Isolated Matters

John Ruggiero

Jan 2014 · Xlibris Corporation

About this ebook

Isolated Matters is a suspenseful thriller centered in Pacifica, California, a coastal town mere miles from the commotion of San Francisco, yet enclosed by mountain ridges and a picturesque fog that appears daily at the most opportune moments. It is a place where people go to enjoy the beauty of isolation. This is the story of one of its residents, MJ Matters, a young woman, struggling to cope with her transition from the animated life she once knew to a paralyzed one resulting from a debilitating disease. MJs husband, Bernard Matters, cares for her like every husband shouldnurturing her every need while attempting to engage her in happy thoughts. In his own way, MJs brother-in-law, Alby Matters, does what he can to offer her the comfort of a friend, visiting her often and telling her strange tales, like the one about the mysterious Gull children, which somehow eerily seem to provide her with answers to the swirl of confusion around her. As MJ searches her mind to accept the realities of her current physical state, slowly she discovers something she didnt expectsomeone or something horrifying is watching her, haunting her, coming closer and closer each day. Despite every attempt she makes, MJ in her immobile state is rendered powerless, preventing her from escaping the horrors she knows she is bound to encounter. Isolated Matters is told in three perspectivesMJs, Bernards and Albysproviding the reader with insurmountable proof that each of the characters gripping accounts are not just intertwined but bound to collide.

About the author

John Ruggiero, a recognized leader in instruction and learning, has led educational design and outcomes assessment within multiple types of organizations. Over the past fifteen years, John has invested work in educational leadership, having first served as an administrator at a college preparatory, building post-educational and continuing educational dialogue within the community through a social Community-as-Laboratory approach. Since that time, John has merged his background in educational leadership with his other expertise in epidemiology and biostatistical research by specifically focusing on medical education and its impact on clinician behaviors and overall improved patient care. Years ago, John’s mother and father were both diagnosed with different forms of cancer. In order to stay positive and encouraged, he and his family members did everything possible to make life worth living by vacationing, gathering, and even often creating and telling stories to one another. Years progressed, and beyond the misfortunes of cancers, and after watching several members of his family suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, two years ago he joined a fiction-based reading/writing association to stay grounded, positive, and to exercise his creativity. Doing so reminded him of his early passion for writing fiction. Upon completing a shorter version of Isolated Matters as an assignment from this group, John was encouraged to seek every possible avenue to get this story published. He is energized by the possibility of hopefully having others enjoy his completed efforts. John earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Research & Statistics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a Master of Public Administration in Pubic Health, Biostatistics & Epidemiological Research, and a Doctorate in Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University and Madison University. Currently, John and his partner share their time on two coasts. They live a considerable amount of the year in the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, they spend a portion of their time traveling back to the Philadelphia metropolitan area—their original hometown—to be with extended family. John has committed to donating a percentage of all novel proceeds to healthcare and animal charitable organizations. For more information about this, and how to help, please see the My Personal Story section.