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Borinquen Within Press, Fathers and Families Coalition of America, and HOPE 2027 united through books, families, community and a more hopeful tomorrow.
Borinquen Within Press · Established March 2026

Where Voice Becomes Legacy.

There is a book inside you. Begin with us. Borinquen Within Press is more than a publishing house. We are a professional intellectual property development and publishing ecosystem built on collaboration, with the author's voice, vision, lived experience and intellectual property at the center.

Launched in March 2026, our growing international community includes signed authors from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Our publications are developed for eBook, paperback and hardcover formats, with English- and Spanish-language publishing and distribution pathways.

You may have a completed manuscript, only an idea, a story that needs to be told, years of professional knowledge worth sharing, or simply know, "There is a book inside of me, but I don't know where to begin." You belong in this conversation. Our team collaborates with you to develop, refine, protect and prepare your work without replacing the authentic voice that made your story worth telling.

International authors Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Multiple ways to publish eBook, paperback, hardcover and audio development opportunities.
Your voice stays yours Collaborative publishing centered on authorship and intellectual property.
From concept to publication and beyond

Bring the story. We will help you build the journey.

Our publishing ecosystem brings together the professional services authors need at different stages. We begin with your goals and develop a collaborative plan around the work you want to bring into the world.

Develop Your Work

Author and manuscript development, editing, proofreading, research integration, story structure and support for turning professional knowledge or lived experience into a publication.

Design, Publish & Distribute

Interior and cover design, translation, Spanish-language publishing, ISBN administration, eBook, paperback and hardcover production, Amazon KDP, IngramSpark and distribution planning.

Connect With Your Readers

Audiobooks, podcasts, author and product videos, branding, social media, promotional support, professional networking, Authors of Impact and literary showcase opportunities.

Our partnership promise: We collaborate to strengthen your work while respecting your voice, vision and intellectual property. Services and deliverables are agreed upon for each author; not every service is included in every publishing engagement.

Your Story. Our Collaborative Publishing Team.

The Village Behind the Vision.

A book may begin with one person's idea, but bringing it into the world calls for many kinds of talent. Our international team brings together editorial development, visual storytelling, book production, audio engineering, video and marketing. Meet the professionals who help authors move from possibility to publication and beyond.

Alfie Mendoza

Managing Editor-in-Chief · Editorial Development

Alfie helps guide manuscripts through editorial development and publication preparation. His work supports narrative structure, clarity, consistency and editorial direction while respecting each author's distinctive voice.

What this means for you: A collaborative editorial partner helping you strengthen and prepare your manuscript.

Hamza Hashmi

Book Design · Visual Identity · Production

Hamza translates an author's vision into a compelling visual presentation. His work connects a book's subject, audience and creative identity through cover development, typography and production artwork.

What this means for you: A professional visual identity that reflects your book and the readers you hope to reach.

Naomi Ruth Bright

Interior Design · Book Layout

Naomi focuses on the experience readers have inside the book. Through page composition, typography, chapter organization and interior formatting, she helps turn manuscript content into an inviting, readable publication.

What this means for you: A thoughtfully designed interior that helps readers engage with your work.

Afroz Syed

Social Media · Author Marketing · Digital Promotion

Afroz helps extend an author's visibility beyond the book itself. Through social content, author announcements, promotional campaigns and digital storytelling, she supports connections between books and their intended audiences.

What this means for you: Promotional materials and a digital presence that help readers discover your work.

Boryana Sirakova

Video Production · Amazon Product Videos · Social Media

Boryana has a distinctive talent for bringing products and stories to life through video. She creates book-focused promotional videos that communicate a publication's value and help introduce it to audiences on Amazon and social media.

What this means for you: A visual promotional experience that gives prospective readers another way to discover your book.

Gabe Barajas

Audio Engineer · Audible & Audiobooks · Podcasts

Gabe brings audio engineering expertise to audiobook and Audible-oriented production, podcasts and other spoken-word projects. His work helps authors develop their message for audiences who connect with books and ideas through listening.

What this means for you: The opportunity to extend your work into professionally produced audio experiences.

