Catacombs and the Forbidden City begins when twelve year old twins Cage and Mia Fleener learn they are of a royal Mayan lineage, and are given their birthright: two orbs of great powers.  They are warned that the earth is in a precarious time, where the window of evil is opening, and they must collect a series of artifacts, dispersed throughout history to keep them safe, that will give the orbs their full power.  Once the orbs are completed, the twins will find they must choose to side either with the forces of good or evil.  An easy choice, you might think - but perhaps not so easy when the forces of evil can restore to them their recently dead mother, while the forces for good hold out no such rewards. 

Using one of the orbs, their father is taken back through time through a portal in a lava rock wall.  The Fleener twins choose to follow using the remaining orb. Arriving in 1403 AD in China, Cage and Mia soon find themselves prisoners in a gilded cage in the Forbidden City while their father travels north with the famous Chinese admiral Zheng He in search of a stone of power.   The twins, meanwhile, serve the Ming Emperor, a 14 year old named Jainwen, and his spoiled teenage Empress. While Cage proves himself a master at martial arts and is appointed one of the Emperor's protectors, Mia is consigned to wait on the Empress.

Trouble ensues when the Emperor's jealous adviser Qi Tan finds a map Cage has drawn of the Forbidden City, and Mia is discovered missing, along with the Empress. The Forbidden City is locked down, and Mia and the Empress are captured trying to re-enter the city after they have freed the Empress' teenage sister from slavery.

Up north, George Fleener finds a rock that matches a holographic image from the large orb given to his children. He unwittingly discovers its powers when he brings to life a stone Buddha.  Soon after, a message from the Emperor informs Zheng He the Fleener's are traitors and he is ordered to return immediately with George as a prisoner. On the journey back, George saves the Admiral's life during a storm and in return, Zheng He provides critical assistance to the Fleener family in the execution grounds of the Imperial Palace.

In this fictionalized account, the climax of the book occurs as the Fleener's are put on trial for their lives. They use the power of the orb and the stone George has found to bring statues to life to assist their escape.

Cage, Mia and their father go back into the tunnels where the twins inform their father they cannot go home.  They finally accept that they must continue on the journey outlined for them when they received the orbs of power, and close the door to evil.  But things will not be so simple . . .

My Book of Life Synopsis

It took death to give Rachel Hunter perspective on life.

My Book of Life begins as Rachel Hunter is pulled through the veil in to the afterlife by her grandfather. She is shown the book room, her own book of life and its role in the final judgment of her eternal state. When she learns progression to a happier state is impossible without addressing lingering emotions related to her life, her grandfather takes her through the veil to be an invisible observer to those with whom she interacted during her last day. As she witnesses a short story of someone's life, she sees flaws, or admirable character traits, sometimes both, building a perspective Rachel lacks as a judgmental outsider. Funny, sad, tragic, heartwarming, the stories give a snapshot of real life people facing daily challenges. As Rachel's perspective grows, adjusts, her own flaws revealed. When Rachel decides to return to life, knowing she will only remember passing through the veil and seeing her grandfather, Rachel learns lessons she hadn't before her near death experience. The climax of the book occurs when Rachel acts on a newborn faith to make a life-changing decision, hoping her choice is correct, that the future will be brighter, her life more fulfilled because of it. Joy isn't guaranteed for Rachel. Yet it is possible for a day, or for a lifetime, when the right choices are made. Just as it is with all of us.

Premise for My Book of Life

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12. 

It is said that our actions; even the intent of our hearts are captured in a book, which waits for us until the Day of Judgment. If we could see through the veil and read our own book of life, what would the pages tell us? Would the recap of today's events be remembered the same in six months, or a year? Why didn't the house sell, why was the job lost, why was the baby stillborn? Why are parents burdened with a handicapped child?

Without answers, near term hardships challenge our faith, test our patience, and push us to our knees to cry out, why me? Why now? It is often the case that only the passing of time is capable of unfolding the lessons behind the trials of life. A higher bid came in for the house six months later, paying for college tuition. The job loss opened doors to a new, more fulfilling vocation. A baby stillborn brought forth the opportunity and joy from an adoption. And a sister learns love and compassion in caring for her handicapped brother.

During the ongoing balance between living in the now, and having the perspective of tomorrow, we must overcome life's temporal character traits - cynicism, judgment, pride or arrogance - that bring us down. We must, instead, turn to forgiveness, compassion, and faith so we can enjoy the rewards from choices well made and experience a life full of joy.