Called to Serve and Protect

How does a farm boy brought up on an isolated farm with no electricity, or running water supply, leaving school at fifteen with no academic qualifications, have a successful career in the police force and become an overseas police adviser? John describes his motivation to serve and protect, and takes you through his police career, including when he climbed the headstock of a disused colliery to talk down a disturbed teenager, had a convicted killer hold a knife to his throat, and took a loaded shotgun out of the hands of an aggressive teenager. He enumerates his progression through the ranks and describes an occasion when he refused to obey an order from his Chief Constable, which probably cost him a promotion.

Post-retirement, he worked for a private security company involved in the escorting of prisoners to courts and prisons and describes having to spend three days in the witness box at an inquest into the death of a prisoner in transit to prison. As an overseas police adviser sitting in a restaurant in Addis Ababa with his wife, a colleague and his wife, John saw a hand grenade come to a standstill just inches away from his legs and he expected to die, but miraculously survived.

Flown back to the UK for treatment he had his moments of fame, appearing on TV news and on the Big Breakfast show on Channel 4. Attending a presentation function at the Café Royal, he sat next to Lois Maxwell, the original Miss Moneypenny and the lady on whom her character was based.

Chapters in the Mind of a Schizophrenic

The essence of my book

I lost my mind

And got it back with time

My mind is a complex thing

Only I know what it is like within

Concealed in my skull

It’s anything but dull

I tried to keep it sane

But it has its own brain

I lost control and got it back

But it’s that trust I lack

Not knowing what comes next

I converted my thoughts to text

To try and understand

Before I’m buried in the sand

I kind of know how you tick

But to society I am sick

Labelled as mentally ill

But I have a strong will

To conquer my brain

And learn how to maintain

A level of sanity

Enough to have clarity

And function within the norm

Without causing a storm

I lost you twice

As I rolled the dice

Gambling with my mind

Because I didn’t know what kind

Of illness I was dealing with

Now I know schizophrenia it is

I try to make my peace

With a mind that is never at ease

Now I wrote this book

And that much suffering it took

To describe my mind

But I think now it is perfectly timed

To share this book

With all the pain and sweat it took

I hope to spark a conversation

That puts us on track to that far destination

Where acceptance is key

And we can all live free

By YM Mehanni

Childhood Awaits Every Person

“I didn’t know it was like this,” exclaimed an eight-year-old. This book reveals the depth and extent of childhood yearning for the natural world and their enjoyment and wonder of it. Learn to appreciate this desire and discover the child within yourself so you too can discover your own inner child’s love and care for the planet. Addressing the climate crisis begins with the discovery of our own inner child and that deep yearning, wonder and enjoyment of nature.

You will also delight in the story which ends with the plea: “Please, please can the world not crush this child, his gentle, profound, and astonishing soul. So remember – trees are part of love, and the land is always there, under the concrete. And if there arises in Suffolk a guru, a visionary, a spiritual leader of awesome ability – I won’t be surprised if he’s called Paul, and has freckles, and skips now and then when he walks.

Childhood Memories at Twilight

Childhood Memories at Twilight shows the turbulent relationship between the author and her mother where her siblings were favoured and her emotional journey to become who she is today.

This is a story of a feisty young girl trying to overcome being belittled and bullied, struggling to get out of her mother’s clutches and be independent through education.

She managed to get a degree in Economic Sciences and met her boyfriend who is now her husband of 34 years. She then took a risk and left her country to be with her boyfriend in Antigua where she learnt to sail. Coming from a landlocked country this was very frightening for her because she can’t swim! She got married 18 months later and they moved to England. Sailing became part of her life as her husband was a sailor. She managed to win 3 cups from her Royal Yacht Club Logs. 

The book is about her childhood and sailing to new places and discovering new ways of anchoring on rocks to get privacy, especially in Sweden.

She feels believing in yourself is the way forward to achieving your goals.

Community Nursing Stories

An evocative memoir that paints a rich historical picture of life as a district nurse in a close-nit rural community setting in the mid-1970s and 80s. The author presents a fascinating set of memoirs that capture the essence of a district nurse at this time.

Presenting the challenges of coping with a young family to live and work as an outsider within a community, winning trust, and respect, whilst adapting to the challenges of working in a rural community, before days of central heating, mobile or in some circumstances house phones. The memoirs present a series of heart-warming, encounters, portraying a picture of a committed nurse, becoming a community champion and visionary pioneer in the development of much needed community services.

The stories of engagement with all-age community members present a strong historical context of the nursing role. In some ways very different to current nursing practice, reflecting the evolution of nursing and development of nursing, medical and technological knowledge to underpin the principles of knowledgeable, empowered, and informed practice.

