Best Book Publishers UK | Austin Macauley Publishers
  • The 26 Guardians of Truth, Lies, Joy & Pain
    eBook
    The 26 Guardians of Truth, Lies, Joy & Pain
    Bo Hollist

    These very words are held before your eyes by the 26 Guardians. Would that you knew what they think of you. You will never shame a letter or a word — but they will always know your shame.


    Long before kingdoms, before gods, before even language, the letters were. Held in trust to be born of the tree of all things useful, with each to be handed a portfolio to keep: ‘A’ the trustee of every word that begins with ‘A’, and so on, down to ‘Z’. Into those words you have poured all that you are, your tenderness and your malice, your promises and your treacheries.


    They have no hands, yet they have raised your empires and ground them to dust. They have no breath, yet they have begun your wars and brokered your peace. A word can lift a soul from despair, or break a person where they stand, and never once leave a mark upon the skin.


    Now the Guardians would speak. Twenty-six of them, each through a single word held in trust, turn their gaze upon the creatures who wield them and find us wanting, wondrous and wholly unaware.


    You have used them all your life. It is time you learned what they make of you.

    £3.50
  • Yogi Fish
    eBook
    Yogi Fish
    May Koliander

    The creatures in these tales come up against bullying, discrimination and the burden of harbouring anxious thoughts, as well as a couple of would-be despots. Enjoy discovering how they overcome all the hurdles they encounter.


    You might like to learn with Meeky, a mouse born in the ancient city of Samarkand, the real value of silk paper. Find out how Glow and Popeye, two raccoon cousins, make the most out of their difference. And why not play a game based on colours with old Gisella’s granddaughters, Pink, Blue and Violet, as the little mice make their way through the Viennese art museum in which they dwell.


    These are only some of the tales awaiting you in this collection, and all the animals—whether small or large—hope you will join them!

    £3.50
  • The Oddities of Love
    eBook
    The Oddities of Love
    Rebecca Camu

    In these stories, many of which are prize-winning and already published, Rebecca Camu is seeking to navigate the oddities of love. The authoress Katherine Mansfield springs to mind in that Rebecca is both highly visual in her narrative and also demonstrates powerful insight.


    The stories are all very different from each other. An example is ‘Mum’s Parcel’, a published story which focuses on the despair of a cross-dresser who, in all his lodgings (and he goes from one to the other in his search to find one in which to safely cross-dress), comes across one particular landlady. She accepts him for what he is, and there ensues a touching love affair.


    ‘The Nature of the Stone’ explores the painful journey of a young girl trying to separate herself from the overwhelming devotion of her hard-working parents, while in ‘The Gloved Hands’ the family chauffeur unexpectedly finds his job on the line as a repercussion of the boss’s daughter’s infatuation with him.


    At a wedding anniversary celebration dinner, a secret love affair of one of the protagonists with the other is exposed in ‘War Couples’.


    In ‘Li’s Story’, another published prize winner, a starving refugee from the Khmer Rouge is taken into the household of a kindly benefactor and finds it is love as well as food which is necessary for survival.


    Rebecca’s are stories that stay with you, possibly because they make the unusual usual and announce very clearly the often different outcomes found in loving relationships.

    £4.99
  • Plague Victim, and Other Stories
    eBook
    Plague Victim, and Other Stories
    Nick Fox

    An elderly woman recalls being trapped in a remote village as an adolescent. A boy goes exploring on his new tricycle, but what does he discover? Two friends attempt to visit an ancient monument, only to find their plans are disrupted. A librarian is asked to give a lecture on the cataloguing of dreams. A curate’s obsession with an Anglo-Saxon saint causes him to neglect his parish duties.


    Most of these 24 stories involve a mystery, sometimes revealed through fantasy or folklore. Memory and a sense of place are common themes of many of them. Some of the places are real and can be visited today; others are imaginary. Three of the stories are very short (about 250 words) and could be classed as flash fiction; another is long enough to be considered a novella.


    The stories were written over the last 50 years and reflect the author’s changing interests and his developing ideas of structure. Can you guess which is the earliest story and which the latest?

    £4.99
  • What Has Six Tales?
    eBook
    What Has Six Tales?
    Gordon S. Dickson

    Six unconnected stories with tongue-in-cheek humour. Sometimes the ‘hero’ becomes a cropper and sometimes wins big time. Whether it is being overpowered by ants or falling into a fortune, each character, including Hector the dog, has their ups and downs.

    £3.50
  • A Medley of Short Stories
    eBook
    A Medley of Short Stories
    V. R. Wilson

    The stories set against the background in which we live will capture the imagination and provide food for thought. The tales will make each want to read them to the end and to reflect and ruminate on the content afterwards. Described as a ‘medley’ because the content of the narratives are so different.

