Napoleon: Emperor Descending Shadows

In 1802, Napoleon mirrors Hannibal by crossing the Alps to deliver a decisive blow against the combined Austrian and Russian forces at Marengo. This crushing victory paves the way for the Peace of Amiens, bringing a temporary close to the Revolutionary Wars. Celebrated as the harbinger of peace, Napoleon is appointed Consul for life and soon ascends to Emperor, crowned by the Pope in Rome. Yet, the Pact of Armed Neutrality with Prussia, the Baltic States, and the Low Countries stirs unrest on the high seas, nearly erupting into open conflict when Nelson demolishes the Danish fleet at Copenhagen.

England refuses to stand idle as Dutch privateers supply Napoleon with ‘military contraband’ or let foreign navies slip into his hands. This fragile peace finally shatters when British ships clash with French escorts protecting privateers near Brest. Outraged, Spain joins France, and together they challenge Britain’s naval might, culminating in the legendary Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. While Napoleon’s forces sweep across Europe, only one man stands as the symbol of defiance against the Corsican upstart: Admiral Nelson.

The Migrants

Who exactly was King Arthur? Why are there many Welsh and Cornish place names in Brittany? What role did the Church play following the fall of the Roman Empire?

The novel gives answers by casting light upon this part of the ‘Dark Ages’ with a vivid picture of life in Britain and Brittany in the fifth century, a time of change and migration. The Roman legions had left Britain to its own devices and the Anglo-Saxons were invading. To escape, some Britons migrated to Brittany, taking their Celtic (Welsh or Cornish) language and their Christian religion with them.

The novel takes in known historical facts and puts flesh on their bones in a fast moving and compelling narrative. Two British bothers, Teged and Owain migrate to and settle in Brittany. They are wealthy, Romanised, devout Christians, literate in Latin and spoke the British (pre-Welsh) language. Cadwyr, the son of Teged, becomes an enthusiastic warrior. Teged’s daughter Nessa, who loves horses, becomes a successful horse-breeder.

The novel tells of battles, a warhorse, sea-voyages, saints, miracles, druids, monks, slaves, astrologers, and a pilgrimage, not ignoring daily life with its harvests, hunting scenes, and celebrations with music and rich fare.

Will Cadwyr and his young son prevail in a famous pitched battle?

We hear of historical characters: Arthur, Vortigern, Hengist, Consul Aëtius, Attila the Hun, St. Germanus, and more.

This fascinating period is brought to light by focusing on individual and colourful characters meeting the challenges of their age.

A Time to Return

Harry Thomson grew up in an Australian country town, determined to break free from his destiny as a shearer’s son. The Nazi invasion of Poland became his escape route, leading him to enlist and board the Queen Mary with the 2nd AIF. But instead of adventure, Harry faced the horrors of war in Malaya, becoming a prisoner in Changi and enduring the brutal construction of the Death Railway.

Barely surviving, Hiroshima’s tragedy brought Harry liberation, but returning home began his greatest battle: life. Alcohol became his refuge from the haunting memories of war and what he had to do to survive. His one true friend, Jack Mills, whom he met during training and with whom he survived Changi, remained loyal despite their estrangement.

Decades later, Harry vanished, his whereabouts unknown until Jack’s great-grandson, Charlie, embarked on a search seventy years later. Born slightly disfigured, six-year-old Charlie believed he had lived before as Harry Thomson. Convinced he was his Poppy’s best mate reincarnated, Charlie carried the spirit and memories of the haunted, missing WWII POW.

Guided by his past-life entity, Charlie must solve the mystery of his own disappearance, uncovering unfinished business and secrets from a time long gone. A Time to Return uses historical events in a fictional narrative to create a gripping tale of survival, friendship, and the enduring power of the human spirit.

James Stories

Embark on a Journey Through Time and Miracles

This idea came to me in the picturesque landscape of Kashubia. At first it seemed somewhat unconventional, but that only fueled the enthusiasm for its realisation. Imagine blending contemporary characters and events with the fascinating stories and figures from the medieval Codex Calixtinus, a book chronicling twenty-two miracles of the Saint James the Apostle. Each miracle was meticulously verified for authenticity, providing a captivating backdrop for this novel.

