The Luggage Lifter

Meet Harold, a young man who occupies a room in a bleak tenement in the edgy Blitz-damaged East End. Harold’s good humour and air of optimism belie the unfortunate circumstances which blighted his childhood, left him orphaned and shaped his view of the world. An intelligent, resourceful and amiable character, operating around the London hotels and railway stations, he turns luggage lifting into an art form. When he discovers a stash of letters in a leather steamer, an act of kindness sets off a chain of events which gathers its own momentum and leads to romance. But the escalation in his criminal activities, together with the finding of a large haul of used banknotes can only spell trouble. The attention of the police and the menace of the Moretti brothers, who claim the money, coincide, and arrest seems a safer outcome for Harold. He survives a prison term but soon learns that shaking off his unresolved past is more difficult, especially when trying to do the right thing leads to complications in his love life. Just when a sense of well-being beckons, matters spiral out of control and push Harold to the brink…

The Last Man

The author is trying to answer many questions that arise every day in the ordinary life of a human being. The main theme is world pandemics, which was a pretext for the depopulation of the planet. But the real story is far beyond that. The creation of the world we know and its inevitable end, which was sped up with the eternal temptation of the human, Being God (borrowed from Salvador Dali’s opera Être Dieu). Those who could not resist the temptation of being God took the fate of the world into their own hands and shaped it in their own image.

… We were born for them, we were educated for them, we lived for them, and we died for them. When they talked about freedom, they were actually talking about slavery. We were slaves, willing slaves, until we became useless eaters. They kept us alive as long as we were useful to them. When we became old jades, they let us out to graze on the poisonous grass. Those who resisted them were destroyed, declared insane, unfit, the worst enemies …

The Kiss

Set in 1999 on the cusp of a new millennium, Emma Fogle is back living in London. Her interview at the Hadley Gallery Covent Garden goes well and she is soon ensconced in the art world. However, betrayed by the people she had trusted, she becomes out of her depth when ruthless art dealing and the theft of ‘The Kiss’ sketch, which had been on loan for authentication from an elderly Jewish gentleman, takes her friend Alice and ultimately herself to Vienna, Austria. There is hostility and danger in a background of fine art, beautiful architecture and wonderful hospitality. Emma’s belief in her friend’s safety and a strong sense of déjà vu leads the reader on a perilous journey across the Austrian border and into Hungary. Ridden with guilt over Alice’s disappearance, Emma blames herself for agreeing initially for her to have gone. But she knew in her heart that all that had ever mattered was the obsessive love she has for ‘The Kiss’ and its safe return.

When the church bells over Vienna strike midnight to herald the year 2000, will Emma get her desired wish?

The Journal

Lying unread for almost a century, Christophe Allary’s journal, with its account of the loves and tragedies of this enigmatic man, are suddenly exposed to the sympathetic eye of Harry Evans, adrift and alone in Paris. Unexpectedly, each entry will alter the course of Harry’s life and send him searching for the untold events surrounding this forgotten man. From the north to the south of France and to a time when Paris, emerging from a brutal conflict, rediscovers its soul in the Belle Epoque. It exposes the worst in human character and ultimately the best in those in whom Christophe places his trust. As each page reveals its story, so Harry takes faltering steps in parallel with the long-dead author, revealing how the past can still extend its influence, even today.

The Glorious Face of Sorrow

Jack Spalding is a man at his lowest ebb. His wife has imposed a trial separation. His legal career is faltering. Though once he was a prince, his future is bleak. But then, in service of a client he did not want, Jack finds a book of love poems he did not expect. Through Hugh McCauley’s poetry, Jack perceives the love the poet has for his soulmate, Jing Zhao. But what has happened to the young couple? Narrated, in turn, by the three central characters, The Glorious Face of Sorrow, tells the tale of Hugh and Jing’s mixed-race romance in 1990s Sydney, where racial tensions are on the rise in an era of dog-whistle politics. But it also tells the story of Jack’s search for unlikely redemption.

