Reinforcing the Meeks Family Bubble, Against People with Sharp Pins

Mr. Meeks is practically giddy: he’s finally won back the woman of his dreams. Together, they embark on a brand-new adventure, continually adding joy to their close-knit family bubble. Mr. Meeks, once doubtful he’d ever know the joys of fatherhood, now finds himself relishing the unexpected bliss of being both a father and a grandfather.

Life for the Meeks Family is brimming with good fortune: from a lucky raffle win to a swiftly expanding business, and from rediscovering a forgotten holiday home to uncovering the spoils of a long-ago bank robbery. Yet, amidst the highs, life throws its challenges their way. Three funerals and a rushed wedding leave the family clinging to each other for support, navigating the waves of emotion together.

Through it all, the Meeks Family exemplifies love, honour, and remembrance for those no longer with them while eagerly supporting those yet to come. This heartwarming tale is a celebration of life, love, and family – a poignant reminder to cherish what we have and to hold tight to those we love, never letting go.

Unexpected Endings

There are said to be two types of writers: those who meticulously plot their stories before ever setting pen to paper, and those who dive headfirst into a blank page, trusting that meaning will emerge through the process. I firmly belong to the latter group.

When I began writing proper short stories – rather than scribbles on the backs of bus tickets – I never imagined they would one day form a collection. But as the stories accumulated, I realized there might be enough to satisfy the growing number of readers who had enjoyed them and were eager for more.

My imagination is a restless and untamed force, often pulling me in unexpected directions, making each story a new adventure in creativity. I delight in experimenting with words, stretching and reshaping them into fresh contexts. Unexpected Endings is driven by this love of storytelling, blending my interests in science and folklore – two endless sources of inspiration.

In this collection, you’ll find stories like Azrael, where a goldfinch holds far more meaning than meets the eye, and Light and Dark, where nothing is quite what it seems.

A Coastal Shelf

Eddie Hart, a devoted officer at Langdon Fire Station, grapples with the lingering grief over his mother’s demise and the burdensome secret he harbors concerning her death, a truth he finds impossible to share with his seemingly detached father. At the firehouse, he faces the challenge of appeasing senior managers hell-bent on either reining in his Watch or disbanding it altogether, all while guiding the new recruit through the demanding facets of the profession. Amidst the workplace turmoil, the ghost of a past romance resurfaces: Jane, his high school sweetheart, now wed to the imposing Nev, but the lingering connection between them persists.

As the disparate threads of Eddie’s life converge towards a pinnacle, the pressure mounts. Will he navigate the tempest of professional challenges, mend the rift with his father, and reconcile the embers of a bygone love? Or will the surmounting adversities cause his life to unravel into chaos?

The Unloving Household

In the poignant tale of Madiya and Dalim’s offspring, we witness the profound impact of a loveless childhood on the fragile fabric of adult life. The narrative spotlights the children, now bearing the scars of emotional neglect, navigating a world where they grapple with understanding love and safety. The story underscores a universal truth: the formative years of parenting indelibly shape a child’s conception of affection and security in life’s unpredictable dance.

Milk and Venom

Millicent Milner is over 30 now but still floundering and in pain, still running away. So is her big sister, Geena. Why? Everyone fawned over their suburban American parents. “You girls are so lucky! Such a charming mother you have! And that dynamic father!” Geena – wickedly funny and outrageous – goes at it alone, slashing out brutal sculptures with a chainsaw. As she proclaims: “A scream made of wood shrieks forever.” Millicent is divorced and also alone, with seven-year-old Alice. She hates her ‘stupid self’ but clings to the image of her past, present and future as brightly glowing pink. With sex as her art form, she’s certain that romance is her calling. When an Italian lover offers Millicent a teaching job – in Rome – she buys one-way tickets for herself and Alice. Finally! The answer…And off they go.

For Heaven’s Sake

For Heaven’s Sake is a humorous, light-hearted depiction of Norfolk village life, centred around the village church of St Jude’s in Forling Down. Centre stage is its larger than life rector, Father Cyril; his eccentric curate, Father Aubrey; and many other very idiosyncratic characters. The reader is very quickly drawn into the chain of disastrous situations and the author’s first-hand knowledge of East Anglian life makes them all very believable. Many of the chapters are ‘laughing out loud’ amusing, so be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of village humour!

