Bargains

Veteran detectives Betty Kovaks and Jeff Wheeler take an early morning call to investigate an arson and murder. With Kovaks’ intuition and Wheeler’s methodical style, their partnership combines astute crime scene assessment and scientific evidence to build a shrewd investigation.

Vetted by three veteran detectives, this work will appeal to crime drama readers who expect realism and crisp dialogue.

The investigation dives deeply into the grip of methamphetamine addiction and fencing stolen property. Unconventional twists await: murder, death by sepsis, a car bomb, deportation to India, and a fatal encounter with a PTSD afflicted homeowner.

The narrative’s underpinnings rise from the author’s decades of experience as a state trial judge, criminal defense attorney, and assistant district attorney.

"Interesting characters, engaging story, accurate police work. A good read." 

– Kurt Wuest,
Lane County Sheriff’s Office Detective, (ret.)

"Crafted from his decades of experience, Billings weaves a compelling tale of criminals' lives in raw peril. He aptly portrays the addict as delinquent and victim in a savvy blend of mystery and suspense."

– Sherry Sandreth, PhD.

Banana & Salted Caramel

In Banana & Salted Caramel, Holly Jackson brings together verse and prose written across two decades, expressing themes such as loss, growth, hope, infertility and political strife with humour, honesty, vulnerability and satirical wit.
From poems about graveyards and brain freeze to stories chronicling the unintended consequences of a hen party game, Jackson takes us on a journey, through poetry and prose, spanning years, exploring what it means to be an adult, a wife, a mother and a woman.

Ballads of Loss and Woe

Every ascent is met with a descent. After reaching the pinnacle, basking in achievements and joy, an unforeseen force can bring it all crashing down. Life’s unpredictable blows can dismantle our realities, leaving behind a trail of questions and broken dreams.

As the facade of life dissipates, pillars once deemed steadfast vanish, and we’re left grappling with the remnants. The author revisits the starting point, navigating a world shaped by revelations, torn between passion and profound pain.

In his signature surreal narrative style, he paints a vivid picture of his transformed reality: a tumultuous terrain of emotion. This collection delves deep into themes of grief, betrayal, and existential sorrow. When life thrusts you into an unfamiliar realm, do you question if it’s all just a grand illusion?

From melancholic poems and heart-wrenching tales to soulful songs, this is a journey through the darkest corridors of a wounded heart. These are the words from the depths of despair, a testament to the fragile human spirit.

Awaken, Broken Soul

All my life, I was hiding behind a Girl, who was scared of showing her true self.
Who wanted to be somebody else so urgently.
Nevertheless, it should be okay to show, that we struggle with self-esteem sometimes,
that we hurt ourselves because we cannot confront the ones who hurt us.
We are forced to hide the parts that define us, whether it is a depression you are not supposed to talk about,
a man who uses his power to abuse you mentally,
a family that rips you apart,
or a life you never chose to live.
I want to end the hiding and stop the silence.
All of us went through,
go through,
dark thoughts,
and miserable times like that.
And I survived.
We survived.
You survived.
Or will survive.
So, will you listen?

Assorted Musings

If you enjoy a varied reading covering a variety of topics, some contemporary and some older, then this could well appeal to you. It is far removed from traditional romantic poetry. Nevertheless, it provides thought provoking material. There is something for everyone in this eclectic potpourri of reflective musings. Enjoy it at your leisure!

As I Rhymember It!

This little volume of poems and short stories is an absolute gem. It is the first time these writers have cooperated on a work published in the UK; they are already both published in Europe.

The mix of verse and stories makes it easy for the reader to pause and reflect, when required. The theme is “relationships” remembered and “Rhymembered” with plenty of poetic licence. Relationships in all their forms, noble, spiritual, sensual, and sexual. The wanting, the chasing, the capture, the high-octane climaxes, and all that follows. Sadly, sometimes abject failure and painful defeat.

All human emotion is here, raw, and unexpurgated. The twist is the way the authors decide to treat their subject. Doom and gloom play no part in this work. It’s light, wry, and lively throughout. As I Rhymember It! uses wit to smooth and sooth the many emotional extremes.

