The Cadillac That Followed Me Home

The Cadillac V-16 was conceived in secrecy in the middle of the Roaring Twenties, when incomes were rising, prosperity seemed endless and the car business was beginning to break from a traditional emphasis on function over form. But by the time the Cadillac V-16 reached showrooms in 1930, the nation was falling headlong into the Great Depression, and it soon became a rare relic of the boom before the crash. That is why in the mid-1960s, when Christopher Cummings was an adolescent car enthusiast, the oldest Cadillac V-16s were a dream just out of reach. This memoir tells the story of a boy who grew up loving cars, learned everything he could about them, and acquired quite a few impressive models for himself, while always looking forward to the day he would, by surprising circumstance, find the automobile of his dreams. Early chapters reveal the adventure Cummings underwent renovating his first car at age 13. Over the course of his teenage years he would work to acquire three classic Cadillacs: a 1941 Cadillac Series 7523 seven-passenger touring sedan, a 1941 Cadillac Series 61 coupe, and a 1931 Cadillac Series 355A Fleetwood Cabriolet. Later chapters recount the painstaking effort he put into renovating and maintaining those coveted vehicles. The story culminates with Cummings' unexpected acquisition of the car that earned the motto "Standard of the World," the 1930 V-16 Imperial Sedan limousine. In all, this memoir bears witness to an elegant sample of the best that the Classic era of automotive history had to offer.

Joseph Goodwin desires a woman who despises him. After enduring one rejection after the other in his marital bed, Joseph decides to seek physical satisfaction in the arms of a woman who will do anything to please himas long as he shows her the money. When fate causes Joseph to change direction and head to a local club instead, he meets Crystal, a married billionaire who soon promises him a memorable romp in her bedroom. Joseph is practically drooling in anticipationuntil her bogus husband suddenly appears. In a matter of seconds, Joseph realizes he has just been caught, literally with his pants down, in the middle of a corrupt game of blackmail. Con man Brown is armed, dangerous, and hungry for cold hard cash. But Crystal has other ideas. She wants to own Joseph. After she pays off Brown to leave her new lover alone, Crystal sends Joseph on his way. But as Joseph returns home to his wife, he is about to discover that all is never as it seems, especially when lust rules the roost. In this suspenseful tale, one mans journey to seek satisfaction unwittingly leads him down a path lined with danger, blackmail, murder, and wealthy young women who want nothing more than to trade in their comfortable worlds for risk, thrills, and, naturally, pleasure.

William Hoffman is a master storyteller, and Follow Me Home reveals him at his inimitable best. In these eleven brilliantly observed, superbly crafted stories, he explores one of the most secret places of the human heart—the corner where we keep hidden the small and precious supply of whatever it is that lets us persist, and sometimes even triumph, in the face of life’s inescapable diminishments and losses. In Hoffman’s characters, the content of this inner reservoir varies greatly. For the hill farmer in “Abide with Me,” it is a form of direct grace granted to him in a near-death vision. For the disabled veteran in “Night Sport,” it is a bitter concoction of disillusionment and raw truth carried home from a distant war. For the quietly retired minister in “Sweet Armageddon,” unexpectedly given a glimpse of the life he long ago forsook, it is a prayerful wish for annihilation. On a less apocalyptic scale, in the haunting “Points,” a once-great horseman finds sustenance in a remembered world of elegance and courage—a world that, like his skills, is rapidly fading. In “Dancer,” a bereft and lonely woman retreats into the music of her youth, birds becoming quarter notes that fill the sky. In “Expiation,” a self-made executive after many years comes to terms with his own childhood, even though it means ending the lie on which his marriage is built. And in “Coals,” a maid and cook calls on her own reserves of spirit to bring her employer a renewal of life. Set in the small towns, cities, hills, and seascapes of Virginia—territory Hoffman knows as well as any writer ever has—the stories of Follow Me Home reveal to us men and women we know and care about, for in their struggles, win or lose, we recognize ourselves.

