Uncharted

The world can be funny or terrifying depending on your outlook. Join our hero as he navigates the daily grind, experiencing life so you don't have to.

Hamster Stew and Other Stories

Hamster Stew is a diary-style comedy serial about the adventures of an Irish mom, Trish McTaggart, struggling with her teenage son, a scary ten year old daughter, and an out of control life which lurches from disaster to chaos. All she wants is a part-time job, more passion with her Scottish husband, and a hands-off mother-in-law but life, and her daughter, are conspiring against her dreams.

Perhaps the lessons her friend is giving her in "how to say no" will help?

No Vacancy

No Vacancy is a collection of humorous personal essays. Each essay is independent of each other, but together the collection weaves an autobiographical tapestry, at times sad, bizarre, and deeply personal. No skeleton in her closet is safe.

Lisa tackles subjects including grand conspiracies, generation gaps, memory loss, aging, nostalgia, modern technology, Corporate America, airline industry, affairs, addiction, unorthodox relationships, male species, and female anatomy, to name just a few.

Nit Roast & Other Stories

Nit Roast & Other Stories” is a first person, diary-style comedy serial about the adventures of an Irish mom.

Trish McTaggart's family life is a mess. Her diary holds her worries - an animal-obsessed daughter, a teen son drinking, an absent-minded husband, and a local parent who's out to get her. Building her new sewing business will be the easy part this year. This is a sequel to "Hamster Stew & Other Stories", also available on Channillo.com

There's a monster in my bed. Oh wait. It's a baby.

No self-respecting modern woman wants a baby, until you do and then you’re stuffed.

There’s a monster in my bed. Oh wait. It’s a baby is a series of satirical columns about surviving life with a baby and a boyfriend in a modern world that forgot it’s not 1950 something.

Briana takes on all things babies and boyfriend as she discovers motherhood is like riding a wild horse that’s out of control. Only the horse is not a horse, it’s a donkey. And it’s going backwards.

Written with a lot of sarcasm, a little humor and not enough coffee by a woman who wishes she was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Gulmohur Tales

East meets west in these tales of honor, intrigue and humor as the lives of everyday characters intersect only to become inextricably intertwined. The result is a tapestry celebrating one humanity.

1. Hooghly's Child
A young member of a growing Indian resistance finds himself and his toddler stalked by assassins in 1876 Calcutta as a Swedish couple seeks distraction from a sorrow that unites them.

2. The Appointment
It is 1987 and seven-year-old Niyaz has the chance to emigrate to America. The future holds endless possibilities.

3. Bus To Triplicane
John Perry and his local guide, Asif, take a bus ride in the Madras metropolis of South India. John runs into a spot of trouble.

4. A Mall Encounter
Vinod Belchada sees the killer of his parents in a shopping mall, or so he imagines.

5. Lunch On Lower Wacker
Little Zeenat makes a trip to the mosque downtown to join her Girl Scout troop in packing lunches for the homeless. She has a heart-warming experience as she gives away the last of the lunches.

6. The Wager
Young India is finding its voice in this little story set in 1904. William Mortimer makes a wager with his wife, but the Indian boys he engages to win his bet have a wager of their own.

7. A Change Of Heart
A suicide bomber in a Chicago cafe has a change of heart, but his plan is set in motion and his body is trained to execute. 

8. Living
Age and mental illness have taken their toll on a veteran, but he still recognizes love and service when he sees it.

9. The Sound Of Bangles
Matthew Lambton is robbed of his merchandise and left wounded on a dirt road in 1763 Agra, India. A sweet village girl takes him to her home where Lambton matches wits with the girl's grandmother and finds himself at a loss for words.

10. For Here Or To Go
A young and bright programmer experiences the stresses of American acculturation on his first day in the States.

The Librarian's Secret Diary

Nina is the new librarian on the block. She’s learning the shelves with her buzzword-spouting boss and the senior librarian who hates reading and can’t wait to retire. She records the crazy reader requests and the knitting group in-fighting in her secret diary while trying to get the printer to work, flirting with the inter-library-loan guy, and struggling to discover why their romance books are acquiring red pen marks on page five.

