a compendium, formulated over her 25+ years of practice with students all over the world. Here she provides lessons, practices, exercises and reflections to help readers take a big breath, let go of what's holding them back, and feel empowered to take bigger, bolder steps into the future.


Ours is a kind and compassionate world that cares and wants to co-create with you to enrich your life so you feel fulfilled and can serve your greater purpose in the world. Here is a brand new paradigm, a new way of living in the world starting today: as you are, right here, right now, with what you have.


Dr. Howe is championing an entire transformation of your relationship with Life so you can enjoy exceptional, extraordinary relationships and feel empowered to live in the sweet spot where your perfectly divine essence meets your imperfect humanity. It is possible to enjoy heaven on earth-to encounter, experience and express our divine light and unconditional love through our ordinary human selves.


THIS is Inspired Manifesting.

"Under the L: A Chronicle of Growing up in the Near North Side of Chicago in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s" by Charles J. Martinez

Charles J. Martinez (self-publishing as Delta Publishing Company) has created "Under the L: Growing Up In The Near North Side Of Chicago," an oral history, turned into a chronicle, obtained by personal interviews with childhood friends.


As Dr. Martinez puts it: "This book is not a scientific social document. It is not a confession, nor does it try to achieve catharsis. This book was written out of awe. I hold my childhood in awe. Awe that so much of the human condition can flow from such meager beginnings. I have been in touch with all those I interviewed and many others from the old neighborhood for many years, and when we get together at parties, weddings and funerals, one comment that runs through our conversations is, 'How did we survive?'


"Behind this question is the realization that some did not survive; many brothers and friends fell by the wayside from drugs and crime."

Under the L: A Chronicle of Growing up in the Near North Side of Chicago in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s by Charles J. Martinez
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