D D Riessen: 13 books

We heard the distant thunder before we were even aware of the approaching storm. Seeing the big, black clouds rolling toward us, and seeing the slanted shafts of gray beneath them, still miles away, we hurried to get home before we got drenched. I thought I was safe. I had no idea that I was about to get a first hand lesson about the power of lightning.

Kuchan, a little cloud, is tired of raining and wants to try something new. But she is quickly reminded that, as a cloud, it is her duty to rain. Does that stop her? Would it stop you? Read on.

What does one learn at age seven that is powerful enough to change their whole view of life? 1954, simple times, at least that’s how it looks on the surface. Going into the mind of a seven year old, life is far more complicated. Living in a small town in Nebraska while his family breaks apart, he finds a friend but, with lots of freedom and time to kill, anything can happen.

Melvin didn’t believe in fortune-tellers and those kinds of things but he was desperate. Ever since he fell out of a tree his back had not been the same and it was getting worse no matter what the doctors ordered. Bad back and Destiny? Is there a link? Ask Madame Nuage.

Roberta had just been dumped by her boyfriend. Sergio was seeing someone on the side. Carly…, well, Carly does what Carly does. Floyd, a big man who was overweight and overworked, was also in for a huge surprise. Jerome had his eyes set on a new employee down from LA. Robby, who had other troubles,...

In 1964, at age fourteen, Calvin moves with his family to sunny San Diego, leaving behind two feet of snow back in Chicago. On his first trip to the ocean, he discovers what he believes to be a spent water flare and, bringing it home to see how it was put together, discovers that it is still loaded,...

In 1883, Oskar left with his uncle to get an education in the city. But he was surprised to learn that he was part of a losing bet in a card game. For one year he was assigned to be a cabin boy for the Captain of Nerissa, a sailing ship headed for Teluk Betung. There were rumors of a magical fire...

When Jordan Blake puts Eclipse into manual control and takes the probe to full power, he has every reason to believe that he will be the first to safely experience an alternate reality. But it soon becomes apparent that communications between base and probe is dysfunctional. Without tracking,...

Barely escaping with their lives from a time one hundred years prior, Sam, Kathryn, Paul and Melissa thought that the fire stone saga was behind them until Sam received a letter from someone named Sasi, a distant relative who lived in Lampung, Indonesia. It was an invitation to visit and included...

What goes through the mind of someone who knows that their assignment means certain death? What face do they show to their peers and how does that compare to what they feel inside? This story was inspired by someone who lived through such an ordeal. This is a simple telling of the events that unfolded, illustrated magnificently by Masaaki Kimura.

Marsi didn't know how to sail, but figured her life would be better than pushing a shopping cart around collecting cans and bottles in the never ending hunt for enough money for her next meal. Madame Nuage advised that a BIG adventure was coming, something Marsi wanted no part of. But, destiny is what it is, and none of us have any choice as to whether, or not, we want to participate.

Every child wants to believe that something is magical. Everyone hopes that their dreams will come true…, if only. Finding an odd rock at the end of a rainbow? What could be more magical than that? Unfortunately, if anything has value, someone else always wants it. Once again, Kyo Takahashi has brought my words to life with his remarkable watercolor illustrations.

Our relationship started out well. We both hoped it would work. But some things are just not meant to be. And sometimes, while trying to make things right, it just goes from bad to worse.