The Vicar of Abchurch

At the end of his working life, a vicar in the City of London thinks of himself as a failure: no one now seems to treasure the beliefs and religious practices of his youth; the church hierarchy is seemingly obsessed only with modern marketing and business methods which he doesn’t appreciate; and any love between him and his wife has long since vanished. Lacking any personal ambition, he takes on a rundown church and conducts his ministry there in the only way he knows: with understanding, compassion and Christian forgiveness. But in a few short months, the very building and its circumstances change him and his wife forever.

The Way We Are

The Way We Are is an account of a life passed in England, Saudi Arabia, and 50+ years in post-war Japan.

How a search for peace of mind became an attempt at self-realization – “satori” or enlightenment, and an acceptance of why we cannot be other than we are – involving (for no clear reason) an induction into a local secret society, learning to deal with voices in the head and telepathy, hypnotism and “Ki” (being manipulated by another person’s will), prescience, visual and other apparitions, 'ghosts', 'poltergeists' etc. All personally experienced without the influence of any stimulants.

This book deals with questioning the limitations of ‘self’ as sufficient identity in this truly modern world, a world where every single one of us is now almost certainly, at some stage, going to be obliged to recognize themselves as that very much rejected and unwanted ‘other’. It also explores moving the mind away from conflict as a solution and examining the fine line between political, commercial, philosophical/religious guidance and control.

They Call Me Jake

In this captivating memoir, Jakob, a Welsh-born Australian, takes readers on a remarkable journey that begins with a troubled youth and a life-changing decision. After running into legal trouble as a teenager, his family sends him off to sea on Scandinavian ships, where Jakob finds himself working out of Brooklyn, New York, joining ships engaged in global trade. It’s the era of rock and roll, with an atmosphere of freedom, free-spiritedness, and indulgence. However, tired of the endless partying and constant financial struggle, Jakob sets his sights on a new path.

He travels to England, enrolls in a navigational school, and earns his license as a ship’s deck officer. But his thirst for adventure and reinvention leads him to an unexpected destination - Israel. Jakob’s love for the kibbutz lifestyle and a young woman on the kibbutz captures his heart. However, as war disrupts the region, their relationship crumbles, and Jakob finds solace in a hippie commune on the sunny shores of Eilat. Through ups and downs, Jakob’s journey takes him across continents, from the Canadian Arctic to Thailand and beyond. His tale is one of resilience, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a meaningful life amidst the challenges and uncertainties of a rapidly changing world.

They Who Dared

In a world where advanced DNA manipulation has created miniature special operational beings, Max and his peers are the elite force trained to combat international terrorism and infiltrate enemy cells. But as they approach maturity and active service at age 18, they realize their true purpose: to be disposable assets for the top-secret Project OV organization. With the help of his friend Flea, a tough and determined character, Max leads a daring escape for his group and sets off on a dangerous journey evading capture and searching for a hidden community where they can live in freedom. Follow Max’s thrilling adventure as he fights for survival and fights for his fellow fugitives in this action-packed novel.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

ONE CITY. TWO KILLERS
A serial killer and a supernatural killer terrorise a city. One kills willingly preying on adulterers and the other unknowingly with no memory of being a monster. The city knows about the serial murders committed by the Sin Killer, but unaware of the shape-shifter whose murders are blamed on the Sin Killer. The captain of police is related to one of the killers.

Through Withered Weeds Flowers Bloom

There is a lot I still don’t know about life or about what the future might bring but I do know who I am and how to incorporate life being more about where we choose to go and not just about where we come from. I believe you can throw out the script we get handed during childhood and make different choices whilst implementing determination and positive affirmation. I have used my faith to demonstrate where I found my strength, this can be applied to any type of belief system someone may have. I hope this book can be an inspiration regardless of who you are or where you are in your own life journey and to encourage that it is not where you start but where you finish that really counts. As a result, I accept the idea that through withered weeds it is truly possible for flowers to bloom.

Thursday

Two conflicting weather systems, after wreaking havoc in North America and the West Indies, come across the Atlantic, the first in the far North, the second moving swiftly past the Azores. Both are held up by a massive anti-cyclone over Northern Russia and intensify, the first in the North Sea off Norway, blowing a hurricane southward, the second centred over Oxford, blowing a hurricane up the English Channel.