Enter Michael, a 35-year-old with a keen eye and a sceptical mind, representing the modern world with all its knowledge and prejudices. Michael, a well-travelled corporate professional finds himself mysteriously transported to the Middle Ages. Will Michael’s modern approach and analytical thinking clash with medieval world, or will he find a deeper connection that transcends time? This spellbinding adventure intertwines the present with the past, inviting readers to explore the timeless power of faith and the enduring spirit of the Camino de Santiago.

Finding Vivaldi in Vienna

This is the adventurous pursuit of the lost compositions of Antonio Vivaldi and his final burial place in Vienna, led by Tibor, an imprisoned Czech Marxist turned dissident signatory of the protest Charter 77. During his 10 years of solitary confinement, Tibor becomes obsessed with Vivaldi’s music. With the Fall of the Wall and his release in 1989, Tibor and his historian friend, Dr. Lenka Svoboda, decode clever clues and messages that guide them through the dark corners of Vienna and Prague. Their journey leads to the surprise discovery of lost Vivaldi concertos and the location of Vivaldi himself.

This story also explores the love between Vivaldi and the soprano Annie Girò, who conspired to secure a proper tomb for her lover when he died in Vienna in 1741, rather than have him consigned to a common grave. Indications left by Annie in a manuscript of Vivaldi’s music lead Tibor and Lenka to the end of their quest. The culmination of their journey is celebrated by Vienna and the world with the rediscovery of Vivaldi’s music and his mortal remains.

The Two Little Birds

Immerse yourself in a gripping novel set against the stunning backdrop of rural New Zealand, swiftly transitioning to the enchanting Amalfi Coast in Italy, where flirtatious romance and shopping sprees unfold. This fast-paced narrative then transports you back 70 years, juxtaposing the allure of Italy with the stark realities of war. Experience the harrowing trials of Anzac soldiers battling the Axis powers in Crete, North Africa, and Italy, and delve into a suspenseful espionage plot in Alexandria with fatal consequences. Amidst the tumult of war, witness the courage and resilience of individuals in the partisan resistance against German and Italian fascist forces. Despite the brutality of conflict, romance and intimacy blossom, enduring against the gravest odds. As the story hurtles towards its conclusion, prepare for a clever twist that unravels the fates of characters you’ve come to know. This novel promises a captivating journey with surprises at every turn, creating an unputdownable reading experience.

Liverpool Late Teens

In this third book, set during the years 1950-1953 within the seaport of Liverpool, the main protagonist is finishing his apprenticeship as a Ruler/Bookbinder at Benson’s printers.

The story picks up as he recovers from a cycling accident and reflects on the changes in his life.

He encounters and becomes engaged in a mix of situations: some humorous, when reconnecting with an old school friend; workmates’ alleged ghostly apparitions; an alarming basement fire with a mysterious outcome; and a furtive co-worker assignation ending in angst. He becomes emotionally aware, too, of the regrettable side of life in uncalled-for workplace stances; the city’s aggressive populace minority intent on criminal ugliness revealed in vicious, narrow-minded bitterness, violence, and descending tragedy.

Amidst all this, he begins to envision his future aspirations. As events unfold, he must make decisions that will shape his future while also considering the impact on his family.

What choices will he make?

The Cinnabar Dragon

At twelve, Li Hua is sold to a floating brothel, but destiny has other plans. Behind the walls of the Forbidden City, she evolves from concubine to spy. She navigates treachery, suppresses a rebellion, and engineers a bold escape with only a mastery of martial arts and a cinnabar dragon pendant imbued with the fatal poison known as GU.

In modern-day San Francisco, Lu Carter, an adopted Chinese American and a medical engineer, is introduced to the mysteries of her family’s past when she receives an ancient chronicle. During a trip to Shanghai, she uncovers her birth mother’s dark history—imprisonment and debts owed to the wrong people. Upon her return, Lu is terminated from her job and faces a corporate espionage lawsuit after her invention is leaked. But the past and present soon collide.

