Marilyn Dysart, author
Nobbins Adventure
Just WHO are the Nobbins? How do some Midland teens outsmart them? Find out in the Nobbins ebook series!
Following a ski accident, two Midland teens, April and Jessica, find themselves under Earth in an alien civilization. The alien Nobbins reprogram the teens with new identities, just as they have done to millions of other humans they’ve “borrowed” to live in Under. Riley Billman, a bright teen leads a Midland rescue effort for the girls. Other smart teens in Under begin to piece clues together to learn they are living in a sham world. Will the humans free themselves from Under? Will the Nobbins try to stop them?
Following the collapse of Under, the alien Nobbins flee to Mars and set up a new civilization under the planet’s surface. After a celebration kayak adventure, the teens (yes, the same ones you met in Under Exposed), find themselves victims of Nobbin character Frieda’s time travel shenanigans. How does Rine, a college friend, help solve their dilemma? What happens to Nobbin Frieda when she loses favor from the other Nobbins?
Rine, a college sophomore, thinks he discovers a new planet orbiting between Venus and Earth. The Planets existence is confirmed by astronomers Herb Schall and Deke Winthrop who learn that the planet, Rhea, was moved into the new orbit by Nobbins. The Nobbins invite Rine, Schall, Winthrop, and Rine’s Midland high school friends to travel to Planet Rhea for an action-packed visit. Nobbin Frieda has a surprise for all of them!
Women's Fiction / Romance
Linnville, Mississippi, 1964: Good Hearts showcases a powerful trial that changes racial justice in a small Mississippi town when five diverse, yet naïve college students travel South with the intentions of being Freedom Teachers. They’re in Linnville only days, when their own education about race, lynching, and systematic oppression is in full swing. When Sheriff Owens arrests Samantha Bryant and Marla Johnson for interfering in the community’s status quo, a law suit and trial ensue.
This novel reminds us that white supremacy is systematic and real. Readers will learn about the bravery that thousands of real college students took with them to make a difference for racial justice in the summer of 1964. Readers who care about the Black Lives Matter Movement will enjoy reading this book set thirty-some years after To Kill a Mockingbird, though they will wonder why the slow-moving train of racial justice hasn’t picked up much speed through the years.
At the age of twenty-five and single, Mari Crawford faces the biggest challenge of her life. The fatal car accident that kills her brother and sister-in-law instantly makes her guardian of the couple’s two twin children, Becky and Timmy. Mari faces a dilemma: Should she move to Dubuque where the children live so they can carry on their friendships and schooling , or encourage them to start over in her town of Bridgewater where she’s a college ELL instructor? Mari’s attorney Brett Ensley helps her maneuver through the legality of guardianship and the two begin a romance. Mari’s ex-boyfriend Gavin’s thrill of getting his hands on the large inheritance from Mari’s deceased brother, leads Gavin on a goose chase to rekindle a romance with her.
Brett’s busy taking care of his dad’s hoarding problem, but along with his parents, step up to befriend Becky and Timmy. Then just when Mari gets really comfortable with the twins and Brett in her life, her older brother challenges her guardianship in court.
This novel reminds us that love is the cement that adheres families together.
Dilemma. Mari Graham, a young widow could date two fellow teachers—but they’re too predictable. Instead, she selects Jerry Graham, a banker she meets online at a dating site—I hope he’s not related to me. Jerry assures Mari that he is definitely not related to her and their dating relationship materializes. When Jerry asks Mari to kayak with him on Vancouver’s Inner Passage to see killer whales—Do normal people do things like that?—she thinks he’s joking at first. But he’s so doggone great looking and so fun to be with. Mari accepts his invitation. Expensive kayak clothing packed, CHECK. Two plane tickets to Vancouver, CHECK. Car rental reservation for the drive to the Tsawassen ferry and Port McNeil made, CHECK. Nerves calm about kayaking in deep ocean waters, YIKES, NO! Mari is unaware of the political tension in the British Columbia coastal regions, and as her vacation romance with Jerry blossoms, she innocently becomes involved in the controversy. No one told me I’d be kidnapped! Mari’s phone call to her mother to share the good news about her safety opens a Pandora’s box that seems insurmountable. A blend of romance and intrigue, this novel challenges readers to weigh in on the question: Are the bonds of love too strong for logic to break?
Retired college art instructor, Lynne Meeling, and her wealthy friends, cut checks for the Bridgewater Art Center, build a duplex for an immigrant family, and set-up a friend in the restaurant business. But when Lynne’s brother Barry asks her to sub at Bridgewater High School, Lynne meets-up with a rebellious teen, Tyneele Smith, who challenges Lynne and her teaching style.
Lynne faces another curve-ball when a con man tries to trick her out of some art center contributions. With the help of her S-3 friends and a new romantic interest, Clint Sprigson, she shows the true barometer of her character.
A blend of romance and intrigue, this novel challenges readers to weigh-in on some big questions: To what extent does art influence our society? How can we overlook human flaws to see perfection (wabe-sabi)? What factors influence symbiosis between youth and adults? What are the elements of good teaching? And, how can we—at any age—make valuable contributions to our world?
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