O'Neal Books

Mr. O'neal did an exceptional jo of bringing his characters to life, with simple, straight forward descriptions. All to often, I observe complex literary expression which does nothing more than blanket a story in obscurity. Way to go!!!!

I loved this book, it caught my attention from the very first chapter. " A real page turner" I cant wait to read his next book, Good Job Brandon.

I WAS SURPRISED THAT I LIKED THIS BOOK SO WELL. VERY QUICKLY YOU ARE "PULLED" INTO THE CHARACTERS,AND SOON YOU ARE GOING THROUGH EVERYTHING WITH THEM, REALISTIC, YET, WITH A TYPE OF DIGNITY THAT IS ALL TOO OFTEN "NOT" ASSOCIATED WITH AN URBAN TYPE BOOK. REAL TRUE "STREET" SETTING, BUT WITHOUT ANY OF THE "STREET" TRASH, THAT WE SEE ALL TOO OFTEN ON THE NEWS.IT COVERS THE ELEMENTS OF LIFE THAT EVERY PERSON FROM ANYWHERE GOES THROUGH, GOOD JOB!!
I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT BOOK.

Denise captured my attention for good one third of the way through this book. That's the point when I was drawn in by her characters as well as the story that surrounded them. The main character(s) stay true to their personalities all the way to the end.
The story line builds and caught me off guard near the end. Just when I thought I had things figured out...I had forgotten a point or two that had been put right out there for me.
I sincerely enjoyed reading this book and I look to Denise to write more!

"On the Line" is the story of Cassius "Cash" Rivers, a fireman with the Chicago Fire Department. With several public relations problems, the firemen need a new union representative, the department needs to improve their image, and the mayor needs to make the citizens have faith in his administration. Of course others also want to run for offices and there is a fair amount of corruption within the ranks. Cash Rivers becomes the much-needed hero on the department but his problems are just starting. Moving up the political ladder from obscurity to being in the public eye he attracts his share of well wishers as well as those who would wish him ill or use him to serve their own purposes.

The book starts out as a rather slow read. It picks up steam around the middle and by the end it is hard to put down as you are drawn into the morass of plot twists and turns and wondering what will happen next. A recommended read that most readers would enjoy if they can persevere through the first third of the book. The reward of a good story justifies the perseverance.

Mix a troubled marriage, politics and racism and you've got a novel full of intrigue, romance, and suspense on your hands. Denise I. O'Neal weaves a wonderful web with the physical dangers of firefighting, the demands of a political position, and the terror of raw racism into a novel that is hard to put down.

Captain Cassius Rivers, a Chicago firefighter has become bored with his job and wants to run for the position of president of the powerful firefighters union. His wife, understandably nervous for his safety, is against the idea. She'd rather Cassius be content with where he is so they can get started on a family. Cassius sees the need for so much change and he knows he can't do as it a fire captain. He must be head of the union. Meanwhile, powerful people in city government are not happy to see a black man preparing to upset the status quo and so they take matters into their own hands. Cassius' marriage is breaking up and his life is threatened yet he can't quit now. He has to see this situation through to the end. Will it be worth the price he must pay?

ON THE LINE is a book that explores discord in marriage as well as American politics in a way that is both entertaining and informative.

Reviewed by alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

The book was entertaining but the story line was a little hard to follow. New facts seemed to show up willy-nilly. Normally these would add twists and turns to a story line, but in this case they confused me.

She has done it again! This book kept me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't put it down. It brought togeather the pioneers, and the Cheyene perspectives and did it with mysticism, romance, danger et al. A real winner.

THE CONCEPT OF TWO LOVERS ACTUALLY DREAMING THE OTHER BRINGS MY HEART TO THE FOREGROUND WHEN ENJOYING THIS POST-WAR BETWEEN THE STATES TALE, OF COURSE BASED (ALA THE WONDERFUL GEAR STYLE) ON ACTUAL HISTORICAL EVENTS.

BOTH THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND I ACTUALLY DREAMED OF THE OTHER FOR YEARS BEFORE WE FINALLY FOUND EACH OTHER. OUR READING OF THE BOOK(DONE OUTLOUD, TOGETHER, INSTEAD OF TV, ETC.) WAS OFTEN PUNCTUATED BY A DEEP LOOK INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES AND A RENEWAL OF HOPE THAT OTHERS MAY ALSO EXPERIENCE THE DEPTH OF CARING THAT WE SHARE. IT CERTAINLY REVEALS NOT ONLY AN AWARENESS, BUT LIKELY A PROFOUND CAPACITY IN THIS LOVELY AUTHOR FOR THE SAME TYPE OF EXPERIENCE.

