Man With A Gun

That the gun was kept in a drawer of the old Singer sewing machine was never a secret; although, when his father died, its significance as a reminder of the old man’s mysterious occupation was quickly overshadowed by the discovery of a fortune in banknotes in the loft.

There was, too, the emergence of some alarming connections with an extreme nationalist organisation. And if all that wasn’t enough to disrupt his quiet existence, the presence of dognappers in the village presented a more immediate cause for concern than how to deal with an unexpected legacy, although the inherited gun would come in handy there.

For the new owner of the gun, and very quickly too, the quiet Scottish village of Beachborough was transformed into a centre of smuggling, money laundering and revolution, such a situation of turbulence as had not been known since the Jacobite rising, centuries before. As a singularly unremarkable man, would it be possible for him to stay such an unsettling tide of change, or could he maintain his studied convention of spectator?

Mangrove Sands

This book sets out to inspire and educate children, who, for one reason or another, have difficult starts in life either by fate or disability. Each chapter provides a human lesson and human qualities through adventure, including empathy, bravery, honour, friendship and resilience in the face of adversity.

Based on an island in Southeast Queensland, Australia, four children, who attend the same island state school, are all miserable at home and school until Parlow, the pelican, comes knocking on Tommy’s window one night to offer him a better life. Tommy thinks he is dreaming as do his friends – Maria, Dino and Jake – who all have an out of body experience and are taken to an enchanted underwater sea world beneath Mangrove Sands, where they meet talking animals who have their own language and become the children’s tutors, mentors and friends.

Through an enchanting underwater sea world of magic, adventure and humour, Mangrove Sands aims to provide hope and inspiration to children around the globe facing adversity.

Mangrove Sands – The Enchanted Sea World

The Epic Journey is the third book of the Mangrove Sands series. It aims to inspire and educate children who for one reason or another have difficult starts in life, either by fate or disability.

Based on an island in South East Queensland, Australia, five children experience many adventures and mishaps through an enchanted underwater sea world with their magical talking animal friends.

A young Swedish girl has recently had her leg amputated. She struggles to accept the loss of her leg and has no interest in making new friends or attempting to walk until she meets her Enchanted Sea World friends and her life is changed forever. She starts doing things she never thought possible. She shows her friends how to make Dala horses, bake Swedish buns and join in traditional Swedish celebrations.

Mangrove Sands, The Epic Journey is full of magical adventures in the Enchanted Sea World including surviving a cyclone, a pandemic, and the realm of horrors. Magical spoons, a magical sea god, a wedding, and a death will keep young minds curious and captivated.

This book is full of fun, adventure, and many magical moments. It aims to provide hope and inspiration to children around the globe and encourages children to embrace, respect and learn about other cultures and languages. It further encourages children to exercise humility, love and understanding to all.

Mangrove Sands, the Enchanted Seaworld and Beyond

This book is a sequel to Mangrove Sands. It aims to inspire and educate children who, either by fate or disability, have difficult starts in life. Each chapter provides a human life lesson including; learning about other cultures, taking responsibility, how to handle bullies, encouraging goals, environmental awareness, friendship, and human qualities.

Based on an island in South East Queensland, Australia, four children who have difficult starts in life are chosen by Parlow the pelican to experience a better life in the Enchanted Sea World. A magical ingot and tunnel is the only way into this magical world beneath mangrove sands where the children are mentored by Dugong tutors and experience many exciting adventures with their talking animal friends.

In this series, the adventures continue when the children learn about a new culture after meeting a 10-year-old Aboriginal girl, Wanjee, who is chosen to join them in the Enchanted Sea World away from her horrid alcoholic foster parents. The children learn of a new language, symbolic art, dreamtime stories and bush medicine.

Amidst playing didgeridoos, throwing boomerangs, flying on swings attached to whistling kites, the children escape bushfires and meet Toddalick, a giant green healing frog who takes the children on the ride of their lives to help stop an environmental disaster.

Mangrove Sands, the Enchanted Seaworld and Beyond is full of enchanting adventures, life lessons and magical moments. It aims to provide hope, inspiration, respect and education of other cultures to children around the globe.

Manners Matter

The essence of this book is its simplicity.

It treats a wide range of profound and lasting values in the words of a child.

This work is a wonderful resource for parents and grandparents in embedding a set of universally recognised values in our young generation.

Classroom teachers will welcome this publication as an opportunity to discuss so many relevant topics with their students.

The values which are highlighted in this publication are free of charge.

All that is required is an attitude of respect for others.

Marcus Learns About the Different Types of Doctors

The story is based in the Bronx, New York, and tells of a curious young second grader, Marcus, who is interested in becoming a doctor. He wants to know what doctors do at work and how they help people. His grandmother's resourcefulness leads them on an adventure to their local community health center, where they meet a variety of healthcare professionals: a Dentist, an Allopathic Doctor (MD), an Osteopathic Doctor (DO), a Podiatrist (DPM), and a male Nurse (RN). What does Marcus learn by going on this adventure? How does he react seeing relatable doctors that look like him?

