Jeremy the Jet Ski - An Awfully Big Adventure

Jeremy is a wannabe freestyle champion, a wannabe top racer, a wannabe everything in the jet ski world he dreams of, but he struggles because he’s still very young.

He lives in Merry Harbour which leads out into the Blue Lagoon. This is where he plays and practices with all of his friends.

The Highwayman and Don Quixote

When my grandmother insisted that the Hetheringtons were descended from a long line of highwaymen who operated in the north of England, I was never quite sure if it was true or merely a product of her vivid imagination. Intrigued by this family legend, I embarked on a journey of discovery, scouring the Internet for any traces of our alleged criminal ancestors.

To my surprise, I stumbled upon the records of William Surtees Hetherington, an ex-miner from Newcastle who served in the Royal Navy before turning to a life of crime. His story took a tragic turn when he was executed for highway robbery in 1821. Could this be the forebear my grandmother spoke of? As I delved deeper into the archives, I uncovered a wealth of historical material that brought William’s tale to life.

A local publisher and campaigner against the death penalty for robbery had written a pamphlet containing first-hand accounts of William Hetherington’s trial and execution. Contemporaneous articles from local newspapers and magazines further enriched the narrative, providing a vivid backdrop for my novel and the basis for the judicial process that sealed William’s fate.

From this point on, I allowed my imagination to take flight. I portrayed William as a dreamer, a trait that seemed to run in our family, and envisioned him acquiring a copy of Don Quixote from a Spanish sailor during his time in the Navy. As a long-time devotee of this classic work, I wove many of its episodes into my description of William’s descent into dreams and hallucinations as he vainly attempted to assuage his guilt over the robberies he and his partner John Wilkinson committed.

Part historical fiction, part family mystery, this novel is a captivating exploration of one man’s struggle against his own demons and the harsh realities of 19th-century justice.

Deluged

When fourteen-year-old Dan witnessed the bridge to his family’s farm collapse, he quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. With the town below in imminent danger and no way to warn anyone by phone, Dan knew he had to act fast. The disaster had all begun with relentless rain.

Dan, an avid trails motorbike rider on his father’s farm, had recently befriended Laura, a slightly older and equally adventurous horse rider. They met one Sunday morning while exploring the moor, along with Dan’s younger twin siblings. Together, this group of friends faced the unfolding catastrophe head-on.

Their courageous and inventive efforts to navigate each terrifying twist of the disaster form the heart of this gripping tale.

Escape

In ‘Escape,’ the more intricate details of Kaylee and Carlos’ estrangement are explored, as we learn of their ill-advised marriage while still young. Following on from ‘Whisper’ and ‘Lucas’, new information comes to light when Kaylee runs away from home and finds taking off with her childhood sweetheart without her parents’ knowledge was not at all like what she had been promised.

After taking on new work in a nearby town, her husband turns abusive and unnecessarily violent towards Kaylee. The woman is afraid of his current lifestyle, but even when giving birth to a daughter and starting a family, she is scared of what Carlos might decide to do to her.

For reasons beyond her own comprehension, Kaylee makes the horrible decision to ascertain Britney’s safety, placing the girl’s welfare far before her own life! The inexperienced mother soon takes the child away and is then left to deal with Carlos’ anger alone. Despite her misgivings, Kaylee knows that she has done the right thing in sending her precious daughter away, instinctively believing that Britney has escaped from a world of only pain and constant terror.

When Carlos’ treatment of her only goes from bad to worse, Kaylee leaves the small cottage and goes in search of her treasured daughter. Will she be able to find her, unknowing which direction Britney had gone? And would Kaylee ever be reunited with her own beloved parents anywhere upon her travels? Filled with so many questions and doubts, she sets off to get the answers.

But not far behind her comes Carlos… her husband is looking for forgiveness and second chances. But has the man truly changed?

Shadowun, the Singing Comb and the Bag of Sweets​

Roddy and Breda don’t have much going for them. Imagine living in a chicken shack at the end of a garden – hardly ideal! They grow suspicious of Ruby, who seems to have a strange power over people, even them. But things take a wild turn when the circus returns to town, and they uncover the ringmaster’s shocking new method of acquiring animals. No one is safe! Thankfully, the Shadowun is back to lend a hand, but will he be able to stop the madness?