Listening to Letter from America

This novel is based on the true stories of a group of elderly people in Singapore who survived World War II. Meeting regularly in an elderly day-care centre, they lamented that their sacrifices in defending the country against the Japanese invaders were forgotten by the present generation. During the group meetings, they recalled the horrors of the war years, especially the massacre of young Chinese men and women in Singapore. Inspired by the BBC programme Letter from America by the journalist Alistair Cooke, they share their World War II experiences--thus began the psychological healing and restoration of their self-esteem.

Little Gibraltar Street

Escape into the gripping tale of Saffi, a young, privileged, and restless girl yearning for a life of adventure. In the backdrop of 1929, on a fateful Christmas morning, she coerces her friend and family employee, Lottie, into embarking on an impulsive journey from Melbourne to Perth. Little do they know, the uncharted path that lies before them spans over two thousand miles of rugged dirt roads.

Ill-equipped for the arduous journey, Saffi and Lottie’s fate takes an unexpected turn when they encounter Raana, a resourceful and destitute Afghan girl whose indispensable guidance propels them beyond Adelaide. Their group reaches its full complement when they chance upon Sam, a wounded young man scarred by a harsh upbringing and distorted views on relationships.

Venturing into the unforgiving wilderness west of Port Augusta, they confront a land ravaged by drought and the looming shadow of the Great Depression. In the face of scorching heat, swirling dust storms, shifting sands, poverty, and the ugly face of racial intolerance, their disparities become glaringly apparent.

Despite the hardships, Saffi cherishes every moment of their odyssey, as the splendor and solitude of the bush, shared trials, and a fight for survival forge an unbreakable bond among the travelers. As they navigate the untamed terrain, the beauty of their journey lies not just in the breathtaking landscapes, but in the transformation of their own spirits.

Little Heart Beats

Imagine when you first fell in love. What did it feel like?

Little Heart Beats captures a love journey stemming from when you first met your soulmate, how you reacted, how you knew you were in love, what it felt like, and what it means to not only give out love but also to be loved back.

It is subdivided into four sections that will leave you believing in love again.

Live. Live. Repeat.

What would you sacrifice for all the riches in the World? Your name? Your face?

Your soul?

Mike had already lost everything when he found himself sitting next to the stranger at the bar.

He listened to an implausible tale, too tall to be true.

What followed would change everything for him, forever.

Money can't buy happiness. But what about ALL the money in the world...?

Liverpool Kids of WWII - Part 1

The Liverpool Blitz is over…

The seven-year-old boy who was evacuated in The Green Gates Story, comes home after many months away, and is faced with changes to his life: house moves, new districts, new faces…

No sweets, because Mum’s used the coupons for sugar.
What are bananas?
What’s ice-cream?
White bread?

Upon his return to his home city and with his evacuation experience behind him, he views his life ahead as a series of hurdles, but the War is ongoing…

Toys? – Pretend games and a good healthy imagination.
Free-time? – Fun of collecting waste paper, scrap metal, bones and rags, in support of the war effort.

His first trip into town, shopping with Mum, and the surprising sight of big blackened shells, once shops, now dark spaces between buildings, which had suffered direct hits, torn apart innards and burnt deposits.  
Blast waves obliterating shop windows and doors of adjacent buildings, displaying:
Heaps of broken bricks
Shattered concrete supports
Splintered wood floors hanging drunkenly, with massive heaps of dust and debris deposited on the piled remains, awaiting attention and clearance.

How to cope with the unnecessary death of a classmate, killed at play, after accidentally falling through the blitzed roof of an unsafe bomb-damaged house?

When the supply and demands of shortages cause the theft of a family bicycle.

Kids discovering the incomprehensible: German POWs sitting smoking, chatting and laughing, employed in collecting and stacking usable bricks from a bomb site, watched by a grey-haired bespectacled British soldier sat in his parked army lorry when he was not reading a dog-eared copy of Lilliput magazine.  
Same kids, frowning and mindful of captured British soldiers packed into overcrowded huts inside barbed-wire enclosures, overlooked by machine-gun towers, in the Fatherland!

Liverpool Kids of WWII, Part 2

The boy was growing into youth – not yet a teenager – but was bright enough to know his country was in a war that it mustn’t lose, that his brother and uncles were also part of this deadly struggle…

Melodious harmonies and helmets were heard and seen at the impromptu Christmas party his mum and dad had arranged. He was as inquisitive as could be because it sounded like the Americans had arrived with Uncle Jim for the little house party he’d eavesdropped about over the last few days.

