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The Way We Are
The Way We Are is an account of a life passed in England, Saudi Arabia, and 50+ years in post-war Japan.
How a search for peace of mind became an attempt at self-realization – “satori” or enlightenment, and an acceptance of why we cannot be other than we are – involving (for no clear reason) an induction into a local secret society, learning to deal with voices in the head and telepathy, hypnotism and “Ki” (being manipulated by another person’s will), prescience, visual and other apparitions, 'ghosts', 'poltergeists' etc. All personally experienced without the influence of any stimulants.
This book deals with questioning the limitations of ‘self’ as sufficient identity in this truly modern world, a world where every single one of us is now almost certainly, at some stage, going to be obliged to recognize themselves as that very much rejected and unwanted ‘other’. It also explores moving the mind away from conflict as a solution and examining the fine line between political, commercial, philosophical/religious guidance and control.
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They Call Me Jake
In this captivating memoir, Jakob, a Welsh-born Australian, takes readers on a remarkable journey that begins with a troubled youth and a life-changing decision. After running into legal trouble as a teenager, his family sends him off to sea on Scandinavian ships, where Jakob finds himself working out of Brooklyn, New York, joining ships engaged in global trade. It’s the era of rock and roll, with an atmosphere of freedom, free-spiritedness, and indulgence. However, tired of the endless partying and constant financial struggle, Jakob sets his sights on a new path.
He travels to England, enrolls in a navigational school, and earns his license as a ship’s deck officer. But his thirst for adventure and reinvention leads him to an unexpected destination - Israel. Jakob’s love for the kibbutz lifestyle and a young woman on the kibbutz captures his heart. However, as war disrupts the region, their relationship crumbles, and Jakob finds solace in a hippie commune on the sunny shores of Eilat. Through ups and downs, Jakob’s journey takes him across continents, from the Canadian Arctic to Thailand and beyond. His tale is one of resilience, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a meaningful life amidst the challenges and uncertainties of a rapidly changing world.
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They Who Dared
In a world where advanced DNA manipulation has created miniature special operational beings, Max and his peers are the elite force trained to combat international terrorism and infiltrate enemy cells. But as they approach maturity and active service at age 18, they realize their true purpose: to be disposable assets for the top-secret Project OV organization. With the help of his friend Flea, a tough and determined character, Max leads a daring escape for his group and sets off on a dangerous journey evading capture and searching for a hidden community where they can live in freedom. Follow Max’s thrilling adventure as he fights for survival and fights for his fellow fugitives in this action-packed novel.
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The Funny Assassin
Meet Billy Doyle: a skilled military Ops Specialist turned uproarious stand-up comedian. His days of combat may have taken a backseat to laughter, but his fighting spirit hasn’t hung up its boots just yet. In a twist of fate, his comedic routine catches the eye of a British Intelligence Officer, especially when Billy effortlessly fends off thugs post-show. This act of valour swiftly lands him a new gig, melding his military prowess with his comedic charm in the covert world of espionage.
Billy’s debut in the cloak-and-dagger realm involves investigating, and possibly eliminating, the nefarious Lord Carmthen, the mastermind of a grand blackmailing empire stationed right out of London. As Carmthen’s dark money fuels a drug syndicate stretching across South America, Billy finds himself chasing shadows from the bustling heart of South Florida to the sun-kissed shores of the Caribbean.
Infiltrating the cartel isn’t a laughing matter, but Billy’s comedic facade proves to be an unexpected asset in a world where trust is a rare commodity. As he delves deeper into the underbelly of the drug trade, entangling with the cartel’s members, his mission morphs into a crusade to cripple the cartel’s stronghold.
But the stakes are sky-high, and the moments of peril Billy faces demand far more than punchlines to navigate. Every covert operation drags him further into a deadly game where missteps could be fatal, and trust could be a mirage. The only constant companion Billy has is danger, and his only armour is his undying resolve to dismantle the tendrils of corruption and hopefully, live to tell the tale.
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Things That Go Bump in the Night
ONE CITY. TWO KILLERS
A serial killer and a supernatural killer terrorise a city. One kills willingly preying on adulterers and the other unknowingly with no memory of being a monster. The city knows about the serial murders committed by the Sin Killer, but unaware of the shape-shifter whose murders are blamed on the Sin Killer. The captain of police is related to one of the killers. -
This Is Qatar: Anecdotes from an Amateur Expat
Ever wonder what it’s like to live in Qatar? Well M hadn’t. He couldn’t have even found it on a map... then found himself there.
When M arrived in Qatar from London on his newly-minted expat assignment, he didn’t expect to be confronted with life’s most existential choices...so immediately.
And he dragged his girlfriend-cum-wife too.
“But I wanted to go to Singapore,” she said.
“We got at least half-way there!”
From job offer, to eloping in Las Vegas (because living together out of wedlock is haram), to having a kid - and back again, “TIQ” is a humorous, if not slightly exaggerated, acerbic account of an amateur expat’s trials and tribulations waaaay out of his depth in a country, frankly, he had never heard of.
If you’re about to move to Qatar, or if you ever thought you wanted to visit (you KNOW you want to), TIQ will help you frame (and perhaps even answer) some non-trivial questions such as:
- What would you choose with your marginal dollar - beer, or bacon?
- Is it OK to eat your lunch on the toilet?
- Who’s that scary voice on the radio every morning? and
- Are traffic signs really just...guidelines?
If you weren’t planning on moving to Qatar, or even visiting - the shock, laughs and jaw-droppingly ridiculous happenstances might just even move the needle (albeit slightly).
Way back when M got his Hebrew tattoo, his mom, like any good Jewish-American, said, “Well, now you’ll never be able to go to the Middle East.”
