Stepping Out Of The Ordinary

Something gnawing away inside his body was suggesting it should be taken out of its comfort zone. At 30 years old, Mike discovered rock and winter climbing perhaps a little later in life, it just meant he had to train harder and catch up on the others rather quickly, pretty soon progression into the world of mountaineering, alpinism and interesting adventures were to follow. In writing from his personal accounts from Alaska to the southern tip of Patagonia or from Baffin Island to Norway’s Lofoten Isles, he endeavours to transport the reader to those remarkable worlds to become intimate with them and their extremes of remoteness, wanting to share the rawness and intimacy of nature which is truly inspirational. Conventional family holidays were a thing of the past as Lynne, his wife, joined in on some of the adventures. All of these were achieved while both held down full-time employment, Mike as a production manager and Lynne as a dental receptionist. Their offspring, Gary and Nicky, were not short of a few adventures of their own too. Unfortunately, in the places visited, the evidence became abundantly clear of our rapidly changing world and of the tragic impact the human race is having upon it.      

Sled Dog Gun: Aviemore Dreaming

Jim Bryde, sled dog racer, always had the ambition to place first in the pinnacle of Britain's sled dog racing, the competition ‘Aviemore'. This is the story of his life shared with Siberian Huskies; the trouble, love and tragedy that can come with a passion for racing and indeed for the dogs themselves.
Jim's beloved dogs include the loveable Joker, stubborn Dansa, the placid and friendly Bandit, but could it be Gun, son of Fly and Maji, and Gun's subsequent bloodline, who can finally lead Jim's team to victory, after many years of placing second?
While Jim's personal life sometimes overlaps into the world of racing, the passion for his hobby can be felt in every word of this endearing account of sled dog racing. To those interested in owning Siberian Huskies and racing sled dogs, his own individual accounts of his experiences are full of valuable tips.

Ships, Trips and Rites of Passage

This is a true-life story of a young man’s life in the Royal Navy during the early 1970s. The book provides insight into what life was like for young men joining Her Majesty’s Forces at that time and of the journeys that followed during a five-year period. The book takes the reader through basic naval training and to far-flung places visited aboard HMS Albion (RO7) “The Old Grey Ghost”, a 22,000-ton Centaur-class Light Fleet Carrier, until its decommission. The story relays the difficulties and struggles of one young man and his decision to leave a career after moving to shore bases. The book offers a historical perspective of the Royal Navy from the eyes of a rating and a world much different from today.

Shikari Shaitan

This book is an account of four and a half years spent hunting man-eaters in the jungles of southern India. It also mentions some of the people the author met. There is also a description of the areas mentioned in the book. Finally, the book is a plea to the world that no effort should be spared in preserving the panthers and tigers of the Indian subcontinent.

Secrets and Lies – Tales of an Employment Lawyer

If you want to know how real-life lawyers behave, using deceit, lies, and other dastardly methods to try to beat the individual litigant then read on…

Gillian lays bare some of the tricks that she has discovered that some solicitors and employers have used, details how she found them out, and how she won.

Sailing Through Life...

When Nick Ardley asked for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, the aftershocks of a prostate cancer diagnosis were momentous. Frightened, he said he was too young to die. Petrified, he understandably broke down. But all was not lost: his family and the boat shared with his wife were soon at work repairing his life.

A life-long sailor, the salt marsh fringed waters of the greater Thames estuary had always enthralled, and it was to them he went for healing. It’s a place where in the free flow of a saline breeze his mind cleared, and he began treating it all as just another little illness. Like a cold, he said, knowing full well it wasn’t! Sailing up the River Thames, he announced to his wife his choice of the medical directions offered. Later, after mooring off Gravesend, both cried together.

Ardley’s treatment overlapped the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the serious stuff was done and dusted. The pandemic brought new trials. The couple were frighteningly threatened by a fellow yachtsman who disliked an Ardley web blog … the horror of that summer has remained fresh.

Throughout the telling of Ardley’s tales, his story, sailing with family and friends, country walking and living life, he has maintained a normality. Perhaps a familiar story, but it comes with a warning: Men, get yourselves tested before it’s too late!

