Reeling Back the Years

Bound by a shared love for the outdoors and fishing, this book is a testament to enduring friendships and the countless laughs that come with them. Dive into a world where the weight of everyday anxieties lifts and is replaced by light-hearted tales and memories.

While the backdrop might often be fishing, this narrative isn’t about the catch. It’s about how shared passions shape bonds and how humour becomes life’s most treasured anchor. It’s a reminder to find joy in the little things and never let life weigh too heavily on your shoulders.

Whether you’re tickled by quirky tales, or find mirth in the mundane, this collection of escapades – from Irish adventures to misadventures on boat trips – is bound to resonate. Settle in with a warm drink and let these stories reel you into a world of laughter and camaraderie.

Reflections of My Life

Living in a quiet corner of rural Northern Ireland in the 50s and 60s, children had an idyllic freedom to explore plus a healthy respect for hard work and community spirit. Moving from this, to the bustle and confusion of London, enjoying a short spell living in historic Bath to then living in the Far East, was in itself a lifetime experience.

But follow this on with a broken marriage, a protracted divorce and the harsh realities of living with the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland, was a route not experienced by everyone.

Starting again, in the hitherto unknown world of a ‘word smith’ in Public Relations, which included working across the UK, Europe, Bosnia (during and post-conflict) and in Kosovo (post-conflict), was a new route. This process was an accidental rather than a deliberate choice. It flowed out of necessity, drawn by instinctive reaction to circumstances rather than by design.

These experiences form the basis of this narrative.                 

Reflections On El Camino

‘El Camino’ is the pilgrim’s route across northern Spain to reach the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. This was built on the site where the body of the disciple St James was buried after he was martyred in Jerusalem in 44AD. His remains lay unmarked and unknown for eight centuries until a miraculous light led a shepherd to discover the bones in a cave. A cathedral was built over the spot where the bones were found and it became one of the prime destinations for pilgrims in the medieval era. But the way to Santiago de Compostela was fraught with danger for those pilgrims, with the notoriously bad weather in the Pyrenees, warring kingdoms in the north, civil war and the ever-present danger of invasion from the Muslim Moors who controlled the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula.

This book is a long-distance trek through the countryside, culture and history of the area: from St Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, then onwards to the Atlantic coast of Spain, and finally to Finisterre – or ‘the end of the world’, as it was known in the times of the Roman Empire. It is a journey of over 900 kilometres. But what is the route like today for the modern pilgrim?

Revelations From Spirit: Over-coming Grief

Who hasn’t wondered if there is life after death? Margaret discovers there is, following the sudden unexplained death of her 22-year-old son Marcus, who died in his sleep.

Margaret couldn’t accept there was no medical explanation and went searching for an answer. Her quest ultimately leads her to spiritual contact Mediumship. Then, not only does she discover why her son died, but also received amazing revelations about his life in the spirit realms.

Revelations from Spirit: Over-coming Grief provides insight, solace, and hope to those affected by grief and sorrow that death invariably leaves behind. It is a heartfelt story of loss and discovery, revealing death is not the end, but a new beginning.

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.

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.

Solo in Oz

My travelling adventure started after my son, Stefan, and his friend, Rob, set off to the California Coast in America for a few weeks staying in hotels and backpacking across America to Las Vegas. I decided on my trip to Australia and it set a travel bug off inside me to do a two-month adventure of a lifetime backpacking and staying in hotels and travelling 12,000 miles across Australia by train.

Spoz and friends: Tales of a London medical student

These delightful stories chart the stuttering and at times quite hapless progress of ‘the Spoz', (so named by his brother ‘the Woog') from Norwich schooldays through his time as a student at a prestigious London medical school in the 1970s. From his initial interview at St Thomas' Hospital - an institution he chose because he had never heard of it and on that rather dubious basis thought he was more likely to be accepted - to his final exams, the book documents the author's painful progress as an immature seventeen-year-old away from home for the first time. Sexually naïve, he devotes much of his time attempting to lose his virginity, while his excessive beer-drinking hampers his success and results in several awkward brushes with the London constabulary. Chronically impecunious and homeless for several months, Spoz devises various hair-brained money-making schemes and ultimately has to take extensive time out of his studies to work on a nearby building site. From there he witnesses the bombing of Westminster Palace by the IRA, while his absenteeism from classes almost results in a premature end to his already unpromising career. While always infused with the author's characteristic humour, the Tales of Spoz offer the reader a more serious yet unobtrusive social commentary on the problems of being a student in that era, charting the often tortuous transition of a group of young men from immature schoolboys to responsible young doctors.

Take a Seat

This book encompasses the fascinating 40 year journey in life of someone who just wasn’t your average practicing GP, but someone whose passion and drive were to use his skills and medical ability to bring quality of life to every patient that crossed his path.

He thrives on challenges in every situation and circumstance. Wherever there was a medical need, however big or small, he would jump to take it on! Whatever the complex medical condition was, in whatever culture or country he was operating in, whether in a war zone, an aircraft carrier, an Aboriginal township in Australia, or a community GP practice in Essex, he thrived and wanted to make a difference!

Many of the episodes in this book have been the catalyst of the diverse and interesting career, which have kept many a dinner party enthralled, amused, admired and envied.

Every memoir depicts the enthusiasm and need of the author to achieve the overall ambition … ‘to bring a quality of life’ to all humans that needed his medical help in the best possible way… and to give the reassurance and empathy to make them ‘feel they matter’ and ‘quality of life is essential and priceless’ whatever the circumstance prevails!

Take Them or I Will Kill Them

Diane then said to her aunt and uncle, “Benny told us we are staying with you for a holiday.” Bet looked at Benny, who signalled for the girls to come to him. Looking at the two small girls, he swallowed hard. 

When he had their attention, he said grimly, “No girls, I have brought you here to live with Auntie Bet and Uncle Bertie, because if I had not taken you away, then they would have killed you.”

Diane frowned, “They? Who are they?”

Benny replied, “Your mum and dad.”

Benny explained that when he came to collect them, their mother said, “Take them, or I will kill them. I’ve had enough; I don’t want them in my sight.” Diane gasped and grabbed Jo’s hand.

This is the true story about two small girls who suffered neglect and appalling abuse at the hands of the people who should have been caring for them; their parents.

Tales from Greece: Part 1

Follow the Williams family as they explore the Greek Islands and become engrossed in the sights and sounds. Your emotions will swing from humour to sadness to hope as you become involved in the highs and lows of family life, you will laugh and cry as you watch a mother’s struggles with memories and the need to move forward with hope.

Taxi to Broadway

“Hey, did anyone tell you look like James Dean!”

It happened once in a while. I had just lit a cigarette… (can’t resist the slice of ham). Drawing into myself; playing the dead actor behind the wheel, cigarette dangling loosely from my pouting lips; angry at life… scowling at the world!

Christy Jones was no James Dean, but he could proudly tell people in his taxi that he was an actor nonetheless. And driving wasn’t the only time he could play a character.

The author of this memoir found a passion for acting and made it to Stella Adler’s Academy for Theater in the early ’60s. But to make a decent living he drove a taxi across New York for six years. Christy never had an accident, though he had plenty of narrow escapes during his six years of driving. He preferred driving at night, so he could make the rounds of agents and producers during the day. But the streets can be treacherous... and dangerous. A cab only lasts a couple of years on New York City streets. After a long time spent dropping people off at their destinations, he finally arrived at his own: Broadway.

Taxi to Broadway is a story of fleeting conversations and adventurous nocturnal driving, but in the end, it is what all great stories should be – a tale about following your passions.