Don’t You Believe Me?

Will someone not wonder what you are about,

If the truth remains hidden and does not come out?

An opportunity to get your husband the £10,000 that he owed.

Does that not sound good? Is that not what Kelly would have thought, and gone along with, when presented with this once in a lifetime offer?

But those who presented her with this opportunity, were they really her friends? Were they thinking of her? Or, were they using her, and thought only of themselves?

And what of the malicious gossip going on in the background, accusations of which she was totally unaware.

If only she had told her husband the truth right from the start, then all the uncertainty and mistrust would not have ensued.

But she did not. She wanted everything to be a surprise. Thinking it was the right thing to do but she kept quiet. And the quieter she kept, the more guilty she appeared...

As Christmas drew near she decided to tell him the truth. But had she left it too late?

Her nonsensical story, her ridiculous version of events sounded so far-fetched and absurd.

After all of this time, after all of the secrecy, was she expecting too much to imagine that he would believe her?

Don't Lie

“Gladys could tell fortunes but it was Harriet who made them.”

When Harriet tried her teenage hand at being a ball girl at the local tennis club the day after England won the World Cup, Ian’s wife Betty was intent on winning the doubles trophy. Betty still had time to encourage Ian to take up Harriet’s cause with the club officials who threw her out as unsuitable. Harriet may have had to leave Southport but she was prospering when Ian tracked her down in Whitstable and followed the notorious local trial where Harriet was a star witness. An end of the pier seaside romp where telling the truth is to no one’s advantage.

Digging for Gold

Billy Davies is a Welsh Falklands War veteran suffering from PTSD. His mental illness forces him into vagrancy. As he sits on a London street, he witnesses a tragic incident. A hastily erected memorial presents Billy with the opportunity to meet two sixth formers who help alter the direction of his life. Their lives become closely entwined and Billy discovers his creative ability to help others. He tackles major sociological problems on London’s streets and instigates a hair-raising rescue in the Middle East. This capacity to solve problems results in Billy becoming an acclaimed national figure. His ability to display the Midas touch brings him into conflict with a far-right group who are desperate to end his life. In a dramatic twist Billy makes a personal sacrifice to save a neo-Nazi’s life.

Following his counsel Billy’s two young friends establish themselves as eminent figures in society. Digging for Gold is a heart-warming story of human triumph over adversity providing a glimpse into the potential for creating a harmonious society.

Dhanmondi Road

The year is 1973. The Bangladesh war of independence is over but the country remains in chaos. Gareth McKinley, a young Australian, arrives in the country to work on a project set up to care for destitute children. He quickly learns that living and working in a post-war environment can be dangerous. A crisis emerges when some children involved in the project cannot be accounted for. Does the explanation lie in a mysterious letter that seems to have been sent from Dubai? Dhanmondi Road sensitively captures the atmosphere of a country in turmoil and charts Gareth's progress towards increasing self-knowledge and -awareness in ways he could not have dreamed of before setting out on this journey.

Death in Garrydangan

Father O’Byrne blessed him “In nomine Patris, et Fillii, et Spiritus Sancti…. Well, my son what are your sins?”

“I am going to kill Frankie Dalton.”

The priest was shocked into silence, not sure he heard correctly.

“What did you say?”

“I am going to murder Frankie Dalton.”

Father O’Byrne rubbed his forehead, “Did you say you wanted to or going to? There’s a difference, my son.”

“I’m going to, Father.”

In 1950s Ireland, the village of Garrydangan is divided and seething with resentment. The Land Commission has transferred farming families from the poorer districts of the west of Ireland to rich, available land in the Midlands. These families are resented by the locals and are called ‘migrants,’ ‘troublemakers,’ and accused of ‘taking their land’.

Frankie Dalton, the son of a local businessman, is a violent young man who targets the families of “Mayo migrants”. He shows no remorse for his actions and is never punished. But one day he goes too far and the Keanes want revenge.

Darcy Lane

As she sat in her bed reading from a book, seven-year-old Elise Rose was unaware that her childhood would be over by morning. She was too young to know that violent hands played cruel tricks or that innocence held little fight against cheap beer and cigarette butts. After the trauma of childhood, Elise, now twenty years old, walks the streets in need of escape. The town around her has become stained and the ghost of a loved one will not let her rest. So, when she stumbles across an isolated house at the end of Darcy Lane, she believes that she has found the thing that she needs more than any other. The house is away from town, surrounded by green fields and absent of the memories that she would rather forget. The house is bright in the morning sun and soon becomes lodged in her imagination. So, the question is set. How far is she willing to go in search of absolution?