So, onwards he goes, sailing through life…

Royal Engineer

As compelling as it is a delight to read, Royal Engineer is a military memoir that is truly a breath of fresh air and a ‘must’ read for anyone who has an interest in either the military or modern history, and for those who quite simply enjoy a good read.

Fascinating, honest, gripping, hard-hitting and never shying away from the truth, the author’s passion for chronicling his and others’ past events and experiences becomes abundantly clear from the very beginning. The unique style of writing and the way in which detailed narratives are brilliantly incorporated make Royal Engineer a powerful and moving memoir. Emotions, opinions, positives, and negatives are freely shared with the reader to ensure that there is no sugar-coating on subjects and matters that are of a sensitive and topical nature in today’s world.

Be prepared for a reading experience like no other because Royal Engineer is filled with comprehensive and engaging narratives that will have the reader mesmerised from the very first page, and it is also a remarkable piece of writing because of the honest approach and evocative language the author adopts throughout.

Rotting Man Goes to Town

Rotting Man Goes to Town deals with an adult relationship; which is in deep trauma from the outset of the story. Its technique is predominately dual narration, going from him to her vantage points. There are two sides to every story. Some of the language is hard-hitting, with angry scenes or mindsets, including some swearing. Political incorrectness exists in parts. The emotions are raw. It is a compelling and authentic read. It begins badly. How will it end?

The initial setting is in America, with flashbacks to Britain, meant to counter the: hurt, sadness and anger, by the use of the device of injecting past comedic episodes. Levity and tragedy are seen in animal antics. Thus, the humorous scenes are meant to bring a balance to the novel overall.

With the exception of the animals’ names, which remain true, all human names have been changed.

Roger the Boxer

This book tells the story of the extraordinary life of a man from North London, from 1960 to 2020. He battles his way through life, mostly in a catastrophic manner. To the reader he openly admits his faults and mistakes, from violence, cocaine, sexual differences, prison, and to Northern Ireland and back to London.

Whilst reading this book you will feel joy, sorrow, then more joy. You will want to love him, hit him, then love him some more. It’s an enjoyable read for everyone to learn from his mistakes and understand how he turned his life around to success.

Ripping the Veil

Anglers are not always perceived to be the most rational of people. For those who get involved in rod fishing, what might start as a curiosity, gradually becomes a passion that often develops into a full-blown, all-consuming addiction. Apparently, there is no cure. Repeated scenarios of utter failure, near-drowning, broken relationships and disarming exhaustion only whet the appetite for renewed effort. No wonder the non-angling majority considers the whole venture as incomprehensible and one of insanity.

However, the angling body is no small minority. It will happily embrace the label of ‘insane’ if that is what it takes to sustain what, for those who are smitten, is no less than a lifestyle. These are the people who are driven to explore what lies beneath the water’s surface. They thrive on the thrill of revealing the secrets of a hidden world. For them, ripping the veil between air and water is not a casual option but a glorious and compulsive expression of evolutionary history – a relic strategy of survival. At least, this is their excuse.

Reels and Deals - Angling for Business

John Sellens, electronics and mechanical engineer, international businessman, and avid fisherman!

John’s career at Thorn EMI Electronics started in design and trials with UK Military and Defence at home and to over 100 territories globally. He became Manager of International Sales & Marketing Asia and Pacific region, later managing Thorn EMI Electronics’ corporate activities in Riyadh, residing in Saudi Arabia for several years. After senior positions in the defence industry, John’s career moved into fire and security systems becoming managing director of UTC Fire Safety Middle East based in Dubai, responsible for group business in the Middle East, Central Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, Russia and the CIS. He led a successful and motivated international team – some dedicated fishermen amongst them.

Rebels 79: The Iconoclast, the Prophet, the Commando and the Bleeding Heart

Some people just own it. What is it? Transcendent charisma and the ability to articulate the unsung. In the 1970s, four musicians blurred the lines between the sacred and the profane. Come journey from Lagos and Kingston to New York City and London to live inside the raw imagination of that decade.