Böcker av Vincent James

"Beautiful Joy" was written for anyone (especially young adults) who experiences or has experienced bullying, anxiety and self-image issues. It is the fantasy story of a 16-year-old girl named Joy who tries to overcome body image issues, bullying, and low self-esteem with the help of imaginary animal friends from her childhood who suddenly revisit her after years of being out of her life. The book the combines gritty realism of the dark side of high school life with the format of a modern fairy tale. Joy discovers many truths about coping with teenage life and preparing for adulthood by revisiting the fantasy worlds she created as a child. The story alternates between fantasy and reality as Joy experiences the conflict between both worlds; leaving her to choose between one or the other to cope with her anxiety and depression related to school bullying and her life at home.

Emperor Tiberius rules a Rome where patrician life is reaching its luxurious zenith. But after the Emperor’s nephew is violently murdered in the streets, the aristocratic lifestyle immediately becomes hazardous. The relentless partying of the wealthy is suddenly interrupted. Someone is targeting the nobles of Rome. The casualties begin to mount, and the perpetrators seem impossible to catch. The gossips dub them “The Palatine Bandits” and a true crime wave begins.     Pontious Pilate, the Emperor’s watchdog and newly commissioned commander of Rome’s Urban Cohorts, is called in to put a stop to this continuing crime wave, and he immediately puts the city on lockdown. With the city boiling over with stress, and the Palatine Bandits remaining at large, Pilate wants appointed the new government post – Prefect of Judea – as a reward for ending the crime wave.     But Lucius Quinteros, the richest man in Rome, also wants the Judean post, and sets off on his own to solve the mystery. Using his own private resources – including a championship, gladiatorial team – to help him probe the crimes, Lucius embarks on his own investigation. Lucius also initiates his bid for the Judean post using his own brand of politicking.     Meanwhile, the slums of Rome are teaming with millions of lost souls. Life there is a struggle just to survive, and even the basest essentials are doled out sparingly and used as weapons of manipulation. Thrust into this world is Darius, a youthful innocent who was raised from birth in a brothel. When Darius meets Poppaea, stunningly beautiful ward of Lucius Quinteros, she tries to convince him that their way to happiness is love. But is Poppaea’s love aiming too high for a boy from the ghetto, or will his own pride be his stumbling block?    Meet these, and many more characters in this fast-paced, tightly woven tale of 1st century Rome.