1230 North Garfield

Noreen Mayr suffers through her marriage for 4,745 days—nearly thirteen years—before she finds the courage to change her life. At that point, one terrifying night, she packs her children into the old Plymouth and slips away into the night. As she leaves the house she shared with her husband, she knows she is saving more than the children’s lives; she is saving their futures, too. As the victims of cruel and unending psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her husband, Ray Mayr, she and her children have endured more than they could bear. Curious as to how one man could be so angry, she looks into his own childhood. There, she discovers a frightening truth, but no solutions to help spare her own children. Escape is the only answer, and Noreen knows she must take any chance that fate has presented her. As she drives into the night, embarking on an unknown but necessary journey to freedom and safety, she has no idea of the challenges she and her children will face. This is their story, one of sadness, fear, sorrow-and an escape to a successful, safe, and sane future, filled with hope. Noreen’s future comes to a screeching halt when she encounters a stranger.

The Los Angeles area feels almost alive with movie history. It is impossible to walk down any neighborhood block that didn’t play host to movie history on some level. From Chaplin walking Hollywood sidewalks in 1915 to the Three Stooges running down Culver City streets in 1930 to westerns filmed in the Valley in the 1950’s, the area has been the background for thousands of films and home to millions of movie people. Historical documents, census records, movie studio and institutional archives, and personal writings have all been scoured in order to compile the most exhaustive and complete Hollywood address listing ever compiled.

Cory Horton is a passionate young swim coach when he decides he is ready to go after what he wants: his own elite swim team. With the chance to coach a second Olympic hopeful, Horton is ready to roll the dice, even if it means he has to live like a pauper for the rest of his life. But first, he must find his new team--Memphis Thunder--a pool. After he secures a practice pool, Horton immerses himself in recruiting talented athletes for his team, including a rising star he hopes to send to the Olympics. While keeping his vision quiet and guarded, Horton continues to pursue his dream, despite encountering many obstacles that include disrupted practices, frustrated parents, swimmers’ nerves, and financial challenges. Through it all, Horton makes personal sacrifices that test his character, drive, and passion and coaches two swimmers to achieve lofty goals. But when everything changes on a narrow road, Horton is led to give the greatest gifts of his life, ultimately creating a legacy he never could have imagined in his wildest dreams. In this novel based on a true story, the determined and passionate coach of an elite swim team must overcome challenges to realize his dream of sending a swimmer to the Olympics.

Circus of Angels is the story of a young man's poor choices. In his search for a better life, many lives are taken while others are forever changed.