Wolfgang's Castle

Amidst the secluded valleys of Bavaria, 1940, lies a covert Nazi stronghold, the womb to the sinister Project Sea Eagle. Here, in hidden chambers beneath the earth, Nazi scientists toil over an innovative menace: a fleet of aqua-planes intended to unleash a torrent of terror upon Britain’s shores once more.

Against the dark tide rises a band of unlikely allies: four anti-Nazi Germans, two audacious SOE operatives, and twenty captive RAF officers. With scarce resources yet unyielding resolve, they plot to dismantle this aquatic harbinger of invasion. At the heart of their mission lies the experimental ‘aquaplane,’ a swift maritime vessel conceived to ferry troops and weaponry across the Channel, a dire threat to England’s already beleaguered coast.

The citadel of Sea Eagle, veiled beneath the earth, eludes the reach of aerial bombs, and a direct military assault is a gambit Britain can ill afford. Amidst the storm of war, Major Archie Wellings of the SOE forms a daring coalition with two German couples and others, orchestrating a clandestine assault on Wolfgang’s Castle, the nexus of Sea Eagle. They turn Nazi ideology against itself, employing ingenious subterfuges to thwart the looming peril.

Wolfgang’s Castle is more than a tale of espionage and warfare. It delves into the essence of patriotism, the indomitable spirit of resistance, and the unexpected corridors of camaraderie amidst the horrors of war. With a sprinkle of satire, a glimpse into wartime’s gender dynamics, and a tender vein of romance, this thrilling narrative is not just a journey through the shadows of war, but a venture into the myriad shades of human valour and ingenuity.

The Journey

On Christmas night 1879 my 19-year-old Great Uncle, John Diver left his thatched home, Whinpark Inishowen. He walked the eighteen miles to Derry Quay. He boarded the SS Devonian. The Statute of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation confirms its arrival on 1st January 1880. Why did someone so young embark, alone, on such a hazardous journey?By chance John, a skilled facilitator, met other young people who were forced into that miserable, morose migration of the largely unreported ‘an Gorta Beag’ (small Famine).These included the enthralling James Feely, who found unlikely inspiration from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. This led to the discovery of his psychic powers. He meets the recently deceased Paul Cullen, Ireland’s first Cardinal, hears divinations from Thomas FitzGerald the 10th Earl of Kildare about a meeting with the most beautiful Empress in Europe and the Three Magi who predicted the miraculous Apparitions at Knock. Who, if anyone, does he dare tell? We meet the troubled Matthew and his resolute sister Mary. After Maggie, their teenage unmarried sister, gave birth they resolved to travel to America to find her displaced infant. What caused one of the siblings to have a change of heart?Church Martin, a gifted musician and mystic, follows that ancient Celtic tradition of using music to enchant and distract an enemy rather than entertain. He demonstrates this by stopping the movement of the ship mid Atlantic to becalm the vessel. Will Church and Mary discover the angst of an unrequited love? Jack Turner is a young man with a hidden past. Will he too find unexpected friendship? The story, a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction, culminates in the friction of a frantic, frenzied pursuit for survival to avoid an enforced asylum admission and deportation.The unfolding personal revelations become a fascinating intrigue - a compelling timeless Irish Tale that is more than a match for The Canterbury Tales.Atlantic Anecdotes and Dark Disclosures en route from the Inishowen Peninsula to the Port of New York.

Leaves in a Holocaust Wind

The Holocaust, the final solution for Jews, is infamous in history. Robert Dawson's Leaves in a Holocaust Wind is the story of another community that suffered in the Holocaust: the Gypsies. Told by Demeter Fox and Zuzzi, Leaves in a Holocaust Wind follows their journey to freedom in the German occupied territory of Slovakia. From the horrors of slaughter in the woods, the lies of a safe future, the concentration camp of Majdanek and the hiding away in the countryside, Fox and Zuzzi must come to terms with what they have witnessed and find the courage to survive until freedom comes. It is a novel of the playful mind-set and culture of the Romanies in the face of a most brutal regime, and in which most of the major events are based on real incidents.

Spitfire Spies

Summer 1940 - Great Britain is in grave peril. With the ‘phoney' war turning into a very real war on the ground and in the air, Hitler's troops storm across an unprepared Europe towards the English Channel. Invasion looms. But the British have a weapon in their arsenal that may be a game changer and bring victory against all odds: the mighty Spitfire.So severe is the threat posed by this remarkable fighter plane that Germany sends two operatives - one a reluctant Englishman, the other a loyal Nazi - on an audacious mission to infiltrate and destroy. Will they achieve their goal or can MI5, with the aid of double agents and a brilliant female pilot, turn the tide of espionage to their advantage? With a literary adroitness reminiscent of an aviator in battle, author John Hughes weaves a tale of intrigue, love and betrayal in a fast-paced thriller of a debut novel which wends its way from the Fatherland via the beaches of Dunkirk to the skies over Southern England.

The Opportunist

World War I left its impression on many people and many nations. Lives were lost, economies were altered and women's roles were changed as workforces had to adapt. The consequences of international fighting were monumental, but as much as the War set forth great change, it also served as an opening for innovations and new trends. John Carter, unable to physically serve in the war, remains at home in the UK as a temporary head of an industrial company and as the owner of a timber supply business. With men needed at the front, John experiences troubles of a different kind: employing women, searching for qualified help and expanding and converting the industry to suit the demands of war materials. Hunger, illness and heartache strike time and again, but instead of only loss and utmost destruction, The Opportunist shows the tale of one man's success at home in the darkest of times.

