Rags-to-Riches Stories

An Australian schoolboy discovers he can move small objects with his mind. His family moves to Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA and he uses his special skill to 'win' money at casinos. His exceptional skills at winning bring him some unwanted attention from some people, including the Department of Homeland Security. He objects to their actions and soon a state of war exists between his family and the DHS (and the people behind them). The odds are heavily in favour of one side - but which side?

A story in the Philadelphia Stories Universe
A coming-of-age story. Danny, the son of a former porn actress, has to move in with his wealthy father's family. Suddenly a rich kid, Danny has trouble adjusting and leaving behind the stigma of being the illegitimate son of his notorious mother. Danny's rocks in the surf are his new half-sister and her girlfriend while his life is in constant turmoil due to relationships with his troubled classmate Helen and with social media darling Lucy. Adapted to the new posting rules, 2025-03-29.

A Rivers Region Story
A young man has a major change of lifestyle forced on him. He becomes a writer, and then something else again. First we read two of his stories about himself, then we follow him as he makes another change to his life and changes the lives of many others in the Rivers Region. In the process he unexpectedly meets his own destiny as well. Set in Australia.

A story in the Winds of Change Universe
Grant Maxwell is sent back to the Colonial period of America to try to thwart the actions of a Scottish professor who hates the United States. Unfortunately, too much damage may have already occurred and it may be up to Grant to try to salvage the Nation. Note - Slavery concerns life in Colonial America. - 119,900 words. / (Reviews)

A Story in the Life in the Suburbs Universe
16 y/o Hal Smith is a quiet, unassuming Australian teen boy with a bad knee and no dreams. Taught to help people, he does; without thinking before acting. In Year Ten in a new city and school, it's a year of living in interesting times as he's often in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the right thing. He'd once dreamt of being a world athlete and had the skills to make them true, but lost them helping a stranger; and delivered a Star Performance greater than most athletes can ever do.

Jacob Greene is given the gift of the Methuselah Complex by his Uncle. With it, when Jacob dies, he takes over the body of a different young man who just died, and who was born near the time Jacob reached puberty. Jacob learns things about the power of the Methuselah Complex that his Uncle hadn't figured out, things that makes his new life much more rewarding. Warning: Spanking and minor domination involved. / (Reviews)

WWBCE follows a fourteen‑year‑old kid who stumbles into the wild world of invention, hustling, and accidental entrepreneurship. Blending coming‑of‑age misadventures, off‑beat humor, and a rags‑to‑riches arc, the story traces how a curious teenager with more imagination than resources manages to build a future one bizarre idea at a time. It’s part nostalgia trip, part tall tale, and part tribute to every kid who ever believed they could change the world with duct tape, and determination.

A star high school football quarterback loses his father, his girlfriend and his career, all in the same explosion. Now, he goes back in time to get the ones who did this, as well as saving the United States from being destroyed. What he finds on his one way trip is 'home.' - 42,200 words. / (Reviews)

A Still Waters / Fair Winds Story
The sequel to Still Waters.

A Climbing the Ladder Story
Part of the A Well-Lived Life universe
'Climbing the Ladder' is the story of Jonathan Kane, a young man from rural Ohio, who begins a new life in Chicago in the mailroom of Spurgeon Capital. This is a story in the 'A Well-Lived Life' universe, and provides history and backstory for Spurgeon Capital, the Spurgeon family, the Glass family, the Lundgren family, Anala Subramani, Tom Quinn, and others from the 'A Well-Lived Life' series. The story stands on its own, and does not require reading any other stories in the universe.