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.

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.

The Bitterest PLC To Swallow

If you’ve ever worked in a pub, currently work in one, or simply have an interest in the history and evolution of pubs, Neil’s book is a must-read. In this insightful and entertaining memoir, Neil shares his experiences and observations about working in local estate pubs during a time when they were the heart and soul of their respective communities.

Through humorous anecdotes and blunt opinions, Neil highlights the many challenges faced by pub owners and workers in the modern era. From policies that leave him screaming to people who make him swear, Neil pulls no punches in his assessment of the pub industry.

The book also explores the transformation of local estate pubs into modern-day branded establishments, such as curry houses and convenience stores. Neil’s revelations are sure to surprise and shock readers, and may even cause them to question the value and quality of the food and drink they pay for in these establishments.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Neil takes readers on a trip down memory lane, revisiting the fun pubs of the 80s before they became bitter PLCs. Through Neil’s vivid storytelling, readers will laugh, cringe, and even taste the history of these once-beloved establishments.

In the end, Neil offers his take on what happened to pubs and what they have become. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and evolution of pubs, and may just make you think twice about where you choose to spend your hard-earned wages.

The Complete Response

Stanley lives life to the full--working hard, playing hard. In 2016, his life was turned upside down with a serious medical diagnosis; he had a stage 4 bowel cancer which had spread extensively to his liver and was inoperable. Many people might have given up but Stanley looked at the challenge of beating cancer with positivity. Stanley carried on working throughout the medical process ahead of him and developed his own strategy with the help of others around him and his life experiences. The plan of attack worked, which ultimately led to his survival and a complete response to treatment. No viable trace of the disease remained, a very rare 100% response. Stanley carried on living as before and is still free from cancer. The Complete Response will inspire anyone looking to overcome the unthinkable!

The Gift

Sixteen-year-old Anne faces radical change in her life after a supernatural encounter. When an unusual person makes an unexpected visit, Anne finds she is linked to a decision that was made three hundred years earlier, and her peaceful and predictable life is shaken. She must respond to a complicated request that challenges her own sense of morality and integrity. Anne seeks out help from a local seer and healer who reveals secrets about her birth and her destiny. But will this guidance be enough to help Anne see through the deceptions and traps that have been set for her by nefarious forces?

Behind the pastoral loveliness of the Vermont hills, Anne experiences an invisible world, populated by both good and evil presences who vie for her very soul. A special gift has been given to Anne, but her use of this gift can bring either joy to others or be a curse to all.

The Life I Won

A gripping tale of strength, resilience and of how life can be devastating yet beautiful at the same time.

She was born to a working-class family in Manchester. Her father was her inspiration. She idolised this charismatic man, and he told her every day that she was special. Emulating her beloved father’s work ethic, Mandy worked on a market stall at thirteen years old, then went off to university at eighteen, always working to help financially. From nothing and nowhere she built a successful career in an unexpected place. She was admired, respected and had made it.

Then her world literally fell apart and life took her on a journey from abundance to rock bottom. There were lessons to be learned on this rocky road and if she wanted to stay alive, it was her duty to learn them.

Facing relentless challenges, losing people she loved and every penny she had, many would have given up. But not this woman, because her dad had told her she was special.

Heart-breaking, enlightening and ultimately uplifting, The Life I Won tells a story of success despite adversity. It will teach you that if you have the right attitude, you can play the game of life and win, no matter how bad it seems.

The Tale of a Hip

The Tale of a Hip is an account of the author’s 80-year life to date, through a period of huge social change, during which, technology has taken over from nature. It is the story of true love lasting six decades, despite the fact that physical aspects of the relationship were less good than they might have been, due to an unsuspected structural problem that only came to light when Pamela and her husband, John, took up dancing in their 40s.

The mystery of Pamela’s shifting bones is unravelled piece by piece, from art-influenced early years in Yorkshire, through the excitement and romance of working in a burgeoning post-war London, to marriage and, later, to obsession with dancing, resulting in back and hip issues for many years.

