Patti Petrone Miller

Patti and Andrew Miller are co executive producers for an animated made for television series Thumbs Up. Both are prolific writers with over seven dozen books in publication with several hitting amazon's best sellers list. They are represented by Polygon Entertainment in Burbank, California.

Thumbs Up! Elliot Finds a Home

Children's book

The initial story, "Elliot Finds a Home," introduces the pair, with Elliot starting out in a pet store, only to find that no one wishes to buy the puppy who is different and not normal. Because he can grasp objects with those adorable paws of his, he can open the latches on cages, open containers, grab things... making him more difficult to manage then a normal puppy. Eventually he is given away to an animal shelter, and the implication that he may be put down is unspoken, yet evident. The story then shifts to introduce ten-year- old Joseph, whose parents are frustrated and unhappy because their child has low functioning autism and does not even speak or interact with them. In a desperate gambit, Daddy decides to take Joseph to the animal shelter to see if a pet will help. When Joseph the special child sees the sad, scared, lonely little special dog, they recognize each other as kindred spirits and Joseph finally responds for the first time in ten years, and Elliot is adopted by two ecstatic parents who adore him for finally bringing their child out of his shell.

The central theme of the series is about how being different doesn't make one superior or inferior. There are always tradeoffs. And that some things are universal. Every episode is told through the eyes of Elliot, but the stories center around his beloved human Joseph. We see Joseph through Elliot's eyes. Elliot is the narrator, the central point of view. And Elliot's condition, his opposable thumbs, are just like autism; a condition, not a defect. Elliot cannot run as quickly as a normal dog can, just as Joseph cannot grasp the nuances of social situations the way a normal child can. However, Elliot's unique paws allow him to perform acts that a normal dog never could, just as an autistic child's obsessive-compulsiveness and acute focus allow them to do things that a normal child cannot.
Not only will viewers and readers come to understand the pain of being born different and unique, but they will also understand the pain of being a parent of someone different and unique. To look at one's child struggling and blame themselves. To ask if they did something wrong during the conception or pregnancy, to be so desperate for a way to make it all better. Joseph's parents love him very much, and Elliot's positive influence on him will bring them to tears of joy.

Lone Huntress

Science Fiction

Lisa’s a few inches shy of seven feet tall, even when she wears flat heels. She’s got the physique of a fetishistic muscle goddess, impressive in every sense of the word. Her eyes glow when she’s staring down her enemies, and her right arm is a prosthetic multi-tool. She’s got the firepower of a capital ship on her sturdy little vessel, her armor has seen veterans and laborers through the worst of conditions for over a century, and both the ship and the armor were a gift from her foster father after he’d finished teaching her everything he knew about being better at violence than whoever she’d be hunting down. Even her surname, chosen according to the traditions of her culture, was tailor made for her choice of career. Huntress.

Lisa’s also chronically depressed, desperately lonely, and filled with self-loathing so powerful it’s practically a split personality dedicated to making her miserable. She lives in her ship like a recluse, she’s terrified of large crowds, and she’s convinced she’s a big ugly monster, only good for hunting down other monsters. Her prosthetic limb is a reminder of everything she’s lost, her home planet has no place for her, and her love life fits in the drawer next to her bed.

But just because that’s what she is, doesn’t mean that’s what she always has to be. Maybe, just maybe, she can learn to be more than what she is. Maybe she can learn to derive self-esteem from her career. Maybe she can learn to see herself through the eyes of an unexpected assortment of bashful suitors of varying genders and backgrounds. And if nothing else, there’s always a few pirates out wanting to hurt others…

And just like her Daddy, Lisa loves hurting the people who hurt other people.

Welcome to Scarecrow Hollow

Middle-grade paranormal mystery

The Urban Myth:

The house was built around the turn of the century by an elderly man with many children. When the man died in the 1940’s of old age, he left his spirit behind in the home. The apparition drags people out of their beds during the night, leaving them in the hallway. The man also has an affinity for doors-every door in the house that is left open and is always found closed again.

The Fiction:

WELCOME TO SCARECROW HOLLOW where things go bump in the night...
Meet old man Wilson. Viciously murdered by his children for his money, his spirit is left behind. Outside, in the deserted cornfield, a lonely scarecrow dwells in the wind, and is used as a perch for the black birds. But with a closer look, it isn't a scarecrow at all.

The birds flock to it like a moth to a flame, one by one pecking at the loose, decayed flesh hanging on the meat hook.

People who visit the old farmhouse begin to disappear, one by one with no explanation...spray painted in red paint --the sign into the town of Scarecrow Hollow reads:

Warning:
Don't go into Scarecrow Hollow if you want to live...
That's not what the Winter children had in mind while on their way to visit their favorite farm with their father, where things tend to go bump in the

night. It will take the three siblings, Lance, Gwen and Merle to solve the mystery, in this middle grade thriller. Readers beware...you're in for a scare! Find out what happens in “Welcome to Scarecrow Hollow.”

The Pendleton Witches

Middle-grade paranormal mystery

England’s most famous witch trial took place in Lancashire in 1612. Ten of the so-called Pendle Witches were hanged at Lancaster Castle after being deemed guilty of witchcraft. Their ghosts reputedly haunt the village of Newchurch, which is where one of the witches is said to be buried.

Gwen Winter along with her two brothers, Lance and Merle, travel to England with their Father to visit their Aunt. Gwen knows what she wants to see and do while there. She is determined to solve a mystery centuries long, to search for clues of what happened to the sisters Pendle and why they had been accused.

Gwen finds out she has been carrying a family secret that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Will she be able to deal with the new found information long enough to solve the mystery or will she fall into the deep dark folds of the family secret?

Find out in this first installment of Ghost Tales Mystery Series The Pendleton Witches.