The Fat Club

Simon Rodgers runs his own chauffeur business and after flying back from a well-earned break to St Lucia with his wife, Summer, their lives are turned upside down when he signs up to a sports supplement company called The Fat Club.

All is not what it seems.

The Dambe Fighter

Jabbo Okeleke becomes a successful Dambe fighter in his own right while making himself a cut above other boxers. This is also a riveting story that provides a contemporary portrait of a Nigerian fighter, who knows what he wants in life: to become an undisputed boxing champion.

As Jabbo Okeleke endeavours to achieve his goals in boxing, in all his glory, he has nothing to lose or hide, as he is confronted with ugly African myths, half-truths, and a slew of talented Dambe boxers.

This off-beat novel is all about boxing grit, resilience, and determination — that is, when it comes to Dambe boxing, while deepening our understanding of Jabbo Okeleke’s tireless boxing journey.

Finally, Jabbo Okeleke, with his personal challenges and experiences, takes on humankind, in general, as a fledgling Dambe fighter, as his opponents feel the great, tangible power of his dextrous hands and fists.

The Ballad of Amy Hill

“Amy Hill, sounds more like a place doesn’t it, than a person’s name.”

“Hah, yeah! What will I put in for your address?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Where do you get your mail?”

“I don’t get mail.”

Homeless and living on the streets of Fremantle, Amy has no purpose in life. Until, by strange circumstances, she becomes the custodian of a boisterous Dalmatian, Domino. Just as she is learning to cope with a dog, Gerald, a former nodding acquaintance and now recently released from the psychiatric institution of Edgewater, enters to further complicate her life.

In an attempt to help Gerald with his artistic endeavours – he having taken a short course in sketching and painting at Edgewater – Amy finds herself gaining unexpected and unwanted attention as an artist herself.

This is the story of the ups and downs in the life of Amy Hill. The Ballad, in fact, of Amy Hill.

Survivor's Eyes

With mankind on the edge of extinction, can our humanity survive? Or is civilisation just a thin, fragile veneer, masking our animal nature?

In the ruins of our society, a lonely, bitter man ekes out an existence, shying away from all human contact. He struggles with starvation and ever-present mortal danger. However, his greatest battle is to try and retain some vestige of the civilised man he once was, even if that means living alone.

Surreal Journey

The world of pubs and clubs has grown wearisome for one of Earth’s solo travellers. Inspired by pop culture and the ideals of his fading youth, he undertakes a trip across the Atlantic to find what he hopes will be somewhere to belong. Where has he really ended up? Can he save himself from disillusionment on an altogether surreal journey?

Ssssh, She's a Spy

When Jasper unexpectedly inherits an enchanting Elizabethan house from his late Uncle, he embarks on a journey filled with unforeseen challenges. As he settles into his newfound ownership, he discovers that the house harbours a unique mix of elderly residents whose lives are far more complex than meets the eye.

Intrigue looms as Jasper wonders: has he stumbled upon a hidden nest of spies? And if so, who do they serve? The answers elude him, weaving a web of mystery and uncertainty. Caught in a tangle of secrets and deception, Jasper must navigate treacherous waters to uncover the truth.

Will the tangled threads of espionage be unravelled? Can Jasper find a way to untangle the complexities of the spies within his inherited home? In this captivating tale, the stakes are high, and the world of spies proves to be as enigmatic as it is complicated.

Sordea

Cassiopeia Malahki, an 18-year-old girl, falls prey to the unjust and inhumane system of her society, due to lower social standing. A society ravished by a long war and divided by a great wall where the rich command from within as they relish in the plentitude of luxuries of the Great City while the poor obey from the other side in their misery and poverty with forceful work and degrading treatment. Forced away from her home and sold as an object to the unfeeling and cruel upper class, Cassiopeia has to endure a torturous cycle of injustices and humiliation. In the midst of all the abuse and degradation, she struggles to hold on to her dignity, made worse by conflicting feelings that arise with the unlikely relationships that form in her life.