Božidar Karik

Graphic Design · Creative Visual Assets

Božidar supports the visual storytelling surrounding a publication. His graphic design work helps translate book themes and promotional concepts into creative assets for publishing and marketing.

What this means for you: Visual materials that strengthen your book's presentation across promotional channels.

Isuru Sandakelum

Visual & Promotional Design

Isuru helps authors communicate through purposeful visual design. His work supports promotional graphics, creative presentation and materials that introduce books, authors and publishing initiatives to their audiences.

What this means for you: Consistent promotional design that extends your book's identity beyond its cover.

One Story. Many Possibilities.

Your publishing journey can begin with an idea and grow through editorial development, design, publication, audio, video and reader engagement. We help you identify the services that fit your goals rather than asking you to fit into a one-size-fits-all package.

Meet the People Behind the Mission

Leadership Rooted in Purpose, Partnership & Community.

Behind the publishing team is a shared belief: stories, professional knowledge and lived experience can strengthen people and communities. Our leadership connects publishing with education, family strengthening, author engagement and opportunities for meaningful impact.

Dr. James C. Rodríguez, MSW, CADC

Founder, Borinquen Within Press · Founder, President & CEO, FFCA

Dr. Rodríguez is an author, clinical social worker, decorated U.S. military veteran, professor, international educator and publisher. For more than four decades, his work has strengthened children, fathers, families, professionals and communities through behavioral health, higher education, leadership development and systems transformation.

His teaching has reached universities, HBCUs, sovereign Tribal Nations and international communities across four continents. He serves on the Editorial Board of PHYLON: The Clark Atlanta University Review of Race and Culture and has helped equip more than 30,000 practitioners.

A proud Boricua, father and grandfather, he writes about resilience, healing, leadership, purpose and our capacity to rise beyond adversity.

Meet Dr. Rodríguez →

Mona Lisa Stallworth

Literary Leadership · Authors of Impact · Chair, Moreno Valley Library Commission

Mona Lisa is a writer, speaker, civic leader and creator of the FaithLighting framework, a formation-centered approach designed to help families, caregivers, educators and communities create environments where identity, safety, belonging and hope can grow.

She leads author engagement through the International Families and Fathers Conference's Meet the Authors and Authors of Impact initiatives. Her work brings together lived experience, faith, emotional insight and practical wisdom to help people feel seen, strengthened and connected.

Mona Lisa helps create a welcoming literary community where authors can share their work, meet readers and connect their books to a larger purpose.

Join Authors of Impact →

Dr. Alicia L. Jackson

Published Author · International Executive Fellow · FFCA Leadership

Dr. Alicia L. Jackson is a published author through Borinquen Within Press and an International Executive Fellow whose work connects faith, leadership, education and service.

In Let Me Catch the Fire While I Can, she invites readers to explore spiritual renewal, authentic worship, healing from church hurt and a deeper relationship with God. Her writing brings personal conviction and lived ministry experience into a conversation about faith, accountability and hope.

Her work with FFCA also contributes to professional learning and community engagement, connecting her experience as an author with a broader commitment to strengthening others.

Meet Dr. Jackson →
Next: Featured Authors & Books

Discover the Books. Meet the Voices. Continue the Journey.

Explore publications that bring together personal growth, family systems, professional knowledge, resilience, faith, leadership and lived experience. Every book has a voice. Every author has a story worth discovering.

Your Voice. Your Story. Your Next Step.

Whether you are already published, looking for a community of authors, ready to meet readers, or carrying an idea that has not yet become a book, we would love to hear from you.

Meet the Authors   •   HOPE FIL 2027   •   Author & Exhibitor Opportunities

STORIES • KNOWLEDGE • PURPOSE • LEGACY

Meet Our Authors of Impact

Published voices. Emerging voices. Different journeys. One growing community of people with something meaningful to share.

AUTHORS OF IMPACT • FAITH • LEADERSHIP • LEGACY
How Odds Even Through Grace, 2nd Edition by Bishop Henry Hearns

Second Edition

MEET THE AUTHOR

Bishop Henry Hearns

How Odds Even Through Grace, 2nd Edition

What can one life teach us about faith, perseverance, leadership and the power of continuing forward when the odds say otherwise?