Marcus Shares His Friends' Interests in Steam

Growing up in New York City can have its challenges, but it can also be full of fun adventures. NYC is full of rich resources and experiences if one knows where to look. The diversity of cultures, languages, and places to visit are in abundance. A simple bus or train ride can take you into a distinct cultural experience where you can see and hear new sounds and smells of exotic foods from around the world. 

Our character resides in one of the boroughs of NYC, the Bronx. He is passionate about figuring out how to become a doctor. His friends, both boys and girls, are talented and gifted in diverse ways in the STEAM fields. How were those talents developed? Where can they find resources and mentorship? These young friends share their uncertain thoughts and dreams. This story illustrates young people of different ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds sharing their interest. What is the common thread among them all? Join the adventures of this crew as they figure out their next moves while having some fun in New York City. 

Marelle

The nature of war is that there is no normal; emotions are always running on the surface; fear, hope, sadness and love can all manifest themselves in an instant.

In this setting, four central characters embark upon a daring and extremely dangerous journey through war torn France in 1944. Two French orphaned children have no idea how they will reach what they believe to be their only surviving family. Meanwhile, two Allied prisoners of war escape their captivity, but behind enemy lines they are uncertain about their survival and their ability to get back behind Allied lines.

They each carry a burden of their own personal heart-breaking tragedy as fate brings them together. The sadness and despair from the loss felt by each of them must be overcome if they are to survive. Survival, however, is not guaranteed as each step they take on the journey is fraught with danger.

They soon realise that love and friendship are the most important ingredients to help them reach their personal objectives. Despite the perils they face they demonstrate courage and determination and never lose hope, because as each day passes and with each crisis they face, the bond between the two vulnerable children and the soldiers grows stronger.

Margaret: Daughter of Destiny

“The damage done tonight will resound down the generations!”

These words, spoken in anger by an outraged mother in the year 1904, will prove prophetic. Fourteen years later, a child enters the world, innocent, yet blighted by the repercussions of a distant crime, committed on a summer night, in remote Western Australia. From the beginning, the odds are stacked against Margaret as she is robbed of her childhood.

In due course, Margaret reaches adulthood and to her horror, finds herself powerless to prevent the outcome she most dreads. The malevolent forces of destiny reach down to a further generation and into the lives of her children.

This story is a tribute to the courage and tenacity of a mother’s love. It plays out against the backdrop of a period spanning two world wars, a great depression and the dawn of a new millenium. Through all of this, Margaret faces the additional challenges of being a single mother in an unforgiving era.

The story follows the relentless power of generational forces, pitted against the strength of the human spirit. It relives one woman’s heroic struggle to change the future. Margaret forges a path – ultimately – to release and redemption.

Margaret’s story is told by the person who shared so closely in this journey of struggle and redemption: her daughter.

Marguerite Hepton Memorial Hospital

Based on the author’s own experiences, Marguerite Hepton Memorial Hospital is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who left school and entered a world of learning and strict discipline, often headed by girls only months older than herself! There she was using equipment and procedures now long forgotten for diseases such as tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, polio and congenital conditions, all of which are now eradicated or treatable.

Her book will appeal to those connected with Thorpe Arch, the hospital, as well as a wider audience of anyone interested in real life nursing and how, off duty, these young people entertained themselves and their patients.

Good care, support, and camaraderie in the midst of changing attitudes, and fears of society towards illness at a time when the world was recovering from World War Two and trying to embrace new technological ideas or discovering new drugs such as antibiotics and streptomycin.

This book should appeal to many people whose lives have reached a reflective stage and anyone interested in history and nursing or educationalists looking for historical facts.

Maria's Papers

Based on a true story, the once-wealthy Chance family are swindled out of their Whitewall Estate in the mid-1700s and the truth isn't discovered for nearly ninety years.In 1850 Maria Chance promises her dying father to put this injustice to rights, and is thereafter plunged into some extraordinarily dangerous and terrifying situations in mid-Victorian Britain that threaten not only her life, but her sanity too. One hundred and fifty years later, Naomi Draper, the Head of the local Council's Historic Research Department, causes a long forgotten document case to be opened, and she too is immediately plunged into a web of intrigue surrounding ownership of the now named Whitewall Farm. As she and her diverse range of friends and allies begin to unravel the mystery, it soon becomes apparent that some very powerful people don't want the truth disclosed, and that they are prepared to do anything to suppress it.A wonderfully compelling and exciting tale encompassing murder, love, intrigue, and betrayal spanning three centuries.

Marmalade Joe

Children love adventures, especially ones that they can share with a friend. That friend can be another child or even an animal. Perhaps a dog, a cat or even an orangutan. But what are the chances of meeting an orangutan while you are out in the park with your mummy? Well you just never know, do you?

Here is a gentle, humorous little story of a young boy called James meeting a lost and lonely orangutan.