M just scoffed and said, “Middle East? Me? Never.”
Who’s laughing now?
(And by the way: the answer is definitely never bacon.)
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Thursday
Two conflicting weather systems, after wreaking havoc in North America and the West Indies, come across the Atlantic, the first in the far North, the second moving swiftly past the Azores. Both are held up by a massive anti-cyclone over Northern Russia and intensify, the first in the North Sea off Norway, blowing a hurricane southward, the second centred over Oxford, blowing a hurricane up the English Channel.
During the spring tides in February, these systems meet off Dogger Bank, creating a massive storm surge, which firstly devastates Holland and the northern European coastline before moving up the River Thames. The wave is so high, it swamps the container ports and the Thames Barrier, bringing chaos, havoc and destruction to London.
After flooding the road tunnels at Dartford, the sea-surge inundates the London City Airport before entering the underground, firstly at London Bridge, flooding the rail tunnels under massive pressure, causing death, destruction and disaster.
David, an A level student who is aware of these weather systems, cuts school to travel into Central London with his girlfriend. They witness the wave crashing through Tower Bridge, ripping HMS Belfast from its moorings and demolishing part of London Bridge, flooding Bermondsey and Southwark and toppling the London Eye.
This story is about an event which could happen, how individuals might react under such stress and pressure and what the outcome could be. -
To Theo. Kaikaku
Imagine the first day in your life. Probably the most crucial day in your life. You became a human. You competed with around 20 to 300 million other sperm cells. No contest in your human life will beat that. Now you are cruising. You are almost sailing alone on a quiet ocean. Do not let the few other sailboats disturb you too much. They are only here to help you. Just be yourself and kind to them, you are in this race (read: life) together.
A city like Venice is a symbol of how fragile our planet is and if we abuse one place with over-consumption, it will get worn down. It is a warning here to us to protect old historical places on Earth and to be conscious about how we treat our planet. Venice is surely one of the places on this planet, which needed a crisis like Corona in order to rest from tourists and over-consumption.
Please don’t talk too much to me or your teachers. We need you, your medicine, your new eyes and your thoughts. We don’t need you to copy me or most of my generation. I know you are built for more. Just be you and do something. Get out there, raise your hand, and tell your peers what you think we need to change.
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Train of Events
The best laid plans of mice and men can still go wrong.
A London gang of criminals perfect an audacious train robbery, netting £2 million in used banknotes destined for incineration.
Things go wrong in the execution of the robbery near Newcastle, and that sets off a train of events, that no one can control. Following the money is no use – since nobody knows where the money is, apart from Geordie Jones.
The Mob sends one of their gangsters up to Newcastle to find the money. Scotland Yard sends up one of their detectives. The local police are also involved.
Set in the 1990s, Train of Events is a gritty, ‘Newcastle Noir’ thriller. It pulls no punches in its lively description of gangsters, policemen and detectives, journalists and greedy citizens. The lifestyles are accurately rendered and we hold our breath as the scenes march on to a conclusion.
Come with Bill Dawson on a white knuckle ride through the underworld, which you won’t forget in a hurry!
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Transit to India
Changing times bring changing outlooks but even back in 1984, well before the plethora of today’s health and safety laws and risk-averse attitudes, an overland school trip to far-off India was considered somewhat extreme. And doubly so, given that travel through Iran was unavoidable despite Iran at the time suffering the upheavals of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution and engagement in a bloody war with neighbouring country Iraq.
The idea behind this 10000-mile, eight-week journey was to present a ‘retired’ old school Ford Transit minibus to the charity ‘Lepra’ to aid its life-saving work among India’s rural poor. Ten pupils aged 12 to 16, accompanied by two teachers, made up the delivery crew, in so doing possibly making the longest school minibus trip ever undertaken. One of the boys travelling (aged 15 at the time) said recently: “Surviving all the adventures and hairy incidents, all I can say is that I set off as a boy and returned as a man.”
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Triangles of Fate
Abby was 38 when she decided that God did not put her on this earth to be unhappy. She had not married Tim out of love. He was, for her, a refuge from the alcoholic family in which she had been raised. Now, 13 years later, that refuge has become a prison from which she is determined to escape. She departs while he is working late, leaving a terse note on his nightstand. Tim tries to reconcile, but the vitriol Abby spews during their final conversation all but emasculates him.
Abby sets off to find the passion and pleasure her marriage did not provide. As her career at a plush Virginia resort takes off, she catches the eye of its CEO. She pursues him, undeterred by the fact that he is married. Abby’s ego persuades her that she will not end up like so many of the “other women” one reads about, temporary playthings who are destined to be abandoned in favour of the ever-faithful wife.
Tim is distraught by Abby’s departure and finds himself incapable of establishing any relationship with another woman. He is haunted by nightmares in which he watches his wife enjoying with other men the sexual ecstasy she never found with him.
Triangles of Fate is the story of Abby’s and Tim’s parallel paths in the aftermath of their failed marriage. It is a story of sexual frustration and sexual freedom. It is a story of unrequited love, repressed love, new love, violent love, and uncommon passion.
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Truth and Debris
In 1968 the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia. The Prague Spring, with an opening of minds and actions, was suppressed by an authoritarian regime. In Truth and Debris, a Czech psychologist escapes from suppressed Czechoslovakia and becomes a psychologist in a Canadian school. After years of work in Canada she uses recollections of her work with children, and her own childhood memories, to dig for the few shining truths in the twisted debris of her past. Can we all imagine truths lifted from the debris of the Czech invasion being of value during the current invasion of the Ukraine? Are values, deeply hidden below debris, important for our current, general, concern for a few foundational, shining and shared, truths?