What Inspired The Author Of The Lustrum Book?

YEARNERS delivers addictive short stories filled with building tension and passionate moments. Each tale is a complete journey spread over 7 to 10 chapters. You’ll find slow teasing that leads to overwhelming encounters, touches turning into strong claims, and characters who lose themselves completely in the wrong person. Expect deep emotional games, secret conflicts, and characters who give in to what they know is wrong. Open the book… if you dare to surrender.

The tale of a widow's harrowing journey through grief and peril into the cold remnants of a dead world. Damon Sharpe had in part found victory, he believed, in his battle to unearth a truth obscured by time. By autumn, he was dead, leaving to his wife Anne a house of unfulfilled wishes, remnants, and the key to the enigma of his obsession, the Mourner’s Cradle. A journey through grief and peril delivers Anne Sharpe from her home in St. Charles to the faraway skeletons of a long-dead civilization where she will find the desperate answers she seeks…or die trying. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

"Shards in Eternity" is a story of passionate and profound love that transcends familial and friendship bonds. At the core of this emotional saga is an intense relationship between two individuals, a love that manifests in various aspects of their lives, be it as partners, family members, or friends. As their love reaches its peak, an unexpected tragedy strikes, jeopardizing the foundations of these relationships. Life confronts them with an unimaginable tragedy as one of the key figures in this deep love faces an inevitable death. This narrative explores how love can flourish in the darkest moments and how the bonds that unite these characters prove stronger than ever in the face of adversity. "Shards in Eternity" is an emotional journey that examines the resilience of love and how it can illuminate even the darkest moments of our lives.

In the heart of New York City, where power is traded like gold and ambition can break you, Lily James is caught between two worlds. By day, she’s the epitome of grace, a picture-perfect heiress to the sprawling James family airline empire, bound by a legacy that stifles her every move. By night, under the cover of darkness, she sheds her delicate persona, becoming a fierce and untamed spirit—a woman who longs to break free from the chains of her family’s expectations. Her carefully curated life shatters when she is thrust into an arranged marriage with Vandaulf Claude Carlston, the cold, calculating CEO of Carlston Architectural Firm and ruthless heir to the rival Carlston real estate dynasty. To him, their union is nothing more than a business transaction, a means to strengthen their family empires. He dismisses Lily as fragile and unworthy of respect. But Lily isn't the meek woman he believes her to be—beneath her exterior burns an undeniable fire. At a Halloween party, fate intervenes. Lily, shedding her refined persona for the night, crosses paths with Vandaulf in the form of a bold, liberated woman he cannot resist. Neither knows the true identity of the other, and a night of passionate recklessness ensues. The consequences are shattering—Lily is pregnant. When she reveals the truth, Vandaulf’s response is cruel and devastating. He denies any involvement, accusing her of manipulation and deceit. His cold rejection cuts deeper than she could have imagined, leaving her shattered but resolute. In this world of power, deceit, and dangerous alliances, Lily and Vandaulf must decide: will they allow their differences to tear them apart, or risk everything to uncover the truth? The ultimate question remains: will Vandaulf ever acknowledge Lily's pregnancy as his own, or will their fragile truce crumble forever?

“We…shouldn’t be doing this,” Stacey moaned as she felt Noah’s lips kiss the side of her neck. “Tell me to stop, and I will,” he whispered. “I’m twelve years older than you; what would the world say?” “I don’t care what the damn world says. The only thing I care about is the woman in front of me.” He kissed her on that same sensitive spot on her neck. “So I say again, Professor, tell me to stop and I will.” ****** 32-year-old Stacey Smith's life comes crashing down when she discovers her husband's betrayal. Seeking comfort, her best friend drags her to a club where she ends up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Stacey is shocked to realize the guy she slept with is one of her students, the popular star basketball player of her school, 20-year-old Noah Baker. What happens when an unlikely romance blooms between the two? In an era of scrutiny and criticism, how would they handle the world's reaction to their unusual love? And with Noah’s future hanging on the line, her ex-husband and a new love interest her age after Stacey, would they be able to overcome all the challenges they face, or would they cave in and walk different paths?

During a family gathering, my daughter drove her rideable toy car straight into me and shattered my leg because she wanted to stand up for her live-in manny, Wilson Smith. As I lay on the ground in agony, she glared at me and said, "You're not my dad! Wilson takes care of me. He's kind to me. Mom and I both like him!" From where I had fallen, I looked up and saw Wilson standing at the center of the crowd, surrounded by smiles and admiration. At that moment, a bitter realization settled over me. I mattered less than a manny to my own family. I soon filed for divorce. Then, I signed up for a community revitalization initiative and spent the next twenty years helping struggling communities build better lives. My family did not need me, but somewhere else in the world, there were people who did.