“
Peters is at his best when he’s examining his younger self with equal parts fondness, embarrassment, and honesty. Essays … are funny at first, then gradually reveal regret, compassion, or a changed perspective. That same self-scrutiny makes the musical memoir engaging … The short fiction broadens the collection’s emotional range … Peters’s directness and wry humor keep the book personable. He’s willing to be the fool, the wounded son, the difficult bandmate, and the frightened patient, which gives the collection warmth without sanding away its harsher edges."
~ Literary Titan
A KIRKUS REVIEWS' Best Indie Book of 2025
Deborah Deneaux is dying...
…but hospice volunteer Pauline Swanson won’t let DeeDee’s story die with her.
What drove DeeDee from her beloved 1960’s New Orleans Creole neighborhood to begin anew in turbulent 1970s San Francisco? What became of her brother after he joined the Black Panthers? How did she end up a single mother in Chicago and retire as a successful business owner?
And most of all—why is her relationship with her son, Raymond, so painfully broken?
As Pauline pieces together DeeDee’s remarkable life, she’s forced to confront her own. A recovering alcoholic haunted by childhood trauma, Pauline finds strength in DeeDee’s resilience—strength she’ll need when her own past resurfaces and she’s forced to face what has haunted her dreams.
A story of survival, endurance, and forgiveness.
More Books By James L. Peters
When a mysterious detour leads Jason Lahey to an ancient slot machine and a disturbing message, his perfect life begins to unravel. He will encounter a gruesome death, face internal demons and external threats, teeter on the edge of self-destruction and ultimately try to regain his balance.
A modern-day Arthurian tale unfolding around pizza, railroad history, labor unions and a garage band. Grady Barden is squeezed between the responsibility of family and his own desperation to find a greater purpose in his life. He will find guidance from his curmudgeonly friend Merle, and the alluring labor council secretary, Gwen, but ultimately, he will face his hardest challenges on his own.
Jack Cross has the power to end existence with a thought. To prevent triggering it irrationally, he has devised three rules to guide him, and he sinks into a stagnant life dictated by an inflexible routine. When Jack suffers a head injury, everything changes and he is forced to make the ultimate decision.
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