The Last First Date

Beth Mulligan is single and kinda, maybe, possibly, ready to mingle. The recently divorced English teacher is all set to spend her summer relaxing and repairing her broken heart, but her friends and family have other plans. Her best friend Jen sets her up on one awkward blind date after another. Her well-meaning brother tries to hook her up with some of his friends. Even her dad suggests she sign up for a dating app.

As Beth spends the summer meeting and going out with new guys, her dates don’t always go as planned. In fact, most of the dates are awkward, comical, and downright disappointing. Still, once Beth gets back into the dating game, she’s hopeful that the next guy is the right guy and that their first date… will be her last first date.

Spilled Gravy - Advice on Love, Life, & Acceptance from a Man Uniquely Unqualified to give it

A witty take on recovery, romance, and showbiz—from a gifted comedian and award-winning writer.

Lines in the Gravel

Lines in the Gravel is an engaging, often humorous, series of snapshots about Al Ainsworth's experiences growing up in rural Star, Mississippi. It is one story—told by a collection of stories—of family and faith that transcends his own experience to connect with others who seek to perpetuate their own values through the stories they tell…and re-tell.

Modern Magic: Book One

Modern Magic is a series of modern-day retellings of classic fairy tales. The first is Fashionista. 

For four generations, the House of Zangari has been a purveyor of luxury leather goods—shoes and purses and belts and boots. If her father had made a will, Allegra Zangari would have inherited the company and continued the family tradition. But Enzo Zangari had died intestate and her evil stepmother inherited the business and seems determined to run it into the ground.

Hugo Prince is the heir apparent of Prince’s, a global empire of upscale department stores based in Chicago. Hugo used to date Allegra’s stepsister Julia, a gold-digger of an upwardly mobile socialite. He was just a trophy for her, and their relationship soon fell apart. But not before he met Allegra.

Now, in the week after Christmas, Allegra and Hugo are about to meet again. With a little help from her ghostly great- grandmother, and the support of her friends, Allegra will save her family’s company and find her happy ending.

Set in Chicago, Fashioista is a sweet, clean, modern-day re-imagining of Cinderella set against the world of shoe design and high-end department stores.

The Modern Magic series will continue with Hunter's Kiss (Snow White), Hero's Kiss (Beauty and the Beast), and Rapunzel.

Note: The shoes and accessories described in this book are manufactured out of leather, including ostrich, crocodile, and pigskin. This reflects the current realities of the marketplace and not the author's own wardrobe. 

F**K YOU, CAMERA GUY!

F**KYCG is a comedy series about two couples who participate in a competitive reality show. They will have to live their everyday lives under the eyes of a camera guy who will do anything to make the show a lot more entertaining.

The Extra-Terrestrial Toilet

Larry and his alien buddy, Nittix, travel through the universe in a time-travelling bathroom going from one misadventure to the next.

But, what mysterious power had put these two unlikely travelers together, and what is the purpose of the tests they endure?

Written in the humorous style of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

There are currently 25 chapters in this series to date.

This series is COMPLETE.

Cover design by Melody Simmons.

Work In Progress

Abigail Nolan wants it all....by the time she is 30. 

Looking forward to celebrating her 29th Birthday, she arrives at work only to find a pink slip for a present.  If she thought things couldn't get any worse, they do when her fiance of 2 years breaks it off the same day.

Devastated, she has no other choice but to move back in with her parents. With nobody wanting to hire her or marry her, she finds herself back at square one. 

Cramped in her family home with no privacy and endless social media updates of her friends being promoted, getting married or having babies- it all finally gets to her. After a few self pity parties and a lot of wine, she decides enough is enough!

She begins a journal to boost her confidence. Soon she gets a new job at the local Quik Copy and agrees to go on her first date in years. Things are looking up!

What begins as a motivational vice, her journal entries quickly turn into the humorous antics of a newly single gal.

Follow Abigail's journey in her own words as she reinvents herself and learns that having it all may not be what life is really all about!

