Based on a true story, Onesimus is the tale of a young, unhappy slave who lived during the first century Roman Empire. The world is a highly structured society of deities, slaves, masters, prostitutes, government corruption, soldiers—with little opportunity to move out of one’s role. But he has a plan to become free and make something of himself—until he is betrayed. His response leads him on a path of danger, deceit, and discovery until he comes into contact with a famous leader of a young new religion based on the Jewish faith. What he finds will test his will and his courage, and through it, Onesimus becomes part of one of the most charming stories in history. “…a fresh look at the Christian faith at its inception, through the eyes of a pagan slave… a fascinating story of love and betrayal, deception and revelation, and the search for integrity in a world of self-aggrandizement.” —John Sparks, Historical Fiction Review “McDowell’s depth of knowledge and research into the first-century Roman world and early Christianity made me feel like I’d gone back in time. The culture, the people, the food, and the beliefs were so engaging, I found myself arguing with the characters—many of whom are historical figures.” —Jane Elizabeth Thomas, author

Onesimus: A Novel of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Literature & Fiction

McDowell, Markus

Genre Fiction

Riversong Books

Colonel Jonathan: An American Story is an unusual work of historical fiction—more history than fiction. A deeply-researched story of a remarkable man and his remarkable family, who lived in remarkable times, and who left an impact that intertwines with the history of America and extends from the eastern ocean to the western one. It is a story worth rescuing from beneath grandma’s back porch, and gluing back together, and being read by everyone who has an even passing interest in America’s beginnings.

Colonel Jonathan: An American Story

Wilson, John Francis

Chaos rattles our arrogance, shakes loose the dust, breaks rigor mortis. In chaos, you find out who you are--what matters, what you fear, what you love...Here is a collection of nine short stories about chaos in multiple genres: historical, speculative, stream-of-consciousness, poetic, literary, and more. <ul> <li>Morty loves his job. Really loves it. Perhaps not so strange, except that he is an embalmer at a funeral home. What happens when someone loves their job so much they don't want to do anything else?</li> <li>Becky's husband is away on business, in the cold of a snowy winter, when her youngest of four girls develops diphtheria. In the late 1800s, what can a young mother do?</li> <li>What if everyone had a hat but you? And it really mattered?</li> <li>Poor Charlie. He really needs order in his life. He prides himself on schedule, structure, and sameness. So did his grandmother...and they found her dead in a house crawling with thousands of insects she had collected.</li> </ul> Included stories: "Three Days," "Turn and Face the Change," 'Three Hours and Thirteen Minutes," "Ringing," "Hats," "Preparation," "Ten More Days," "Behind the Bar," "What Does the River Say?"

The Sky Over Chaos: Short Stories by Markus McDowell

Contemporary

The Book of Revelations: A Collection of Short Stories

Fleming, Daragh

Humor & Satire

Sorcerer Christaan De Rein’s return to Liverpool does not go well, starting with the fact that his trusted apprentice, Higgins, dies on the way. Then again, Higgins dies a lot. Of course, Rein doesn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms after being banished for nine years, but a cryptic summons from The Musician herself cannot go unanswered. 
But when Rein arrives all is in chaos. People with fairy blood are turning up dead. The Forum Magicae is undone and the Curators sieged. 
And in another world altogether, where Earth is just a legend, a girl named Niena and a cursed lyre hold the key to saving both realms. Or destroying them.

The Melody of Three: (Evercharm Trilogy, Book 1)

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Reeves, S.D.

Fantasy

After an unexplainable incident at the Carnival of Games, Sara is forced to flee to the neighbouring region of Merrywater with her mother and seek shelter with an uncle and cousin she has never met before. Here, Sara learns of a secret kept hidden from her all her life, that her newfound family are amongst a select few people in the whole country who can use Magic.
Sara learns from her cousin, Shumuti, that Magic is an energy found in the natural environment, allowing nature to bloom and flourish. But take too much from the landscape, and the land begins to wilt and die, meaning that with the ability to use Magic there also comes the responsibility to protect this energy, to prevent exploitation of the natural world.
Following several attacks from an unknown enemy, Sara's uncle, Seaglen, establishes that Magic is being misused to the north. Wanting to help, but unable to wield Magic herself, Sara accompanies Shumuti and her friend, Aurielle, to investigate the situation. Warning them that there are people there who may wish to take advantage of their power, Seaglen advises them to undertake their task discretely.

Autumn (The Guardians of Magic)

Nash, Melissa

McDowell's third novel is set in the near future when biotechnology is stretching the limits of ethics and legality. Three people: a man, a woman, and a young child, are caught up in a heavily-funded project based on the theories of the brilliant geneticist, Vladimir Androvich, which involve gene-editing, bio-engineering, and selective breeding. While the geneticist is only interested in the benefits to humanity, bio-research firms, Big Pharm, militaries organizations, governments, and black marketeers see the project as a way to become fabulously wealthy and powerful. The subjects become suspicious that they are not being told everything about the Project. When the results are successful, their lives are torn apart as the various groups vie for the technology and the child. In the midst of kidnappings, payoffs, political intrigue, underground mayhem, and murder, the test subjects and project staff must wrestle with the ethical and legal dilemmas they have unleashed upon the world, decide what to do with the data and the lives that have been destroyed--and find a way to save the child.

Mortals As They Walk

Science Fiction

How would you describe life? If you bumped into God and it asked you to give an overview of what life on Earth was like, what would you do? You wouldn't tell it one long, drawn-out story. Not at all. You'd give it a mixed bag of quick stories to give it a good taste of what life is. Now imagine you'd been asked this question on a warm day. It was a fierce warm day, and you'd forgotten to drink water. You'd become delirious from the dehydration and now you had to explain to an alien what life on your planet was like. You might begin to drift in and out of reality on that particular day. You might describe events that could never, and would never happen. Those stories might look something like the ones in this book. If that day did somehow come about, and you did find yourself talking nonsense to an infinite being on a lovely summer's day, I'm sure you'd never again forget to keep yourself hydrated.

If You Are Reading This Then Drink Water

Based on the biblical Timothy, this book details the struggle of one man to reconcile the God of his people with the events of his life. For as long as he can remember, his mother and grandmother have told him the stories of God, but that God seems so far away in this pagan land. As Timothy learns to apply the stories of his faith, he begins to understand the nature of God. However, not everything turns out as he expects. Timothy finds himself wrapped in the middle of a plot that threatens to disrupt everything that he believes. Will his faith in God resist the trials ahead? More than just a biblical fiction, this book paints the grand narrative of God. On the surface, drawn in black and white, we find the story of a young man, Timothy, who finds faith. Within his story, revealed in vivid colors, is the story of the God who calls everyone to Him. This is the story of everything.

The Story of Everything

Schrock, Eric S.

Every resident of Jonestown has a secret. Matt Lowell has several. What really happened to his brother, TJ, at their grandparents' farm? Why has his sister stopped talking to him? And, where's Gene Hackman? Matt hasn't seen him in days. Also, Gene Hackman is a cat.

JONE$TOWN

McDermott, Robert

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