From Soul to Soukous (Via Manchester)

As the title suggests this book is a combination of personal musical memoir, travelogue and recollections of a sometime vinyl record and memorabilia collector, wannabe journalist and photographer. It traces the author’s journey both literally and metaphorically across and through a range of musical genres including those discovered during his extensive international travels. From early exposure to The Beatles through to Soul and Blues and on to the more exotic sounds and experiences from across Africa, Eastern Europe and The Middle East to Central America and beyond. However much of the focus here revolves around the Manchester music scene. Whilst there is much here to please the musical geeks with regard to collecting, it is the author’s stories and anecdotes, many involving luminaries from across the musical spectrum that truly engages the reader.

The book includes recollections from notable gigs and concerts including the infamous Derby Hall / Joy Division riot in Bury shortly before singer Ian Curtis committed suicide. This includes postscripts to that gig that are unique and unreported. But whatever your musical taste, this book contains much more. Allowing the reader to share in the author’s emotional and candid roller-coaster ride through his experiences, musical and otherwise, both near and far. From potentially dangerous encounters with Eastern European heavies, dancing on tables at Middle Eastern weddings to communally drinking ‘shake shake’ home brew in dubious African clubs!

With a vast array of unique photographs to illustrate the work, this is a must-read for any self-respecting music fan.

Endometriosis – We are all Warriors

This book will take you on an emotional journey about living with Endometriosis – it is a true story that has been written to raise much needed awareness about the condition, and to also reach out to others who think they might have Endometriosis or those who may have already had a diagnosis.

It is a journey of hope, courage, and honesty, giving a sincere and heartfelt inside view of everything that can happen and has happened along this Endometriosis Warriors Journey.

It addresses the subject of the long waits for diagnosis and appointments, the effects of Endometriosis on physical and mental health, as well as giving the reader some helpful advice, tips on things that can help, and where to get more information and support.

Walking Without Shoelaces

In the months leading up to her nervous breakdown and subsequent admission to a French psychiatric facility, Céline often flippantly remarked, ‘This job is going to kill me.’ Some nearby would agree, ‘You might be right,’ but the universe responded definitively, ‘You are absolutely right.’

Céline no longer wants to be praised for how well she took life’s punches or how quickly she got back up. She no longer seeks applause for her strength, nor does she wish to display her bruises like medals, getting up again and again. Now, she craves a place where she can be fragile, vulnerable, and seen – where simply being is enough. She knows she is enough, and she is done with taking punches and smiling through them.

Walking Without Shoelaces, the first book in ‘The Walking Trilogy’, is a candid account of how to rebuild a life after a major mental breakdown. Céline invites you to journey alongside her, and perhaps, you too have walked a similar path.

Transition

This book traces the journey of a young man who has had the good fortune to achieve his two boyhood dreams – to be a soldier, and to build bridges.

Dan spent 20 years as a soldier, made up of 14 years in the Regular Army and then 6 years in the Reserve, completing service as a Lieutenant Colonel. Dan experienced 12 months active service in the Vietnam War as a troop commander, followed by two years in Papua New Guinea building a road to Kokoda.

He achieved his second aim of bridge building by being involved in the construction of two major bridges across the Brisbane River – the Merivale Rail Bridge and the Gateway Bridge. Between those two, Dan commenced his own business as a contractor building bridges, but the enterprise was not financially successful.

The book concludes with details of varying experiences as a professional engineer, culminating in the successful completion of a road in Samoa, by solving technical and managerial problems, and surviving the horrendous Cyclone Val in December 1971.

Hurricane Heaney

Hurricane Heaney is a fish-out-of-water memoir of a gay Indonesian man, Ben, who finds himself marrying into a salt-of-the-earth Irish family. Unlike many stories involving LGBTQ+ protagonists, this is not a tragic tale about a traumatic coming out, nor even about the novelty of living in a gay marriage in Ireland’s catholic bible belt.

It’s about how landing in the loving arms of a large yet close family acts as an emotional mirror to Ben’s early life in Indonesia, giving him, in fact, a safe space to process what drove him out of one family in Indonesia, and into the encircling airs of another in Ireland. Invoking the specific situation of a gay man crossing the world seeking – and finding – redemption through love, it presents a unique and uplifting ideal of what gay strength looks like.

Through tears, songs, rants and a lot of laughter, the book explores, in a humorous way, universal truths about family values, rituals, obligations, and their core foundation, love.

My Schizophrenia

Khaled was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1998. After spending 25 years in a medicated haze of stupour and depression, he is now determined to transition from illness to recovery. For many years, Khaled’s outlook was dominated by despair, but in 2021, the death of his mother became a pivotal moment in his life. He decided it was time to bring balance and order to his existence.

Though his mother never witnessed his progress, this book stands as a testament to his journey towards wellness. My Schizophrenia serves as a journal chronicling Khaled’s path to recovery, as he uses his writing to deepen his understanding of himself and his illness. Despite being diagnosed for decades, Khaled had never truly engaged with his recovery or well-being until now. This is his first book, offering an intimate look at his past and present, and inviting readers to join him on his transformative life journey.