Dara

Dara is a story of a legendary boy, which dates back to early 1940s. He is born in a poor family, in a remote village of Vaidan Di Kotli, situated at Indo-Pak border. His life is full of struggle and adventures. He is a fortunate child born in an unfortunate family.

During Indo-Pak partition in 1947, people migrate in large volumes from either sides of the border. Dara’s family settles in a village called Khilchian, 30kms from Amritsar. A school master sees a sparkle in Dara’s eyes and convinces his step-mother to put him in a school, but he finds true friends amidst the immortal elements of nature and animals. Later, the school master encourages him to join the Army.

Dara meets a caring friend in a recruitment camp. After joining his regiment, he discovers a band of brothers…a family beyond blood.

Once, while crossing a graveyard, he gets trapped in a vicious circle. It’s a rendezvous with death. While he is away, his sister, Beero, is forcibly married. Dara sinks in a deep anguish.

Dara falls in love with a beautiful damsel and is submerged into an ocean of romance.

Danger in the Delta

A huge archaeological site in the Egyptian delta is being excavated. The work disturbs a team of Russian scientists/thugs who were using this previously unused site for their own purposes.

Archaeology students, Lucy Phipps and her cousin, Toby,  arrive to help her father, Professor Donald Phipps. They cause problems for the Russians, with unforeseen results. Kidnapping and a near drowning follow. 

A previously unknown tomb is guarding Russian secrets. Will the Russians blow it up before it can be documented?

Will Don’s super rich American patron be impressed?

Will Toby and Lucy’s relationship flourish or finish?

Cotton-Pickin' Southern Belle

You are a rich Southern Belle who has never had to work and everything is great, or is it? What was your life like before the riches? What did your ancestors have to do to achieve such wealth? What sacrifices were made on your behalf?

Consenting Adult

Jonathan is hired to teach a creative writing class at the local college. Out of nowhere comes an idea: what if there was a modern-day Moses and he heard that God wanted him to rewrite the Ten Commandments now? What would they be if they were written today?

Jonathan is intrigued by the idea but his students are sceptical. So, sit back, enjoy the journey, and see if the Commandments get written. And, if they do get written, find out what the present-day Commandments end up being.

Condemned

What happens when the “Circle of Life” goes horrendously awry?

Murder- we see it splashed across the tabloids all of the time. We try and escape reading about the horrors of appalling crimes by clicking out of such articles or by physically closing our newspapers. It’s easier not to think about it; it’s best to scroll down to another article; it’s better to turn the page.

But what if you don’t have the option to “turn the page” and escape the atrocity of murder? What are you supposed to do if you’re Susanna, blissfully ignorant at home until you receive the phone call on that devastating night, telling you that your son has been murdered? What are you supposed to do if like Susanna, it’s your child’s smiling face splashed across the tabloids with corroding words like “Murdered”, entwined with his image? Who are you supposed to turn to, when like Susanna, you are the mother who has to face her son’s killer in Court?

Susanna is facing the unendurable; the extent of her agony is incomprehensible. As a result, people don’t really know what to say to her. People appear to tire of the strained small talk and silences; one by one, those around Susanna are retreating.

It is time for Susanna to reclaim her voice and finally be heard. 

The very least that we can do is listen.

Cambridge Brains

Under the surface of an outwardly successful, highly educated family lies quiet suffering and spiritual isolation.

Mark and Emma have an unarticulated problem within their marriage for which neither feels able to seek help. A business trip to India provides a healing process for Mark while an encounter with an old friend on Dartmoor does the same for Emma.

Self-effacing Uncle Jonathan, a retired vicar, can no longer endure to live with his wife. He fears the harshness of social judgement and is tormented with feelings of inadequacy. However, he knows he must act and cope with any resulting difficulties.  He tries hard to make a success of his new life but his estranged wife is determined to keep him in a state of wretchedness. Then a miracle occurs.

Mary, an attractive widow living in Cheltenham, has an unscrupulous son with designs on her wealth. Frightened by the prospect of being bullied into signing a document which would hand over her house but, at the same time, desperate for discretion and avoidance of shame, she turns to her new neighbours, Mark and Emma, for advice.