The Twins’ Twins

Rayn, a self-made businesswoman is in infinite danger of being arrested for domestic violence against Nathanial, her partner. She flees Western Australia and ends up in a hastily agreed house swap at the foot of Muckish Mountain in Donegal, Ireland.
Friendless and alone she becomes involved with 20-year-old identical twins, Isaac and Raphael. The twins play a game where they both make love to her.
Rayn is horrified to find she is pregnant. She plans to have an abortion in England.
Both the twins believe they are the father. Isaac wants her to have an abortion.
Raphael cancels her appointment at the London clinic.
Rayn becomes suicidal. She climbs Muckish to end her life under the Whispering Waterfall.
But this is Ireland. Things are not always as they seem.

Through Withered Weeds Flowers Bloom

There is a lot I still don’t know about life or about what the future might bring but I do know who I am and how to incorporate life being more about where we choose to go and not just about where we come from. I believe you can throw out the script we get handed during childhood and make different choices whilst implementing determination and positive affirmation. I have used my faith to demonstrate where I found my strength, this can be applied to any type of belief system someone may have. I hope this book can be an inspiration regardless of who you are or where you are in your own life journey and to encourage that it is not where you start but where you finish that really counts. As a result, I accept the idea that through withered weeds it is truly possible for flowers to bloom.

What Now

What Now is written to assist people through times of change. It’s particularly relevant in these very trying times of COVID-19. It is not a how-to manual; it’s an entertaining and humbling account of how one person discovered the most powerful transformation force of all! How he recreated himself after being unceremoniously sacked from the job he had dreamed about as a teenager.

What Now tells the story of how a barefoot and frightened little boy from the remote bush of Australia went on to play State of Origin for Queensland, represent Australia and achieve his dream of being a Head Coach, leading the London Broncos alongside Sir Richard Branson onto the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium. After tragically losing his father at the tender age of three, he unconsciously sought out older people as role models.

In his story, Dan Stains reflects on his quest in search of the most powerful transformational force available. The lessons he uncovered on this journey lead the reader on a path to reveal their own What Now. The rollercoaster ride takes the reader on a sometimes uneasy and humbling path. From the foothills of East Cooyar, to the raucous applause of screaming fans at the best football stadiums in the world, Dan discovers that the ‘open sesame’ to change is by simply loving all of life, including and especially yourself, and the rest is taken care of.

Endeavour to Rise – Misdemeanours, Musings, Meditations, Mistakes and Mastery

Autobiography by way of a confessional, this book is a ramble through the author’s experiences, impressions, opinions and ideas formed over seven decades. This autobiography sees the author regret her failed relationships, financial mismanagement, folly and fecklessness. It also sees her celebrate success, achievements, courage and a lifetime of service as a nurse.This book is a call for you to recognize yourself as a unique miracle of creation. It offers some cautionary tales and urges you to rid yourself of guilt, blame and shame and to think for yourself.Exploring the eternal questions about the meaning of life e.g. ‘Why are we here?’, ‘Is there a God?’ and ‘Why is there so much suffering?’, this book invites you to reflect on your own life, your truth and your reality so you can shell your emotional baggage. It can also be seen as an exercise in vanity and self-indulgence.

Beef Cubes And Burdock

The rural landscape of John Phillpott’s boyhood has changed irrevocably over the last half-century.The elm – that celebrated ‘Warwickshire Weed’ of folklore – has been lost to disease, urban sprawl continues apace and motorways now disturb the tranquillity of fields that once knew only the sound of cattle, birdsong and the rumble of the farmer’s tractor.But paradise lost? Not quite, because the river flows on through the valley as it has done for millennia, the rook ‘parliaments’ can still be seen high overhead and the bells of the church that has stood on the hill looking out over the Swift Valley for a thousand years still call out to the faithful.Beef Cubes and Burdock is an affectionate glance over the shoulder back to a time when the pace of life was still dictated by the rhythm of the seasons rather than the touch of a computer keyboard.