WE READ THE BOOK TO GET A FLAVOR OF EACH MEMBER OF THE GEAR TEAM (KATHLEEN AND MICHAEL), HAVING READ, LEARNED FROM AND LOVED THEIR COMBINED WORKS IN MOST OF THE "PEOPLE OF..." SERIES. A WORTHY INDIVIDUAL COMPARISON AND PARALLEL CONCEPT IS FOUND IN MICHAEL GEAR'S WORK IN "THE MORNING RIVER" AND ITS SEQUEL "COYOTE SUMMER".

WE ARE NOW PROUD OWNERS OF AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE GEAR'S LATEST: "THE PEOPLE OF THE NIGHTLAND", WHICH MAY BE AVAILABLE AT "THE STORYTELLER" BOOKSTORE IN THERMOPOLIS, WYOMING. ASK FOR GILBERT.

I have already benefited from the information in lthis book !!

I expect to benefit over many years myself .....and for friends I have who should equally benefit.

Our interest is Genealogical Research....so you can understand our appreciation of this information all in one place.

Sincerely,

Lola Simmons

Tracing your Texas ancestry can be a major chore, especially with a common name like 'Smith' but Gifford White makes the process much easier. Using census, tax and land grant records, White provides useful documentation for people working on their family tree. Even if searching for your roots is not a major interest, it's still a useful reference for Texas History buffs.

EPICS OF A BLACK BEAUTY by Tahia O'Neal is a wonderfully written book of poetry that touches on many subjects including but not limited to joy, love, life and struggle. The book is divided into five parts: Family Portrait, Good Love, Bad Love and Such, Why'd You Make Me Mad, Life is Life and My World Unknown. Family Portrait focuses on O'Neal's childhood and her family. 'Remember When' is a poem that stands out and takes me back to my own childhood, I reminisced about eating lemon heads and boston baked beans. Another memorable poem is in Good Love, Bad Love and Such and is titled 'I Need A Man', it deals with someone who feels like they need a man to be happy. However the poem goes on to state that you don't need anyone to be fulfilled or happy, but instead create your own happiness within prior to meeting anyone else. 'Less of a Lady' is a poem that inspires and questions whether you are less of a lady due to the way you dress, wear your hair or act. Basically it's stating to accept her for who she is. This book is full of uplifting and encouraging poetry that is sure to inspire.

EPICS OF A BLACK BEAUTY is a positive book of poetry that is creatively written in an easy to understand format. Inside this book are poems for everyone regardless of race or age. A special added personal touch are pictures of O'Neal as a child by herself and with various family members, which enable us to feel a connection to her. A fresh new face in poetry, O'Neal is a voice to look out for.

Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

The author took me to different places with her creative style. She's a wonderful poet she doesn't hold anything back with her writing. She's this generation Maya Angelou. I believe that if you love poetry this is a must read and if you don't like poetry you would love it after reading this book

I used this book for planning a quick trip to Everglades, Miami and Key Largo. I found it to have a good mix of history, attactions and restaurant reviews. We ate at several places recommended by the book.

One thing that would make it much more useful would be to include a fold out map so that you can see more detail of a larger area. I found I had to keep flipping back and forth between maps in the book.

We have used the guide on every Florida trip we take. Living in Orlando, we pretty much know the ropes here in town. We, as a couple, visit other Florida towns (areas) at least twice per month searching for the perfect beach, event, restaurant or attraction. It is great to use the book to find quirkly places to eat and visit. It's been 100% accurate in it's estimations of quality and pricing. We make notes in ours if we find new spots. One day we'll send our comments to the authors!

When traveling to Savannah recently, we bought the Hidden Savannah book and were just as satified!

I cannot recommend a book any higher! No Chamber or tour guide has been able to top the info in this wonderful guide.

I enjoy this book very much. I will use it yearly for my students to watch caterpillars morph to butterflies. I do this project every year with my students. Also the author of the book is my first cousin. If you get any more of his books let me know. SFS

I enjoyed this simple, yet moving story of the transformation of a lonesome caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. The dark rich colors and shapes of the art work accompanying the story created a wonderful mood. Both parts are contained in one book. This allows easy reading to your loved ones.

