Tawny and Cree: The Schinas Saga

Freedom has a price and with Tawny and Cree both choosing freedom, they now need to escape Albania before they are made to pay for it. On the run and heading to a new place filled with new enemies, Tawny, Cree, Solon, Tiffany, and Fanny will face many new challenges.

The daughter of an Italian Mafia boss, a fight for control of a Minotaur Clan that contain both friends and foes and deadly conflict all confronts the group. Can they survive the new threats and turn these problems into opportunities, or will they be crushed in the process?

Tales of the Tides

On a warm spring day in the 1950s, twelve-year-old Jason, an only child from the Midlands, arrives for a holiday in a small seaside village where his father lived as a child. Staying with his uncle and aunt, he plans to explore the rocks at low tide which his father remembers from childhood. Soon he meets Joe, an old man who once was an expert fisher of the shores. Joe becomes a mentor for the boy as he can describe, from memory, the layout and secrets of the rocks. When he starts to investigate the shoreline, a shy Jason meets Abby, a lively young Australian girl. As their friendship grows, she comes to realise that he has a secret and is escaping from something he’d rather not talk about. With more confidence, Jason becomes adept at catching shellfish. Yet he encounters unexpected trouble, even in these beautiful places, and will have to draw on his new resources to confront possible obstacles ahead…

Surface Rust

Aside from not knowing where she came from and the feeling of something missing, the other constant in Jaqueline Doe’s life has been the moving back and forth between the orphanage and various foster homes.

Now she’s landed herself another move, this time to the town of Smithfield Virginia, enrolled for a term in the school’s program for troubled city teenagers. Her plan to toe the line, keep to herself, and just see the term through takes a twist when she mysteriously bonds with her mentor and fellow student, the somewhat clumsy yet handsome Ethan Chase.

Together they discover an old journal apparently written by an immortal, with a cryptic prophecy on the first page telling of the Dark Lord’s return. Sceptical of the journal’s authenticity they decide to read through it and decipher the prophecy. As their friendship begins to lean towards romance, they are unaware that one of the evil beings described within the pages is closing in on them.

Unknowingly and with limited time they set themselves on a pathway, one where Jacqueline will get more than the answers to the questions she has been yearning for. However, they will come at a cost and not just for her.

Saint George

King Freddie the Umpteenth of England and his prime minister, Merlin the Whirlin, are convinced that Patron Saint Cuthbert is no longer up to the job. As fast as Cuthbert’s splendid band of knights in shining armour chase the fire-breathing monsters out of the kingdom, they fly back in again. So when George, an impoverished knight living in a dilapidated castle in Gloucestershire, finds a means of pacifying the incendiary megafauna, the king and premier welcome the opportunity to appoint a new patron saint and minister for the environment at the austerity salary of three shillings and six pence a week.

Assisted by his ex-sailor manservant, Jack, George sets about a national monster pacification programme involving Welsh dragons, Irish whatsits, Loch Ness nellies, Breton Bongloppers and even the dreaded Hungarian woggalog. Then follows a variety of adventures involving George and Jack with King Pierre of France, King Duncan of Scotland, Admiral Sir Salty Biscuit, First Sea Lord, Max Grabber, head of HM revenue and customs, Peter Paye, one of his tax officials, Handsome Harold, mayor of Monmouth, and many other colourful characters. Their journeying extends far beyond England, to France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, Siberia, West Africa and on crusade to Palestine. George succeeds to the extent that King Freddie and Prime Minister Merlin even consider increasing his salary.

Follow George and Jack through 21 humorous adventures, each tailored to provide a bite-sized good read.

Riddlington

This story begins with Riddlington Rabbit wanting to see other things happening in a world outside the safe boundaries of his insular existence. As a rabbit, his life is spent, primarily, underground during the day, only coming out at night, under the protection of darkness, to find food.

His favourite Uncle Otto sparks Riddlington’s imagination of exploring, by telling stories of his own adventures. We follow Riddlington as he navigates his way to finding a perfect location, among people and other strange creatures, all living above ground.

We see how he adapts to situations outside his comfort zone; finds a wife who is willing to do likewise; befriends two human sisters; till the land rather than forage; navigate his way up a river; and become disturbed at land damage, urban development, and over population.

