The 2007 National Indie Excellence Book Awards announced that Double Daggers has placed as an Award Winning Finalist in the historical fiction category.
Double Daggers was selected as featured novel in the February issue of Book Views by editor Alan Caruba, founding member of National Book Critics Circle.
Double Daggers was one of seven books selected by the American Numismatic Association as "notable and great reads for the year."
--January issue of The Numismatist
WITH EACH ORDER OF DOUBLE DAGGERS YOU WILL RECEIVE:
Your book is a delight. It's a really fresh and creative way to introduce kids to classics through ancient coins. This is an exciting approach to bringing numismatics and classics to life for children in elementary school.
Dr. Scott Rottinghaus
Board of Directors, American Numismatics Association
Double Daggers is very strongly recommended as a complex, superbly crafted, thoroughly entertaining novel from beginning to end . . .
-James Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review
A Griffin in Her Desk is a magical excursion from the classroom into the realm of mythical monsters, Greek gods and fabulous treasures. Congratulations to James Clifford and Zee Ann Poerio for conjuring up an engaging children's story based on Greek mythology and ancient coins. I hope that more volumes in this ancient coin series will be forthcoming.
Virginia Barrett, National Committee for Latin & Greek
What happens when a successful family man who has more cracks underneath his surface than a shattered mirror collides with a Cherokee curse, a fortune in stolen gold coins and the discovery of his family’s darkest secrets—Ten Days to Madness.
Only Charlie Parker knows that his image as a successful, well-respected family man is a complete lie and with his life collapsing around him he travels to the secluded mountain house that has been owned by his family for generations. Hidden in his father’s library Charlie unearths a bizarre diary that claims a rogue tribe of Cherokee Indians stole a fortune in gold coins before the Civil War and hid the treasure in an ancient burial cave in a remote part of the Appalachian Mountains.
Compelled by forces he doesn’t understand, Charlie embarks upon a self-destructive march to uncover the truth as he discovers that his family has more skeletons in its closet than a graveyard including the unforgivable sin of executing a group of Cherokees, all because of their greed to steal the hidden gold.
His ancestor’s heinous crime forces Charlie to face the demons unleashed by his family from so long ago and he is haunted by nightmares, tormented by a strange man claiming ownership of the diary and terrorized by Cherokee spirits known in Indian mythology as The Nunnehi. The horrifying encounters send Charlie spiraling into an alcohol fueled frenzy to find the Cherokee gold, no matter the cost.
Does the gold exist? Are the bizarre events really happening to Charlie or has his mind finally collapsed under the pressures of mental illness, alcohol abuse and a failed business? Those questions linger in the reader’s mind until the final page as Charlie battles internal demons and external monsters to discover the truth about himself, and the legend of the Cherokee Gold.
A Word from the Authors
“An ancient coin held in the hand can transport the mind to another land. Through this tiny piece of history, children learn and they remember.”
--Jamie Clifford and Zee Ann Poerio
The idea for the Mrs. Moneta Book Series was inspired by our lifelong interests in classical ancient history, numismatics and the desire to share our passions with kids of all ages. We strongly feel that studying the ancient world can help all of us better understand the world we live in today.
Nothing sparks the imagination of a youngster’s mind more than a tangible link to the past. Children are in awe when they learn that ancient civilizations used coins just as we use them today. A child makes a connection to these coins and discovers the similarities. They are motivated to investigate more, and then they wonder. . . Who owned these tiny pieces of history? What were they used for? Would a child in ancient times save his money to buy a toy like I do today? Through this tiny piece of history, held in the palm of their hand, children learn and they remember.
We hope to provide that tangible link by including a replica of an ancient coin to accompany each book in the series. Our goal is to make ancient history and numismatics fun and exciting. Beginning with the first book in our series, A Griffin in her Desk, we explore mythological creatures that were minted on ancient Greek coins. Travel with the class on this learning adventure as Mrs. Moneta introduces a friendly Griffin, Zeus on Mount Olympus, and many other wonders of classical Greek mythology.
We hope you enjoy the book as much as we have enjoyed the process of writing it. Together, we can continue the lifelong quest of learning as we allow our imaginations to carry us away to ancient worlds.
Welcome
Mrs. Moneta is the teacher we all dream of having! She makes the classics, ancient history, Greek mythology, and reading fun and educational, with her own magical twist. You and your child will love this book, and find yourselves wanting to learn and read more about the world that is introduced to us by Mrs. Moneta.
Kerry K. Wetterstrom, Editor/Publisher – The Celator
SPECIAL OFFER:Every book comes with a replica ancient griffin coin just like the one next to the cover!
All for only $10 + postage
I loved reading "A Griffin In Her Desk." What a fun story and truly wonderful way to bring ancient history, mythology, and numismatics to life! I think you have succeeded in making ancient history and numismatics fun and exciting to a younger audience. I can only say that I am already looking forward to what future adventures will come with Mrs. Moneta and her class!
Elizabeth Hahn, Librarian, American Numismtic Society
