WINNER! The BookFest 2024: Fiction - Christian - Historical
WINNER! 2024 American Book Fest Best Book Awards: Fiction Novelette.
FINALIST! 2024 American Book Fest Best Book Awards: Religious Fiction.

During the height of World War 2, a young German soldier on the Russian front is unexpectedly killed moments after committing a heinous and unforgivable crime. After his soul is hurled through the aether, he finds himself surrounded by blinding light and standing before God to explain his actions and face judgement.

In this powerful WW2 religious historical fiction, instead of condemning the young man’s soul, God mysteriously sends him back to earth to relive the moment until he can change the outcome and come to understand the nature of truth and evil.

This challenging World War II short story follows the young soldier’s harrowing journey as he faces off against the father of all lies and confronts the worst and best of humanity, both outside and inside of himself, as he learns first-hand our capacity to commit unspeakable evil and our potential to embody the divine courage needed to combat that evil and restore balance in the world.

As God slowly rebuilds the young man’s soul through his excruciating journey across several iterations of a living hell, the young soldier becomes greater than just a man, and his tribulations help change the entire course of history as we know it.

Please check out the amazing reader reviews below to learn more about this potent 90-minute Christian World War II historical fiction book.

The Flower from the Garbage follows the journey of a newly wedded couple, Joe and Audrey Palmer, when they miscarry their baby and begin to disconnect from each other. While Audrey goes within and isolates, Joe continues to work more hours and make poor decisions, risking his marriage and future.

Their marriage is saved when Joe discovers an unlikely friend and mentor in the form of a homeless philosopher who chose a life on the streets of Chicago after losing his own wife to cancer.

Although Frank, the homeless philosopher, advises Joe on how to work through this specific tragedy, he goes on to teach him many important lessons about what it means to be a good man, a husband, a father, and more. This story shows the world through Joe's eyes as we not only witness his personal struggles and growth, but also as he builds a beautiful friendship and learns Frank's story of how he came to live on the streets and exist to serve others.

The Flower from the Garbage is a philosophical fiction, not only about the struggles of modern America but also about the timeless truths of the human condition and our pursuit of meaning. This uniquely crafted story leaves no stone unturned and confronts many of the most difficult and uncomfortable topics imaginable, invoking a range of emotions but ultimately leaving you with the taste of hope.

After a failed petition to change his career, Bill, the local pottery maker and town drunk, is coerced by his neighbors and king to join an expedition to hunt down and slay a mighty dragon that plagues their village.
In this dark comedy novelette from 13 Acorns- Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults, will Bill try to evade his duty and hide in his cave? Will he be thrown into a pit full of spiders for refusing to fight? If he bravely agrees to go, will his neighbors finally remember his name?
Find out if old Bill will muster the courage to fight and miraculously and unexpectedly overcome the great beast (despite being half drunk with a rusty sword), or if he will die trying!

Genre: Comedy, dark comedy, satire.
Size: 14,000 words.
Parent work: 13 Acorns- Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults.

In August of 2017, after his grandfather’s funeral, James Roslyn unexpectedly finds a peculiar and decades-old note that was written by his grandfather and hidden between the pages of a book. Inside of the note, James’s grandfather (Hugh Casey) describes a mysterious village upon an Ojibwe reservation concealed deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Casey details how he discovered the village by accident in his youth and was invited to spend several days with the tribe. Over the course of those few days, the village—with its people, landscape, and culture—impacted his beliefs and the course of his life forever.
However, after reading the note, James is acutely aware that his grandfather never returned to the village—despite always meaning to and even asking James to drive him there several months before his passing.
James, being in the midst of several personal struggles and wrestling with his own regrets, becomes determined to find the elusive village and travel there to honor his grandfather, say goodbye, and rectify his own perceived mistakes.
James enlists the help of his older brother, Alan Roslyn, and the pair pack their car full of fishing and camping gear before traveling north in search of the reservation. When they arrive at the hidden town known as Aanakwad, they camp in the woods along the river and plan to stay for seven days.
However, the two brothers come to discover that everything in front of them is much more than it seems.
The Mighty Esox is told from James’s perspective as he details the profound week that he spent in Aanakwad five years earlier—where he rediscovered love, was challenged to reconsider everything he thought he knew, developed a fiery obsession with catching a state-record-sized fish, and unexpectedly found himself as an essential character within a supernatural mystery that he was unable to see as it was unfolding.

The Blueberry Daughter is a fictional Ojibwe legend from the supernatural mystery novel “The Mighty Esox.”

In this inspirational Native American fable, G. Edward Martin details the legend of Miin-Nindaanis (The Blueberry Daughter) and her older sister, Ananish—two beautiful sisters with supernatural abilities and how they use their gifts for entirely different ends.

While Mina (Miin-Nindaanis) dedicates her life to protecting her tribe—healing the sick, learning the art of medicine from the forest’s whisper, and hearing premonitions and warnings from the invisible realms—her sister, Ananish, uses her abilities to manipulate those around her and take as she pleases, believing that all things she desires are her birthright and the natural order.