A Writer Looks at Fifty: Middle Aged Musings in a Millennial World

A Writer Looks at Fifty is one man’s attempt to navigate life in a world dominated by millennials, celebrities and everything digital.  Looking at life’s little quirks, oddities, and things that give us pause, this weekly series will explore the author’s desire to adapt to an ever changing world while trying to maintain his sense of calm and balance.

Buzz writes about subjects including but not limited to:  Books, Film, History, Popular Culture, Music, Cooking, Television, Bourbon, Education, Dining (fine and otherwise), Relationships, Pets, Employment, Travel, Shopping, Sports, Growing Up, Wine, Beer, Astrology, Aging, Transportation, Myths, Legends, People, Customer Service, Gaming, Hotels, Millennials and the odd observation or two about the Weather Channel.

Each essay will explore a different topic but usually adhering to the author’s general theme of “how did I get here and why am I drinking so much wine?”  Hopefully he’ll change some attitudes and maybe some latitudes and have fun all the way.

So come along for the ride and remember:  Life is all about the journey and not the destination.

Friday the Furteenth

Michael Myers. Jason Voorhees. Leatherface. Freddy Krueger. The pantheon of slashers is getting a new member: The Beaver. 

She's rabid, angry, and loose in an over-65 community. Who will live? Who will die? Come back next month to find out. 

The everyday stories of Baggy Body and her gang.

Most of us have had "that moment" when everything in our world seems to change. The axis of our life shifts. Sometimes it's temporary. Sometimes it's forever. But at "that moment" you don't know which it will be. Baggy's most recent such moment was when she discovered a mass in her stomach. A mass she named Lawrence. This is her journey from Lawrence's discovery, through treatment, recovery and beyond. Laugh along with her as she finds out about Lawrence and gets her life back on its correct axis.

Travel on a Different Plane

Let yourself go. Captivating, humorous, and delectable travel tales that will transport you to the next town or the far side of the world . . .

War On Christmas: Down The Chimney

Christmas is under attack, and John Trafalgar, the Santa Claus serving the United States, finds himself caught in the crossfire. He must fight his way from captivity and find his way back to the North Pole before December 25th while protecting the secrets of his adopted home.

Using the combat techniques he learned in special ops in Nam,  his wits, and help from the Saints of Nicholas, this is one Santa who’s not going down easy. With December 25 coming up fast, time is running out. The secret government organization on his trail will stop at nothing to keep him from saving Christmas.  John Trafalgar, aka Santa Claus, and Christmas are in real trouble. The War on Christmas is heating up and Santa is coming Down The Chimney!

Following in the tradition of  “First Blood", "The Destroyer” & “The Executioner” series, The War on Christmas series is full of action, adventure, and thrills for hard-scrabble fans of action.

Female Anonymous

Humorous short stories depicting female characters.

An Opera In Space

The year is 2157, and the crew of ASC Fermata has, like so many others following the destruction of Earth, taken to the stars in search of work. Follow this ragtag crew of singers and musicians (and a kitsune) on their quest to stage their original opera, The Y2K Chronicles, while repeatedly finding themselves in baffling, humorous situations among colorful worlds.

This series updates on Fridays. Be sure to drop by the Discussion page and share your thoughts and ideas!

P.S. Don't Be Stupid

The first time Bennett Dixon finds a letter offering unsolicited advice from her dead grandmother, she chalks it up to hormones.

The second time she vows to stop sleeping with people who aren’t her husband.

The third time Bennett begins to listen.

P.S. Don’t Be Stupid is a laugh out loud look at the ways we hide our imperfections from the world around us and how when we finally embrace ourselves, stupid choices and all,  we are capable of big, big magic.

Riding in the Car With Children and Other Travesties of Adulting.

As a father of four children ranging in ages from 12 years to 21 months, Christopher Stanley is....tired. Riding in the Car with Children and Other Travesties of Adulting is a collection of short stories detailing the awful, stressful - and humorous - trials and tribulations in which parents and caregivers find themselves at the end of each day as they tenuously cling to their last bits of sanity. 

Exasperating as these situations can be, these stories also convey a tender overarching message to enjoy these days while we can, as they will surely be gone in the blink of an eye. Sit back and enjoy one family's chaotic tale of life, love and despair. Welcome to adulting.