Feelings of the Moment

Ahmed, a young man hailing from the Middle East, relocates to America to study. In the US, he sees, and is excited by, a sexual freedom uncommon in his homeland, and vows to live his young life to the full. Initially staying in Colorado with a married couple, Ahmed seduces Debbie, who is unappreciated by her husband, and his voyage of passion begins.

More encounters with American women follow, as Ahmed invites them to surrender to both themselves and to him; though with his appetite for sexual exploration unsatiated, he returns to the United Arab Emirates, applying the same methods, albeit covertly in a more conservative society, to embolden the women he meets to revel in their sexuality, and make their lustful fantasies a reality.

Ahmed realizes that the women he meets both at home and abroad, even those enjoying a Westernised sexual liberty, are oppressed in their own way, unable to express themselves as they truly desire, with some of them starved of intimate pleasure by husbands who have settled for a boring, predictable way of life. Acting on this, he encourages them to explore their deepest desires, and as they surrender to those hidden yearnings and the feelings of the moment, they embrace each other’s bodies with zeal, satisfying needs that, for some, have been left unfulfilled for years.

Fermented Spirits

Stevie Monroe and John Beverage have been friends since childhood. They are now settled in the Gorbals, a Glasgow slum. Stevie is elated when his French wife, Camile, becomes pregnant with their one and only son. John Beverage and his wife, Caroline, already have two sons. The last thing they need is yet another mouth to feed.

It’s 1902, the working classes are suffering from extreme poverty and exploitation. Men line the docks in droves on a daily basis looking for work. Even when you have a trade, as Stevie and John do, work is extremely dangerous. Drunkenness is a perennial cause of casual cruelty. Boot-legging is rife. John sets up a family distillery for some extra cash to survive, but turns more and more towards the drink himself, dishing out back-handers to his family.

Stevie, meanwhile, lives his life as a shipbuilding sheet metal worker – a friend, a husband, a father, and a man with a deviance that has to be kept secret at all costs. Deviant sexual practices are abhorred, resulting in life imprisonment, suicide and murder. For homosexual men, especially those from the working classes, Britain is in the dark ages. Navigating this world leads Stevie to a life wrought with worry, confusion, murder and love.

Final Settlement

Life during South Africa’s apartheid times had been idyllic for the white residents of a small village in the picturesque Nede Valley. Ken Chandler witnessed this when he moved there from England. However, he thought things would need to change following the abolition of apartheid and he saw that the nature and governance in the nearest towns and smaller townships had changed rapidly to suit the needs of the Zulu and Indian residents, but nothing had changed within the Nede valley.

How they were to maintain a “whites only” village was a major concern for its residents, but how were they to achieve this? Would it be amicably achieved or would they need to resort to violence? Eventually, change was brought about in the village, but not in a way that anyone would have envisaged.

Finding God In The Midst of Depression

Have you ever felt so low and had no one to turn to? Or felt like this was the end but were still so afraid?
Do not fear, because there is someone who is always listening... GOD. Whether you believe or not, trust in Him and He can help you.
The poems in this collection were inspired and written through me by God. My story tells of how I became a Christian, enjoyed the highs and survived some very dark times. All thanks to God.
Asking for help, He healed me whilst I was in the midst of depression. He can heal you too.

Finding Ruby

"I wasn't the same girl that had left London pining for my Whistles dress, and my high heels, or the one who had gone to Pai, in love and counting down the days until I went home." Ruby Jones would rather have a designer handbag than a backpack. Ruby doesn't 'do' backpacking. But that is exactly what she finds herself doing when her boyfriend buys her a round-the-world trip for her birthday. Horrified at first by the chaos, smells and woeful accommodation, Ruby surprisingly begins to enjoy herself. She finds herself zipping around Thailand on a moped; swimming in the sea at dawn after a full moon party and elephant trekking in the jungle. However, Ruby's world is suddenly turned upside down and she finds herself alone and scared in the middle of Southeast Asia. Ruby decides to continue her journey alone. But will she be able to finish the journey by herself? Will she be able to overcome a catastrophe unlike anything she's experienced before? And in so doing, will she discover a different Ruby Jones?

Finger of Suspicion

This novel depicts events that happened to officers from Strathclyde Police covering the periods between 1990 and 2003. The names have been changed in most circumstances to protect those involved but the detail within the stories reflect events that happened and written by me in my own words as an interpretation of what I recall.

Being a police officer during this time was rewarding and I met many lovely people whilst I worked there and still remain friends with many of them.

Policing during that era was difficult and drugs were a major scourge in the deprived areas in the north of Glasgow and many families lost loved ones through overdose or other serious drug related illnesses. The criminal gangs operated in these areas ruled by fear with many drug dealers only doing it to repay a debt.

The stories provide an insight into a behind the scenes look at how investigations are managed and the characters involved in running them. It is a sad depiction of life at the front end of policing, dealing with death and misery. More alarmingly, it will discuss the lack of support provided by senior officers towards other lower level colleagues.

