Memoirist • Novelist • Humorist
“Humor is often found where it doesn’t belong, but is no less perfect than crying tears of happiness. I love to laugh, have a good cry and to be really scared, most usually at the wrong times. I hope my work takes you there.”
The Swing, A Muse’s Memoir About Keeping the Artist Alive
Love won. Art won. Illness Lost.
Available in paperback and kindle. Buy on Bookshop.org or Amazon.com
“Indeed, the book as a whole serves as an important call to readers to recognize the humanity of the chronically ill.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Charlie’s passion for his art makes this book stand out. His story has me wondering whether I’m using my time for something worthwhile. Despite expecting to die young, Charlie fought relentlessly to pursue his dream of creating art and never gave up.” —Reader’s Favorite
“Captivating. Charming. Brilliant.
While its focus is on the life and love of an artist, this memoir would be valuable to anyone witnessing their loved one battle for life.” —Independent Book Review
“…The narrative voice is irresistible and the author has this uncanny gift of pulling the reader in the first-person-narrative voice. The Swing: A Muse’s Memoir About Keeping the Artist Alive is a memoir of love, resilience, and the dedication of a woman as she watches her lover’s life ebb away while his art takes center stage- a work of sheer brilliance.” — The Book Commentary
Read more about The Swing or purchase it here.
The Secret Field
A heart-pounding race for home and treasure
Available in paperback and kindle. Buy on Bookshop.org or Amazon.com
Kari Bell is a hard core loner. Her debilitating panic attacks have her dependent on potions, salves and thunder shirts for humans. She is summoned to a childhood home to bury her father and conceal her mother’s bloody secret. After that trauma, she buys a rundown ranch house surrounded by pasture and woodland at the end of an isolated rural road. Her two corgis and a Siamese cat are her world. In a single nightly dog walk, her fragile state of calm is gutted.
Set in an historic gossipy town whose glory days are behind it, Kari Bell’s homestead is on land that was once part of a grand plantation. Reggie Raintree, the last Raintree Plantation heir, has returned on a mission to locate and excavate ancient gold hidden somewhere on his family’s remaining acreage. All maps, however, appear to point to Kari’s little plot. Raintree wants it back.
In search of a mate, he posts an ad on a foreign bride website with the headline, “Looking for Love and Treasure.” He includes photos of an intriguing gold coin, but it’s not just any coin. It’s a coin so rare collectors call it, The Lost Love Coin. If authentic, its value is incalculable. Raintree and his Russian bride will stop at nothing to force Kari out. They bribe local officials, unleash mad dogs and cats to stalk her, steal her beloved Corgi and take her to court.
Kari must shed her loner skin, sleep with a gun next to her serenity candle and fight for what feels like home for the first time in her life all while looking for the lost Love Coin. In this woman’s story with a suspenseful backbone the twists are only matched by the secrets they reveal.
Review from Manik Chaturmutha, Independent Book Review:
“The Secret Field is a captivating blend of emotions, legalities, history, myth, drama, and
thrilling events. Quite the all-around package if you ask me. I strongly recommend this
fascinating read to all mystery lovers!”
Review from D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review:
“….While The Secret Field is marketed as a mystery and thriller, to call it a genre read alone would be to do it a grave disservice. At every turn, the story asks questions of its readers about credibility, perseverance, and lifestyle values.
All the trappings of a fine thriller are there: Russians, mail-order brides, dog-killers, bribery, and court proceedings. The overlay of insights into manipulation, isolation, and the results of a determination to survive against all odds make The Secret Field highly recommended not just for thriller readers, but for libraries and book clubs seeking discussion material about love, home, and the real values in life pursuits.”
Review from Bertin Drizzler, The Book Commentary:
“…a spellbinding thriller with unforgettable characters … a page-turning narrative both unsettling and thoroughly captivating. …
The well-written setting and the author’s ability to bring life to the vividly described scenery only enhance the haunting character of this tale…a fresh literary voice that will surely grab the interest of readers.”
“Dennis offers her debut novel with a loud bang. Consider yourself warned! This novel is packed with suspense, action, emotion, tension, humor with so many twists and secrets you’ll be hard pressed to put it down once you start. It satisfyingly finishes with clarity and surprise – but – I am counting down the days to a sequel. After all, the Lost Love Coin is still out there somewhere! A wonderful summer read!”
“Dennis’ first novel had me laughing out loud while anxiously awaiting revenge and redemption for her protagonist, Kari, and her chosen family. It is a fast and highly rewarding read. The author’s ability to entertain with graphic language is exceptional. On the penultimate page, Kari internally characterizes Joe as her “bad ass sleuthing, dog-killing mentor and the explorer who guided her deep into the woods of her second-guessing, hive-covered, fear-filled self and then showed her a way out to trust and love”. With this, Dennis invites the reader to imagine many more intense, engaging chapters with these well-drawn characters!”
Read excerpts of The Secret Field or purchase it here.