The Hibiscus Conspiracies is a short story collection of intrigue, mystery, political conspiracy, upheaval, and love. The stories are based on the lives of young adult characters and can be appreciated by any audience. Loss of Innocence, is the first collection of the series. The names of the islands in the series are fictitious. St. Jacques, St. Marie, Bard Island, Papillon, Lilse Maurice, Mystique Isle, St. Jolie, Hewanorra, and Petite France are the nine-island archipelago federation of nations stretching the length of the Caribbean Sea from the south of Florida to the outer waters of Venezuela. In the Loss of Innocence, we journey to three islands as their tranquil settings are disturbed by political and social strife. Tensions between government and society erupt as human emotions take hold. The ideal image of "the island paradise" is shattered as beneath the beauty of nature's best, citizens manipulate systems of power for personal gain while others seek justice. All societies birth exclusionary systems of class, race, or intellect. Individual differences are the catalysts that create the dynamic events gracing the front page of the Federation's number one newspaper, The Reformer. In the Hibiscus Conspiracies the youth dictate the pulse of nations.