“Gosh a’mighty!” he heard one over-the-pond voice exclaim. “You got gas lighting but no electricity in the house, huh?”

The front room was alive with noise generated by adults, both seated and standing, in a happy conversation. Already, a smoky fuzz was forming from lit cigarettes, held firmly between thumbs and forefingers and used sometimes to emphasise a point or two in the friendly interchange of chit-chat.

The first thing he noticed was one policeman’s helmet and two American army white military police garrison caps grouped together at one end of his mum’s upright piano top. Railway policeman, Uncle Jim was in boisterous good humour with the two Americans.

Suddenly, his young eyes lit up as he spied a crumpled untidy mess of military equipment in the corner of the room, which drew him onto it immediately. He could see a US army belt with what looked like a brown wood baseball bat attached, as well as a set of handcuffs.

Lokemele's Quest

An emotional and deep journey in which Rosemary (Lokemele) introspectively fights with her personal demons.

Will the pain of betrayal, loss, temptation, and the forbidden fruits of love haunt her until her dying day?

Will a guilty secret be her ultimate downfall?

What role will Keoki play in her life?

And the mysterious, beautiful Ocean Tia - will she be Lokemele’s saviour, or will she add to her woes?

Will Lokemele find her quest for inner peace; or will serenity of her mind, heart, body, and soul forever remain elusive and out of her reach?

Loose Ends

Matthew Bartimaeus, a blind yet notorious hitman, strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear his name. When a routine job takes a disastrous turn, Matthew’s world unravels as he’s double-crossed by a former employer. In a desperate twist of fate, he finds himself compelled to form an unlikely alliance with undercover detective Zoe Garland.As they join forces, their partnership grows stronger by the day, igniting a deadly game of cat and mouse across the sprawling city of London. Hot on their heels is Arif, the relentless son of the Berkant crime family’s patriarch. Fast-paced car chases and high-stakes gunfights ensue, pushing Matthew to the brink as he relies on his finely honed skills and remaining senses to survive.But this isn’t just a quest for vengeance, it’s a mission to protect Zoe, who holds the key to exposing corruption within the Met Police. In Loose Ends, Matthew’s determination to settle old scores collides with his unwavering commitment to safeguarding his newfound partner. In a world where justice hangs in the balance, this duo will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.

Lorela: Dog Warriors

Lorela is a red planet…a dead planet! For several hundred years, the human colony of Lorela was thought to have been wiped out but they survived deep underground, out of sight of those who would use them. The lucky ones made it to the mines, locked in away from the harmful radiation. The unfortunate ones wept, surviving as best they could. Over time, the humans that were left breathing in polluted fetid air began to mutate. As the generations passed, all they knew were howls in the dark and the taste of flesh, bitten from that of those who howled with them.

Memphis Grimm was the first to step out to view a tortured landscape; his pack hounded by those who would consume them. Pack Grimm raced across the barren landscape, in search of sanctuary, freedom from the pack lands and a place they could call their own. None could have known how far this journey would take them, not even those who watched from a distance—far across the galaxy, amused at what crawled out from the darkness.

Lost Brothers

Jay and Perry are fraternal twins separated at birth. Their biological mother, Gloria, kept Jay to raise and Perry was given up for adoption. Two brothers living their early stages of life in Paris attended high school together, unaware of their relation, and later became good friends. What would you do if you found out you were separated at birth from your sibling? Although Perry was raised by wealthy loving parents, he lacked confidence; whereas, Jay, raised in poverty, was more of an outgoing self-assured person. In high school, Jay always protected Perry from the typical bullies. They were the complete opposite yet the same. As time passed, their lives moved in different directions. Perry was determined in search of his birth mother, Gloria. Will his search of Gloria lead him to Jay? A friendship bonded by loyalty and brotherly love will be tested. What will be the outcome?

Louisa

Louisa is 15 and living a contented, happy life in London. The Second World War is threatening their peace of mind. Will they all have the strength to survive?

Love And Other Thoughts

I floated to the West

I floated through the water
Through the air and the land
Then I became the raindrops in the sand
I floated in the night
Weightless. No effort was made by me
And all the stars were smiling
In the morning I arrived
From the Middle Kingdom far away
I floated
I floated to the West
That’s what they say