Making Old Bones

Gramwell Glade is Making Old Bones.

A care home, purpose built around a Georgian folly castle façade in Essex, Gramwell Glade is making a fortune for business developer Akin Akindele who, armed with an MBA foresaw that high end care homes were going to return significant returns on his investment.

It’s Making Old Bones of Pauline Graves’ career since moving from hospitality to head up the staff at Gramwell Glade and putting her misplaced hopes in a liaison with Akindele.

It’s Making Old Bones of the dedicated carers who support its sundowners while supporting their own families on the small fiscal returns their efforts bring on the ‘living wage’.

It’s laying old bones to rest. For many of the residents their time at Gramwell Glade is their first experience of surrender when it comes to real life responsibilities. That onus now falls to their ‘children’ who now have their parents’ Powers of Attorney and who are handing over the funds that would otherwise satisfy a mortgage sufficiently large enough to buy their own castle.

If we know someone who works in the care sector or spends their twilight years in a home, if we visit family or friends who have moved on into residential care, make no bones about it, something like the Gramwell Glade experience could come to us all.

Mabel Murphy

It’s 1920s London and the world is in a deep economic depression. Times are very hard and the city is rife with unemployment, poverty and disease. One family in East London
have managed to keep themselves afloat, housed and fed, despite having one parent with a long-term mental health condition, but that is all about to change as their teenage daughter is catapulted into a series of life events which are traumatic, heartbreaking and shocking but which make her become a much stronger and more resilient human being than she ever dreamed possible.
This is a harrowing story of innocence, shame, hostility and vicious cruelty from the very people who should be caring for those in need, but it is tempered with love, hope and the potential to change one’s situation given the right opportunities.
Although fictional, this was a true story for many women of that time and is based on several older women whom the author met and supported whilst an NHS nurse in the large hospital system.

Lyrical

Lyrical is a contemporary fiction novel set in the mid to late nineteen eighties.  The setting focuses primarily around the County of Angus on the north east coast of Scotland. Lyrical depicts the ever-revolving changes within the lives of its characters.  As you build their personas, the author tantalises, frustrates and teases the reader as she shapes the characters traits, dislikes and passions within your mind

The author uses two of the main characters, Louise Dixon and Charlie Grey to demonstrate the choices, growth and development (inclusive of maturity) they encounter as they make the transition from young adults to adults. Louise Dixon has grown up in a single parent family with her dad, Daniel. The book relays the struggles, demands and emotional challenges that a single parent family encounters over the years: the mid-1980s social norms inclusive of a nuclear family, two parents with two children to differ from these created predjucies, individuals being judgemental against father. Thankfully, this was beginning to change when marriage rates went down as couples decided to live together and divorce rates went up in the late 1980s.

Lore of the Jungle

Life in the jungle and life in the city have a lot in common. Self-preservation in the jungle evolved into self-importance in the city. The herd of a family unit evolved into pluralistic herd instincts for a family, then to a team, then to a class and then it toned up to a national identity.

Mark Kenneth tells a story of gaining wisdom from a new university student, Aaron Aardvark, whose grand adventure along the footpath of life is to discover how the world works, or doesn’t.

Lokemele's Quest

An emotional and deep journey in which Rosemary (Lokemele) introspectively fights with her personal demons.

Will the pain of betrayal, loss, temptation, and the forbidden fruits of love haunt her until her dying day?

Will a guilty secret be her ultimate downfall?

What role will Keoki play in her life?

And the mysterious, beautiful Ocean Tia - will she be Lokemele’s saviour, or will she add to her woes?

Will Lokemele find her quest for inner peace; or will serenity of her mind, heart, body, and soul forever remain elusive and out of her reach?

Listening to Letter from America

This novel is based on the true stories of a group of elderly people in Singapore who survived World War II. Meeting regularly in an elderly day-care centre, they lamented that their sacrifices in defending the country against the Japanese invaders were forgotten by the present generation. During the group meetings, they recalled the horrors of the war years, especially the massacre of young Chinese men and women in Singapore. Inspired by the BBC programme Letter from America by the journalist Alistair Cooke, they share their World War II experiences--thus began the psychological healing and restoration of their self-esteem.

Lieutenant: Tales from the Super Continent

In the far-flung future, humanity has regressed to an endless warring period. Skill with a forged weapon is king now. Jesse was born on the streets but has always dreamed of becoming a warrior himself. Maybe even a lieutenant? But in this world of endless warfare can anyone take control of the whole continent?

Laura's Year

In January 1976, it is an excited, but nervous family of four who board a Jumbo jet, to leave England to begin a new life in a small town, on the Persian Gulf in Iran.

Adrian, an ex-Royal Naval Officer, thought this new job in Iran would be a chance to earn big money, and although neither parent had wanted to disrupt their children’s education, they thought it was worth the risk, giving them both valuable life experiences, and a chance to see ‘something of the world.’

Once settled in their new home, with the children happily enrolled in an excellent international school, they immediately made friends with like-minded ex-pats, and got involved in an active and well-established social scene, with parties and functions most weekends, and daily trips to their ‘club’ in town, which housed a bar, and swimming pool.

Caroline and Alex, having made friends at school, as well as with some local children, who lived in mud huts, in the desert at the end of their road, also seemed happy with their lot, but Laura becomes pregnant, which threatens to disrupt their idyllic lives, and events that followed, appear to have changed Laura’s, once devoted and loving husband’s feelings towards her.

But, had Laura changed? And that was why her previously, caring husband didn’t fancy her anymore.

How was she to get their relationship back on track, when there were so many exciting distractions and choices which held his attention, which didn’t include her?

Latitude 55°02’ North, Longitude 1°42’ West

A routine flight meets an unexplainable accident in the same way as an RAF jet did a few years ago. Can anyone provide answers? Are there any answers at all? Only a special squad, made of misfits and weirdos, might be able to deal with the problem.

This extraordinary, thought-provoking, multifaceted, earthly-plot, will grip you from beginning to end and beyond with its intriguing, intricate and vivid prose. Fasten your seat belt and prepare to be exhilarated.

Joan's Story

Looking around at her family, Joan sighed happily. Yes, she was truly blessed. For everything she had ever hoped for was right here in this room. Her family and her daughters, all happy and content, all the grandchildren growing up fast and making their own way in the world and her precious Ed by her side. Life was truly good. Today would be a memory she would never forget.

Roll on ten years and life for Joan has changed considerably. She has indeed lost all memory of that perfect day and many other happy memories. This story follows Joan through the heart-breaking suffering of dementia. Her family becomes more and more alarmed by her actions and tries to cope with the situation as sensitively as they can. However, dementia is a cruel and wicked disease which changes the whole dynamic of Joan’s life. Just what does the future hold for them all? Will Joan ever remember some of the good times again?

It's Electric

This is the entertaining story of the lives and loves of a colourful cast of characters, all working in electrical retail.

There are those you will love, and those you will love to hate.

Follow the unpredictable happenings in the lives of Marcus, Rosie and the rest of the sales team in this great, unmissable holiday read.  

In Bed with a Russian President

The murders of the politicians have shaken Russia. During the investigation, the trace led to Britain where the crimes have been worked out and executed. The next victim is the Russian president. The joint work of the police of both countries, the unique qualities, bravery and wisdom of the Russian president, the magic which will help everybody to protect themselves and to become happy and to love, stopped the crime.