Laura's Year

In January 1976, it is an excited, but nervous family of four who board a Jumbo jet, to leave England to begin a new life in a small town, on the Persian Gulf in Iran.

Adrian, an ex-Royal Naval Officer, thought this new job in Iran would be a chance to earn big money, and although neither parent had wanted to disrupt their children’s education, they thought it was worth the risk, giving them both valuable life experiences, and a chance to see ‘something of the world.’

Once settled in their new home, with the children happily enrolled in an excellent international school, they immediately made friends with like-minded ex-pats, and got involved in an active and well-established social scene, with parties and functions most weekends, and daily trips to their ‘club’ in town, which housed a bar, and swimming pool.

Caroline and Alex, having made friends at school, as well as with some local children, who lived in mud huts, in the desert at the end of their road, also seemed happy with their lot, but Laura becomes pregnant, which threatens to disrupt their idyllic lives, and events that followed, appear to have changed Laura’s, once devoted and loving husband’s feelings towards her.

But, had Laura changed? And that was why her previously, caring husband didn’t fancy her anymore.

How was she to get their relationship back on track, when there were so many exciting distractions and choices which held his attention, which didn’t include her?

Let God in: One Ignatian Journey

Perhaps you are a lifelong Christian as is the author, John A. Cooper. Perhaps you are thinking, "I have already let God into my life and my salvation is assured." Perhaps you are not a Christian, maybe you are Muslim, or atheist, or maintain another belief system, or no system at all. Then, this book is for you! Even if you have a relationship with God, would you open the door to your heart even wider and give up everything to live only in the love and Grace of God? Notice the cover art and symbol for the Holy Spirit, the light from the Father, and Jesus, all One God, all of the same substance. Jesus' hands reach out for you… Will you let Him into your life? Will you open the door even wider if he already lives in you? May Jesus be your Peace? John, You share yourself beautifully, both in your life experiences and in your imagination of scripture scenes, in the way you image Jesus, and how you apply those prayers to your personal and spiritual growth. This is a book that will invite all who read it with humility and courage to seek God in their everyday life experiences, with greater depth, trust, and unity. Thank you for sharing this book with me. - Bob Fitzgerald, former Executive Director Ignatius House, Atlanta, GA; currently Adjunct Lecturer, Spring Hill College; and Spiritual Director. This book is both a personal testimony and a practical guide. As in the story of St. Ignatius, the sudden loss of lifelong ambitions led to the grace of transformation, from self-confident determination to profound surrender, to the living Christ. Cooper shares a condensed version of his personal journal during the Spiritual Exercises in daily life. His notes for 32 weeks of prayer and reflection offer a very practical template for others to make their own journey of transformation. - Christopher Viscardi, S.J., Director of Spiritual Direction Program, Spring Hill College.

Letters to Doberitz

This unique and compelling story has laid dormant for a 100 years. Inspired by real events and based on my own family during the First World War, Letters to Doberitz is set between a German prison-of-war camp, the battlefields of France and family back in Bristol, as father and son endure very different wars. These were real people. They are my ancestors and family who left an extraordinary tale to be told. A lie is made in the name of love, with letters written compounding the deceit for years, all to protect the man that they loved. This is their truly unique story.

Life After Reconstruction

Life After Reconstruction is my story after genital reconstructive surgery. It follows the events of what happened in my life after I wrote my first book, Wings for the Butterfly, published in Germany and in Poland. After the book came out, I thought I would be famous on the spot. Instead, I ended up in a worse situation than I was in; from living in my own flat to being in a refugee home. In the refugee home, which was not supportive for the process of sexual healing after reconstruction, I met up with other forms of traumas, perhaps worse than my own. The result of the hostile environment in the refugee home was the tension that heightened the already frightened sexual restoration, leading to numbness once again and even more rage which eventually became uncontrollable. In order to understand myself better, I became involved with trying to understand the people I came to live with, trying to understand their problems, to the point of understanding that we are all looking for pure love that was denied to us in the formative years.

