The Black Willows

A young man named Tommy goes missing in a dense, isolated and unforgiving forest located 45 minutes outside the small town of Jennifer's Ridge. Months pass and there is no trace of him, with his family stricken with grief and the local police having no luck on locating him. His older brother, Jason; and childhood friend, Pete, team up with the local rangers to comb through the forest and bring him home…but they are not alone, the shadows hide ancient evils as they march further into the abyss, the trees seem to reach out and grab them, trying to warn the men as they track through. But they use this fear to push on, to bring Tommy home…to not let the Black Willows claim him as its own.

The Blackpool Landlady and Son

When 18-year-old Helen Ashton meets Joe McCarthy on the moors of Northumberland she instantly falls in love, certain that her humdrum life had taken a new turn. And for several years it did.

On the eve of the First World War, Helen learns that she is pregnant with Joe’s child, but before she can tell him, he enlists in the army and is despatched to war. She never heard from Joe again, and believed him dead.

When their son, Ben, was born, Helen, in mounting desperation, agreed to marry a retired police inspector with whom she had two children.

In time, her husband of convenience leaves Helen for another woman, and she finds herself on her own in the coastal resort of Blackpool with three young children with only a penurious future to look forward to. But fate intervenes, and with growing confidence Helen turns their home into a holiday hotel and begins welcoming guests. From one she learns that her beloved Joe had not died, but had been discharged into a sanatorium where he languished, a shadow of his former self, depressed, uncertain, confused … and lost, lacking the courage to reconnect with Helen.

By the time of Helen’s death, Joe is living a reclusive life, and his son, Ben, married with children of his own, takes over the Blackpool hotel. It is Ben’s wife, childhood friend Mary, who tracks down Ben’s father, finally persuading Ben to meet him … on the day Joe dies.

The Blossoming Lotus

Embark on a transformative voyage of self-exploration and recovery with The Blossoming Lotus.
Through moments of heartache, betrayal, hope, joy, poverty, despair, self-loathing, self-love, homelessness, and friendship, the writer learns to love all aspects of herself, recognising that, much like the Lotus Flower that flourishes in murky waters, all of us have the potential to mature into beautiful and powerful beings.
This collection of poems, written over the past decade, represents a powerful and inspiring message of hope.
‘I hope you enjoy reading this collection.
My prayer is for my messages to reach those
who need them the most.’
Sylvie

The Blue Canvas

A blend of interesting poetry inspired by everyday life things such as the weather, holidays, food, or life in general. Written during lockdown when home-schooling was the new norm, this anthology of poems helps us to remember, be thankful, and be grateful. Listening to the news during the pandemic made people believe that each day was a blessing, and that people should do their best to value their family, friends, and neighbours, and not take each other for granted.

The Blue Mist

The science of human factors is often overlooked, yet it is pivotal in the pursuit of safety. Understanding what makes us tick, our behaviours and how we interact with others, and the ability to visualise potential threats and errors has many advantages. Such as developing better interpersonal and communication skills, which can assist in growing your leadership or team working skills. The ability to see threats and errors can improve safety, reduce costs, and increase productivity.

The Blue Mist is a personal guidebook on human factors; through the author’s experiences and research, the reader can explore and learn the basic human factor concepts. Extensive research in well-known disasters such as the Ladbrook Grove rail disaster, The Costa Concordia Grounding, and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter accident, together with the author’s accounts of incidents and accidents, combine to give an informative and fascinating insight.

The field of human factors developed by the aviation industry is becoming recognised as a critical element in many other sectors. Adopted as a safety element in the shipping, rail, and medical sectors, it has increased safety and reduced accidents. This book assists both novice and experienced human factor advocates and is an excellent tool in exploring the human factor concepts and values.

The Book and the Ring

On Torka, Baroness Penelope Birkenwood, Brenosian Ambassador to Genna, is visited by a member of the Council of Magic and told of a dark spirit in the world looking to exploit divisions and create instability. Penelope is tasked with stopping it with the aid of a ring.

George, the young and inexperienced king of Brenos, is being urged by some of his advisors to marry Suzannah, niece of King Francis of Amerton. But doing this will involve a major change of foreign policy which others oppose. When Penelope returns, they make a decision which turns everything upside down.

Another country, Korinth, is engaged in a long-running feud with Amerton, under its seemingly mad queen, Marilyn.

Penelope is cast on a journey in which she will need to use her wits and diplomatic skills to ease tensions between nations and prevent the dark spirit’s power from leading Torka to disaster…

‘The Book and the Ring is an immersive and intricately woven work of fantasy. As with Anne Hampton’s previous books, her skill with word-building is as nuanced as it is wide-reaching: from the first page we are introduced to a vibrant new world with a cast of characters who guide us through the story, using natural dialogue which successfully avoids being over-expository. The relevant themes of the book are dealt with tactfully and do not detract from the plot or risk becoming too political.’ – Stefanie Seaton, Editor, Austin Macauley Publishers

The Boot Room

For many years, the football transfer window has been a dominant topic in news columns, with fans increasingly glued to social media for updates on their clubs. The Boot Room delves into the intricacies of the transfer window, tracing its evolution from its inception to its current form, shaped by data-led scouting.

