The year is 1861, and in Charleston South Carolina, insurrection, and the Civil War begins. Captain Hunter's small fleet of ships is commandeered. His mission: Rendezvous with a British man of war to exchange gold for armament and munitions. Unfortunate circumstances prevail. The ship sinks and all is lost except the captain and three crewmembers. Marooned for three years, he is devastated by his loss upon his return, while his brother Richard squanders the family wealth. Fearful of reprisals, he returns to Little Abaco in the Bahamas. Years pass, hatred consumes the family over false...

Mr. Jefferson's Piano & Other Central Harlem Stories is an anthology that weaves together a rich tapestry of 68 short stories, agency memos, and letters of events that take place during the late seventies, eighties, and nineties as seen through Melba Farris' eyes. Melba writes notes about everything work-related, chronicling her journey into the field of property management as she tries to help her less fortunate brothers and sisters with their housing woes. She meets the oldest woman in Harlem in the title story Mr. Jefferson's Piano. 101-year-old Nora Jefferson and her kid sister, 96-year...