Look for Heart of the Castle: A Ghost Story (#2 in the Ghost Stories series) available on Amazon, Follett’s Titlewave, Barnes & Noble, and most independent book sellers.
“A fast-paced and delightfully readable teen adventure set in vampire territory.” — Kirkus Reviews. (read full review here)
If you haven’t read Faces in the Flames: A Ghost Story yet, take this link over to Amazon and pick up a copy of this, the first book in the series.
Currently out of print.
Be sure to look for the Second Edition, revised and improved, to be coming out in early 2025. This will also be coming out in an eBook format, as well as in paperback.
Originally offered by publisher Putnam & Smith, my new easy reading (3.5 reading level) MG YA novel is titled, Faces in the Flames: A Ghost Story. In this story, Cam, a 15-year old boy and his father SCUBA dive on the sunken WWII ship his grandpa served upon. The ship was sunk amidst burning oil in 1944, killing 63-men. Diving on the wreck requires local guides, but Cam was lucky and an attractive island girl his age, Vera, was his underwater guide. It was Vera’s job to keep Cam safe and outside the dangerous wreck. But when an unknown force calls to Cam, he ends up in the ship retrieving a shiny object. Not wanting his parents to know he broke the rules by going inside the ship, Cam must survive fiery apparitions alone while finding out the secrets of that object as it changes not only his life but the lives of others.
As an added feature of the book, a second story, Faces in the Flames: The True Story is included. It is a non-fiction account of the WWII ship, USS Mississinewa (AO-59), written at a 3.5-grade reading level. The Mississinewa had the unlucky distinction to have been the first U.S. ship sunk by a suicide submarine used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in WWII. I have first-hand knowledge of the Mississinewa. My dad was on board when it was sunk. I have also co-hosted two ship reunions, assisted in writing a book on the ship, and maintains the ship’s website.
Free teacher resources specifically for this book available on my Resources page.
NEW! Kirkus Review of Faces in the Flames: A Ghost Story & The True Story
” . . . the author succeeds in achieving the delicate balance of faithfully detailing a tragedy while making the story enjoyable and heartwarming. . .” (read entire review)
Some initial reactions:
On Amazon.com –
“Faces in the Flames” by author R. Fulleman will keep young readers spellbound due to the unusual literary approach to create a compelling ghost story. “Faces in the Flames” is a thrilling blend of a ghost tale and WWII history. I commend author Fulleman for his uncanny ability to blend an incredible fictional ghost tale with the accuracy that only a naval historian could offer. I highly recommend “Faces in the Flames” for young readers.
Michael Mair
Author of Kaiten; Japan’s Secret Manned Suicide Submarine and the First American Ship it Sank in WWII
On Goodreads.com –
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for all readers, history with a twist!
This is a great read with a surprising finish! It will hook readers regardless of their ability level, and may even get them interested in learning about another time period. I’m a teacher, and look forward to providing this book as an added resource to my most hesitant readers. They’re going to enjoy the modern story, and also get a more personal account of World War 2 and why it stands out in our history generations later.
suirha88
New! Now Limo for Two? is available in a bilingual (English & Spanish) ebook version. Click here to go to the page where you can order and/or see a sample.
Welcome. I’m R. Fulleman.
Here’s some background information on me, Ron Fulleman. I was born an identical twin and raised in the San Fernando Valley, in Southern California. At the young age of 6 months, my brother and I were in two large-scale movies, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, and Seven Cities of Gold. We both grew up loving old movies and radio programs.
In high school and college, I developed an appreciation for communications. To that end, I studied languages. I took 5-years of German (in high school and college) and was tutored in Romanian, along with attending summer school in Romania twice during my college years. Additionally, I took a French class in community college and an exploratory Italian class in high school. Since my brother speaks Polish, I’ve even picked up a few words of Polish (all nice words, of course).
After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, I worked for 27 years at GTE and Verizon Communications. In my last fifteen years there, I created documentation and internal communications, ensuring the writing levels were appropriate for recipients at all levels within the corporation.
From 2014 to 2022, I had been substitute teaching in my local junior and senior high school district. I saw first hand the need for age-appropriate books written at easier reading levels. So, I wrote the Ron and Bob Stories. This 3-book series (Limo for Two?, Stink Bombs, and The Tattoo) shares the story of two identical twin brothers’ times at home and school. The writing is targeted for beginning readers as Hi/Lo books (High interest at a Low reading level). The stories are written for 6th through 9th graders but at 2nd and 3rd-grade reading levels. The books are mostly used within EL and Special Education classes and each book has five discussion questions. Also, available for each book on this website is a Common Core lesson plan, a 30-question quiz, and a book talk.
The Ron and Bob Stories give reluctant or new readers age-appropriate looking chapter books that are easier to read. These books have given many students their first success at reading a book and passing a test on that book. That first success is so important to show them they can succeed at reading.
My Ghost Stories series (Faces in the Flames, and Heart of the Castle) deal with family, friends, and ghosts. These books are written at a 3/4th grade reading level to give YA readers ‘easy reads’ while offering interesting stories. These books also offer free teacher resources. The third book in this series is in the editing stages and should be available soon.