Car Boot Diamond

This book is about a true story of heartache. Betrayal in the worst possible way. A young girl to an adult woman’s disrespect for her mother because of being put in care. Lessons that had to be learnt the hard way. Of true love for her mum which came through more heartache, her mum losing her life savings, family and health, more than anyone could deal with.

The author and her family did deal with it and discovered true love before it was too late. Only then did they discover a diamond after having it in her possession for over 32 years, bought for only £10 and sold for over £540,000. A 26.27-carat diamond. A diamond that went on to sell at Sotheby’s top lot. A real-life Only Fools and Horses story. A true fairytale gift of fate and karma, but most of all, love.

Caring for Cancer, the Real Journey

I was married to my best friend for 12 years before he was given the diagnosis of stage 4 gastroesophageal cancer in 2018. He passed away in 2019 after a life-changing journey.

This is my uncensored real-life journey of caring for someone with cancer and how I coped with the emotions and expectations surrounding bereavement and grief.

It is written using real thoughts and feelings and based on factual events. It provides a raw insight into the pure emotions experienced on a day-to-day basis and how, ultimately, I used those experiences to forge my way through bereavement and onto an inspirational journey of finding hope, encouragement and a renewed lust for life.

In my journey, I sadly lost the love of my life but I also gained a new outlook on my future by finding a way to create a ‘new normal’ despite my life changing. If you are going through a similar situation, I hope this book will show you that you are not alone and that the thoughts and feelings you go through are very real. I also hope it shows that despite the darkest of days, it is possible to remember the ones we lose with courage and a determination to turn something so difficult into a life of purpose and hope.

This book offers a real-life insight into the cancer experience from the carer’s perspective. However you read this book, whether you be a carer yourself, a family member, a friend or a medical professional, it can offer a profoundly inspiring and unique insight.

Carnival

Starting in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of the South American continent, this adventure goes through the windswept plains of Patagonia and past settlements whose immigrants from Wales brought their language and customs with them. The Patagonian plains give way to pampas before reaching the major urban centre of Buenos Aires for some culture and relaxation.

A journey of 1,200 kilometres northwards reaches the magnificent thundering Iguazú Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil and then crosses into Brazil. There is a lot to explore in the Pantanal area of wetlands to see piranhas and capybaras, a giant member of the rat family, before heading to Rio de Janeiro for the extravaganza and colour of the carnival, the biggest party on earth where everyone is invited. Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in a city where everybody is partying for a week? But Brazil is a big country and what else is there to see? And that is before traversing the three Guyanas and a space port to reach the Caribbean coast of South America.

Chain Breakers – From Darkness to Light

This book is a story of abuse, love, hate, relationships, and forgiveness. Fay’s life was full of heartache, pain, and sorrow but on reading it you meet a strong girl who won’t be crushed, who will touch your heart, who will make you laugh and cry at the same time, you’ll be angry for her, you’ll want to protect her. She is a fighter there’s no doubt but she was damaged by the very ones who were supposed to protect and love her. The relationship she has with her brothers is strong, protective, and funny and the love she has for her sister is like that of a parent. You will learn how she overcame physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Read and see how hate turns to love, fear turns to trust and anger and rage to peace and joy inside these pages. God moved, hard to believe you may say, but you won’t know unless you read it.

Chapters in the Mind of a Schizophrenic

The essence of my book

I lost my mind

And got it back with time

My mind is a complex thing

Only I know what it is like within

Concealed in my skull

It’s anything but dull

I tried to keep it sane

But it has its own brain

I lost control and got it back

But it’s that trust I lack

Not knowing what comes next

I converted my thoughts to text

To try and understand

Before I’m buried in the sand

I kind of know how you tick

But to society I am sick

Labelled as mentally ill

But I have a strong will

To conquer my brain

And learn how to maintain

A level of sanity

Enough to have clarity

And function within the norm

Without causing a storm

I lost you twice

As I rolled the dice

Gambling with my mind

Because I didn’t know what kind

Of illness I was dealing with

Now I know schizophrenia it is

I try to make my peace

With a mind that is never at ease

Now I wrote this book

And that much suffering it took

To describe my mind

But I think now it is perfectly timed

To share this book

With all the pain and sweat it took

I hope to spark a conversation

That puts us on track to that far destination

Where acceptance is key

And we can all live free

By YM Mehanni

Childhood Awaits Every Person

“I didn’t know it was like this,” exclaimed an eight-year-old. This book reveals the depth and extent of childhood yearning for the natural world and their enjoyment and wonder of it. Learn to appreciate this desire and discover the child within yourself so you too can discover your own inner child’s love and care for the planet. Addressing the climate crisis begins with the discovery of our own inner child and that deep yearning, wonder and enjoyment of nature.

You will also delight in the story which ends with the plea: “Please, please can the world not crush this child, his gentle, profound, and astonishing soul. So remember – trees are part of love, and the land is always there, under the concrete. And if there arises in Suffolk a guru, a visionary, a spiritual leader of awesome ability – I won’t be surprised if he’s called Paul, and has freckles, and skips now and then when he walks.

