The Rule of Optimism

In the Autumn of 1991, a group of young social work students meet at university in Cardiff, each filled with positivity and ambition. With a backdrop of widespread sexual abuse in Cleveland, Rochdale and Orkney, public perception of social workers is deeply cynical and the profession is already defined by negative media reporting. But this does not dampen their spirits.

Tara is a headstrong pragmatist, a single mother raised in the South Wales Valleys and of Irish lineage. Proud and fiercely independent, she approaches life without fear, bolstered by a secure and loving relationship with her family. Alison is a beautiful but fragile young woman, a gifted musician who is haunted by her parents’ toxic and destructive relationship. As a means of escape, Alison moves to live with her beloved Aunt Clem in rural West Wales and finds an unexpected purpose to her life. Neither Tara nor Alison have ever enjoyed an enduring female friendship before. But when their paths cross, a special bond is formed. Over the course of twenty-five years, the lives of Tara and Alison become cruelly enmeshed by events beyond their control. Despite their devotion to one another, nothing can prevent the terrible unravelling that is about to take place.

The Poets Society

He jumped from his improvised bed and looked up. The sky parted in two as if it was endeavouring to mirror his life. Neither the sky nor his life was ever a compact piece of peace since he had known about his being. Miaow…miaow…miaow…miaow. Was he awake, or dreaming?

In the heart of the resplendent Balkans, a land forged by relentless wars yet always welcoming those in need, a destitute wanderer finds solace. But this is not a tale that unfolds in ordinary fashion, for the human experience is a tapestry of contrasts. Within the pages of this extraordinary journey, a tapestry interwoven with melancholic humour and bittersweet poignancy, lie the unheard voices of characters yearning to be heard.

As if borne upon the wings of a time-travelling vessel, traversing lands and ages, the enigmatic Atom Butterfly stumbles upon an unassuming soul named Sevda, whose presence unexpectedly illuminates his existence. And so, their story commences – a tale of reminiscence, where childhood revisited unveils the battles fought during times of scarcity, when satisfaction eluded their grasp, and yet resilience prevailed.

The PepperAsh Clinch

A line of revellers, wending their drunken conga from the opening night party at The Fighting Cock, is brought to a sudden halt when their barbecue explodes. Nora Stickleback struggles to manage the pub, control her alcoholic husband, and keep her son away from temptation. Following a promise to look after her friends’ teenage children while they go off on a holiday that ends in tragedy, she suddenly finds herself with two extra youngsters to care for. Henry Stickleback nurses two passions, one for young Rosalie and the other for browsing car boot sales for any item cockerel-related. George dedicates the time he should be grieving to looking after his elder sister and carving out a future career for himself, steadfastly thinking of nothing except the matter in front of him at that time. Meanwhile, Rev’d Quinny is haunted by a childhood memory and a habit he started in order to break an obsession.

The Orcadian File

Stephen “Monty” Montgomery is a lonely city-based defence lawyer; who, despite being skilled in legal debate, is nowhere near to being offered a partnership by his firm when he is faced with compelling evidence of an age-old supernatural struggle between celestial entities and their arcane human disciples, forcing him to rapidly adjust his theological beliefs.

Monty soon finds himself called upon to represent ex-police officer Christopher Forsyth. Forsyth had been involved in investigating an alleged paedophile ring among the Edinburgh establishment which resulted in his commanding officer being gunned down in the street. Monty’s new client has since been railroaded out of the police and finds himself in their custody on a trumped-up murder charge.

Finding themselves opposed by a faceless conspiracy that is politically ambitious and prepared to destroy anything that gets in its way, the defence team will need every gram of their ability to get Forsyth off the hook. What Monty hasn’t reckoned upon, however, is being brought face to face with an immortal enemy – one more diabolical, cunning, and dangerous than any human conspirator.

Martone revives his haunting Kertamen tale with this vividly compelling and politically astute thriller, which is littered with moral complexity and legal intrigue. Told with ceaseless imagination through a rapid and intense narrative, The Orcadian File effortlessly meanders between ancient and contemporary judicial mischief.

The Narrow Gate

“War messes with us; makes us do things we wouldn’t normally contemplate.”

As war encroaches on the idyllic young life of Ali Conroy in the lush and undulating countryside of Northern England, she and her childhood love are swept to opposite ends of the earth – to the unrelenting and bloody battlefields of World War Two and the barren and windblown plains of North East Montana.

Based on a true story from the years surrounding one of our most defining and cataclysmic conflicts, The Narrow Gate tugs at the threads that tie us to our home and our first love.

The Mother of My Children

In the early 1990s, within the fictional town of Mahogany, India, a tale of love, family, and personal transformation unfolds. Adam’s adoration for his wife, Mary, knows no bounds, leading him to embark on a remarkable endeavor—a book dedicated to her. But this is no ordinary love story; it delves into Mary’s evolution from cherished wife to the irreplaceable mother of their children. What could have influenced this humble woman from a small town to elicit such profound devotion?