When he becomes a Father and witnesses an invasion of his territory, his new-found parental status, requires a reassessment of their living arrangements. They have little food, little protection, and little time.

Will they make it home? Will they be happy home? Will they be welcomed home? Will the youngsters adapt to underground living as Riddlington did to above ground living?

Return to Umbadinga

When Angus McCawtup High School is threatened with closure due to earthquake damage, two pupils come up with a bizarre idea that they present to the headmaster. For Professor Russell Sprout the thought of losing his beloved school and having to spend time with his wacky wife was all too much. As far as he was concerned, any idea was a good idea. The boys put it to the professor that they return to Umbadinga to look for precious stones to raise money for earthquake repairs. Reluctantly, Professor Sprout agreed, but he made one condition, that Miss Van Hyre and Mr Fields go with them as responsible adults. Now there's an oxymoron if ever there was one!

Can they get back through the subterranean portal, especially as they don't know how they got through in the first place? What could possibly go wrong? You'll have to join the adventure and find out first hand...if you dare!

Refugee

Refugee is the final exciting novel in The Sloping Meadow trilogy. This time the principal storyteller is Mahir, a 13 year-old boy who has no choice but to start out on an epic journey from war-torn Syria to try and help his mum and little brother.

In this gripping adventure, he has a series of escapades, including a fight with a large brown bear in Slovenia, and is constantly either greatly helped or really mistreated by the people he meets.

Lucy and her friends find him in Antalya, in the Temple of Apollo, the worse for wear. They agree to help him escape to Northern France with a very daring plan that carries a lot of risks…

This illustrated novel has a non-stop, action-packed story, including insights from others featured as storytellers commenting on war and what it means to be a refugee. It carries a very important message for all who read it and their outlook on war and refugees will change forever.

Rawny

Joy is born into an era of post-war uncertainty, one of the first babies delivered by the newly created NHS. A house move aged ten is unsettling and she struggles to make sense of the world and establish her identity. The novel charts her path through the trauma of the eleven plus and separation from her friends and culture. She experiences bullying and alienation at her new school and is helped by close friends, a supportive family and most importantly the local gypsies who live on the wasteland near her home. Rawny and his family take Joy into their hearts and share their lives and rich culture with her. The close enduring bonds Joy forges at this vital time of life enable her to navigate the difficulties life presents and enable her to find her own moral compass. 

Rag Tag Children of the Gloom

Picture a disparate group of children living hand to mouth in fear of being captured by the alien race that has decimated their homeland. Food and safety is a distant memory. Dirty and feral, with aching limbs and open sores, their only solace is their bond of friendship with each other in an otherwise never-ending hostile environment.

The trials and tribulations faced by this band will leave you breathless as they try to stay ahead of ruthless intruders. The cover of darkness seduces them to take unprecedented risks – risks that could mean death. If you have nothing, what is there left to lose?

Quest for the Ancient Torah

It’s 1942 in the occupied city of Prague. Jewish people are being transported out to Theresienstadt and times are hard especially when a high-ranking German SS Commander is assassinated. Karl Rozenburg realises his fate and seeks the help of the Novak family to procure a treasure that is of importance to the Jewish people. The Novaks embark on a quest which proves to be complicated, requiring skill and cunning to follow the trail.

My Teacher's a Robot!

With wide, cold eyes, a clenched jaw, and superhuman strength, something's not right about new teacher Miss Ironside.
Will quickly realises... she's a robot!
One by one, his classmates are being brainwashed after school.
Will and his friends must act fast to save everyone before it's too late!

My Story

Just as things are about to go well for fifteen year old Lizzy May Morrison, her life is turned upside down when she receives some devastating news. What will happen and how will she resolve matters when, together with her friend Joe, they uncover a troublesome secret? 

Supported by a friendship with the enigmatic Catherine Van der Hayde, there are hints of a mysterious past but her abrupt departure causes Lizzy May to make a discovery that underpins a tale of extraordinary escape, heroism and adventure. Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing for it to be right. 

This is a delightful story of an evolving romance, but not before Lizzy May has to confront her fears and seek meaning for the deeper questions of life. With an engaging manner of dialogue, this intricate novel set in the 1970s is both entertaining and refreshingly unpredictable. 

Deep, resonant and poignant My Story has the capacity to appeal to both young and older readers.