Brain's Got the Sh*ts Again

Has your brain ever had the sh*ts? Feeling down, feeling tired, the works?

Well so had mine, until a vastly uneventful Eurotrip that led me to intense joint pain, that led me to celiac disease diagnosis, that led me to initially eating cardboard-flavoured things, that led me to tastier options, that led me to the slimey miracle that is the human gut, and to the life-affirming railroad that is the gut-brain axis. Whether your brain is constipated or has full-blown diarrhoea (I promise this book is serious once you actually buy it), this dubious title promises to share fun-facts about gut-brain health, all through real and imagined short stories that will keep you interested. If you are having doubts about trusting a sass-mouthed writer with your gut-brain health, let me try to change your mind by saying all my facts are cited through respected academic research, I’m a Neuropsychology extern and a Neuroendocrinology gut-brain researcher and I’m currently pursuing a Psychology PhD (no one said I’d catch it though).

@daphnespyropoulos

Brainwashed

Gabriel has always viewed his Uncle Seanna through the starry-eyed wonder of childhood, regarding him as nothing less than a hero. Their reunions are filled with excitement, a testament to the bond they share. But as Gabriel grows older, he begins to see a different side of Seanna – one that’s dark and manipulative.

As Seanna’s influence over Gabriel grows, the young man becomes ensnared in a web of deception and malevolence. However, when Gabriel finds love, his girlfriend recognizes the danger that Seanna poses. She sees the manipulative hold Seanna has over him and becomes determined to intervene.

Can love break the chains of manipulation? And will Gabriel discover the true nature of his once-beloved uncle before it’s too late?

Breaking Chains – ‘The Word’

Childhood abuse and trauma has consequences: black holes, where voids are born, mental ill health acquired and self-love diminished. The cause of these voids and the power to heal them lies solely in one force alone, or lack thereof, and this force is love.

Let’s journey together sharing knowledge, vulnerabilities, synchronicities and the word of God, of pure, unconditional Love, through a memoir incorporating science, nurture, toxicity, personality and the true depths of the void. We will analyse, psychologise and be present in our own individual stories, breaking chains that bind us in order to truly heal and be set free, turning black holes into shining stars.

Breaking News

Tim Jones is a man with everything. He has money and is popular with the ladies, so I guess you can call him a lover of the night. However, he just does not get paid.

There's one other thing that Tim has that everybody wants. Tim has a big secret. The entire city of female news anchors wants to find out the full story on this man. Some of them will succeed in getting close to him, but many of them will fail. The anchor woman that gets the story on Tim Jones knows she is going to get the best breaking news ever.

Stay tuned because the best breaking news is coming your way. Don't go away; we will be right back with more breaking news.

Breaking Stones

The phenomenon of human potential is never beyond our sight.

An opportunity is always offered to people. Sometimes in a mysterious way. Whoever ignores or rejects it will never truly experience life’s journey. Staying on the same path is to constantly relive the same day. That’s why exploration embodies mankind’s natural need to deal with the secrets below the surface. Although the facts about us as human beings speak in an understandable language, this doesn’t mean we’re not an enigma to ourselves. Understanding oneself is a very demanding process, similar to an autopsy. Not a physical autopsy, but a spiritual one. Discovering the anatomy of one’s soul cannot be done abruptly. Moments of inspiration will make the realization of whether we are controlled by our consciousness or our subconsciousness easier. Hiding behind a heavy veil until the very end is not truly living.

Sometimes a mere piece of paper under a windshield wiper with just three words and a phone number can change your life instantly.

The hero of this novel who only refers to himself as “The Recorder” dared to call a number left on a piece of paper beneath his windscreen wiper. He sensed an opportunity. A few weeks later, a telegram arrived:

IT’S TIME. IT’S YOUR TURN NOW. MOVE NOW!

A trip to an unknown estate marks the beginning of an adventure, and he begins writing the history of his life.

Breast Cancer Smiles

On a cold day in February, 2018, Shazia goes from a tennis court in the morning to a hospital in the afternoon where she is diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. As her journey unfolds, humour becomes her crutch, writing becomes her tool and a powerful connection to her South Asian roots becomes her purpose.

This isn’t a tale of cancer and the devastation it undoubtedly brings. It’s the story of a life-altering journey enriched by time. Shazia tells a tale of re-birth swathed in love, humour and pain. She unveils the shame of breast cancer in her birth culture that is killing women before their time. In her birthplace, Pakistan, cancer is casually known as ‘the kiss of death’.

For Shazia, it is quite the opposite. This is life through a different lens and a questioning of the status quo. Her musings provoke debate and challenge existing beliefs, holding up a different mirror to society. These chronicles are written during 18 months of chemotherapy, sepsis, surgery and radiotherapy. They are written with hope and an intermittent smile.