How Odds Even Through Grace is Bishop Henry Hearns' autobiographical account of a life shaped by adversity, perseverance and unwavering faith. Born in Mississippi in 1933 during an era of segregation, economic hardship and limited opportunity, his story travels from working in the cotton fields to a life of pastoral leadership, engineering, public service and becoming the first African American mayor of Lancaster.

His journey is more than a record of accomplishments. It is a testimony to what can happen when faith, purpose, perseverance and service continue across the seasons of a person's life.

The Story Carries Forward

A Life of Faith, Perseverance, Service & Legacy

Faith Grace through life's most difficult seasons.
Perseverance Continuing forward despite formidable odds.
Leadership A lifetime of pastoral and public service.
Legacy Wisdom carried forward to future generations.
ABOUT BISHOP HEARNS

Bishop Hearns is the Presiding Bishop of Living Stone Cathedral of Worship and a former mayor of Lancaster. After more than five decades of pastoral leadership, he continues to mentor, encourage and uplift leaders, families and communities through wisdom, hope and spiritual conviction.

Why This Story Belongs Here

Authors of Impact celebrates books that carry more than words. They carry experience, wisdom, purpose and something worth passing forward.

Bishop Hearns' story is a legacy of grace, faith and leadership that continues to speak across generations.

Have a published story of your own—or a story still waiting to become a book? Authors of Impact is a growing community of voices, readers and authors.

Connect with Borinquen Within Press
AUTHORS OF IMPACT • PARENTING • CHILDREN • FAMILY • LIFELONG LEARNING
MEET THE AUTHOR

Dr. Rosina McAlpine

Inspired Children: Life Skills eBook Series

What if preparing children for the future meant teaching them not only what they need to know—but the life skills they need to flourish?

Dr. Rosina McAlpine's Inspired Children: Life Skills eBook Series translates research and professional knowledge into practical ways parents, educators and professionals can help children develop the capabilities they need for everyday life.

Across seven focused eBooks, the series explores Personal Power; Health and Wellbeing; Communication and Relationships; Education, Careers and Money; Environmental and Social Understanding; Relaxation and Play; and Inspired Creativity.

Together, these resources encourage a broader view of preparing children for life—strengthening confidence, relationships, communication, independence, creativity, resilience and wellbeing alongside learning and achievement.

Inspired Children Life Skills eBook Series by Dr. Rosina McAlpine

Practical life-skills resources for parents, educators and professionals.

Preparing Children for Life

Knowledge Becomes Powerful When Families Can Use It

Confidence Helping children develop personal power, independence and self-belief.
Relationships Strengthening communication and the skills children need to relate well with others.
Wellbeing Supporting healthy habits, resilience, relaxation, play and everyday wellbeing.
Life Readiness Connecting learning, creativity and practical skills with the world beyond childhood.
ABOUT DR. ROSINA McALPINE

Dr. Rosina McAlpine is the CEO and creator of the Win Win Parenting Program. She holds a Master of Higher Education and a PhD from the University of New South Wales and has spent decades translating child-development research into practical tools designed to help parents, children and families flourish.

Why This Work Belongs Here

Authors of Impact celebrates people who transform knowledge, lived experience and professional wisdom into resources that can strengthen the lives of others.

When we teach life skills intentionally, we prepare children not just for school, but for life.

Have professional knowledge, a lived experience or an idea that could become a resource for families and communities? Your voice may be the beginning of your own Authors of Impact journey.

Connect with Borinquen Within Press
AUTHORS OF IMPACT • LEADERSHIP • WORKPLACE CULTURE • WELLNESS • ACCOUNTABILITY
Triumph in the Trenches: The Green Book for Black Professionals featuring Dr. Wendy Talley

Exploring the lived realities of Black professionals and the difference between good intentions and meaningful impact.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Dr. Wendy Talley, LCSW

Triumph in the Trenches: The Green Book for Black Professionals

What happens when what we intended is not what another person experienced?

