When terrorists attacked on September 11, 2001, Lieutenant Brian Murphy rescued seven people from the World Trade Center. Even as steel girders buckled and groaned, Brian rushed back up the stairs of the North Tower in search of those in need. He died a hero, one of more than four hundred police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who perished that fateful day. Three years later, Vietnam veteran and retired NYPD detective-sergeant Jimmy Murphy is on a mission to find the truth behind his son's death. Why was Brian in the tower that morning? Had he anticipated the attack? Suspecting a cover-up of a deeper truth, Jimmy must confront his family, friends, and old colleagues in the police department to discover what happened to Brian and who his eldest son really was. Murphy's investigation takes him from his home turf in the Irish American enclave of Rockaway Beach to Muslim Atlantic Avenue and beyond in order to find his own truth about 9/11. Dry-eyed and determined, Murphy battles barstool patriotism, the NYPD blue wall of silence, and a ticking clock—all the while haunted by his own secrets and the raw memory of his difficult relationship with his dead son. Written by author and musician Larry Kirwan, Rockaway Blue is a thrilling and poignant story of a family struggling to pull itself together after an unthinkable trauma.

The inspirational story of one woman learning to surf and creating a new life in gritty, eccentric Rockaway Beach Unmoored by a failed marriage and disconnected from her high-octane life in the city, Diane Cardwell finds herself staring at a small group of surfers coasting through mellow waves toward shore--and senses something shift. Rockawayis the riveting, joyful story of one woman's reinvention--beginning with Cardwell taking the A Train to Rockaway, a neglected spit of land dangling off New York City into the Atlantic Ocean. She finds a teacher, buys a tiny bungalow, and throws her not-overly-athletic self headlong into learning the inner workings and rhythms of waves and the muscle development and coordination needed to ride them. As Cardwell begins to find her balance in the water and out, superstorm Sandy hits, sending her into the maelstrom in search of safer ground. In the aftermath, the community comes together and rebuilds, rekindling its bacchanalian spirit as a historic surfing community, one with its own quirky codes and surf culture. And Cardwell's surfing takes off as she finds a true home among her fellow passionate longboarders at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club, living out "the most joyful path through life." Rockawayis a stirring story of inner salvation sought through a challenging physical pursuit--and of learning to accept the idea of a complete reset, no matter when in life it comes.

Let the music take you into another dimension as Blue Opera Rock introduces Jarod, a sensitive man of the arts. As Jarod is flying home to Barcelona, he hears some music and reflects back on his life, including life in London in the raucous 1980s. Although Jarod loves music and literature, he is also sensitive to social problems. He opposes exploitation of any kind and dreams of a future free from all forms of tyranny. Jarod envisions a world united for all people, no matter where they come from, as long as they are willing to build a socially just society. Driven by musical magic and narrated with stunning rock lyrics, Blue Opera Rock sings the praises of living a joyous life, while enjoying the fruits of peace and freedom, all to the beat of a world existing in perfect harmony. Political intrigue, philosophy, economics, history and social issues are set to a beat where rock music is truly the central character. Author Bob J. Zehmer was motivated to write this novel about rock and roll and its implications in social issues because democracies are frail and always at risk. He based many of the characters on acquaintances. Zehmer lives in Spain and Italy and has started on his next book. Publisher's website: http: //www.eloquentbooks.com/BlueOperaRock.htm