Rory Brown grew up in care but found a home, friendship, and a much-needed sense of security working on the Double J ranch. As far as Rory is concerned, fellow cowboy, Zane Fox, is perfect. Zane is strong but gentle, kind, big, ruggedly handsome ... and straight. Rory works alongside Zane, eats alongside Zane, and when an ice storm causes a power outage, he sleeps alongside Zane ... for warmth. Inhibitions lowered after getting drunk on his twenty-first birthday, Rory Kisses Zane and confesses his feelings for the man. The next day, when Rory learns his father is dying, although estranged from the man, Rory feels obligated to see him one last time. Zane follows Rory to Kansas and confesses he has feelings for Rory, too. After learning his father has died, Rory and Zane set off for home in Zane's old truck. However, bad weather and a mechanical breakdown mean they have to hole up in a guesthouse. Rory doesn't mind, it gives him a chance to explore things with his hunky new boyfriend. And there's a lot of Zane to explore. Life on the ranch is little short of idyllic, Zane is everything and more Rory could want in a lover, protector, and friend. A tiny part of Rory knows he should brace himself for if/when the other shoe -- or cowboy boot -- drops. Rory is thrown when evidence of Zane's heterosexual past reveals itself, leaving him totally devastated. Are Zane's feet made of clay, or can he redeem himself and once again become Rory's rock?

2017 Edition Mark McAvoy explores the history of Cork rock music from the early days of legendary blues-rock guitarist Rory Gallagher in the 1960s through the Finbarr Donnelly-led punk era of the 1980s, to local indie legends The Frank And Walters and the irrepressible Sultans Of Ping. Cork Rock: From Rory Gallagher To The Sultans Of Ping explores the records, venues, personalities and culture that sprang up around rock music in Ireland's second city. Delving deep into the stories behind seminal Cork acts such as Taste, Five Go Down To The Sea? and Microdisney, this book traces the careers of many of the city's most popular and talented musicians. With exclusive photographs and interviews with leading performers, managers, DJs and promoters, Cork Rock: From Rory Gallagher To The Sultans Of Ping is essential reading for all true music fans. Mark McAvoy is a Cork-born journalist and author. He is a graduate of University College Cork and holds an MA in Public Relations from the Dublin Institute of Technology. A life-long music fan, Mark has written for the Evening Echo's 'Downtown' music and entertainment supplement for more than ten years and has contributed to a range of publications including Village, NME and Alternative Ulster. Reviews "It'll require a feat of the loaves and fishes variety to better Mark McAvoy's comprehensive take on Cork's substantial contribution to rock music history. Cork Rock: From Rory Gallagher To The Sultans Of Ping is packed with facts and provocative anecdotes that weave the music into the culture of Cork and the world beyond. You've loved the music, now read the book." Jackie Hayden - Hot Press "An excellent book" Brian Boyd - The Irish Times "There's a hefty early focus on Rory Gallagher who's given an almost biographical going over. If you're into Cork music - or just want to learn more about it - you could hardly ask for a more quirky, fact-filled and well-written guide." James Hendicott - State Magazine Cork Rock: From Rory Gallagher To The Sultans Of Ping was selected by Irish arts and culture website OMG Entertainment as one of their 'Best Eleven Books of 2009'. "A work of massive importance for Cork's cultural history and a hugely enjoyable read for anyone who has gigged, ligged or larked by the Lee." Des O'Driscoll - Irish Examiner Cork Rock: From Rory Gallagher To The Sultans Of Ping was awarded the accolade of Hot Press 'Music Book of The Fortnight'. "By the end of this colourful and deeply respectful book, a portrait of the city and the quirky talents it produces emerges, giving you a new found respect for the place and its distinctive inhabitants." Irish Voice (New York City) "Opens with an excellent monograph of the truly talented Rory Gallagher" Tom Widger - The Sunday Tribune "McAvoy vividly describes the growth and transformation of a music scene that both mirrored the trends of the time and produced a unique sound." Aliah O'Neill - Irish America Magazine "An insightful and well-written book. Highly recommended!" Ken Fallon - Cluas.com Finalist in the 2013 'Cork's Favourite Book' competition.

This book is about Rory the rock, having self-pride and a positive attitude about the changes in his life.