Dr. Wendy Talley is a psychotherapist, leadership consultant, and corporate wellness expert whose work helps professionals and organizations build healthier, more sustainable workplace cultures. As founder of Thelese Consulting Group and the Mastery Elite Leadership Academy, she equips executives, organizations, and emerging leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness while protecting their whole selves.

In Triumph in the Trenches, Dr. Talley's chapter, “Intent vs. Impact: Unmasking Microaggressions in Corporate America,” examines the subtle yet powerful ways racism continues to operate in professional spaces. Through personal experience, cultural insight, and practical reflection, she explores how workplace language, assumptions, and behavior can affect identity, opportunity, and psychological well-being.

Her contribution invites readers to better understand the lived realities of Black professionals while considering practical pathways toward greater awareness and accountability. The message is both simple and consequential: good intentions do not erase harmful impact.

Intent Is Only the Beginning

Moving Leadership Toward Awareness, Accountability and Meaningful Impact

Awareness Recognizing how words, assumptions and everyday interactions may be experienced by others.
Accountability Moving beyond intention to examine the actual impact of leadership and workplace behavior.
Well-Being Understanding how workplace culture can affect identity, belonging and psychological well-being.
Impact Creating professional environments where awareness becomes action and action becomes meaningful change.
ABOUT DR. WENDY TALLEY

Dr. Wendy Talley is a psychotherapist, leadership consultant, corporate wellness expert, and founder of Thelese Consulting Group and the Mastery Elite Leadership Academy. Her work bridges behavioral health, organizational wellness, leadership development, and the lived realities professionals carry into the workplace.

Why This Voice Belongs Here

Authors of Impact creates space for professional knowledge and lived experience to become conversation, reflection and a resource for others. Dr. Talley's contribution brings an important workplace and leadership voice into that community.

Leadership must move beyond intention and toward awareness, accountability, and meaningful impact.

Do you have professional knowledge, research, lived experience, or a story that could contribute to a larger conversation? Your expertise may become a book—and your book may become part of someone else's growth.

Explore Publishing with Borinquen Within Press • Join the Meet the Authors Community
Authors of Impact • Meet the Author

Dr. Ovett Chapman, Ph.D.

School Psychologist | Principal Consultant | Speaker | Author

Special Education Superheroes: Rethinking Conventional Practices to Best Serve All Students

Dr. Ovett Chapman Jr. is a school psychologist, consultant, speaker, and author committed to creating more inclusive and equitable educational systems. Through Wellspring Education Solutions, he provides professional development and consulting focused on reimagining special education and strengthening student belonging.

In Special Education Superheroes, Dr. Chapman challenges educators, families, and school leaders to move beyond conventional practices and create environments that recognize potential rather than define children by disability. Drawing from professional experience, evidence-based strategies, and case studies, he translates inclusion into practical action.

Special education itself is not the superhero—the adults who advocate, connect, and respond with purpose are.

About Dr. Chapman: He holds a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Arizona, teaches graduate students in school psychology, remains active with the Arizona Association of School Psychologists, and is a recipient of the Champion of Equity recognition from the American Consortium for Equity in Education.

Purchase on Amazon

Inclusive systems recognize potential, cultivate belonging, and help every child thrive.

Borinquen Within Press
The Borinquen Within Press Author Community

Every Voice Has a Story. Every Story Can Leave a Legacy.

The authors featured in the next collection are actively connected with Borinquen Within Press. Some works are already published. Others are moving through editorial, design, illustration, production, or pre-publication development. Together, they represent what BWP was created to nurture: voices, ideas, lived experiences, professional knowledge, and stories worth carrying forward.

Publishing the book is only one part of the journey. Through the wider Fathers & Families Coalition of America community, Meet the Authors and HOPE FIL 2027, we are creating pathways for authors to be discovered, share their work, meet readers and professionals, build relationships, and explore opportunities that can extend beyond publication.

PUBLISH  •  CONNECT  •  BE DISCOVERED  •  BUILD COMMUNITY  •  EXTEND YOUR IMPACT

Divorce Is F*cked by Tracey McMillan
Borinquen Within Press Author
Author • Barrister • Family Law Professional

Tracey McMillan

Divorce Is F*cked: A No-Bullshit Survival Guide for Men

Divorce can leave people overwhelmed by conflict, uncertainty, financial pressure, parenting concerns, and decisions that may shape the next chapter of their lives. In Divorce Is F*cked, Tracey McMillan meets that reality head-on with a direct, practical guide for men navigating separation, divorce, and the family law system.