Author Andrew Judge engages with a diverse range of football insiders, from finance experts discussing the state of football finances to Sky Sports reporters on the front lines during deadline day. He takes readers inside the boardroom with a club secretary on Transfer Deadline Day and into the physio’s room, where medical teams race against time to complete player medicals with millions at stake.

The book also examines the impact of data-led scouting on Youth Academies, featuring insights from one of England’s highly regarded Youth Coaches. In an era of growing fake news in football, Judge explores the challenges fans face in distinguishing fact from fiction in transfer news, which captivates the football world for a few months each year.

Through conversations with scouts, fans, and analysts, The Boot Room reveals the transfer window’s significance and the profound effect fake rumours can have on football players themselves.

The Bott Twins: Birth, Death and Other Jokes

A grotesque, surreal and darkly comic series of tales about the most terrible family on the planet.

Mrs Bott, an horrendous “unlanced boil” of a woman and Mr Bott, “a balloon of a man”, are very unhappily married.

Into this disaster enter two unwanted arrivals: The Bott Twins.

Born bad? Or driven bad? It doesn’t matter. What you do need to know is that:

“If you ever meet the Bott Twins, run. Run and don’t look back.”

Too few people take this advice and the results are not pretty.

The Box

The Box tells the story of Rupert and Lucille; their lives, loves, families, achievements, and failures. Lucille is the last child born to a family of generationally poor dirt farmers, while Rupert is the only child born to multi-billionaire parents. Rupert and Lucille’s paths cross due to a confluence of seemingly random events, and, as their business relationship grows, so do their friendship, love, and respect grow for each other. The Box tells how a simple invention has the potential to transform not only their two lives, but the story tells how the invention has the potential to change the lives of thousands of people. Where does it all lead though? Does the invention lead to the good that Rupert first envisioned? Does the invention help Lucille out of her generational poverty? Does the invention help anybody? Or, is the old adage that says, “No good deed goes unpunished,” really true?

The Boy in Your Dreams

Max has ended up somewhere he doesn’t know, but it’s familiar. He’s been here before, but everything is different, brighter, and everyone is ignoring him. There’s a girl in the distance; he doesn’t know her, but she knows him, and she has a lot to tell him.

There are others that come to this place, they will meet Max and explain more. But for now he needs to find out where he is and why he’s here. He’s on a mission to get some answers. Will his life ever be the same again?

The Boy Who Lived on Oatmeal Street

Does anyone really like plain oatmeal? Sammy and his dog, Leroy, sure didn’t. And why should they? No brown sugar. No raisins. Just boring oatmeal! And, unfortunately, that was the only breakfast they had, every morning. And since Sammy’s nana liked knitting better than children, she was no help either.

One day Sammy and Leroy decided to discover what the neighbours were having for breakfast. And oh, what a revelation that was! Frosted Flakes! Eggs and Bacon! And then, to Sammy and Leroy’s utter horror: another house where oatmeal was served.

But what a difference! There were so many exciting additions that the oatmeal was barely recognizable!

When Sammy grew up, that bowl of oatmeal-turned-delicious inspired him to become a breakfast chef, which goes to show that any idea, no matter how dreadful, can be turned into something exciting if one just uses a little imagination.

The Boy Who Refused to Die

On 17 December 2007, 13-year-old Alby Dobinson left his home to make his daily journey to school. Later that day, during his return journey, something happened that would change his life forever.

This story charts the remarkable journey undertaken by Alby and those closest to him. Life is always a mixture of good times and bad, laughter and sadness, and Alby’s story reflects this rainbow of human emotion, from suffering to euphoria.

As a biography, written in the style of a novel, this book details years of rehabilitation as family members recount their own experiences with humour, regret and acceptance, plumbing the depths of despair and soaring to the heights of joy.

The Daily Mail headline “The boy who wouldn’t die” was detested by Alby’s family. However, a small change to it illustrated Alby’s determination. He did not travel his road alone but was accompanied by his mother and stepfather, Lisa and Mark; his younger brother, Jimmy; and his grandparents. What happened to Alby had a profound effect on them all and each has their own special story, including the amusing tale of how Lisa and Mark met and the response to Mark’s declaration that he would run the London Marathon: “You’ve never done more than run for a bus!”

This is a story that will amaze and inspire. It is tinged with sadness but the overwhelming message is one of courage and the triumph of one very determined young man and his family.