John L. Sheppard

"It feels like if Vonnegut wrote Idiocracy." --Jon Konrath, author of Rumored to Exist In a bleak and fractured mid-21st century, the small, isolated town of Afebrile, Colorado, is the stage for a high-stakes battle of survival, love, and betrayal. America is teetering on the brink of collapse, and in this dystopian landscape, a few powerful men control everything. Hazel Hrotsvitha is one of their captives--indentured and enslaved to the ruthless Senator Charles Chase. A broligarch and the third wealthiest man in America, Chase's ambition stretches far beyond his fortune. At the heart of Chase's dark scheme is a mysterious warehouse on the outskirts of town and his sprawling, fortified ranch, where secrets, both personal and political, are buried deep. William Whewell, a mild-mannered yet determined young man, serves as the tale's narrator--his na ve, almost Candide-like outlook on life making him the perfect foil to the manipulative forces he faces. As Hazel's boyfriend, William becomes unwittingly caught up in a dangerous game, trying to piece together the truth behind the Senator's machinations and his own place in the world. In Fire Retardant Strong Man, the two lovers race against time to unravel the conspiracy that binds them to the merciless Senator. But in a world where truth is as fragile as hope itself, and where betrayal lurks in every shadow, they must fight not only for their lives but for the future of a nation under siege. Will they succeed in exposing the sinister plot, or will they become another casualty in Chase's ruthless climb to power? With relentless pacing, a morally bankrupt world, and a sharply drawn critique of wealth, power, and corruption, John L. Sheppard's Fire Retardant Strong Man is an unforgettable tale of resistance, courage, and the fragile bonds that hold us together in a world bent on tearing us apart.

Once upon a time in Cleveland... Phil Derleth, a former Army "combat cartoonist," comes home to Cleveland, Ohio after a messy divorce. Phil is brain-damaged from a war wound and there are holes in his memory. His father Larry, a stone mason living on disability, takes him in. Soon enough, Phil finds himself embroiled in all sorts of trouble, including dodging the Ohio Department of Transportation, blood-stealing tramps, the ghost of his dead mother and stray dogs who are more than they appear to be. One stray in particular will show Phil the way back to a life that he may have forgotten.

The O Thief is a novel about family, about disappointment, about growing up. It is about life itself.

Escape from Mondo Tiki Island is a fast-moving, good-humored adventure tale filled with oddball twists and turns, taking place at the dawn of the Cold War on a tiny island in the South Pacific. The book features bombastic bad guys, beautiful island girls and a bewildered hero - and a host of near-fatal encounters with cybernetic chimps, a submarine, mad scientists and an exploding volcano - all set in a delightfully demented exotic locale. Welcome to the untold story of Russ Russo, a Yank sea ROUGHNECK A LUNATIC has taken control of the raft... SEE WHO SURVIVES four days of SUN-SCORCHED TERROR Learn the revealing truth about the half-savage daughters of the CHICAGO OUTFIT See what happens when DESPERATE ISLAND MEN attempt to defile them Who can defeat the CASTAWAY NAZI and his JAPANESE HENCHMEN?Blood flows like wine in the SHIP OF THE DAMNED where mad French scientists unleash their LOVE-STARVED APES in an orgy of gore Forty-eight corpses... ONE HILL Meet the Navy's DEADLIEST frogmen who suckered a COMMIE PLATOON Who will survive the wrath of the VENGEFUL ISLAND GOD when he vents his rage in a riptide of LAVA-FILLED HATE that only death can assuage?