Rather than offering empty reassurance, Tracey focuses on what readers can actually control: their decisions, emotional responses, preparation, credibility, and ability to remain focused on what matters most. The result is a candid roadmap for protecting children, finances, future stability, and a sense of self while moving through an extraordinarily difficult transition.

About Tracey: Based in Queensland, Australia, Tracey McMillan is CEO of Queensland Family Law Practice and an experienced barrister focused on family law. Her work combines legal strategy with behavioural insight to help people navigate separation with greater clarity, reduced conflict, and stronger direction.

“Separation may feel like detonation, but clarity and strategy can change the outcome.”

Sunshine from Ashes: Beauty Born of Burnt Ground by Sunshine Flores
Forthcoming from Borinquen Within Press
Forthcoming Author • Story of Overcoming • Hope & Renewal

Sunshine Flores

Sunshine from Ashes

Beauty Born of Burnt Ground

Some stories begin with what was lost. Others begin with what somehow remained. Sunshine from Ashes: Beauty Born of Burnt Ground is being developed as a story of overcoming—an exploration of what it can mean to move through difficult seasons and still discover that something meaningful can grow from ground that once appeared burned beyond recognition.

The striking black-and-gold rose at the center of the cover captures the spirit of the work: the fire is part of the story, but it does not have to be the final chapter. Ashes can become soil. Pain can give way to perspective. What survives can become the beginning of something new.

Currently in Development

Sunshine Flores is a forthcoming author with Borinquen Within Press. Her manuscript is moving through the publishing and production process with a forecast publication date of October 31, 2026. Upon release, the book is planned for availability through Amazon and Barnes & Noble distribution channels.

“Sometimes what looks like the end of the landscape becomes the ground where something beautiful begins again.”

Coming October 31, 2026 Publishing Inquiries

THE BWP AUTHOR JOURNEY   •   MANUSCRIPT   →   EDITORIAL DEVELOPMENT   →   DESIGN   →   PRODUCTION   →   PUBLICATION   →   AUTHOR PLATFORM

BORINQUEN WITHIN PRESS • FORTHCOMING CHILDREN'S BOOK

Sometimes Children Carry Feelings
They Don't Yet Have Words For.

A forthcoming children's story created for families navigating separation, divorce, family conflict, changing homes, and the emotions that can accompany a family in transition.

The Crocodile in My Chest by Tracey McMillan
FORTHCOMING • BORINQUEN WITHIN PRESS
Expected Publication: October 7, 2026
AUTHORS OF IMPACT • AUSTRALIA

Tracey McMillan

Family Law Expert & Attorney • Author • HOPE 2027 International Faculty

The Crocodile in My Chest

What happens inside a child when the family they know begins to change?

Separation and divorce may involve legal decisions between adults, but their emotional impact can reach an entire family. Children may experience changes in homes, routines, relationships, expectations, and their sense of what comes next—sometimes carrying emotions they feel deeply before they know how to explain them.

In The Crocodile in My Chest, Tracey McMillan introduces young readers to Noah and the “crocodile” inside his chest—a memorable, child-friendly metaphor for recognizing powerful emotions that can otherwise seem confusing, frightening, or simply too big for words.

Through Noah's experience of family change, two homes, changing routines, and uncertainty, the story creates space for something every child deserves: the opportunity to be heard, reassured, connected, and reminded that they remain loved even when the world around them feels different.

WHEN BIG FEELINGS NEED A LANGUAGE

A Children's Story That Can Open
A Much Bigger Family Conversation.

The Crocodile in My Chest is not limited to one parent, one gender, or one side of a separation. Its message reaches children, mothers, fathers, caregivers, grandparents, extended family members, and professionals supporting families through divorce, separation, and family conflict.

Name the Feeling

Give children a relatable way to recognize and begin communicating emotions that may otherwise feel overwhelming.

