Dancing with Chaos

Dancing with Chaos is a memoir. It is an eclectic tale that centres around themes of mental illness and medicine, travel and the struggles of a single mother. The main character is raised in poverty and uncertainty by a single mother who suffers from schizophrenia. Later, as a vulnerable teenager, searching for love and acceptance, she finds nothing but heartache. Then, as a young adult, she begins to discover that the world is actually a fascinating and sometimes wonderful place. Heartaches resurface as the genetics of mental illness unfold.

Dancing to the Beat of the Drum

Returning to her parents’ birthplace in 1994, Pamela Nomvete became a household name as Ntsiki Lukhele, “the bitch”, on a South African soap opera called Generations.

But the mirage of luxury and success in which she lived was just that, a mirage. Behind closed doors, she battled her husband’s infidelities, addiction, and spiritual confusion.

Dancing to the Beat of the Drum details the traumatic personal crisis Pamela went through as her success grew – a crisis which took everything she had worked for from

her – and how she came to re-evaluate her priorities and reconnect with the spiritual side of her life, something she had long neglected.

Dance in the Land of Bull Killers

In 2011, a wave of protests hit the Arab countries that had been silently living under dictatorships. Al-Buazizi ignited a spark of opposition that swept across the entire region to reach Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria. The ruling regimes responded with more oppression and extreme violence, and the demands for overthrowing these regimes escalated. While reforms were introduced in some countries, other revolutions were hijacked by radical terrorist organizations, which turned the peaceful protests into horrifying conflicts, some of which are still ongoing, like in Syria.

Today, despite war, conflict and displacement, people who initiated utterly overlooked revolutions in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Chile and others continue to create, love and dream of a better future.

This is a story of how a Syrian civil society activist met an Iraqi contemporary dancer facing displacement, war, visa restrictions and global asylum restraints. Akiles and Sirine had to work very hard to maintain a relationship that was the only coping mechanism for two people who had lost their sense of security from being safe in their homelands. Their relationship sprung up in the midst of an armed conflict, and it was extremely challenging for them to stay together due to the ongoing chaos.

Cycling 70 Years: Once World Champion

Join Gordon on a journey through the world of professional cycling, from following in the footsteps of Tom Simpson on a journey to Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, to building a successful financial services business and organizing popular training camps in Mallorca, which helped make the island the top destination for serious cyclists. Along the way, discover the amusing characters and incidents that defined Gordon’s career, as well as the challenges and triumphs of sponsorship and racing with one of the top amateur clubs in the country. Experience the thrill of home and away racing in countries like South Africa, where Gordon competed in the pre-Nelson Mandela era, and Russia, where he won the world championship. With a mix of cycling adventures and tourism, this book also takes you on a hilarious four-day pilgrimage ride from Albufeira to Fatima, culminating in a unique ceremony at the famous site. Through it all, you’ll get a unique glimpse into the world of cycling and the joys and challenges that come with it.

Cut with Conviction

The cheetah had been disrespectful of his grandchildren… Enough reason for a 40-kg, 1.4-metre tall Bushman grandfather to track down and kill a ferocious predator with a stabbing spear in solitary combat in the Kalahari Desert, only to suffer near fatal injuries himself--one of many such patients confronting Mr Mike Damp in this wonderful tale of the way it was in a world that now seems so impossibly faraway. A heady mix of one man's adventure through the sort of medical and cultural challenges few modern-day western physicians would ever expect to encounter. This is a story of perseverance and great dedication as well as a reflection of how man's best intentions and tireless efforts can so easily turn to dust and decay. But above all, Cut with Conviction is a love story. Of the despairing love for a continent and its people fast being reclaimed by a heart of darkness as unstoppable as the forces of nature that both nurture and destroy as it washes over the vast plains and rivers and mountains of a lost paradise. Then there is the mix of exhilarating joy and sheer terror in a flying doctor's life in Zululand, of transporting critically ill patients in all weather conditions over some of the most inhospitable terrain, often with little or no navigational aids while a fellow doctor, seated next to the patient in the cramped space of a small plane, desperately tries to keep life going with the aid of basic life-support equipment. Africa is a land of unique and rare beauty that mystifies many with its great contradictions. This story unfolds during the apparent stability of grand apartheid and the turbulent times during its collapse and aftermath. Cut with Conviction is a must-read for all who love adventure, medical issues, flying, travel and Africa.

Cuddling with Cadavers

Back again with her hilarious antics, Laura LeBrun delves deep into important issues like why we do stupid things for love, why hoarders are worth their weight in gold, and how Asian women are taking over the world. Buckle up and hold on tight, it's a wild ride in Laura's world and there is no escape.

Cuban, Immigrant, and Londoner

What does a certificate of naturalistion mean to an immigrant in Brexit-plagued modern Britain? How do we navigate the various identity markers we acquire through life? Which ones stand out? Which ones blend in and get forgotten? And why? How does language affect the process of adaptation to a new country? Should writing from an “English as an Additional Language (EAL)” perspective be seen through the prism of aesthetics (writing per se) or identity politics? What is masculinity in the 21^st century? How big is the Afro-Cuban scene in London nowadays? Is it time the Cuban government acknowledged Virgilio Piñera’s contribution to the island’s literary canon and apologised for the way it treated the writer? What is the linguistic future of the next Latin American generation?