Kate, the daughter of a famous artist, struggles with mixed feelings about her father. It is summer and Kate is forced to spend the summer with her parents while recovering from mononucleosis. With her father's constant presence, she is left to deal with emotions of anger and resentment over his fame and fortune.
The picture changes when a graduate student arrives to work with her father. Ian Jackson is attractive and attentive towards Kate. She falls head over heels in love. Through Ian, she tries to better understand her father. Ian helps to present her with a different picture of her father. Slowly, Kate's perception and attitude change.
Kate, through Ian, realizes that she has her father's talent for painting and begins to do some beautiful landscapes. She also has an assignment to do on a famous play called, The Tempest. This play holds many similarities to her own relationship with her father and helps her improve it.
In the end, things are much different than when they started. Kate's relationship is improving along with her talent for painting. She feels beautiful inside and out.
I enjoyed this book very much since it showed the changes that a father-daughter relationship can make for the better. Anyone who wishes to improve their relationship with their dad should enjoy this book.

Known as a writer of children's literature, Zibby Oneal's trilogy of "young adult" books, beginning with "The Language of Goldfish", continuing through "A Formal Feeling" and culminating with "In Summer Light", presents a gentle, compassionate and totally enjoyable view of young teens feeling the first pangs of adulthood; trying to cope with all the confusion and heartache associated with "growing up". "In Summer Light" takes the plight of a young teenaged girl, spending her summer vacation at her parent's summer island home, sick with mononucleosis, trying to understand her often distant, artist father. Complicating matters, is the budding romantic feelings she has for the college student intern who has arrived to assist her father in cataloging his painting collection. Zibby Oneal tells the story in concise form, using the briefest of pharsing and style to convey the hazy, shimmering imagary of a New England island during a hot, summer season. Beautifully told, this is an execellent book I know young, teenaged readers will thoroughly enjoy. Adults, too, will especially appreciate the clear imagery and literary form that has become a hallmark of Zibby Oneal's style. Not to be missed!

This book approaches the nativity story from a different angle. Rather than telling the story chronologically, author Debbie Trafton O'Neal coordinates the players in alphabetical order. While children learn their ABCs, they'll also learn about Jesus' birth -- all through rhyming verse and vibrant illustrations.

Each page features a letter of the alphabet, displayed largely in upper and lowercase. A short sentence tells of one character or aspect of the first Christmas and highlights the word that begins with the featured letter. For example: "M is for Mary, who followed God's plan. N for the newborn, God's Son born of man."

Jan Bryan-Hunt does a fabulous job as illustrator. Her whimsical artwork fills the pages with brilliant colors, sure to please children and parents.

What I Like: Everything! My kids have heard the Christmas story so many times, it's nice to have a book with a different approach to the story. They're all about learning the alphabet, too, so this is a favorite for me and them! The author did a wonderful job finding good words for every letter of the alphabet. Z and X are always troublemakers, but she even served them well by offering "ZZZs from the baby asleep in the hay" and "X is for exalting, praise lifted on high." Not perfect, but I can't think of anything better! The illustrations are great. They're so fun and colorful; quite unique.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

SPECIAL NOTE: The age range is listed as 4-8, but I think younger kids will enjoy it too. My 2 year old loves it!

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

A is for Angel by Debbie Trafton O'Neal is a delightful story and activity book that children will be enchanted with and read over and over. Through rhyme and the alphabet, the author tells the story of Christ's birth. It begins with A is for Angel and ends with ZZZs from the baby, asleep in the hay.

Bryan-Hunt's illustrations are bright, colorful and reflect the joyousness of the Christmas story. Children will be attracted as much to the pictures as they are the whimsical alphabet rhymes. At the back of the book are four simple, yet enjoyable activities for children and parents to work on together for their own use or for gifts for special people in their lives.

Armchair Interviews says: A is for Angel is a great way for parents and children to spend time together reading about the birth of Jesus and to make memories through the activities

This is a very cute story with a great message. We got this book for our daughter when she was 5 or 6 years old. She is now 8 years old and still loves it. This year, on her 8th birthday she is giving it to her 2nd grade class so that they will have it in their classroom. The interactive shoelaces weaved throughout the story are the hit of the book.

This book was absolutely cute! I loved the way how the shoe laces were incorporated throughout the entire book. I can't wait to read it to my son...he'll adore it.