The Other Brunel

June 1821. Once admired for ingenious inventions that aided England’s navy, engineer Marc Isambard Brunel now lies broken in debtors’ prison. Though his innovations brought victory against Napoleonic France, accolades turned to accusations over his French roots. Now the fetid decay of King’s Bench Gaol repays his service.Yet Brunel’s determination remains unbowed. With steadfast wife Sophia ever by his side, he contends daily for freedom from this unjust fate. Beset by misfortunes, will he be forced to abandon his adopted England as he did his homeland? At what cost to his family – especially his beloved son, Isambard?This vivid portrayal illuminates a pioneering mind undone by the nation he served. Yet even stripped of acclaim and liberty, Brunel perseveres, a testament to irrepressible vision and spirit. His timeless struggle resonates still, for no bars can cage the soaring heights of human endeavour and hope.

Day of the Dinosaurs

A young child goes missing visiting a dinosaur-themed park on the Island of Crete in Greece. Despite a worldwide search, he is never found. It is only later a disturbing picture emerges concerning his upbringing. The dinosaur park has been built in a crater created by a meteor many millions of years ago. Unknown to the park’s owners, fragments of the meteor have affected the animatronic creations, empowering them with intelligence. There is also an ancient myth concerning a Messiah-like child who will change the course of history. New technology, the internet, and artificial intelligence will play their part in bringing about the prophesied Armageddon.

Kain bu Maisie

Take a moment to stop, gaze, and appreciate the beauty of Wiradjuri Country, where three rivers wind through vast, burnt-red plains dotted with ochre. This is Wiradjuri Ngurambang, our land, and has been for thousands of years. It’s home to Gugaa, the fierce protector of Wiradjuri Country, and Maliyan, guardian of the skies. This sacred place, where the eagle soars above, ensures that all is well and in order on Wiradjuri land.As I look around, I see yellow-bellied Murray Cod swimming in the waters, kangaroos bounding across the plains, and birds everywhere – kookaburras, cockatoos, and magpies. My heart feels close to home. Walking up the red dirt path, I push through the rickety gate and step onto the vast open veranda. Inside, the bare dirt floors are sprinkled with my tiny footprints, leading me to Canowindra Ngurambangga.Here, I am home – home to my great aunties, Auntie Alice and Auntie Mary, our formidable Tup and Dung. These lively matriarchal sisters, strong and determined yet soft and kind, are always glad to see me. Now, it feels as if I am truly home again.

The Rendezvous

In the intricate dance of love, ambition, and betrayal, The Rendezvous follows Edward, a driven architect balancing the demands of his career and his tumultuous relationship with Jennifer. As their romance falters, Jennifer embarks on a journey of self-discovery, finding solace and passion in unexpected places. Meanwhile, Edward’s life intertwines with Katie, a spirited American makeup artist, sparking a whirlwind of emotions and revelations that challenge them both.

The Fate of A Mercenary

Two mercenaries travel along side each other for years, never leaving one another. They never settled down anywhere as they found it boring to settle down in one place forever, they wished to travel and always be on the road to discover new things.

As they are on the road after finishing off another job, they are stopped by a stranger and the stranger is not alone. The two do not know what the stranger wants from them but they do not wish to stay and find out.

Will they make it away from the stranger?

Light Bulbs

An idyllic Alpine village nestled deep in a remote valley remains unaware of the evil forces that threaten its peaceful existence. The denizens of Hell have gotten their hands on modern electricity and now covet the pristine valley as the location for a second Hell under Satan’s rule. But the land is closely guarded by righteous angels.

To disarm these angelic protectors, Satan dredges up two antiquated demons considered behind-the-times by current hellish standards and sends them to the valley to collect lightbulbs and plunge the village into darkness. However, the bumbling pair quickly get themselves electrocuted, forcing them out of the ether and into mortal view. Stranded, visible yet unable to return to Hell, they soon become media sensations.

As the two demons gain fame, will their distraction provide the opening needed to disable the angels and leave the fragile village open to a terrible infernal invasion? This clever tale blends quirky humour with imaginative world-building to deliver an engaging good-versus-evil adventure.

The Jazz Boat

The directors of Great Trips Ltd have a serious problem: they are on the brink of bankruptcy. In a desperate bid to save the company, they partner with a foreign business to launch a river cruise on the Seine, offering entertainment tailored to the British tourist market.

What the directors don’t realize is that their new partnership is secretly involved in people smuggling. When their youngest colleague uncovers the truth, she faces a difficult choice: should she report the operation to the Border Force, or put herself at risk to stop it from within?

Among the passengers on the cruise is someone working undercover to gather evidence of the smuggling operation. Tensions rise, and the truth comes dangerously close to the surface at the Captain’s dinner party.

Background Shot

The story begins in the early 1980s, at the Queen’s Club in London, where Mario, a young architect, meets Andrea, a journalist who is over from New York to report on Wimbledon.

The young couple go out to dinner and arrange to meet again in New York, where Mario has a scheduled business trip to view the real tennis courts of the New York Racket Club, as he is designing the Tennis and Rackets Museum in London.