Throughout almost a hundred pages, I will attempt to answer these and other questions. However, if you finish the book and are left with more interrogative sentences than statements, I will feel just as satisfied. My job as a writer has been done.

Crossing the Bridges

At the turn of the twentieth century, Central and Eastern Europe was a configuration of nations dominated by three empires: Austrian, German and Russian, whose borders promised to be set in concrete. The Austrian Empire was a multi-ethnic entity of countries that had been absorbed over time. Among these were Polish lands annexed by Austria in the eighteenth century, which became the Austrian province of Galicia, where Zofia Neuhoff was born in 1905 into an upper-middle-class family. Victorian manners reigned supreme, young ladies were coached to gracefully alight from the carriage and ‘culture’ was a magic word, socially distinguishing people who possessed it from those who did not. That haute bourgeoisie morphed into the central-European intelligentsia.

Zofia’s childhood was upended by five years of WWI which she spent in the picturesque environs of Innsbruck. By 1918, the three imperishable empires disintegrated and several sovereign states emerged from the ruins. After the Neuhoffs returned to independent Poland, Zofia’s life continued on an even keel with a happy marriage and a law degree unusual for a woman in the 1930s. In September 1939, Poland was invaded by both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Overnight, Zofia’s existence was shattered. Alone, with an 18-month-old toddler, in the midst of mass arrests and deportations of civilian population, how could she cope with this new harsh reality for which her sheltered life had not prepared her?

Covid-19 Life

The impact Covid-19 has had on the world was something that no one in our lifetime will forget. While living through this, I have documented my experience in this area to help this era and the next to look back and see if my experience is something the human race can benefit from. I want to share my own life with the reader, detailing what I had done daily – to show the positive and negative impacts the Covid-19 crisis had on me. This was something everyone had to go through together – united. Everyone has a different story to tell and this one is mine. If you move forward and read my story, there will be a great deal of heartbreak in my journey. Perhaps you can relate? But one thing is for sure, Covid-19 has taken a great deal of time and that reminds us to enjoy the time we have left.

Coronation Baby

Born within weeks of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, Susie’s memoir tells a story of the fast-changing times: from her childhood in post-war Britain, through the horror of Kennedy’s assassination and the Cold War to the battles between trade unions and government in the early 1970s.  Highlighting changing attitudes and the breaking down of respectful society, her personal story is intertwined with the politics and events of the world at large.

For ordinary people, the grey world of the 1950s gave way to the colour and excitement of the 1960s. Television programmes began to reflect the social changes and attitudes of the times, bringing controversy, political scandal and realism into our living rooms. The trials, tribulations and excitement of being one of the first ‘teenagers’ is told with a striking honesty which allows the reader to elate in the author’s joys and share in her challenges.

Despite the changing times, the strict bonds of society were still in place for many young people, and suburban life and leisure were little changed. School, church and seaside holidays formed the backbone of most children’s lives. Those born in the 1950s, growing up in the ’60s and early ’70s enjoyed a golden age of opportunity, social mobility and optimism and believed in the power of society and the Welfare State.

Whether you were there or not, this story will bring to life that ‘golden age’ of British history.

Cooking up an Adventure in France

Having discovered new love, it was time for a new adventure…and what an adventure. Selling up and joining the many people who chose to relocate abroad, Miles and Bryony move to rural France and embark on the renovation of a cottage and barn. They strive to develop an unusual but creative and inspirational business in these pastures new. This book tells their story, it’s punctuated with delicious food and musical memories. An unexpected bittersweet historic story is uncovered early into their adventure. It's a feel-good read that sees the couple embrace the many challenges of day-to-day life, forge new strong and lasting friendships; together they strive forward with laughter and wonder throughout the seasons of their first year.

Confessions of a Justified Hooker

Harrowingly honest and strangely uplifting, this is a courageous testimony written from the soul of a unique, if not peculiar, woman whose tale transcends political and legal struggles. So tragic, yet tremendously inspiring, her feats of strength take you into the dark heart of modern Britain that perhaps you have never seen before. It is a heartwarming fight of a gracious mother, desperate to get her son the medical care he so vitally needs, whilst his father seeks only to exploit him.

When faced with the greatest challenges of her life, she ventures a most ghastly and terrifying path to an uncertain future. There, her legion of clients become her unexpected support group. In them, she finds solace, exhilaration and, most importantly, healing. Rising from the ‘grime’ of Gorton, Manchester, Sandra breaks convention and rises into the sheets with the rich and powerful. Holding nothing back, the illicit encounters and rampant rendezvous, be they Premier League stars or Irish VIPs, all are weaved in. The layers of sacred promises, illicit secrecy and hidden intimacy are peeled back to reveal pleasure and purity. In the melting pot, her boudoir, those who have tasted her pleasures, become her story, her journey, her life…

Keep Calm and Kinky On.