From Sitzkrieg to Blitzkrieg

I’d seen chaps killed before, of course: Tuppy Horton was the first; accidentally garroted by his own braces, whilst playing ‘Cowboys and Indians’ back in 1922. There had been raw terror in poor old Tuppy’s bulging, bloodshot eyes as he dangled by his neck from that apple tree, while the rest of us just stood and gawped. Then there was Stiffy Plantagenet; who was knocked down on the tennis court at his home, by a motor car driven (in reverse) by his inebriated Aunt Agatha – I seem to remember that Plantagenet was absent from school for quite some time before it was announced by the Headmaster that old Stiffy had finally shuffled-off his bucket, kicked his clogs, and popped his mortal coil.

I have just remembered another one, too: Benjamin Alistair Drayton, who drowned in Tatlock Pond (whilst I warmed my palms on his sister Millicent’s bare breasts in a nearby thicket). I didn’t actually see him drown, of course (having, as I did, my hands rather full at the time), but I watched Mr Mulgrew and Constable Pinchworthy fish Drayton’s lifeless, floppy corpse from the stagnant water afterwards.

This was the first time that I’d seen a chap killed so horribly though; a shell had exploded nearby and shrapnel had completely smashed Simpson’s face in; his belly was torn wide-open, and his wet, shiny innards spilled out onto the brown earth. (Needless to say, he did not live for long.) I paused for a moment, drew a deep breath, and then vomited so hard that my backside trumpeted loudly. (“Pffrrrt!”)

From Wellies and Chapped Legs to Brogues

Ten-year-old David’s life is not easy, living in dire circumstances with his alcoholic mother in a wreck of a home. His one true friend is Rebecca, the other children tolerate or make fun of him.

Following an accident, he is befriended by Hobo, who moves in and out of the village with his belongings in a pram.

When David’s mother dies over the Christmas period, he spends time at Rebecca’s home and is then taken into care. He escapes, seeks solace with Hobo and together they escape the village, and in time, David is sent to live with Hobo’s brother on the South Coast, where he learns Hobo’s story.

Here, David's life changes completely, but there are still setbacks and challenges along the way before he returns to the village and his life becomes entwined once again with Rebecca.

Fucking Pterodactyl

Margareta du Plessis the Republican Madam Prime Minister does “Madam Prime Minister’s Questions” as she takes a few swipes at her pterodactyl Democrat opposite by calling him a “fucking pterodactyl” over his sex allegations of her gay brother’s doings with a European male whore on live Gay TV the night before, by tossing her half-drunk glass of wine right at him where it just missed him by inches as it pulverized upon the olive-green work-bench right beside him. Madam Prime Minister also had a go at her pterodactyl counterpart over the acquisition of androids which work without any pay and don’t require any food, that are set to replace general biological office workers who she’s commissioned to immediately work in an Andromeda exotic jewellery mining colony for jewels to be made and sold intergalactically. So, the pterodactyl calls for immediate strikes in the House of Commons, London, circa 30,050 AD. in an alternate sci-fi reality.

Gate-Crashers

It’s Christmas 1984 in Manchester and seventeen year old Nick Hopper has devastating news on his mind.

Rather than reveal his tragedy to school mates in their gloomy old pub, Nick seeks a change of heart and goes to a trendy hotspot where life gets in the way of death when a beautiful girl writes on the back of his hand urging him to seize the day and choose life!

Along with his carefree best friend Heff, Nick embarks on the greatest night of his life gate-crashing a lavish house party to pursue the girl of his dreams, Jasmine.

Welcomed into the in-crowd’s heady ‘sex, drugs and pop music’ party world, Nick is forced to face his demons and discover who his real friends are when to win Jasmine’s heart he unwittingly throws the wildest New Year's Eve house party ever!

Generation Care

Drawing on his experience of over 50 years of health care service the author has imagined how life would improve if mankind moved towards a more caring and loving society. While mankind has greatly benefited from the goods and services which have been delivered by capitalist societies, the excesses of capitalism and the selfishness which leads to inequity have ruined many lives. Love calls us to a caring capitalism in which competition delivers high standards while governance protects the poor. Everyone’s basic needs are met by this society. The model of inspection against governance standards has been used with great success by the Care Quality Commission to improve care and to protect vulnerable patients in the UK National Health Service. With the potential disasters of a viral pandemic followed by the environmental threat of global warming, capitalists are being called to work primarily for care and not primarily for money. It is interesting that this same message is contained in the teachings of Jesus who founded our culture.