But this is no bedroom expose. The “action” takes place in a variety of settings as diverse as, a golf club AGM, a travelling Victorian circus big top, a suburban restaurant, and a European shopping Mall.

For an ever-changing backdrop, to the ever-changing world of human relationships, look no further than, As I Rhymember It! by Finbar Hanaghan, from the original ideas of Barry Thomas Harris.

Anthology Volume V At the Merest Whisper of Your Gentle Voice, I Find Myself With Child...

The Broken-hearted

How much love can one take with a broken heart?
How much love can one give with a broken heart?
How much love can one give to those we love with a broken heart?
How much love can be given by those that love us with a broken heart?
How much love can be taken and not returned with a broken heart?
How much love can be given and not returned with a broken heart?
What price a broken heart?
Where will the pain and the loneliness of the broken-hearted end?
But, all hope is not lost, for love a broken heart can mend,
For love is to the broken heart, the first, foremost and finest friend.

Another Day's Journey

We all go through journeys in our lives and often feel that we are on this journey alone. It is nice to know that the everyday ups and downs are the experiences that can make us or break us.
When we walk in someone else’s shoes for a bit we can sympathize, laugh, cry, agree or disagree and at that point know that we are not alone in this life’s journey. We keep going, we keep living, and we keep experiencing the journeys in our lives that make us who we aspire to be, who we want to be and who we are.
Look at your life and the journeys you are going through and think of all the roads to come, then realize that your past experiences are the things that motivate your future journeys. Love, peace, joy, and happiness are journeys that we should have every day. But we do not!
Walk with me through a couple of journeys in my life.

And Then I Met You

Eventually, we find someone Or maybe they find us… Who has no desire to change us For they love us exactly as we are Who has no desire to control us For they know that love is freedom Who has no desire to belittle us For they yearn to see us grow Somebody who communicates Only through the vibration of love Somebody who creates a safe space For us to knock down our walls And somebody whose only desire for us Is that we follow our bliss In this sanctuary of love… There is no drama No criticism No jealousy No manipulation No attack No neediness Only love Acceptance And freedom When we find this somebody… Or maybe they find us We finally understand… Why we had to go through all the pain.

An Enquiry into the Delight of Existence and the Sublime

In his debut collection of poetry, H. K. G. Lowery explores a journey incorporating all the natural anxieties and pains of living, leading to an understanding of real forgiveness and redemption.

From the first poem of the collection, An Ode to Father John Misty, he sets the scene touching on societal issues such as racism, homophobia, religion, addiction and consumerism. The darkness of such issues, as well as other emotional issues, are given light gradually when he journeys into the positive attributes of forgiveness, hope in the God, the wonderment of nature, self-acceptance and salvation. The collection begins to rotate towards the Sublime with A Requiem for St. Francis which holds a strong personal resonance from the time he visited Assisi in Italy.

Each poem commences with an epigraph which summarises each individual poem. The final poem sees all twelve epigraphs combine into a conclusion of the collection which results in a cathartic outpouring where the delight of existence is realised.

An Enquiry into the Delight of Existence and the Sublime is a personal journey, a rise from darkness to light, from despair to hope.

All in Good Time

‘I sit and write poems for minutes not hours, whether sitting in traffic or hiding from showers’ typifies the urge to express my poetry and verse, inspired by feeling, thoughts and everyday life. Words from the heart to those that just have me laughing through each and every line, I trust in sharing an anthology that you will read over and over again, to share with those around you, from young to old alike. Poetry both emotional and entertaining, romantic and in tribute, are words and thoughts that readers will resonate with and most of all enjoy.

After the Applause

'Blurb'

Contained within, Poetic words, some grim, of my recent experiences, during these times mysterious, of love and loyalty, and life’s’ great frailties, words of understanding, and observations on society, I share all this with you, humor, tears, happiness, fears, nakedly I bear my soul, for you to read, because we all need to forgive ourselves in times like these.