The Wind in the Grass

Life in the village of Hammerwell, situated in a remote part of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, would appear, on the surface, to be a peaceful rural existence. Set in the period between the two world wars, the order of things is still very much as it has been for hundreds of years. But for Arthur Lever, life suddenly takes a dramatic turn. Set against a background of rural life, seed time, harvest, ploughing and lambing, The Wind in the Grass has lust, romance, cruelty, violence and sudden death. But worst is yet to come for the inhabitants of Hammerwell, insulated from the outside world by the grandeur of The Plain, they are unaware that their lives are about to be devastatingly changed forever.

The Wild Boy of Van Dieman's Land

What do you think could be the worst thing that could happen to you if you were so hungry you stole a bun?

In Victorian England, any theft at all could see you hung or sent to the other side of the world to a penal colony where you would be taught a lesson you would never forget. Your wickedness must be punished.

Davy’s father dies and he and his family are destitute. In a moment of weakness, ten-year-old Davy steals a bun. Now his troubles really start. He is brutalized and bullied in the prison until his wild behaviour ensures that he is transported to the notorious Van Dieman’s Land. Once he is there, life just gets harder and he begins to earn his name of ‘The Wild Boy.’

Meanwhile, his sister, twelve-year-old Hannah has been left to find work and fend for the family. She takes work in service to the prison chaplain’s family where her ingenuity and courage ensure that she is on the same transportation ship as Davy. Can she save him from life as a convict in the harshest colony of all? Can she ever reunite their shattered family?

The Stoker Trilogy, Book II

Six feet two inches, blond-haired and blue-eyed – Charlie Stoker is the handsome, highly principled son of a dead father whom he revered and a deeply religious Catholic mother. In the dark economic atmosphere of 1931, Stephen Collick, his late father’s friend and his mother’s benefactor, offers twenty-year-old Charlie the opportunity to build a commercial career in London’s East End. Charlie, already committed by his inbred sense of duty to life in a loveless marriage, soon becomes popular and successful. His remarkable ability to win friends without ever becoming too personally involved enables him to establish a wide circle of admiring customers and colleagues. Charlie is always prepared to help solve their problems.

As a lifestyle, this works. That is, until he meets Sally Cutter in 1936. For the first time in his life, Charlie discovers true love. The world continues to become a darker place and the growing menace of Hitler’s Nazi Party in Europe is echoed by Moseley’s anti-Semitic Fascists marching through Cable Street. Charlie watches helplessly as Sally’s life spins out of control.

With the threat of war ever nearer, the upright Charlie carefully devises a scheme to secure Sally’s future. But he is surprised when Sally resets the scheme on her own terms.

The Small Hill

The Small Hill is a sacred place, a healing place, where the ancients buried their dead and holy men came to preach. In the reign of Henry I, a knight stood on the hill, a young warrior straight from the heat of battle and knew the hill and the surrounding land was to be his. A settlement grew and a Norman church with a solid square tower was built on the top.

Over the centuries many who owned the land and many who worked on the land were equally drawn to stand on the hill in front of the tower to look out into the distance. From the knight in the 12th century to Tom, an old retired tenant farmer in the 20th century, men stood on the hill looking out to the horizon, to dream of the future or remember the past, each one feeling the small hill’s spell. 

The Ship Called The Pharaoh

"Populate or Perish" was the mantra after World War II as Australia sought to boost its population through immigration. This gripping story follows the lives of two young sisters as they embark on a journey of hope and opportunity, leaving behind war-torn and debt-ridden England for the promise of a better life in Australia. But as they navigate the challenges of a new country and grapple with the harsh realities of the immigration process, they are forced to confront the tragedies and heartbreak that come with the consequences of their choices. With a backdrop of a world in turmoil and a nation in flux, this novel explores the human cost of political decisions and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

The Secrets of Kensington Place

London – 1860

Isabella de Claire, Ward of Lord Thomas Braxton, is an orphan of no means, no family and no social standing. 