Naked Truths: Adventures in Art

An erotic and often humorous memoir of a male life model in the UK. This is the story of a man’s unconventional upbringing in the Australian outback, a boy who became obsessed with art books, art, and ballet. He was introduced to these creative outlets by his mum, who recognised that as a ‘hyperactive’ kid, he was only ever still when he had his nose in art books. His mum also recognised the need to combine and focus his creative interests with disciplined physical activity. She therefore saw fit to introduce him to ballet classes at the age of six.

The story unfolds, building on the influence of women in his early life, as he completes his ballet exams and moves to live and work in the UK as a dancer, actor, and life model. What was intended as a ‘gap year’ in the UK became his permanent country of residence. An early, fortuitous meeting with a professional female artist in London led him to become immersed in the art world as a professional male life model, initially to supplement his income but mainly to satisfy his first love of expressive, figurative art. This, in turn, led him into a number of erotic and sometimes bizarre sexual encounters and situations with female creatives, in environments where they felt adventurous and secure enough to express and indulge in their own fantasies with him.

Third Time's a Charm

Have you ever wondered what really happens at nursing executive level in the Australian acute private health sector? Join Fiona for a look behind the curtain at what really occurs with the hiring and firing of executive nurse leaders, and learn from her mistakes with her top tips guide for any new nurse leader. Enjoy her humorous, and often unflinchingly honest account of her forty years nursing and leadership career, as well as her inspiring journey through an ovarian cancer diagnosis and her cha cha cha with this terrible disease.

Fiona sadly passed away on August 22^nd, 2024. This was her final cha cha cha.

Cancer – v – MND

Amid the chaotic world caused by Covid, Gail receives an expected diagnosis, not having had any symptoms it is a total shock to her. How does she cope with this news and get her head around it, as she is going through her treatment, the bombshell of her husbands illness is added into the mix. Life is certainly different, It’s never going to be the same again, trying to find a new normal, whatever that is, a roller-coaster of ups and downs and emotions. Trying to navigate a path that is so different, sometimes so hard and difficult, yet is now part of her everyday life. An insight into how she reacts to the turmoil of her life, laughter, sadness and love help her cope.

Oh Carole

This is a non-fiction love story with a tragic end, played out in the 1960s and 70s in Worcestershire, on the Hampshire-Surrey border, in the old county of Huntingdonshire and in Wiltshire.

On the way, the author sheds light on the Worcester of their courtship in the early 1960s with its pubs, coffee bars, new innovative Chinese and Indian restaurants, funfairs, a jazz club, concerts at the Gaumont Cinema and the Victor Sylvester Dance Studio free sessions on Friday nights, as well as the Cambridge of the mid-1970s and its noted resident Syd Barrett.

The author is not immune to getting sidetracked into waxing lyrical about his other main interests: music and cars.

Carole, with her quirky, childlike personality and lilting West Country banter, could turn any situation into a joyous, enchanting memory, and the author has tried to reflect this in her story. She had her own unique way of dealing with life’s challenges, like marriage, cooking, childbirth, motherhood, her husband’s “career moves” from one end of the country to the other, driving lessons, learning to swim, DIY, and being a parish councillor.

In meeting her final daunting challenge, she showed great fortitude, courage and consideration for others.

Engagement

Engagement is a biography/novel spanning two generations of a family bound by a shared commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of poor families and communities in developing countries, though their paths differed greatly. The story opens with the meeting of Joan, an English artist and teacher, and Ion, an Irish magistrate and judge, at an official reception held in Kingston by the colonial Governor-General of Jamaica to celebrate the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

This introduction is followed by accounts of their lives and work in Jamaica, as well as the international commitments and complexities of their sons’ careers: one, a multicultural secular architect, scholar, and policy adviser; the other, a devoted evangelist and educational entrepreneur working with poor children in marginalized urban communities.

Rising from the Shadows

In this powerful and deeply personal memoir, Billy Smith shares the remarkable story of his spiritual awakening – a journey from the depths of depression to the light of faith. Struggling with feelings of hopelessness and a loss of purpose, Billy’s life was transformed when he embraced God’s love and guidance. Through his journey of healing and self-discovery, Billy learned that faith isn’t just a belief; it’s a source of strength, hope, and renewal.

As a devoted father and church volunteer, Billy now seeks to inspire others by sharing his testimony of overcoming life’s darkest moments. His story is a testament to the transformative power of love, forgiveness, and the belief that no one is beyond redemption. With honesty and vulnerability, Billy invites readers to reflect on their own lives, find their own spiritual path, and embrace the healing power of faith.

Rising From the Shadows is more than just a story, it’s a call to those who are searching for hope, those battling adversity, and those looking for a deeper connection with God. This memoir is a beacon of hope for anyone who believes that transformation is possible, no matter the obstacles.