The Mother of My Children weaves a captivating narrative set against the backdrop of tragedy, survival, and the unyielding spirit of an ordinary woman who refused to abandon those she held dear. Adam’s heartfelt words paint a vivid portrait of a woman who, faced with unimaginable challenges, became a beacon of hope for her family. This evocative tale celebrates the power of love and resilience, inviting readers to contemplate the transformative influence of an unassuming woman who defied societal norms and discovered strength through unwavering devotion.

The Luggage Lifter

Meet Harold, a young man who occupies a room in a bleak tenement in the edgy Blitz-damaged East End. Harold’s good humour and air of optimism belie the unfortunate circumstances which blighted his childhood, left him orphaned and shaped his view of the world. An intelligent, resourceful and amiable character, operating around the London hotels and railway stations, he turns luggage lifting into an art form. When he discovers a stash of letters in a leather steamer, an act of kindness sets off a chain of events which gathers its own momentum and leads to romance. But the escalation in his criminal activities, together with the finding of a large haul of used banknotes can only spell trouble. The attention of the police and the menace of the Moretti brothers, who claim the money, coincide, and arrest seems a safer outcome for Harold. He survives a prison term but soon learns that shaking off his unresolved past is more difficult, especially when trying to do the right thing leads to complications in his love life. Just when a sense of well-being beckons, matters spiral out of control and push Harold to the brink…

The Lift Book Club

How can Gabe make amends for a life lived badly? How can his being in charge of a freight lift, left over from a warehouse conversion, allow him to help the disparate residents of Harrington Hall? There’s Robbie who lies about reading at home to his teacher because he knows his mum is too busy. Miss Ilene James, who seems to have little connection to the real world, or Mrs Davies whose world comes crashing down. Then there is Sam, newly moved to the area and locked into shift work at the hospital; or Mrs Cole, a widow and retired teacher unsure of developing a new relationship; and the Captain, a life at sea leaving no-one on land at his retirement. All of them living their separate and, at times, lonely lives. Gabe has to look back at his own life to forge a path into the future for the people he comes to know and love.

The Last Man

The author is trying to answer many questions that arise every day in the ordinary life of a human being. The main theme is world pandemics, which was a pretext for the depopulation of the planet. But the real story is far beyond that. The creation of the world we know and its inevitable end, which was sped up with the eternal temptation of the human, Being God (borrowed from Salvador Dali’s opera Être Dieu). Those who could not resist the temptation of being God took the fate of the world into their own hands and shaped it in their own image.

… We were born for them, we were educated for them, we lived for them, and we died for them. When they talked about freedom, they were actually talking about slavery. We were slaves, willing slaves, until we became useless eaters. They kept us alive as long as we were useful to them. When we became old jades, they let us out to graze on the poisonous grass. Those who resisted them were destroyed, declared insane, unfit, the worst enemies …

The Last Garden

Michael is now an old man, and he decides to grow a garden where none had grown before. As he does so, he looks back on his life and forward to his hopes and fears. Michael reminisces about his past, and he truly wonders if his life has answered the existential questions of why he is here and what the purpose of his life is. Michael is a survivor of life, and so he enjoys nourishing his garden and watching the survival of his plants. He wonders if there is somehow a connection between him creating this garden and his life: what, if anything, can this be? Read on and see what Michael learns as the year unfolds while he tends to his garden.

The Kiss

Set in 1999 on the cusp of a new millennium, Emma Fogle is back living in London. Her interview at the Hadley Gallery Covent Garden goes well and she is soon ensconced in the art world. However, betrayed by the people she had trusted, she becomes out of her depth when ruthless art dealing and the theft of ‘The Kiss’ sketch, which had been on loan for authentication from an elderly Jewish gentleman, takes her friend Alice and ultimately herself to Vienna, Austria. There is hostility and danger in a background of fine art, beautiful architecture and wonderful hospitality. Emma’s belief in her friend’s safety and a strong sense of déjà vu leads the reader on a perilous journey across the Austrian border and into Hungary. Ridden with guilt over Alice’s disappearance, Emma blames herself for agreeing initially for her to have gone. But she knew in her heart that all that had ever mattered was the obsessive love she has for ‘The Kiss’ and its safe return.

When the church bells over Vienna strike midnight to herald the year 2000, will Emma get her desired wish?

The Journal

Lying unread for almost a century, Christophe Allary’s journal, with its account of the loves and tragedies of this enigmatic man, are suddenly exposed to the sympathetic eye of Harry Evans, adrift and alone in Paris. Unexpectedly, each entry will alter the course of Harry’s life and send him searching for the untold events surrounding this forgotten man. From the north to the south of France and to a time when Paris, emerging from a brutal conflict, rediscovers its soul in the Belle Epoque. It exposes the worst in human character and ultimately the best in those in whom Christophe places his trust. As each page reveals its story, so Harry takes faltering steps in parallel with the long-dead author, revealing how the past can still extend its influence, even today.