Life Lessons & Tales of Little MisFit: Book 2: Life Isn't Always Fair

This is the second book in the series of Life Lessons & Tales of Little MisFit. The first book, Life Isn’t Always What It Seems, is the winner of the Fall 2020 Pinnacle Achievement Award in the Young Adult genre and the Top Ten Finalist for the 2021 Author Elite Award in Middle Grades/Children’s Category. Book 1 also has more than two dozen five-star Amazon reviews (including a UAE book newsletter). One reviewer said that the book is “for the child in each of us.” Another: “It’s a laugh-out-loud, fun read.” Most reviewers indicated that they cannot wait to read book 2 in this series. The life lesson in book 2 is: “Life Isn’t Always Fair.” This book is written for children, young adults and adults who are young at heart along with those who have found themselves to be a “MisFit” at some point or situation in their lives. In Book 2, Ivy Sue (Little MisFit – LMF) learns that “Life Isn’t Always Fair,” when she is punished by her teacher for doing something that she did not do. The teacher tells her that she had probably done things before that she didn’t get punished for and that it’s time she learned the lesson that “Life Isn’t Always Fair.” LMF decides to use humour to get back at her teacher and from her tales and antics, we see how she learns to handle this important life lesson. Through challenging and unfair situations, LMF shows us that it’s possible to move forward in life and learn to make the best of most situations and opportunities that come our way, even when “Life Isn’t Always Fair!”  

Life Lessons and Tales of Little MisFit

Ivy Sue Klutz (Little MisFit - LMF) finds one of her first memories confusing. This is when she is three and a half years old and is at her sister Lynn's birthday party. Their cousin, Janet, asks the partygoers to guess what Lynn's birthday present is as the truck delivering the present is backing up to the front porch of their house. Unbeknown to LMF, Janet told the other kids not to really guess that it's a bike. You guessed - LMF guesses that her sister is getting a bike for her 5th birthday present. But instead of everyone being happy that LMF guessed the right thing, everyone is mad at her and none more than her mother. LMF runs off to her soon-to-be baby brother's bedroom and tries to hide behind his dresser, with her mother hot on her heels, yelling at her all the way. From this experience and many others through her 4th grade years in school, LMF learns the Life Lesson that Life Isn't Always What It Seems.

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.

Little Lola: Living with Arthritis

Little Lola is an affectionate nickname created by Loretta and one of her aunts. Follow Lola as she navigates the complexities of living with Chronic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Diagnosed at just four years old, Lola and her mother must quickly learn about this long-term illness and how to manage it.

Through Lola’s story, readers will gain insight into the emotional journey of living with a chronic illness, including the fear, curiosity, and challenges that come with it. The author, who has struggled with anxiety and self-worth related to her condition, hopes that this book will provide a relatable and inspiring read for young readers, their loved ones, and open up positive conversations about illness, disability, and self-worth.

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!

Logan and the Time Machine

Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Logan who loved having adventures. One day Logan decided to go back in time to see the land of the dinosaurs. So, he grabbed his bag and his hat and tied his shoelaces tight and then jumped into his magical time machine. The time machine whizzed and whirled and wooed and suddenly went Bop! And then disappeared!

When Logan travels back in time to the age of the dinosaurs in his magical time machine, he never anticipates a chance encounter with a little dinosaur would result in an unexpected friendship. But with new dinosaur friends come new dangers.With the sudden arrival of a large T-Rex can Logan be brave and save his new dinosaur friend?

Get set to go on a wonderful journey with dinosaurs, time travel and new friendships accompanied by beautiful illustrations that will captivate the imagination of kids of all ages.

Look What Happened While I Was Sleeping

Butterfly gardening is a simple and continuously rewarding hobby. It is done at home, no fancy clothes or tools, by anyone at any age. Determine what nectar plants thrive in your climate zone and plant them in your garden or put them in containers on your balcony, the butterflies will come! Plant some host plants amongst the nectar plants and the butterflies will stay! Nature's splendour and beauty is just a few plants away. You never know how your life can change when you open your eyes after a nice, long rest.