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.

Parrot Antics

These Parrot Antics are funny, playful, and bursting with color.

Sir Reginald Raucous Van Reek seizes every opportunity to perform for the gallery, reveling in the spotlight. In his world, pride, prejudice, and presumption help him plunder his way through life, while hard knocks roll off him like water off a duck’s back.

Despite his mischievous deeds, he steals our hearts with his playful antics, brought to life through the rhythm of rhyming fun.

But does this self-proclaimed sage ever learn anything from his roguish rascality?

A House in Micklegate

Helike is married to a Roman centurion and lives in the military camp at York, far from her original home in the south of France. Aldith is a Saxon blacksmith’s daughter whose peaceful childhood is disrupted by the Viking attack on the city. Johanna is a widow mourning her only son, who died fighting for Richard the Third at the Battle of Bosworth, and Pat is a WAAF officer in the Second World War.

Nine women have lived and died in the same street, Micklegate, that runs from the city walls to the river. This book shows us their lives, their everyday activities that are not very different across the centuries and the dramatic events that change them forever.

Each woman has her own story, a thread that adds to the tapestry of being a woman, then and now.

Elaine

17-Year-old Elaine was looking forward to a romantic weekend with her boyfriend at the lake. Instead, she sits devastated in her parents’ cabin in the woods, with grief her only companion.

A catastrophic supernatural event of unknown origin forces her to call for help, and she finds herself relentlessly pursued by a quick and agile lizard-like creature. Using her intelligence and sheer willpower, she manages to narrowly escape death.

Her relief is short-lived as the supernatural event keeps occurring, and she is forced to figure out what is going on so she can try and stop it as more of the creatures join in hunting her.

Will her determination to survive be enough to stay alive until help arrives?

Anyone Can Become a Princess

Australian dreamer Sandy Clark could never have imagined what awaited her in the remote Zambian village of Nalolo, where a palace stands among traditional mud huts with straw roofs. Invited by the local chief, Sandy made a life-changing promise: to raise funds and build a hospital in a region with no running water, roads, or power, to support disadvantaged women and children. This is the inspiring story of how that promise was fulfilled, and how Sandy was bestowed the title of Lozi ‘Princess’ in recognition of her efforts. Her journey is deeply intertwined with her long-time friendship with Inonge Wina, Zambia’s Vice-President and a Princess in the Royal Lozi tribe.

The story chronicles the extraordinary collaboration between volunteers from Australia and Zambia, culminating in the historic opening of the Arthur Wina Memorial Hospital in October 2019, named after Inonge’s late husband. Even Zambia’s first President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, joined the celebration, dancing and singing with joy. This achievement has been immortalized in Zambia’s archives.

More than just a story of accomplishment, this book aims to inspire readers to believe in the power of volunteering, to use their talents to make a difference, and to follow their dreams with confidence. Nothing is impossible for those who believe – and this book will encourage you to pursue your dreams, believe in yourself, and give your best to the world.

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.

Public Participation Involvement and Engagement in Cancer Research

Patients and the public have a history of participation and advocacy in cancer research, generally for the benefit of future cancer patients rather than themselves. Participation is necessary if drugs and treatments are to be properly tested. Advocacy adds a unique perspective that enables the integration of two valuable and powerful viewpoints, the experiential disease and treatment knowledge, needs and priorities of the patient, and the professional disease and treatment knowledge and priorities of the researcher or clinician. This synergistic combination is a key enabler for focused and relevant diagnostic and treatment advances in cancer research. However, recruitment of the right numbers and profile of patients and the public into participation and advocacy remains a challenge. This book seeks to take the mystery out of participation and advocacy in cancer research trials by explaining the whole process, in lay terms, in the hope that more people will be encouraged to participate and become advocates.

The Vilelands

In a world where sorcerers with apocalyptic powers mercilessly rule over the realms, there’s a small barony, the Vilelands, built upon the carcass of an ancient machine which is accused of murdering a sorcerer king and has to fend off a massive army from the Yllengardian empire set to destroy it, whilst a devastating new threat, a monster walking in the skin of man has set out to use this chaos to devour every last sorcerer on earth.

Will the forces of the mighty Yllengardian empire that has been set out to destroy the Vilelands find the monster before it’s too late, will they get entangled in their own internal conflicts before they can handle or get too distracted in the war with the Vilelands?

Immerse yourself in a fantasy world, where magic is poisonous for humans but gives those who can wield it incredible power and thrones and rulership is maintained through assassinations and intrigues.

The Rattle of the Rosary

When Valma’s father abandons her mother during the Great Depression, her mother is forced to make an agonizing decision. At the tender age of four, Valma, along with her two younger siblings, is placed into foster care, beginning a life of uncertainty and hardship. After years of being shuffled between foster families, Valma, now 14, is bitter, angry, and deeply vulnerable, sent out into the world to fend for herself.

The year is 1943, and World War II continues to rage. Brisbane is alive with activity, its streets bustling with servicemen, including many from the USA. Amid this whirlwind of excitement, Valma, longing for love and connection, meets a man who will leave an indelible mark on her life.

In November 1944, Valma receives devastating news – a blow like a knife to her heart. By 1945, shamed, shunned, and utterly alone, she makes a fateful decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Swearing to keep her secret forever, Valma carries the weight of her vow, never fully understanding the heartbreak it caused. But could her secret remain buried forever?

Ice Cold Summer

Niles Roan is a dashing agent from the Triple A, a top-secret unit specializing in martial arts, counter-terrorism, and reconnaissance. Established by Prince Albert in 1850 to protect Queen Victoria, the Triple A has been covertly funded by royalty to maintain its secrecy.

Now, Niles’ mission is to recover stolen government secrets, leading him into a dangerous web of deceit, murder, and intrigue, where he faces agents from across the globe.

The Trouble With Max

Why does everything seem to go wrong for eleven-year-old Max?

All he wants is to fit in at school, have a few good friends and not be made fun of by the ‘cool kids’. Even his budding friendship with Cleo, a new girl in his year six class, ends in disaster.

When his mum starts seeing a new boyfriend, Max’s life only gets worse. He doesn’t like Jeff, and Jeff certainly doesn’t like him. Jeff makes it plain Max is in the way, and to make matters worse his mum spends so much time with Jeff she doesn’t have much time for Max any more. His feelings of isolation lead him to befriend a group of older boys and join in some of their activities. But are they really friends?  

Then Max meets some-one who takes a real interest in him. Could this be the turning point in his life?

An Unusual Therapy

Max and David agreed that it was going to be only for a month…

Max Cooper was a passive-aggressive therapist with a sordid secret and two ground rules: no second dates, and no falling in love.

David Smith was as attractive as he was self-centered, and thought he was irresistible for any woman. Sadly, David was right, until Linda walked his way.

Life keeps moving. One day you’re thriving in your loneliness, and the next day you find yourself involved in a love triangle.

It will take Max and David a month to realize that rules are made to be broken, and that life is full of choices that have to be made.