Although Ananish quietly harbors hatred for her younger sister, she tolerates her existence until Mina’s beauty surpasses that of Ananish, and Ananish falls in love with a gifted young man, Nimbogi, who begins to stand out from his peers. When Ananish discovers that Nimbogi is the only man who cannot be manipulated by her powers, and that he is madly in love with Mina, Ananish devises a wicked plot to rid herself of Mina once and for all.

This powerful, spiritual Native American folklore short story comes to a dramatic heading with true love, true hate and betray, loss and grief, faith and difficult choices, forgiveness, and divine grace, all leading to the village packing up their lives and walking hundreds of miles in search of a new home.

This is the story of Mina, Ananish, and Nimbogi, and how all three achieved immortality, but for two dramatically different reasons.

A crew of experienced astronauts nearing the completion of a 20-year mission in space discover that their ship is being followed by an unknown craft on their way back to earth. In this science fiction novelette, the crew debates an impossible decision on whether to lead the craft back to earth and risk all of humanity, or veer off into space to protect the earth but ensure their own demise.

Short story/novelette
13,000 words
Science fiction
From 13 Acorns- Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

“A set of engaging, succinct morality tales centered on inner change rather than the superficial.”- Kirkus Reviews

13 Acorns is the debut work of up-and-coming American author G. Edward Martin.It is composed of twelve original short stories written in multiple genres beneath the umbrella of philosophical fiction. Each unique story addresses one central idea or moral question, with each story being akin to a single acorn—something small or simple with the potential to grow enormous.

1. The False Treeing Hound- Daniel, a lost young man, abandons everything and sets out on a road-trip headed west. After his car breaks down, he unexpectedly meets a friend and mentor who changes the course of his life.
2. The Grave Robber Sitting Across from Me- a young woman travels to Florida after losing her mother and discovers that her uncle and his girlfriend have stolen from the deceased. However, the young woman is forced to bite her tongue and pretend as if she does not notice.
3. The Return Flight- a crew of astronauts nearing the completion of a 20-year mission in space discover that their ship is being followed on their way back to earth in this science fiction novelette.
4. The Charleston Market- Mike, a small business owner and vendor at the Charleston market, wrestles with his own self-worth and the order of society as he tries to rebound from the discouragement of several failed plans.
5. My Old Street- On a trip to visit his parents and siblings, Joe discovers a stash of drugs hidden in his younger brother’s room. He is forced to make a hard decision and hope that he chose correctly.
6. The Nobody Who Fought a Dragon- Bill, the local potter and town drunk, is forced by his neighbors to battle a dragon that plagues their town in this comedy novelette.
7. Benjamin: The AI Government- After inventing a computer program that could come to replace politicians and governments, two friends secretly discuss the full implications of such technology in this science fiction short story.
8. The Values of a Dying Man- When Phillip finds himself falling ill and losing strength, he must decide how to spend his last week on earth and what he truly values.
9. The Unstoppable Train- John Ross visits a nursing home as he attempts to interview a former intelligence operative and persuade him to finally divulge the secrets of one of America’s largest unanswered conspiracies.
10. The Demise of the Great Village- In this philosophical allegory, the narrator explains the story of his home—why it was built, how it rose to greatness, and how it was dismantled from within by malignant forces.
11. The Man Who Held Court- “The path to enlightenment and the remedy for anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.” A philosophical fiction.
12. The Bridge of Working Truth- A son is finally invited to join his father in working to complete the ancient bridge that extends from earth to paradise in this philosophical allegory about the history and progress of humanity.

In August of 2017, after his grandfather’s funeral, James Roslyn unexpectedly finds a peculiar and decades-old note that was written by his grandfather and hidden between the pages of a book. Inside of the note, James’s grandfather (Hugh Casey) describes a mysterious village upon an Ojibwe reservation concealed deep in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Casey details how he discovered the village by accident in his youth and was invited to spend several days with the tribe. Over the course of those few days, the village—with its people, landscape, and culture—impacted his beliefs and the course of his life forever.
However, after reading the note, James is acutely aware that his grandfather never returned to the village—despite always meaning to and even asking James to drive him there several months before his passing.
James, being in the midst of several personal struggles and wrestling with his own regrets, becomes determined to find the elusive village and travel there to honor his grandfather, say goodbye, and rectify his own perceived mistakes.
James enlists the help of his older brother, Alan Roslyn, and the pair pack their car full of fishing and camping gear before traveling north in search of the reservation. When they arrive at the hidden town known as Aanakwad, they camp in the woods along the river and plan to stay for seven days.
However, the two brothers come to discover that everything in front of them is much more than it seems.
The Mighty Esox is told from James’s perspective as he details the profound week that he spent in Aanakwad five years earlier—where he rediscovered love, was challenged to reconsider everything he thought he knew, developed a fiery obsession with catching a state-record-sized fish, and unexpectedly found himself as an essential character within a supernatural mystery that he was unable to see as it was unfolding.