Create Safety

Reinforce the importance of reassurance, consistency, listening, and emotional safety when familiar routines change.

Preserve Connection

Remind families that relationships and routines may change, but children continue to need belonging, connection, reassurance, and love.

Start the Conversation

Use storytelling as a bridge between children and the parents, caregivers, family members, and professionals seeking to understand what they are experiencing.

MEET THE WOMAN BEHIND THE STORY

Tracey McMillan

Family Law Expert & Attorney • CEO, Queensland Family Law Practice • Australia

Based in Brisbane, Australia, Tracey McMillan is a Family Law expert and attorney whose professional work places her alongside individuals and families navigating separation, divorce, family conflict, parenting arrangements, and major family transitions.

As CEO of Queensland Family Law Practice, Tracey brings the perspective of a professional who understands that family law is never only about documents, proceedings, or legal decisions. Behind every case are people, relationships, children, uncertainty, emotion, and lives being reorganized.

Her writing reflects that broader human perspective. The Crocodile in My Chest turns attention toward the emotional experience of children and gives families a creative tool for beginning conversations that can sometimes be difficult to start.

Tracey is also a member of the Fathers & Families Coalition of America international faculty and will contribute to HOPE 2027 — the 28th International Families & Fathers Conference through a Partner Pavilion. Her connection across family law, education, family relationships, and family-strengthening conversations extends the message of this book far beyond its pages.

A BORINQUEN WITHIN PRESS FORTHCOMING TITLE

Because Children Deserve to Be Heard
Even Before They Know How to Explain.

Borinquen Within Press celebrates authors who transform lived experience, professional expertise, imagination, and purpose into books that can strengthen others. Tracey's forthcoming children's book brings that mission directly into the family—using story and emotional language to help children and the people who love them navigate difficult change with greater understanding.

When big feelings need a voice, a story can become the first safe place for a child and family to begin talking.

THE CROCODILE IN MY CHEST • COMING OCTOBER 7, 2026
Freedom in Forgiveness by Andrea García Martínez
Forthcoming • Borinquen Within Press
Anticipated Release • April 2027
A Forthcoming Story of Healing, Hope & Freedom

Andrea García Martínez

Freedom in Forgiveness

Healing Today for a Brighter Tomorrow

Some journeys begin on rocky ground. Andrea García Martínez chose another path—one shaped by healing, faith, courage, and the decision not to allow yesterday to possess tomorrow.

Freedom in Forgiveness grows from lived experience and an understanding that forgiveness does not require denying what happened. It can become a pathway toward releasing what was never ours to carry forever and discovering the freedom to move forward.

Walking the Publishing Path Together: Borinquen Within Press is honored that Andrea has entrusted our team with helping bring her story from manuscript to publication—protecting her voice while supporting the editorial, design, production, and publishing journey ahead.

Regardless of the rocky roads behind us, there can still be a beautiful pathway forward.

Coming April 2027   •   Borinquen Within Press   •   Meet the Authors • HOPE 2027
Borinquen Within Press • Selected Publishing Portfolio

Publishing Across Languages and Cultures

One example of how collaborative editorial, design, production, and publishing talent can help carry an author's manuscript from development to publication.

Crecimiento Postraumático: De las Cenizas a la Belleza
Published September 2026

Crecimiento Postraumático: De las Cenizas a la Belleza

Alex Rodríguez • Spanish Language • 171 Pages • ISBN-13: 979-8997559427

Published by Borinquen Within Press, this Spanish-language publication demonstrates the depth of talent available through our international collaborative team. The project moved through manuscript development, editorial collaboration, visual design, interior production, graphics, metadata, and publication preparation while preserving the author's individual voice and story.

Every manuscript requires something different. BWP brings together editors, designers, artists, production specialists, multimedia professionals, and publishing support to build the right team around each project.

Your story may begin in any language. Whether you publish with BWP or arrive with a book already completed, HOPE FIL and Meet the Authors are being built to help authors connect, share their work, and become part of a broader literary community.

BORINQUEN WITHIN PRESS  |  WHERE VOICE BECOMES LEGACY