Corona Crisis: Nature Strikes Back

What is the relationship between Congo, Corona Virus and Mobile Phones?Cause and effect! Yes, they are interconnected and interdependent!Scientists can show us that the root cause of the corona virus is political and financial control. This harmful behaviour causes: Poverty, corruption, geopolitics, Rwanda genocide, deaths, rape, pillage, Congo rare-earth minerals mining by terror and forced child labour,     unethical trade, blood phones made in China, Wuhan wet markets to feed poorexploited phone factory workers, bioweapon development, ecological destruction,biodiversity loss, hungry people eating bats and other wild animals, corona virus, lockdowns, more deaths, distrust, dehumanisation and so on… Hence the future is more uncertain than ever and more and more people are in despair.But one man dares to stand up and scares the hell out of those responsible…‘May I call you the Dutch John le Carré?’ In an interview with Alphonse Muambi, Congolese Expert on Africa and Strategic Resources, Globalisation and Development.‘I have to say, this is an exciting book.’ In an interview with Pim van Galen, Journalist at Dutch Public Television (NOS). ‘We could perhaps stop the bleeding, but not the bullets.’ Cecile Dehopre, Doctors without Borders.‘Van Campen not only tells an enthralling tale, he raises awareness and confronts some major issues like child labour, working conditions and conflict minerals in Congo’s mining industry today.’            Bas van Abel, Founder Fairphone.

Write of Passage

Gerald Wainwright is a self-obsessed narcissist, but never-the-less a world-renowned author who is murdered — and that’s just the beginning of his problems! Waking in a celestial half-way station, he needs to complete a series of tasks. These are designed to teach him some serious life lessons while at the same time helping others to find solutions for their own current crises thereby setting them on the road to fulfilling and happy lives. Helped along the way by his supervisor, Mr Smith, Jerry learns things he never knew about himself — nor wanted to know— but will it be enough for him to finally become the man he was always meant to be and in turn to earn his own ‘Write of Passage’?

Who Cares?

Connie and Jake have been struggling together for many years to make ends meet when the arrival of an unexpected letter from a solicitor transforms their humdrum existence. A substantial inheritance opens up the possibility of building a new life together, but before their plans can be fully realised, Jake is seriously injured on a train journey from London to their native Suffolk. Initially, Jake’s survival, rather than managing their inheritance, is the priority. Connie has to learn new skills very quickly in order to support him. When Jake leaves hospital, Connie does her best to ensure he receives high-quality care, but soon realises that the residential home has serious shortcomings. This leads to the setting up of an innovative business aimed at creating a caring and stimulating environment for the elderly. Many challenges lie ahead.

Who Cares? is a saga of love, tragedy and triumph, and the story of a woman’s fight to improve the lives of those around her.

Where There’s Brass, There’s Muck

In the glorious May of 1998, the governors of the Tanswold School Trust are looking forward to a new era in which they are about to build a new dining hall for their independent school. However, the unbridled optimism soon turns to despondency as they realise that the bursar has been doing DIY stock-broking with a very large bequest which has provided security for the school.

For the band of elderly socialites that form the governing body this is not just a disaster, but a scandal that attracts the attention of the fraud squad of the Middle Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary who open up a financial can of worms. And it’s not just financial; the appalling standard of hygiene in the school dining hall leads to a serious outbreak of food-poisoning with heart-breaking consequences.

The headmaster is placed under the spotlight and his management becomes more and more capricious as the spotlight is shone on him. The remaining part of the summer term becomes more and more of a comedy of errors as he loses his grip. As for speech day…

When Lily Ponds Ripple

ENTWINED LIVES

A SECRET THAT RIPS THEM APART

TWINS ON A TURBULENT VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

A sugar plantation, a waterlily pond, and a decades-old deception are the backdrop for When Lily Ponds Ripple. It is a forceful narrative about the West Indian twins, Florence and Charlotte Montague. Their rivalry for the same man underscores just how close loyalty and betrayal are.

The revelation of a family secret takes the Barbadian sisters from their sheltered island to London and Germany. In Frankfurt, Florence becomes a notable author, while Charlie’s career leads her from the London stage to Hollywood. Despite their geographical separation, the sisters cannot escape one another, far less their shared history. To face the future, they must confront the past together.

Voodoo Politics

The lives of four unrelated people are caught up in changing events as Haiti is again racked by corruption and violence during a few days of a brutal struggle for power and regime change.

A fast-paced novel that covers the tragic impact on a poor Haitian boy and his family who fight to survive in a world of unbelievable violence. A visiting businessman is kidnapped for ransom whilst an indulgent Catholic Bishop has to face his own demons and a dedicated local priest pays a heavy price. These seemingly unrelated events are initiated by a sadistic Haitian security officer whose own world gradually falls apart.

Whilst all this unfolds Miami based drug cartels are determined to maintain their supply lines through Haiti from an unlikely alliance with the CIA. This is unknown to the US State Department and other well-meaning but conflicted international organisations during this period of confusion, chaos and violence.