The Reluctant Hero

Chris just wanted to be an aeronautical engineer, but events and WWll changed it all.Christopher Darby's father wants him to follow a medical career and become a doctor like himself. But Chris knows his real love is engineering, especially aeroplanes, and he wants it to be his career. A chance encounter, the summer after leaving school in 1935, lands him a job working with planes. Chris is given the opportunity to learn to fly a plane and a long, exciting aeronautical career is sparked. Although Chris initially begins work in the Rolls Royce car factory upon completing his engineering studies, the outbreak of war changes everything. Drawn to do his bit for the country, Chris joins the Royal Air Force and is back working with planes once again. What follows is an exciting, varied and dangerous career serving his country. Never far from action and danger, Chris must rely on his expert knowledge and the trusted colleagues he meets along the way to survive.

The Spanish Armada

History records that in 1588, the vast Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy. The English set many of their own ships on fire, then sent the ships at the enemy, scattering them. The Spanish fleet were forced to attempt the dangerous return to Spain via the north of Scotland. Battered by violent winds, even further losses were visited upon the already badly beaten fleet, smashed by the waves and run aground on the shore.But what if the Spanish had succeeded in their invasion plan? What if the had defeated the English navy, and successfully conquered England? In this extraordinary work of alternative-history, follow the many surprising and larger-than-life characters as they navigate a world upended by this momentous historical moment, and discover the far-reaching implications of the Spanish Armada's victory in this gripping new novel, Spanish Armada.

Treachery at Bosworth Field 1485

Richard III by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland.England has gone through years of civil wars, strife and unrest during the period of the so-called 'Wars of the Roses'. House against house, family against family, cousin against cousin. The wheel of fortune turning this way and that.On the death of Richard's dear brother Edward IV, Richard becomes Lord Protector of England as Duke of Gloucester, but events overtake him. On finding that both Edward V and Richard of York are declared illegitimate, he has no option but to take the throne of England.Richard III proves to be a good and fair king and is much loved by any that come into contact with him. However, old wounds run deep and very soon, stories are put about attempting to discredit him. Rebellions happen and all the treachery takes place once more, culminating in the invasion of Henry Tudor and the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.Treachery at Bosworth Field 1485 belies a wealth of historical knowledge and enthusiasm for this turbulent period and frequently misunderstood king.

We Were Not Heroes

History is told by the victors and dare to write about the losing side. Writer Mark Kurt dared to bring to the reader the book We Were Not Heroes, a fictional novel about the diabolical scenario of the Second World War where men and women were trying to survive the boundless cruelties.Never has so much detail been written about the strategy of a pack of German U-boats trying to intercept an Allied convoy, the cold-bloodedness during naval combat and the pursuit of their enemies with destroyers in an attempt to annihilate them.Mark Kurt in his narrative of suspense and intriguing describes the incursion of a German command in British territory led by Max as main character and in the pursuit of the Germans an intelligent and selfless British investigator in the attempt to stop them, but to each one of the characters is reserved a different destiny despite the same scenario of the Second World War.          

Strings of Destiny

In an era where freedom remains elusive, a young man finds himself at the heart of a struggle for the most fundamental human right: the right to be free.

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of 1950s Cyprus, this tale, inspired by true events and interwoven with a touch of magic, sees Herodotos championing the cause for independence on multiple fronts. His story marks a timeless testament to the resilience of the few who dare to defy the might of the many.

The Agony of Poland

In the latter part of 1939, German leader Adolf Hitler made a pact with the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to invade Poland. Confident that British and French leaders would opt for a weak peace settlement, Hitler’s army stormed in from the north, south and west on September 1st, while Stalin’s Red Army invaded from the east on September 17th.

This story, part fact and part fiction, is an account of the suffering endured by the Polish people at this time, many of whom were imprisoned in Siberia and forced to work under dreadful conditions. Yet when Hitler turned on Stalin and invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Poland’s exiled found common cause with their Russian captors to take up arms against Nazi oppression.

Though the Allies emerged victorious in 1945, a heavy price was exacted from occupied Poland. Many survivors discovered they no longer had homeland to which they could return, their former communities now under firm Soviet control.

Those Trees Outlive Them

Spanning five generations from 1870 to 2013, this fascinating saga begins in a small village in colonial India and ends in modern-day New York City. Each chapter unfurls both an individual story and part of an epic family history.

Jani’s prose is visually rich and poetically weaves characters’ tales with intense, lyrical details. From British colonial rule in India, to Pakistan’s chaotic democracy, to 21st century America, inquisitive readers will adore this multi-dimensional cultural journey.

We first meet Fakir, a fatherless child who becomes a mystical storyteller, then an unlikely entrepreneur. Runaway teen Alam reinvents himself as an art teacher and womanizer over his adventures. Ambitious Ali Gohar journeys from Pakistan to attend NYU, while Jani grows up enduring racial tensions in 1980s Sindh before pursuing the “American Dream.” Finally, young physician Kabeer gives up a lucrative U.S. career to volunteer overseas, only to get swept back to his homeland by devastating floods.

Spanning continents and colourful personalities, Those Trees Outlived Them is an intimate look at one family’s roots across borders and generations.