Flies to Wanton Boys

Set in the final years of Queen Victoria’s reign, at the beginning of the end of Empire in India, Flies to Wanton Boys records the life of Marian Chase as she defies convention to cross continents. Ignoring repeated advice that ‘this is no place for a woman’, she travels through India in search of experiences and relationships more extraordinary than she could ever have expected from her comfortable middle-class upbringing in London and on the South coast. Intoxicated by India; its colours, its sights, its people, she survives landslides and bandit tribesmen in the mountains of the Northwest Frontier, running aground on the mighty Brahmaputra River and devastating monsoon floods in the tea plantations of Upper Assam. And on her journey, she marries, gives birth to a daughter, is widowed, and then marries again to a man whose power and ego finally leave her abandoned and homeless. Her eventual return to England, to the family she left behind fifteen years earlier, is not enough to relieve the grief she feels at having squandered the life she once had. Marian was a remarkable woman who kept meticulous diaries, revealing with unique honesty not just the places and peoples she embraced but her emotions, her doubts, and her fears until eventually she had no energy left.

The Dublin Marilyn

The Dublin Marilyn transports readers back to 1960-80s Dublin through one girl’s coming-of-age amongst struggling inner city families. Capturing the era of booming post-war ‘Baby Boomers,’ this nostalgic tale highlights the tight-knit community binding battling neighbourhoods together.

Despite poverty and hardship, an unbreakable solidarity reigned - with helping hands extended whenever crises hit, and no pretensions of anyone being better than the next. Stitching tales steeped in humour and heart, the story unfolds in the lyrical lilt of working-class Dublin speech from a vanished time.

Whether reconnecting older readers to bygone memories or shocking younger minds with harsher lives, The Dublin Marilyn pays tribute to the humour and resilience of cities past. With evocative images complementing the rich narrative, immerse yourself in yesteryear’s vibrant streets – where community meant family and family meant everything.

Greasy Chip Butty

You are invited to make a journey of exploration through an exciting landscape of life and faith. Let the chemistry of urban life surprise and inspire you. Let it challenge your deepest sense of self knowledge and belief.Experience the best of humanity where you expect not to find it and share the pain that defiles the beauty of unique human beings. Join us as we explore pathways to wholeness and healing for people and communities and learn never to lose hope.We believe in the art of the possible, the value of instant improvisation, and that out of the mistakes we will make, we can produce something beautiful. Learn to go beyond horizons of our own making and discover more than we can ask or think.Take time to savour the art, which offers fresh insight into time-honoured stories of courage and faith in desperate situations; of joy and celebration; of compassion, perseverance, and dogged determination; deep contentment at the fulfilment of endeavour. Encounter the fragrance of generosity of spirit; and the love which embraces injustice and suffering, transforming them beyond all we can imagine.Join me on this journey that has no end but just gets better. As we walk together, we may discover pearls of great price, and not a little humour on the way.“Greasy Chip Butty is a textured, local authentic history in a very real and rapidly changing place. Those stories deserve to be studied and celebrated and the wisdom garnered from them needs to be widely shared.” – Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford.“What a great read! A moving and wonderful example of doing narrative theology on the hoof … reflecting on change, risk taking and adventure.” – John Thomson, Bishop of Selby“I read Greasy Chip Butty with delight and new learning. A kaleidoscopic and impressionistic narrative which, through the lens of music and art, shows how God has been at work in one specific neighbourhood of Sheffield.” – Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield.

Mysterious Ways: The Death That He Died

The crucifixion of Jesus was not the simple event we imagine. All sorts of factors played a part including politics, religious rivalry and the need to destroy what we cannot understand. There are seeming inconsistencies in the Bible story such as what happened in the long period between when Judas left the Last Supper and when Jesus was arrested. Common sense would suggest that Caiaphas would send his guards out as soon as he knew where Jesus was, but he didn’t. Why not?Many people were involved ranging from the star players such as Pilate and Judas Iscariot to the bit players such as Simon of Cyrene. In this book each of these is given their chance to explain their role in their own words. They can say what they really thought of what was going on. The author finished writing his book with a far firmer conviction about the divinity of Jesus and how much his sacrifice cost him, than when he started.These stories have been used and appreciated by the author’s own church and by friends who knew what he was doing. They have been used as devotional readings for Holy Week, in schools, as dramatic readings in services, for Bible studies and to help students with their studies. They are also a good read and an effective way of introducing people to Jesus.