Genevieve – Book I

The manuscript follows a primary protagonist who has gone by many names over the years but stuck to her most recent alias due to its relatable nature: Genevieve, derived from the patron saint of Paris, St. Genevieve, who is often depicted holding a candle and the devil beside her who blows it out when she goes to pray at night.

She is the CEO and founder of the First Fruit Corporation (FFC), a successful architectural and development firm in the organised-crime riddled Clarence City, her ambitions to tear down old sky scrapers and rebuild them in her own ingenious designs, changing the city skyline, gains her a lot of enemies and fewer friends as a strange man and his soldiers come to town bringing her dark and mysterious past of Punic era to her door step.

German Girls

Paul is totally smitten by the lovely Heidi during a holiday encounter in Swanage in the summer of 1978. Will their holiday romance become something much more serious when he sets out to see if his love for her blossoms in her home city of Frankfurt?

German Girls 2 - Secrets

German Girls 2 – Secrets is the sequel to ‘German Girls’ in which Paul Gardener (19) meets Heidi Wortmann (17) while on holiday in England and falls in love with her. He believes that she loves him too as she has said so in several letters; however, things are not that simple!

Paul flies over to Heidi’s home city of Frankfurt for a week’s holiday with her to develop their relationship but is dismayed to find that she seems to have changed her mind about him and he cannot understand why.

Can Paul unravel the reasons for Heidi’s strangely cold behaviour towards him? What will be their future together?

Getting Even

Alex Feldon is the proposed inheritor of his family’s company and has plans to modernise the business, much against the wishes of his father, Peter, who is both founder and chairman. Father and son have been at loggerheads ever since the terrible accident two years ago in which Alex’s mother was killed and Peter left in a wheelchair.

A mysterious, dark stranger suddenly appears on the scene, thrusting Alex into a deadly struggle for ultimate control of the business as he becomes the victim of two near-death experiences. He is baffled by the uncanny force driving his enemy, Logan, who stealthily takes both Alex’s job and his fiancée, Sanchia. Logan ingratiates himself with Peter as part of his plan to steal the company completely.

Alex fights back by investigating his foe in both UK and Malta, where he exposes Logan’s murky business connections. He doggedly pursues several leads uncovering some unwelcome family secrets, which threaten fatally devastating outcomes for many lives.

Ghost Tours of Hertfordshire and Essex

Ghosts are ubiquitous! This guide has 62 tours, which incorporate over 280 towns and villages, and more than 800 sites. Directions are given in each tour to enable the investigator to find the sites. Map references have been included using Ordnance Survey Maps, together with the map numbers, to enable the investigator to find the haunted sites. The purpose of the guide is to enable the enthusiast to seek and observe. There are notes of interest and history notes as the counties are awash with fascinating stories and legends. 

So decide which tour you are going to tackle first. You may wish to meet the phantom army at Thundridge Church ruins, the screaming woman in Water Lane, Bishop's Stortford, the Witchfinder General, Mathew Hopkins at Manningtree, or maybe the ghostly monks carrying a coffin at Belchamp Walter.

Giant Footsteps

Bill Milton’s poetry is a tour de force and is never far away from the experience of every day life and treads a fine line between the sublime and humourous. Most readers will be able to identify with many of the subjects covered, as Milton’s poetry manages to vividly paint a picture of daily life in postwar Britain.

Many of the poems have hidden depths intended to invoke a smile with some clever wordplay. This is Milton’s second collection in his trilogy of light-hearted poetry.

Ginton Abbey

Set on a Friday in May, 1903…

Lord Dickie has a rather odd way of dressing for his early morning strolls around the Ginton Estate. Her Ladyship has a few secrets, and a member of staff is plotting to blackmail her. The Head Butler is the epitome of what a true English butler should be, but his love for her Ladyship goes unnoticed. The buxom maid is a bit too free with her services, whether it’s with staff, trade or the postman… until she falls in love. The dog-ugly cook has unusual nighttime activities and her lumpy gravy is blinding, literally! Will the blackmailer be successful? Will her Ladyship requite the butler’s affections? Is anyone safe from the cook’s lumpy gravy?