Senior year in high school should have been a blast for Mindy. Instead, she is assaulted by Harley, a dangerous and vengeful fellow student, and her life falls apart. Her single mother is in a mental facility and Mindy is almost broke. Fearing another attack by Harley, she flees from Long Island to Florida to her only known relative, a reluctant grandfather she has never met. She begins a brave new life but Harley finds her and continues to threaten her. Tired of running and hiding, Mindy decides to stand her ground and face him. Readers will cheer for Mindy who fights for a life she’s never had.

In 1930, Cadillac rolled out a line of new cars of unsurpassed elegance and craftsmanship that would launch the company into the top tier of luxury carmakers. While competitors produced models with eight or twelve-cylinder engines, Cadillac offered the smooth, powerful performance of a V-16. Over the next 11 years, each of the more than 4000 V-16s was as close to hand-made as a commercial auto manufacturer could come. Their drivers included statesmen, celebrities, businessmen and, sometimes, well-heeled ne'er-do-wells. Many of the cars survived wartime scrap drives, obsolescence, lack of replacement parts, neglect and the elements. This follow-up volume to Cadillac V-16s Lost and Found (2014) documents the individual stories of 67 more of these magnificent machines.

An antique blue Cadillac… What could it mean? What relevance could it have to this dystopian crime story? The sequel to Purple Kitty continues Serena's courageous story in Blue Cadillac. You will NOT enjoy this story unless you have read the first book, Purple Kitty. This series is not for everyone. As one 5 Star reviewer said, "Chilling as an ice bath! "When I reviewed the first book of the series, I said I wanted resolution. I found it in this book. Serena McKay has gone into hermit mode after the events of the other book, drinking and not allowing anyone inside her door. Her foster father Henry has finally had enough and goes to Serena's sixth-floor apartment and kept knocking for hours until she finally reacted and let him in. The two of them talked as they never had before. They talked about the erosion of rights for the illusion of safety. Serena asked the questions and Henry answered. The destruction of society, the ceding of rights without realizing it, the utter lack of privacy, all the things our current society is facing right now, and Henry had answers for Serena. By the next morning, they both had renewed purpose and were determined to catch the Cellophane Killer. This was every bit the resolution I needed. Thanks, Ms. Walker!" Serena McKay, P.I., lives in a post-apocalyptic time where the rich get richer and the poor become destitute. In August City, you are either rich or poor. Existence there is nightmarish and chilling for most of its residents. Fans of Jessica Jones and post-apocalyptic fiction will love Serena McKay's Crime Novels! Serena has suffered from devastating emotional and physical abuse – first as a child and then during her career with the Police Department. You'd think it would have made her bitter, but it didn't. Instead, it made her a little crazy in relatable ways and, despite that flaw and others, she continues to do her job with bravery. Serena McKay caught The Cellophane Killer in Purple Kitty, Book 1; however, she gets a freaky message that blows her mind. He's coming for you! It could have only come from one person. Did this notorious serial killer escape from the Supermax Prison? Is he really back? If he is back, can Serena finally put him away for good this time? Author warning: Emotional triggers of all kinds. Language. Alcohol and drug use. Physical and emotional abuse.

A Louisiana farmer is jailed for the murder, 30 years earlier, of a black civil rights leader. The farmer claims he is innocent and asks Dave Robicheaux, the sheriff's deputy, to help him prove it. Not easy, as it suits a lot of people to have the case closed.

In just a few short days, Dave's perfect life was shattered as his past caught up with him. Bizarre accidents and unknown people from both sides of the law were popping up one after another; claiming horrible things that he had done in the past. To further complicate things, Dave couldn't even remember about his dreadful past: His old profession as one of the world's top assassins. What's worse, he found out that the people surround him were not as trustworthy as he thought. As time was running out, things surround him started to fall apart, including the life-threatening danger, lurking to him and his wife. Having no other choice but to solely rely on his own instinct, Dave must quickly find out the truth about his past ... Before it's too late.This is the story that will reveal the power of Love and Forgiveness in the real world. The first book of three, this is Dave's journey in finding the truth he couldn't even remember ... and discovering something more.