A young woman travels to Florida after losing her mother and discovers that her uncle and his girlfriend have stolen from the deceased. However, the young woman is forced to bite her tongue and pretend as if she does not notice. Being without her own key to the apartment and relying on her uncle for access, she contemplates her anger and disgust, the nature of humanity, and searches within her soul for what is really true.

Short story
Literary fiction
5,000 words
Series: 13 Acorns- Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

John Ross visits a nursing home as he attempts to interview Randall J. Davis, a former intelligence operative. Ross attempts to persuade Randall to finally divulge the secrets of one of America’s largest unanswered conspiracies before it is too late and the secrets are buried with Randall. Ross struggles to get the answers he seeks as Randall masterfully dances around the subject and divulges what he believes is true of the world and the nature of reality.

Genres: philosophical fiction, literary fiction, short story, psychological fiction.
Size: 6,000 words
Parent work: 13 Acorns- Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

In this short allegory, Martin symbolizes America as a single village that went from a tiny town, to a great community, and how that great community was slowly eroded by malicious forces from within.

The Mountain and the Wave is a short allegory about two brothers (Strength and Ambition.) Ambition seeks to take and be known, so he grows up to become a mighty wave that destroys everything in its wake. Strength, on the other hand, feels no need to boast or be known, so he grows up to become a giant and subtle mountain--strong and immovable. What happens when these two brothers face off as adults? Find out.

When Phillip finds himself falling ill and losing strength, he has a dream that he is witnessing the reception at his own funeral. Feeling certain that he is running out of time, he must decide how to spend his last week on earth and what he truly values. This story follows his final days and how he spends his time-- reassessing his beliefs and priorities to make the most of what he has left.

Follow Philip's final days in this powerful and re-grounding introspective philosophical fiction short story.

Style: Short story
Context: COVID-19 pandemic, April of 2020

After inventing a computer program that could come to replace politicians and governments, two friends secretly discuss the full implications of such technology: is it necessary; what would be the benefits; what would be the risks?

This short philosophical fiction begins the conversation about using problem solving AI tools to make broad community/national decisions and allocate taxpayer funds to serve the people.

Genres: science fiction, philosophical fiction, short story
Word count: 4,000
Parent work: 13 Acorns- Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

“The path to enlightenment and the remedy for anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.” A philosophical fiction.

After his father's funeral, the main character (who remains unnamed because he represents all of us) finds himself stricken with grief, anxiety, and hopelessness. His mind is filled with conflicting whispers that pull him in different directions and fight him every time he tries to make a change, and every time he does not make a change.

After exploring dozens of different lifestyle methods in an effort to feel better, he finally finds the remedy in an unlikely place; conquering his own mind and making peace with all of the various "personalities" within his unconscious mind.

Gengres: short story, philosophical fiction, allegory
Word count: 11,000

After years of waiting, a son if finally invited to join his father and a team as they continue working on the ancient project of constructing and maintaining the bridge to cross from earth into paradise. Our story follows the main character on his first day joining the crew, as his father teaches him the history of the bridge, its current state, and a plan to finally complete this project that is as old as humanity.

Style: Short story
Genres: Allegory and philosophical fiction
Word count: 7,000

After years of waiting, a son if finally invited to join his father and a team as they continue working on the ancient project of constructing and maintaining the bridge to cross from earth into paradise. Our story follows the main character on his first day joining the crew, as his father teaches him the history of the bridge, its current state, and a plan to finally complete this project that is as old as humanity.

Style: Short story
Genres: Allegory and philosophical fiction
Word count: 7,000

After an extended period of living in a rut, a small business owner contemplates his current life and what it will take to move forward. With the help of a trusted friend and an infatuation with a good woman, he finds the courage to change the course of his life's ship. 

G. Edward Martin is a philosophical literary explorer tackling the ultimate questions about what is true, what is beautiful, and how do we become the people we are meant to become. Every story is an exploration into self-actualization and humanity finding its proper place within God's universe and the world we inhabit. Whether a story is a short fantasy fiction or a full-size literary fiction novel, every story is a thought-provoking adventure tale, perfect for any book lover interested in faith and spirituality, reflection, philosophy, or strengthening their bond to life itself.

From the author: "As a writer, it is impossible to be everyone's cup of tea; however, my promise is that no reader will ever walk away from on of my stories feeling that it was a waste of their time. Our time on earth is a bank account for which we can never know the balance, and I regard my readers' time as sacred. I set an intention with every single story, and I say a prayer that whatever I may write that day will be valuable to whomever should read it. It is a big world and I would like to do my part. For me, writing is where I believe I can be of the most service to my fellow man, and I am relentlessly committed to trying to contribute what I can. These are are my promises, and my entire writing career is built upon them." - G. Edward Martin