Mario’s hobbies are photography and camera collecting, and he frequently visits camera fairs and camera auctions, purchasing classic cameras. On one occasion, he discovers undeveloped film in a Nikon camera, which he develops himself and is shocked to find out that the photos were taken in the early 1960s, depicting the shooting of a major international crime!

Shocked and realizing the seriousness of this, he doesn’t know where to turn and decides, as he has a trip planned to New York soon, to take them there and discuss the matter with Andrea, whom he feels he can trust.

In New York, Andrea becomes equally shocked when the matter is revealed and suggests that it will have to be handled with caution with people they can trust implicitly.

Further complications occur as they realize they are being followed and refrain from discussing the matter in public places, but only at her flat where, inevitably, tenderness ensues.

The story develops further by visiting the assassin’s widow’s house, which is in Dallas, Texas.

Kidz Play Better Under the Gun

What would you do if, instead of securing the profitable deal that promises financial security and peace for your family, you find yourself hunted by a relentless, unseen force? A force that knows everything about you, outnumbers you, and shows no mercy.

Would you try to negotiate with it?

As the clock ticks, you realize the threat extends beyond you to your beloved wife, your child, and the unborn baby you’ve been longing to meet. And this enemy? It doesn’t take prisoners.

With no safe haven, nowhere to hide, and no one to trust, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Losing isn’t an option, but the line between victory and defeat is razor-thin. One misstep could cost you everything.

Cascade Smith: The Hydra Sanction

THE HYDRA

A giant sea serpent of Greek mythology with nine heads, one of them immortal. The task to slay the Hydra was the second labour of Hercules – no easy task, as for every head cut off, another would grow in its stead.

To kill the Hydra, its immortal head must be cut off then cauterised in flame.

It is the year 2031, and Australia has just turned back a Chinese invasion force in the naval Battle of the Arafura Sea, ensuring stability in the South Pacific for the foreseeable future.

But China is playing the long game, moving its focus to a massive cyber-attack across the West, aimed at world domination through stealth in lieu of military conquest.

To this end, China’s MSS has developed Hydra, the most advanced quantum computer the world has ever seen, and in 2032 they start to use it, successfully attacking the governments of the Philippines and then Japan with devastating effect.

The ‘brain’ of Hydra is sunk 1000 feet deep in the Dragon Hole, a sinkhole in the South China Sea, from where it beams attack codes to eight satellites orbiting the key capital cities of the West.

America’s NSA identifies the location of Hydra, but President Sigourney Owen rules out a tactical nuclear strike, as that would be a prelude to a Third World War.

It is resolved to mount a commando operation, with US Navy SEALs launched by submarine to attack the Dragon Hole with a specially-designed depth charge code-named Hercules.

Four SEALS volunteer for the suicide mission.

One of them is Cascade Smith.

Fishers of Men

The second instalment in the dramatic new series, The Flavian Trilogy.

Joshua, Maria, and Linus Flavian now determine their destinies. From the Nazirites and the Essenes to the burgeoning fishing industry on the Sea of Galilee, Joshua and his band of followers are led from obscurity to the portals of the Roman Prefect in a movement poised to change the world. Maria of Magdala becomes a part of this movement, and is left with an awesome responsibility. Linus Flavian pits Roman pride and ambition against a Galilean past.

Fishers of Men provides a fascinating commentary on the origins of Christianity that is both challenging and yet plausible, incorporating traditional beliefs, fictitious thoughts, and new controversial interpretations. With vivid prose and compelling characters, Fishers of Men offers a captivating glimpse into the first-century Roman and Judean worlds.

“A provocative new picture of the ‘historical’ Jesus.”
– Kirkus Discoveries, Texas.

“Peter Longley’s unique interpretations of the life of the Messiah, along with his interesting and plausible explanations of miraculous events and his indications that Maria of Magdala played a vital role in the ministry of God’s son, make for a fascinating and intriguing story and increases anticipation for the third and final book in the series.”
– San Francisco and Sacramento Book Reviews, California.

“From the descriptive nature, it is obvious that this author has personal knowledge of these important first-century sites, giving authenticity to his work often missing in Biblical narratives.”
– Beecher, Springfield, Missouri.

The Westminster Series Book 1: In Private

Amber Celeste Reynaud, a young schoolteacher of Huguenot descent, and proud of it, is passionately keen to enter British politics as a member of the Ecology party.

Her bête noir is the rich and famous MP for the Business party, Catherine Fitzwilliam. Daughter of a baronet, she is married to a wealthy banker and lives in a fabulous, listed property. Amber loathes her and everything she stands for.

A chance meeting in a London theatre leads to a far from polite outburst from Amber, for which she is ashamed. But Catherine’s teenage son had, after all, poked her painfully in the back with his umbrella.

Amber teaches sports and English at a state school in the Brighton area. When she is summoned by the head teacher to meet a prospective new entry to her class in the winter term, it is Catherine and her son who she finds sitting in the Head’s study. Sam, who Amber has realised is on the Asperger Spectrum, insists he leave his private school to join Amber’s class. Against the Head’s better judgement, Amber persuades her to give the boy a chance.

Amber lives in a marriage of convenience with her husband, Ian. She has never questioned her indifference to sex, believing she needs all her energies to flow into her career ambitions. Now she recognises that the looks the very married Catherine gives her are far from innocent. And strangely, they don’t leave her cold either…