    £3.50
  • Notes on a Neighbourhood
    eBook
    Notes on a Neighbourhood
    Rhian Jacobs

    A quiet street in the city of Edinburgh, tall buildings whose numerous windows both look out onto the same street and hide the residents inside them bar the occasional twitching curtain. Nothing to see here, just your everyday residents going about their daily business, a perfectly regular neighbourhood. Unless you look a little bit closer, the patterns, routines and characters are trying to hide their stories, and some are desperate to be seen. One local observer watches their comings and goings, meticulously noting their movements and impact on those around them.

     

    £3.50
  • A Hopscotch of Ideas
    eBook
    A Hopscotch of Ideas
    Lucy Elizabeth Roberts

    An armoury of expression. The envious words compete for your attention. There is intent—a form of pleasure. The war for prominence is thriving as the battle ensues. A plan to imprint stains, if you will, throwing a biscuit and sugar sachet your way; this narrator's hope is that mugs might settle to be a source of paint splashes in your life. Choose your own colour, but be cautious because it could lead to a permanent mark. There is an urge to capture your imagination; could I persuade you into the most comfortable of seats in your favourite room? The ambience which prevails would guarantee an audience, partners. The secret world of being a reader is the ultimate escape.

    £3.50
  • Upstate Tales
    eBook
    Upstate Tales
    Albert J Millus Jr.

    This is a collection of short stories centered in upstate New York, hence the title Upstate Tales. But the stories reflect universal human experience, invoking family, friends, lovers, history, and geography. While the author focuses upon upstate New York, the writing will resonate with readers everywhere who have the gift of introspection and reflection.

    £3.50
  • Simona, Second Time Around, Azure Nights
    eBook
    Simona, Second Time Around, Azure Nights
    Angelika Bolliger

    Simona

    “In the enchanting allure of Rome, Simona’s life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters Carlo in her office. Unprepared for the whirlwind of passion and intrigue, she discovers a profound connection that awakens a new sense of self. As she navigates the captivating yet dangerous game of hide and seek with mysterious observers, Simona is drawn into a thrilling dance of romance and suspense, set against the backdrop of Italy’s breathtaking capital.”


    Second time around

    Sometimes the end is just the beginning.


    After her divorce, Grace never expected to feel anything again – until a stranger’s kindness sparks a new beginning. When her ex’s wedding brings her to Verona, fate introduces her to Federico... and a chance to reclaim the life she thought she’d lost.


    A heartfelt journey through love, loss, and second chances. Three cities. One chance to start over.


    Azure nights

    Sunshine, secrets... and one life-changing summer.


    On a summer holiday in Saint-Tropez, Marina finally reaches her breaking point with her narcissistic partner. When a chance meeting with a man who sees through her defences ignites unexpected passion, Marina must decide whether she’s ready to live life on her own terms.


    A sharp, sensual, and emotionally charged story of love, liberation, and starting over.


    From Rome to Verona to Saint-Tropez, these sensual, sun-drenched stories follow women on the brink of change, each daring to leave behind what no longer serves them and leap into the unknown.

    £3.50
  • Gold & Glitter
    eBook
    Gold & Glitter
    May Koliander

    These tales speak of hope, love sometimes turned sour and the astounding powers of the human psyche.


    Common wisdom says the price of love is pain. Ida, an artist’s model and a joyful wench who is swept off her feet by sexy Sergei, couldn’t agree more. Fortunately, she is resourceful, has a way with animals and will not be the one to bear the brunt of the pain. (The Price of Love)


    You will not, however, be confined to the here-and-now but carried back in time (The Embroiderer’s Tale) or sent spinning into the distant future (The Darkness, Beware the Sandman).

     

    £3.50
  • Nothing the Fists Can't Fix and Other Stories
    eBook
    Nothing the Fists Can't Fix and Other Stories
    Paul Maxton

    In these thirteen remarkable stories, Paul Maxton delves deep into the human condition, exploring both its tenderness and brutality while exposing the fragility of the mind. Set against the backdrop of Scotland’s islands and cities, misfits and miscreants have a tenuous grip on reality, resorting to strange, often extreme, behaviour to express their hopes and desires.

    A man grapples with his anger management, leading to destructive consequences.
    A burnt-out soldier takes revenge on a friend during a goose-hunting trip.
    An alcoholic nurse, on her final warning, is consumed by news of an earthquake.
    A workaholic manager finds a Triumph Bonneville irresistible during a drug-fueled binge.
    A boy’s fierce imagination draws him toward a mother he both loathes and longs for.

    Bursting with originality and dark humour, Maxton’s stories are unnerving, inventive, and sharply attuned to the nuances of speech. This powerful, uncompromising debut collection delivers punch after punch, creating a world of love, loss, and longing that irresistibly draws the reader in.

    £3.50

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