Childhood Memories at Twilight

Childhood Memories at Twilight shows the turbulent relationship between the author and her mother where her siblings were favoured and her emotional journey to become who she is today.

This is a story of a feisty young girl trying to overcome being belittled and bullied, struggling to get out of her mother’s clutches and be independent through education.

She managed to get a degree in Economic Sciences and met her boyfriend who is now her husband of 34 years. She then took a risk and left her country to be with her boyfriend in Antigua where she learnt to sail. Coming from a landlocked country this was very frightening for her because she can’t swim! She got married 18 months later and they moved to England. Sailing became part of her life as her husband was a sailor. She managed to win 3 cups from her Royal Yacht Club Logs. 

The book is about her childhood and sailing to new places and discovering new ways of anchoring on rocks to get privacy, especially in Sweden.

She feels believing in yourself is the way forward to achieving your goals.

Clearwater

The author was born and raised in a traditional rural village in the most violently homophobic country on earth – Nigeria. His memoir tells a harrowing story – how he negotiated ostracism, imprisonment, homelessness, violence, extortion and intense persecution. But he is never a victim – drawing on his own spiritual and emotional resources, he overcomes. He seeks to understand the root causes of homophobia, providing fascinating insights into Igbo culture, history, spirituality and cosmology. Moving rapidly from one hair-raising experience to the next, the tight prose and action-packed narrative will keep the reader engaged until the end. At the same time the author provides hope to those facing persecution and violence, and who find themselves in similar situations.

Community Nursing Stories

An evocative memoir that paints a rich historical picture of life as a district nurse in a close-nit rural community setting in the mid-1970s and 80s. The author presents a fascinating set of memoirs that capture the essence of a district nurse at this time.

Presenting the challenges of coping with a young family to live and work as an outsider within a community, winning trust, and respect, whilst adapting to the challenges of working in a rural community, before days of central heating, mobile or in some circumstances house phones. The memoirs present a series of heart-warming, encounters, portraying a picture of a committed nurse, becoming a community champion and visionary pioneer in the development of much needed community services.

The stories of engagement with all-age community members present a strong historical context of the nursing role. In some ways very different to current nursing practice, reflecting the evolution of nursing and development of nursing, medical and technological knowledge to underpin the principles of knowledgeable, empowered, and informed practice.

Confessions of a Justified Hooker

Harrowingly honest and strangely uplifting, this is a courageous testimony written from the soul of a unique, if not peculiar, woman whose tale transcends political and legal struggles. So tragic, yet tremendously inspiring, her feats of strength take you into the dark heart of modern Britain that perhaps you have never seen before. It is a heartwarming fight of a gracious mother, desperate to get her son the medical care he so vitally needs, whilst his father seeks only to exploit him.

When faced with the greatest challenges of her life, she ventures a most ghastly and terrifying path to an uncertain future. There, her legion of clients become her unexpected support group. In them, she finds solace, exhilaration and, most importantly, healing. Rising from the ‘grime’ of Gorton, Manchester, Sandra breaks convention and rises into the sheets with the rich and powerful. Holding nothing back, the illicit encounters and rampant rendezvous, be they Premier League stars or Irish VIPs, all are weaved in. The layers of sacred promises, illicit secrecy and hidden intimacy are peeled back to reveal pleasure and purity. In the melting pot, her boudoir, those who have tasted her pleasures, become her story, her journey, her life…

Keep Calm and Kinky On.

Cooking up an Adventure in France

Having discovered new love, it was time for a new adventure…and what an adventure. Selling up and joining the many people who chose to relocate abroad, Miles and Bryony move to rural France and embark on the renovation of a cottage and barn. They strive to develop an unusual but creative and inspirational business in these pastures new. This book tells their story, it’s punctuated with delicious food and musical memories. An unexpected bittersweet historic story is uncovered early into their adventure. It's a feel-good read that sees the couple embrace the many challenges of day-to-day life, forge new strong and lasting friendships; together they strive forward with laughter and wonder throughout the seasons of their first year.

Coronation Baby

Born within weeks of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, Susie’s memoir tells a story of the fast-changing times: from her childhood in post-war Britain, through the horror of Kennedy’s assassination and the Cold War to the battles between trade unions and government in the early 1970s.  Highlighting changing attitudes and the breaking down of respectful society, her personal story is intertwined with the politics and events of the world at large.

For ordinary people, the grey world of the 1950s gave way to the colour and excitement of the 1960s. Television programmes began to reflect the social changes and attitudes of the times, bringing controversy, political scandal and realism into our living rooms. The trials, tribulations and excitement of being one of the first ‘teenagers’ is told with a striking honesty which allows the reader to elate in the author’s joys and share in her challenges.

Despite the changing times, the strict bonds of society were still in place for many young people, and suburban life and leisure were little changed. School, church and seaside holidays formed the backbone of most children’s lives. Those born in the 1950s, growing up in the ’60s and early ’70s enjoyed a golden age of opportunity, social mobility and optimism and believed in the power of society and the Welfare State.

Whether you were there or not, this story will bring to life that ‘golden age’ of British history.