Breath of God

We’ve crossed the border and are in the Republic of Ireland. I’m wondering whether I’ll see snow again, all over Ireland, falling on every part of the dark central plain, on treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and on Shannon waves. Would I ever again read Joyce?

“Sit there,” Thomas says. He looks over his shoulder at William, says “Come on,” with a directive nod of his head and gets out of the car. William gets out and the two stand at the front of the car where I can see them talking. Their talk becomes animated with much hand gestures, and head noddings, and jerkings. They come back to the car, but instead of taking me out, get in.

“Stanley,” says Thomas.

Mary Ford has asked Stanley Eigerman, a Messianic Jewish detective, to find her son Stephen, who has been made to disappear during the troubles in the Belfast. For 21 years Mary has grieved for her missing son, and in taking the case Eigerman gets more than he bargains for.

Breath of God is a novel

Written in language that elevates the soul

Is an anti-depressant

Has a theme that speaks across the ages

 To each of us

Living in a world of violence, fear, and pity.

Breeding

A strain of vampires with super strength, a sixth sense, and the ability to shape change, who can kill in seconds.

It is a race against time to find a way to capture all of them and destroy them. But how?

In a sleepy town in England close to the southern coast, Carlos and his loving wife Tanya and their teenage son Lewis are put through the worst nightmare they could ever imagine: a plague of vampires. They must not only fight to save their lives but the whole town. No one is safe, not even your children. Your blood is not the only thing they need.

Brett Polar

Brett Polar is an intoxicating rollercoaster ride that will leave you as much elated as devastated. It is engaging, empowering, educational and ultimately gives hope to people living with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.

Brett’s story involves a mental health sojourn that spans twenty years from 2000 to 2020. Prepare to ride alongside him as he goes through the bipolar motions of extreme highs, devastating lows and all the semi-stable moments in between.

His story is proof that if a diagnosis is accepted and the right support embraced, then an individual living with mental illness can not only survive but thrive!

Jump on in to find out more.

Brett: ‘Love of My Life’

Sometimes a girl’s dream is to have a safe home.

Steph’s escape is listening to her Queen records and dancing at the discos. It is the ’80s; music keeps her mind safe – it is the only thing she trusts. At 16, she finds love and friendship in a bikie called Brett. She never knew her first love would be the ‘love of her life’.

Brett is as damaged as Steph; tragedy seems to follow them. He is the only person who ever believed in Steph and her dreams.

However, with no money and no family to help her, Steph hits obstacles at every turn – with sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.

Will Steph ever escape and follow her dream?

Bridge for Beginners

Bridge is a wonderful game. It is interesting, challenging and frustrating all at the same time. It keeps your brain active and alert and it gives you an opportunity to create new and lasting friendships with like-minded people.

“It is rare to find a bridge book that combines simplicity with comprehensive cover of all the basic rules of bridge, and yet this book does exactly that. George builds a solid foundation for the beginner by going through the bidding sequences step by step in a logical and orderly fashion and then presenting examples to show how those steps actually work. I can highly recommend this for those who want to learn the basics. It is also ideal for those who have played and now want to rekindle and update their skills. The book will also work nicely as a manual for teachers who teach beginners.”

— Marty Bergen

Bright Shadow

This is the story of Katherine Plantagenet, self-proclaimed “daughter, sister and aunt of kings” who endures extraordinarily traumatic reversals of fortune, as her life swings through wealth and adversity.  A glittering future as an English princess is swept away by the untimely death of her father, Edward IV, and the usurpation of her brother Edward V's throne. Surrounded by murderous intrigue, conspiracy and ambition, Katherine and her sisters fear what lies in store … The pragmatic marriage of the eldest, Bessy, to the victor of Bosworth, Henry Tudor, brings an uneasy peace to Katherine's young life but the shadows of suspicion and rebellion continue to swirl around her.  

Katherine witnesses first hand the events that plague her brother-in-law's reign. As a political expedient, she is given in marriage to William Courtenay, heir to the Earl of Devon, but Henry Tudor's paranoia soon falls upon her beloved young husband who is imprisoned in the Tower. An intelligent and resilient woman, in a world where men hold all the power, Katherine fights her way alone through a tense decade that ends in personal tragedy. With a vow of celibacy as her chosen route of self-preservation, Katherine continues to tread a wary path of survival ... until the charming Benedict Haute enters her life. However, the failure of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon to produce a living son changes the way any Plantagenet is viewed by the king; Katherine knows her royal blood could cause trouble for her family.