During the spring tides in February, these systems meet off Dogger Bank, creating a massive storm surge, which firstly devastates Holland and the northern European coastline before moving up the River Thames. The wave is so high, it swamps the container ports and the Thames Barrier, bringing chaos, havoc and destruction to London.

After flooding the road tunnels at Dartford, the sea-surge inundates the London City Airport before entering the underground, firstly at London Bridge, flooding the rail tunnels under massive pressure, causing death, destruction and disaster.

David, an A level student who is aware of these weather systems, cuts school to travel into Central London with his girlfriend. They witness the wave crashing through Tower Bridge, ripping HMS Belfast from its moorings and demolishing part of London Bridge, flooding Bermondsey and Southwark and toppling the London Eye.

This story is about an event which could happen, how individuals might react under such stress and pressure and what the outcome could be.

To Theo. Kaikaku

Imagine the first day in your life. Probably the most crucial day in your life. You became a human. You competed with around 20 to 300 million other sperm cells. No contest in your human life will beat that. Now you are cruising. You are almost sailing alone on a quiet ocean. Do not let the few other sailboats disturb you too much. They are only here to help you. Just be yourself and kind to them, you are in this race (read: life) together.

A city like Venice is a symbol of how fragile our planet is and if we abuse one place with over-consumption, it will get worn down. It is a warning here to us to protect old historical places on Earth and to be conscious about how we treat our planet. Venice is surely one of the places on this planet, which needed a crisis like Corona in order to rest from tourists and over-consumption.

Please don’t talk too much to me or your teachers. We need you, your medicine, your new eyes and your thoughts. We don’t need you to copy me or most of my generation. I know you are built for more. Just be you and do something. Get out there, raise your hand, and tell your peers what you think we need to change.

Train of Events

The best laid plans of mice and men can still go wrong.

A London gang of criminals perfect an audacious train robbery, netting £2 million in used banknotes destined for incineration.

Things go wrong in the execution of the robbery near Newcastle, and that sets off a train of events, that no one can control. Following the money is no use – since nobody knows where the money is, apart from Geordie Jones.

The Mob sends one of their gangsters up to Newcastle to find the money. Scotland Yard sends up one of their detectives. The local police are also involved.

Set in the 1990s, Train of Events is a gritty, ‘Newcastle Noir’ thriller. It pulls no punches in its lively description of gangsters, policemen and detectives, journalists and greedy citizens. The lifestyles are accurately rendered and we hold our breath as the scenes march on to a conclusion.

Come with Bill Dawson on a white knuckle ride through the underworld, which you won’t forget in a hurry!

Transit to India

Changing times bring changing outlooks but even back in 1984, well before the plethora of today’s health and safety laws and risk-averse attitudes, an overland school trip to far-off India was considered somewhat extreme. And doubly so, given that travel through Iran was unavoidable despite Iran at the time suffering the upheavals of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution and engagement in a bloody war with neighbouring country Iraq.

The idea behind this 10000-mile, eight-week journey was to present a ‘retired’ old school Ford Transit minibus to the charity ‘Lepra’ to aid its life-saving work among India’s rural poor. Ten pupils aged 12 to 16, accompanied by two teachers, made up the delivery crew, in so doing possibly making the longest school minibus trip ever undertaken. One of the boys travelling (aged 15 at the time) said recently: “Surviving all the adventures and hairy incidents, all I can say is that I set off as a boy and returned as a man.”

Truth and Debris

In 1968 the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia. The Prague Spring, with an opening of minds and actions, was suppressed by an authoritarian regime. In Truth and Debris, a Czech psychologist escapes from suppressed Czechoslovakia and becomes a psychologist in a Canadian school. After years of work in Canada she uses recollections of her work with children, and her own childhood memories, to dig for the few shining truths in the twisted debris of her past. Can we all imagine truths lifted from the debris of the Czech invasion being of value during the current invasion of the Ukraine? Are values, deeply hidden below debris, important for our current, general, concern for a few foundational, shining and shared, truths?

Tunnel Vision

Three men gathered in an up-class night club bar. Each has a chequered past that they can’t escape from. They agreed to meet when released from prison. The plan was in front of them. A plan to steal millions from a holding bank, one of the largest bank robberies in history. At first, it seemed impossible. After a week, it all came together. This is a gripping intelligent thriller, based on true facts of a master plan to rob this holding centre bank.