The Day The Balloons Came Back

3rd grader Mumzy's special day is a celebration of unexpected fun and surprises.

3rd grader Mumzy's special day is a celebration of unexpected fun and surprises.

This sprawling, footnoted, comedic epic centers around Vonn Carp, who travels to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, for a funeral. He is returning disgraced and destitute, when, after a long and productive career in higher education, he was discovered to have falsified his academic credentials 20 years prior. Recently divorced and suddenly unemployable, he reluctantly agrees to join his father, Milt, in what he considers an iffy business venture—Dollarapalooza, a family-owned dollar store. For Milt the shop is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for old-fashioned mercantilism, a "general" store. The store falls on hard times when a massive, big box "Wow-Mart" opens across the street and after a nearly tragic armed robbery in his store, Milt disappears. To the surprise and chagrin of the Carp family, Vonn insists on re-opening Dollarapalooza. Along with the store's eccentric staff, Vonn fashions an alternative business model aiming to make a difference in people's lives "one dollar at a time." For just one dollar, Vonn will answer anybody's question on any topic, and the citizens of Columbus come to him seeking his opinions on subjects like love, celibacy, anthropology, metaphysics, the Internet, and the true meaning of value. Through his interactions with the store's staff and customers, he conceives a new way of life with a changed outlook and a restored sense of purpose.

“Don’t worry,” said Princess Leora’s father just before he left for the tournament. “If anything goes wrong, release a bunch of balloons from the castle tower. Wherever I am, I will see them and come home right away.” Now, something is wrong—very wrong. Princess Leora’s grumpy uncle, the Archduke, wants to be king, and the very first thing he does is pop every balloon in the kingdom. Princess Leora is afraid, but she doesn't give up. If she can find just one whole balloon, the kingdom will be saved!

"Set in the south of Mexico, this is the realistic, colorful story of one child's rough road into the modern world. Surviving in a big city is a tall order if you've never seen one before, and you're only about six years old and all alone. But survival is Utuyu's challenge when he comes out of The Mountains to the North, where the people don't even speak Spanish, and finds himself in the bustling city of Oaxaca. His adventures make a tale of determination, courage and resourcefulness as Utuyu learns to cope with feelings all children share."--Taken from rear cover

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.