Tired of the theatrics of London, Isabella yearns to explore the world outside the confines of the social season. Her dreams of exploration come true when she receives a surprise letter postmarked Bombay. Torn between loyalty and the comfort of the only family she has ever known, her heart and the promise of new beginnings, she must make a decision that will alter the course of not only her life but those around her.

The Satin Moth

This novel is a powerful, grim, historical fantasy story, based around the slave trade of the 17^th and 18^th centuries and its repercussions on a family whose wealth is built on it. The first part of the story introduces the present-day 10^th Lord of Eastlyn, Robert Montague, and his family, who continue to endure the consequences of a voodoo hex placed upon them centuries before. The second part describes the 1^st Lord of Eastlyn, George Montague, a wealthy but cruel and callous slave trader, and the enslavement of an Amazonian warrior named Nabila. Much of the novel’s strength is rooted in its foregrounding, which depicts man’s inhumanity to man and the vile and heinous nature of slavery. The final part shows the effect the curse has had on the Montague family and describes the actions and courage of young cousins who set out to free themselves from the voodoo hex placed upon them. The twists and turns that take place as a result are comprehensive and will provide entertaining relief for the reader following this tale of human suffering and vindication.

The Russian Galatea

On July 16, 1918, Nicholas Romanov, the last Tsar of Russia, and his entire family were supposedly murdered by Russian Bolsheviks in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. One year later, Alexander Kolchak, the Supreme Commander of the White Army, appointed a legal investigator to prove, beyond any doubt, that all members of the Romanov family had indeed been executed. The investigator’s name was Nicholas Sokolov.

The Russian Galatea is a story based on Sokolov’s investigation. It takes place in Siberia, 1919 – with the Russian Revolution as its background. The major thesis is fiction but woven around true historical facts. It is a detective story about one courageous investigator’s obsession with finding out what really happened to Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family. It is also a story about Sokolov’s deep relationship with the girl in a faded photograph. Is she alive or dead?

The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is a story of Man,
his greed and his broken world,
his sleepwalking to a disaster of his own making.
This is a story of Man,
it tells why things reached to the catastrophic point,
and warns of his unprecedented end.
This is a story of Man,
whose time is running out.
This is a story of Man,
his survival or extinction on the Planet Earth.
This is a story of Man,
it advises him to open eyes wide and save the World for his children’s sake.

The Road to Truth

The Second World War disrupted many lives. The dedicated doctors and nurses had to try and try and put the injured back together. The story tells of one of these nurses whose family was broken up and she suffered the loss of the man she loved. The welfare system was struggling to protect the vulnerable but in the process, families were separated and the children were not given information about their family. Rosa Williams tried to forget the loss of the only man she loved, but events occurred that meant she would never forget her airman.

The Revelation of Atlantis

For the first time in the well-known human history, the mythical and legendary Atlantis reveals her secrets. The heavy veil of oblivion rises for us to take a look at that incredible age 20,000 years ago through the story of Filton, one of the greatest scientists of that era; and Niria, the priestess of the Temple of Truth. An exciting history of the past in order to know the present and the future.

The Pearl of Saint-Sulpice

In the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, there is a holy water font. It was made of a shell of the giant clam, Tridacna gigas. I often wondered where it came from because these clams are only found far away from Europe. I found it intriguing that the shell already arrived in France in the early sixteenth century as a gift from the Venetian Republic to King Francis I. Where did it come from? What story could such a shell tell? What thoughts did the sculptor, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle have when he carved the beautiful column upon which the shell rests? What is its religious significance? Only a few pearls from giant clams are believed to exist, and their origins are shrouded in mystery. Is there a pearl somewhere belonging to this clam? It will have to be the Pearl of Saint-Sulpice, alias the Pearl of Allah. The pearl took me on an unexpected adventure to the French Revolution and before, to a1964 scientific meeting where the descendants of the secret league of the Scarlet Pimpernel unites and onwards to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in1974 where I faced the prowess and strength of the guardians of Aphrodite in the Troodos Mountains. Join me if you dare.