The Hiding Place

It was his safe place. No wonder that he would do anything to protect it.

Of the friends who visit Mark Atkinson on his island retreat, one of them, a girl called Lori, has been there before. What happened on that earlier visit and where is the friend her parents brought with them? Also, where is the jewellery Mary Arnold entrusted to Mark’s safekeeping before her death?

The Hiding Place deals not only with things concealed and the answers we seek, but with friendship and the demands that can be made by pursuing a quest.

“Whatever I tell you, I can’t get anywhere close to the impact this saga has made on Lori; and don’t lose sight of the fact that Mark has been working on it pretty well all of his life.”

The Glorious Face of Sorrow

Jack Spalding is a man at his lowest ebb. His wife has imposed a trial separation. His legal career is faltering. Though once he was a prince, his future is bleak. But then, in service of a client he did not want, Jack finds a book of love poems he did not expect. Through Hugh McCauley’s poetry, Jack perceives the love the poet has for his soulmate, Jing Zhao. But what has happened to the young couple? Narrated, in turn, by the three central characters, The Glorious Face of Sorrow, tells the tale of Hugh and Jing’s mixed-race romance in 1990s Sydney, where racial tensions are on the rise in an era of dog-whistle politics. But it also tells the story of Jack’s search for unlikely redemption.

The Fat Club

Simon Rodgers runs his own chauffeur business and after flying back from a well-earned break to St Lucia with his wife, Summer, their lives are turned upside down when he signs up to a sports supplement company called The Fat Club.

All is not what it seems.

The Egyptian Series: Green Treasure

Are there emeralds still to be found at Sikait in the Mountains of the Eastern, Red Desert of Egypt bordering the Red Sea?

Donald Phipps, archaeologist, is fairly confident there must be some good stones left there although, since the time of Cleopatra two thousand years ago, nobody has really bothered to search for them. His ‘patron’, Solomon Hunter III, is arriving from New York, to see the stones. Where is Donald? He has vanished.

Donald’s rogue brother, Alistair, comes to Egypt hoping to cash in on Don’s fortune. He steals the stones that have already been found, bolts and is found dead. His brother tries to report him dead, but gets locked up himself. For 6 weeks nobody knows where he is; is he dead or what?

Don’s daughter and nephew travel to Egypt searching for him. Nobody knows anything.

This story ranges from the Red Sea, East of the Nile, to the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings.

The Dambe Fighter

Jabbo Okeleke becomes a successful Dambe fighter in his own right while making himself a cut above other boxers. This is also a riveting story that provides a contemporary portrait of a Nigerian fighter, who knows what he wants in life: to become an undisputed boxing champion.

As Jabbo Okeleke endeavours to achieve his goals in boxing, in all his glory, he has nothing to lose or hide, as he is confronted with ugly African myths, half-truths, and a slew of talented Dambe boxers.

This off-beat novel is all about boxing grit, resilience, and determination — that is, when it comes to Dambe boxing, while deepening our understanding of Jabbo Okeleke’s tireless boxing journey.

Finally, Jabbo Okeleke, with his personal challenges and experiences, takes on humankind, in general, as a fledgling Dambe fighter, as his opponents feel the great, tangible power of his dextrous hands and fists.

The Ballad of Amy Hill

“Amy Hill, sounds more like a place doesn’t it, than a person’s name.”

“Hah, yeah! What will I put in for your address?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Where do you get your mail?”

“I don’t get mail.”

Homeless and living on the streets of Fremantle, Amy has no purpose in life. Until, by strange circumstances, she becomes the custodian of a boisterous Dalmatian, Domino. Just as she is learning to cope with a dog, Gerald, a former nodding acquaintance and now recently released from the psychiatric institution of Edgewater, enters to further complicate her life.

In an attempt to help Gerald with his artistic endeavours – he having taken a short course in sketching and painting at Edgewater – Amy finds herself gaining unexpected and unwanted attention as an artist herself.

This is the story of the ups and downs in the life of Amy Hill. The Ballad, in fact, of Amy Hill.

Taming the Lion Within

Ebony has led a sheltered life and decides to embark on a self-discovery holiday to broaden her horizons.

While she gains life experience and confidence, she discovers so much more about herself, her family and her true identity.

The adventure of a lifetime turns into so much more. How Ebony deals with the shocks that come her way will really test her closest relationships. Will they survive?

How will Ebony be true to herself? Will she admit to know what she has always felt in her heart and known to be true?

Sometimes where you start is also where you end up. It may just take time and places to realise what was always there was how it was always meant to be.

Survivor's Eyes

With mankind on the edge of extinction, can our humanity survive? Or is civilisation just a thin, fragile veneer, masking our animal nature?

In the ruins of our society, a lonely, bitter man ekes out an existence, shying away from all human contact. He struggles with starvation and ever-present mortal danger. However, his greatest battle is to try and retain some vestige of the civilised man he once was, even if that means living alone.

Surreal Journey

The world of pubs and clubs has grown wearisome for one of Earth’s solo travellers. Inspired by pop culture and the ideals of his fading youth, he undertakes a trip across the Atlantic to find what he hopes will be somewhere to belong. Where has he really ended up? Can he save himself from disillusionment on an altogether surreal journey?

Ssssh, She's a Spy

When Jasper unexpectedly inherits an enchanting Elizabethan house from his late Uncle, he embarks on a journey filled with unforeseen challenges. As he settles into his newfound ownership, he discovers that the house harbours a unique mix of elderly residents whose lives are far more complex than meets the eye.

Intrigue looms as Jasper wonders: has he stumbled upon a hidden nest of spies? And if so, who do they serve? The answers elude him, weaving a web of mystery and uncertainty. Caught in a tangle of secrets and deception, Jasper must navigate treacherous waters to uncover the truth.

Will the tangled threads of espionage be unravelled? Can Jasper find a way to untangle the complexities of the spies within his inherited home? In this captivating tale, the stakes are high, and the world of spies proves to be as enigmatic as it is complicated.

Sordea

Cassiopeia Malahki, an 18-year-old girl, falls prey to the unjust and inhumane system of her society, due to lower social standing. A society ravished by a long war and divided by a great wall where the rich command from within as they relish in the plentitude of luxuries of the Great City while the poor obey from the other side in their misery and poverty with forceful work and degrading treatment. Forced away from her home and sold as an object to the unfeeling and cruel upper class, Cassiopeia has to endure a torturous cycle of injustices and humiliation. In the midst of all the abuse and degradation, she struggles to hold on to her dignity, made worse by conflicting feelings that arise with the unlikely relationships that form in her life.

Sometime in August

Sometimes you need a lifetime to tell a story. Sometimes you only need four days.

Heather Thompson is a 20-year-old with an arguably great life: the makings of a dream career, supportive friends and family, and a relationship lifted right out of a romance novel.

But that doesn’t mean she isn’t struggling.

Sometime in August is an honest, no-holds-barred account of mental ill-health in a young adult, which follows four life-changing days in Heather’s life.