Do the Spirits Speak to You? BLURB Nineteen-year-old Rory Fisher is all but orphaned and alone in the world. Her only remaining loved one is her Yavapai grandfather, a once proud Indian, who is stricken with a diseased mind and confined to a nursing home in Twin Falls, Idaho. In a rare moment of clarity, the old Yavapai suddenly informs his granddaughter that the Spirits have spoken to him and the message is clear. She must leave immediately, on this very day, back to the land of his people in the red-walled canyons of Arizona. The true purpose of the journey remains a mystery as Rory embarks on her quest to a place called Vortex Canyon, located in the wilderness just north of Sedona. She travels with only the promise of her grandfather; the promise that his Spirits will guide and protect her. However, will the Spirits speak to Rory, a Caucasian girl adopted by an Indian family, and not of true Yavapai blood? Was the training her grandfather gave her as a child enough to reach out to the Spirit World in adulthood? Only Rory's Story will tell... EXCERPT “How is my little Sprout today?” the old man asked, rising from his chair by the window. He wore jeans, a bolo string tie made of turquoise, and a pale blue button-down western shirt. “I’m fine,” Rory replied. “Are you sure?” He spread his arms, beckoning to her. She went to him and gladly accepted his embrace. “I’ll be okay, Grandpa,” she assured him. While in his arms, her hands instinctively went to the long white pony tail that still hung halfway down his back. Her fingers caressed that mane of hair as they had done so often since she was a child. The old man gave her an extra squeeze before releasing her. Rory looked up into those dark, aged eyes. She saw the special gleam, that sparkle that said he had his mind about him today. Such days became fewer and farther between with each passing year. The skin on his face was dark, weathered and creviced by time, and still bore all the traits of his ancient Yavapai Indian ancestry. “You wouldn’t be lying to the old man, now would you?” he smiled. “No Grandpa,” she lied. “Please sit down, little Sprout.” He motioned for her to sit on the narrow bed. “I have something to tell you.” His voice had always charmed her. It was a deep, resonating sound, with the words delivered slowly and deliberately. As always, she obeyed him without question. She watched as the old man walked to the window and gazed out on the beautifully landscaped grounds of the Sunrise Home for the Elderly. So many hours she had spent with him, talking about her loves, her life, her troubles. And all he would do is sit in his chair and stare out that window, never saying a word. She wondered if the view looked different to him on days like today, when his mind wasn’t buggered with the disease. “Do you remember the story I told you about my father, and the quest he endured to save the lives of his family?” he asked, still facing the window, hands clasped behind his back. “I do, Grandpa. I remember it.” “It has been four generations since a quest of this importance has gripped our family. But the time has come again…and you, little Sprout, must bear the weight upon your shoulders. You must embark on the very same quest as my father. You alone must journey to Red Rocks. It shall be the only relief, for yourself and those who love you.” “What about Robert?” she asked. “He is of full blood and the next in line of descendents.” “Bah!” the old man flicked his hand as if to shoo away a fly. “Robert is nothing but a coyote in sheep’s wool; a disgrace to the family.” He turned from the window and kneeled before Rory. He took her hands in his. “You, my little Sprout, are a true Fisher, whether you believe it or not. I have taught you the importance of the sun, your faith, and your dreams. Have I not?” “You have, Grandpa.” The old man nodded, and smiled with pride. “Take that knowledge with you in your quest. Follow your dreams and the path that the Spirits lay before you. Trust in them, and trust in yourself. Look to them, and look into yourself. There you will find the answers…”

This picaresque novel owes much to Cervantes, Fielding, and Bellow, with a certain nod to Dostoevsky and Franzen. We meet the main character as a young successful adult and follow him into friendships and situations that are amusing, crushing, and even criminal. We follow his hilarious and fateful paths through multiple French trips, including a pig hunt in Perigord. Paris, Nice, Monaco, and Val d'Isere are richly explored. In Mexican trips, he is trapped in Mayan sexual rites, climbs Orizaba, and almost dies at sea in a Pacific storm. His formative life is recounted, including events which warp forever his relationship with women. His psychic state permits sex with Greek goddesses and to receive stunning predictions from Apollo. Finally, he is led to Hades by the goddess Juno, a lover, and tried by King Minos for the crimes of rape and murder. Persephone prosecutes and Pluto defends. A jury of prominent dead is selected. One witness, Hitler's ghost, describes the event that triggered his order to exterminate the Jews, offered in evidence by Pluto as a counterpoint in magnitude to Rory’s crimes. Rory denies guilt as the trial ends. Memory and imagination grow from the soil of the author’s brain and by definition are autochthonic. Could you say that the fiction that fiction is fiction is not fiction?

Rory Gallagher is a hero and icon of rock music. He inspired guitar players from The Edge to Johnny Marr, Slash to Gary Moore, Johnny Fean to Philip Donnelly, Declan Sinnott to Brian May. He toured incessantly and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Acknowledged as one of the world's leading guitarists, he collaborated with his boyhood hero Muddy Waters, and played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Albert King and Lonnie Donegan. In this compelling biography, contemporaries, fellow musicians, film maker Tony Palmer and Taste drummer John Wilson tell stories about Rory from his meteoric rise in the late 1960s with Taste to his remarkable solo career. This is a compelling testament to the musical life of a shy and retiring working-class hero, distinguished by his checked shirts and his astounding dexterity on acoustic and electric guitar – the guitarist and blues man who blazed a trail for others to follow.

She wanders along the beach, taking a break from work. Relaxing and enjoying the day. Her long dark hair moves in the gentle sea breezes. But there is evil afoot. Under the sea are creatures who have evil, ugly intent to harm others. They need a mermaid to help them in their ugly ways. This one is prettier than most mermaids. She would do quite nicely. But, making her help them is an entirely different matter. Rory, a jewelry designer, is now caught in the middle of a struggle she didn’t create. Captured by a Shark is a short story.