The author used every power of strength and determination to set the record straight with some of the events and was helped by a few other like-minded friends. It is a story of belief in one another and colleagues involved in these incidents all looked out for one another—which didn’t always happen but I am glad we did!

Firstborn

On the remote isles of Skarrak, a creature stalks the night, preying on the people of the towns. Jon of Gor, a beastslayer of some renown, is hired by the local jarl to hunt down the monster. But wherever he searches, he encounters a wall of silence, of half-truths and denial, of superstition and suspicion. The creature’s victims are shrouded in secrecy and finding them is only half the battle. Desperate to continue his own search for his lost sister, he must battle against time, deception and the beast itself; a battle that soon becomes personal…

FiveChamp

Discover an electrifying tale where Mother Nature herself orchestrates a new dawn for humanity, converging five extraordinary strangers in the pulsating heart of New York City. Together, they form FiveChamp, a sports team unlike any the world has ever seen, epitomizing endurance, determination, strength, and sportsmanship. But can any team possibly defeat them? The stakes are high: it’s the world versus five!

As they navigate the high-octane arena of sports, FiveChamp also grapples with a darker challenge: the insidious corruption and underworld mafias infiltrating the glamorous world of athletics. Their battle intensifies when an infamous New York serial killer is mysteriously resurrected, unleashing chaos in the city they call home.

Immerse yourself in the gripping saga of FiveChamp as they battle both human vice and supernatural malevolence. Armed with unwavering teamwork and virtuous sportsmanship, they not only aim to vanquish evil but also inspire a new paradigm for unity and valour. Can they triumph over overwhelming odds and capture our hearts? The clock is ticking, and the game has just begun.

Fleeting Images from a Bloodied Past

Ships against the sea! Was…STILL IS, a threat to all the vessels who sail upon her, and especially so, an ever-present threat to the crews who do their duty and put their lives in harm's way. Of violent storms, tempests… All the unpredictable hell of crosswinds, headwinds and tailwinds, roaring madly like some frenzied monster, changing direction, attempting to plunge the man-made object under the vengeful, towering and swamping thunderous waves, against which so many hardy ships have foundered, perished and been lost. The fact that the CSS Alabama came through such a storm and survived this maelstrom is testimony to the meticulous skills and concentrated painstaking patience and hard work of Laird's well-led and well-managed shipbuilding workforce and professional seamanship, that ensured the crew's safe passage and escape from this seaborne wretchedness. Warships, which survived incredible battle experience, and - at war's end - were reviewed for conversion, replacement or the breaker's yard was a consideration. Not all, however, because the fate of HMS Zealous continued in a new page of history, when she was transferred to the Israeli Navy. Later, in 1967, whilst out on patrol in the Eastern Mediterranean, she was suddenly attacked by Egyptian warships equipped with superior firepower. The new crew of this old warhorse knew that the fate of their emerging and vibrant new nation, fighting to retain her hard-fought existence, was dependent upon their spirited defence. Despite the fact that they were up against Soviet-supplied STYX surface-to-surface missiles, against which they had no defence, they steered into battle, undaunted. With battle pennants flying, they bravely challenged the enemy. Their fearlessness and courage shone in the face of certain destruction and ultimate sacrifice. The Cammell Laird scenario is riveting and strikingly dramatic…

Flight to Freedom

The planning was complete, and the three girls started their once in a lifetime journey. It had taken a lot of planning, but not as much as was needed later. It all started off so well but left Deb in a filthy cell with nothing to do but count the cockroaches, which there were many, the fetid water she was given gave her stomach cramps.

Then Dad arrived… but how?

He grabbed her quickly and pulled her near the door to unlock the hand and ankle cuffs that secured her. She sighed so he did not need to check her pulse. He managed to lift her onto his shoulder, noticing how light she was – a bonus in a way – as he managed to move quickly across the road. He quickly retrieved his bow and disappeared into the bushes, managing to trip only twice and never enough to floor him. Can they get away for good?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Phil Wilson is an ageing saxophone player who washed up in the Ocean Breeze caravan park, like flotsam left on the beach after a storm. Even for those somewhat on the margins of the good society, life can be pleasant. Phil and his fellow caravan park renters thought so.

But life throws a series of curveballs and they can give in or fight back. They will need to navigate the testing waters of interpersonal relationships, bureaucracy, and the unpatrolled worlds of online communities.

Set on the Surf Coast in Victoria, the novel is a wry study of male mateship and the challenges of friendship and relationships.

Follow The Wild Sky

Divided into six categories, the poems in Follow the Wild Sky reflect the author’s priorities, with his family coming first.
After poems about the family, the time and place poems react to events, including climate change and pandemics.
The island narrative poems probe some of the historical background to the shifting identities in Ireland and England. They dip down into pre-history and up again to the present day.
The commentary poems range from the serious to the frivolous.  The author hopes they are not too lecturing!
The poems of possibility attempt to wrap some metaphysics around the real world.
The science-fiction poems have been written as forerunners, in the style of treatments for a possible film script.
One of the reasons for the author’s writing is to exercise demons.