Confessions of a Justified Hooker

Harrowingly honest and strangely uplifting, this is a courageous testimony written from the soul of a unique, if not peculiar, woman whose tale transcends political and legal struggles. So tragic, yet tremendously inspiring, her feats of strength take you into the dark heart of modern Britain that perhaps you have never seen before. It is a heartwarming fight of a gracious mother, desperate to get her son the medical care he so vitally needs, whilst his father seeks only to exploit him.

When faced with the greatest challenges of her life, she ventures a most ghastly and terrifying path to an uncertain future. There, her legion of clients become her unexpected support group. In them, she finds solace, exhilaration and, most importantly, healing. Rising from the ‘grime’ of Gorton, Manchester, Sandra breaks convention and rises into the sheets with the rich and powerful. Holding nothing back, the illicit encounters and rampant rendezvous, be they Premier League stars or Irish VIPs, all are weaved in. The layers of sacred promises, illicit secrecy and hidden intimacy are peeled back to reveal pleasure and purity. In the melting pot, her boudoir, those who have tasted her pleasures, become her story, her journey, her life…

Keep Calm and Kinky On.

Cycling 70 Years: Once World Champion

Join Gordon on a journey through the world of professional cycling, from following in the footsteps of Tom Simpson on a journey to Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, to building a successful financial services business and organizing popular training camps in Mallorca, which helped make the island the top destination for serious cyclists. Along the way, discover the amusing characters and incidents that defined Gordon’s career, as well as the challenges and triumphs of sponsorship and racing with one of the top amateur clubs in the country. Experience the thrill of home and away racing in countries like South Africa, where Gordon competed in the pre-Nelson Mandela era, and Russia, where he won the world championship. With a mix of cycling adventures and tourism, this book also takes you on a hilarious four-day pilgrimage ride from Albufeira to Fatima, culminating in a unique ceremony at the famous site. Through it all, you’ll get a unique glimpse into the world of cycling and the joys and challenges that come with it.

Dancing to the Beat of the Drum

Returning to her parents’ birthplace in 1994, Pamela Nomvete became a household name as Ntsiki Lukhele, “the bitch”, on a South African soap opera called Generations.

But the mirage of luxury and success in which she lived was just that, a mirage. Behind closed doors, she battled her husband’s infidelities, addiction, and spiritual confusion.

Dancing to the Beat of the Drum details the traumatic personal crisis Pamela went through as her success grew – a crisis which took everything she had worked for from

her – and how she came to re-evaluate her priorities and reconnect with the spiritual side of her life, something she had long neglected.

Dancing with Chaos

Dancing with Chaos is a memoir. It is an eclectic tale that centres around themes of mental illness and medicine, travel and the struggles of a single mother. The main character is raised in poverty and uncertainty by a single mother who suffers from schizophrenia. Later, as a vulnerable teenager, searching for love and acceptance, she finds nothing but heartache. Then, as a young adult, she begins to discover that the world is actually a fascinating and sometimes wonderful place. Heartaches resurface as the genetics of mental illness unfold.

Disability & Me

“Never give up, raise your voice, so it’s heard and if you want something, go and get it. Define your own odds. And remember – “it’s not how long it takes you to get there – it’s about getting there in the end!””

Tyler’s Story is one of strength and resilience. Diagnosed at a young age with dyscalculia, dyslexia and hard of hearing, she faced bullies and unsupportive learning environments.

When she started work, despite all her achievements, people continued to try and bring her down. However, Tyler has come through the other side stronger than ever. Whatever life throws at her, she prevails, and her story will make you think twice about putting her in a box.

Doctor in the World

Doctor in the World opens with personal experiences of the socialist NHS in England and Wales; in developing countries in Central America, Africa and East Asia; Medicare insurance schemes in Canada and Australia; then back to the NHS in its hybrid public/private and internal market form.

It is an anecdotal record of medical care in many different places around the world. A country’s government has an impact on the health of its people and so geopolitical backgrounds that affect medical services have been included.

Finally, the results of WHO and OECD surveys from many countries are compared against the background of phenomenal advances in modern medicine.

The stories of world health will interest anyone involved in medical care, anywhere in the world.

Drawn to the Light

Drawn to the Light is a captivating memoir that chronicles the life of an empathic child born into a loving and psychic family. From the author’s birth, readers will follow her journey of discovering spirituality and finding her place in the spiritual world.

This book is a collection of powerful experiences, ranging from psychic and spiritual to the everyday moments that shape us into who we are. Through sharing her story, the author hopes to inspire others who are also on their spiritual path.

While the author’s spiritual journey began in earnest when she joined a Spiritual Development and Meditation Group in 2001, her growth has continued to flourish in the years since then. In this book, readers will find inspiration and guidance for their own spiritual journey.

With quotes from spiritual luminaries like Neale Donald Walsh and Natasha Hoffman, Drawn to the Light offers a unique perspective on the difference between religion and spirituality, and how finding one’s own spiritual truth can unite us all. This memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of their own spiritual path.