The Spaces Between

Catherine has come to feel that we have hardly begun to understand the forces in us and around us, and our connections with them and with each other.

Underlying daily life, other forces exist. Intersecting work-life dramas, vibrant language, sea swimming, and the dunes and gardens of the sea, all held together by a tenuous thread, other means of communication and other presences take their place, alongside which relationships flourish or fail.

The Spark: An Ode to Life

Through this book of poems, I wanted to express the dynamic mystery that is existence, as well as the innate essence of life that we each carry in us as human beings, and show how language can be a medium for pure desire, as well as the desired. Through this book, with verses that flow like dance and rhythms that silently echo as music, my wish is to bring the above to life, and to highlight a sense of magic upon you, the reader.

The title, The Spark: An Ode to Life, accentuates both the wild and calm nature of fire, and the words written on each page are like sparks ignited, celebrating creativity and possibility.

Upon these lines I strive to linger for moments upon the edge of the cliff, and then soar someplace within myself. Come, fly with me.

The Specific Gravity of Water

The Specific Gravity of Water is a comic fantasy for adults.

Mr. Trout is a misfit teaching creative writing at a minor state college who infringes the right-thinking mores of academe and must go on the run.

He escapes to another country, almost entirely his own invention, called Ishkastan.

There every citizen is considered an artist and paid to do nothing, the novel idea of the country’s president, a lugubrious poet and Nobel Prize winner.

Ishkastan’s only abundant resource is fresh mountain water, the new oil of a polluted and thirsting planet. The result is unimaginable prosperity for the citizens and satisfying profits for the global corporations who run the place.

All menial jobs are done by colour-coded immigrants.

Trout introduces the principle of ‘a stack-up of tolerances’ and catastrophe results.

The Spectre of Stanhope Lane

Macnutt has done it! He has made the foray from his previous architectural, travel,
and cultural books into a work of unique fiction and has done it with great skill. The
Spectre of Stanhope Farm is written with imagination, creativity, and amazing insight and
attention to historical detail and research into the Scottish world and the place of the
diaspora. What an exciting way to explore the 1770s world of Prince Edward Island
through the character of Frank and the spectre of Stanhope. Sense of place, heritage,
genealogy, class, and mystery are woven together and exhibit a writer who has come of
age. Warmly recommended to Islanders and visitors to the Island and atl who are intrigued
by all things Scottish. I want to see that wall!
- Dr Jack Whytock, author and lecturer

The Stoker Trilogy, Book II

Six feet two inches, blond-haired and blue-eyed – Charlie Stoker is the handsome, highly principled son of a dead father whom he revered and a deeply religious Catholic mother. In the dark economic atmosphere of 1931, Stephen Collick, his late father’s friend and his mother’s benefactor, offers twenty-year-old Charlie the opportunity to build a commercial career in London’s East End. Charlie, already committed by his inbred sense of duty to life in a loveless marriage, soon becomes popular and successful. His remarkable ability to win friends without ever becoming too personally involved enables him to establish a wide circle of admiring customers and colleagues. Charlie is always prepared to help solve their problems.

As a lifestyle, this works. That is, until he meets Sally Cutter in 1936. For the first time in his life, Charlie discovers true love. The world continues to become a darker place and the growing menace of Hitler’s Nazi Party in Europe is echoed by Moseley’s anti-Semitic Fascists marching through Cable Street. Charlie watches helplessly as Sally’s life spins out of control.

With the threat of war ever nearer, the upright Charlie carefully devises a scheme to secure Sally’s future. But he is surprised when Sally resets the scheme on her own terms.

The Stolen God – Dawning

The people of Aruna are unified in their desire to build their world together in peace. Kristy leads the People’s Council through this new age whilst navigating a world where the gods are revered once more.

As Bart’s decision to stay on Aruna after the civil war sets in, he is compelled to deal with the repercussions. Will his father, the king of the gods, force his return or will he be able to stay on Aruna and live his life with the woman he loves?

As Bart and Kristy wait anxiously for what might come, their attentions are drawn to Dromana, on the outskirts of Aruna, where mysterious strangers have suddenly appeared, looking to settle an ancient grudge. Faced with an impending war, they are forced to take up arms and battle to save their world.

Will the gods forsake them or is a new era upon them? Will the war lead to darkness or will they find themselves together in the light?

The Stone of Athelas

Gothrin was not yet ten when he was made aware that he was no ordinary child, but the prophesied Redeemer, a sorcerer who one day would destroy the necromancer Kotor.

Kotor had risen once more to destroy the land and enslave all the races, and all that stands in his way is a young man, uncertain of his powers, and uncertain how to use the magic staff endowed upon him by the prophecy.

Forced to flee from Kotor’s wraiths through storm and flood, he loses Odra’s magic staff in the flooded canyon. Alone and with no idea what to do next, Gothrin finally stumbles across an imp-like race, who help to find the staff and fight off a wraith determined to take possession of it. These people point the way to where he will find what he seeks, the guardian of the relic made from the Stone of Athelas.

Chased by bands of renegades and Kotor’s wraiths, Gothrin and his new companion Bellatrix finally reach the town and the guardian of the ring. Bonded to the staff during a ceremony, the ring endows it with immense magic, a weapon worthy to challenge the necromancer.

Still hounded by Kotor’s minions, Gothrin and his companions continue the quest. Travelling over hill and dale, through moorland and forest, they are continually confronted by one crisis after another until they finally reach their objective the Land of Nath, where Gothrin finally overcomes his doubts and finds the allies to help him defeat the necromancer.

The Stories of Cantoon – End Game

The Planet of Cantoon was changed by decades of war, but years after the wars, the world still spins on. Vandeaga and his group stand strong against vicious bandits and twisted beasts. A new evil like they had never seen before emerged from the west. In its wake, these creatures leave nothing but carnage. Will our trio overcome this countless menace or will it consume them too?

The Stories of Cantoon – Their Beginning

For the last 20 years the planet of Cantoon has been gripped by war. Cantoon, no longer the pearl of the empire, is twisted with malice.

45, a mere boy compared to real soldiers, must prove his worth to even make it through his training, and get onto the front lines. In a civilisation bred for conquest, there are no second chances, no maybes, you pass or you disappear. A fellow recruit, Taradin, will test his limits to how much one person can hate another. Before all this he must pick a name for himself, and this name will mean everything.

Entire races of people have been swept aside as the larger powers face off against one another. What hope is there for a lonely solider, where even the wildlife will not hesitate to end their existence.

The Stretch

Based on a true story

Each time Rockin tries to book a limo to take him and his friends on a drunken trip to London, they are refused, until one firm informs them that the only way that they would be able to book a limo for six lads was if they were going to a wedding.

They have their answer! By the next day, the limo is booked and the morning suits are hired, even down to the buttonholes.

As the limo passes Birmingham, Marco comes up with an idea and two minutes later he is on the phone to the newspapers. “Yeah, that’s right, the groom's found out that his bride-to-be has slept with one of the ushers. He’s phoned her and she has admitted it!”

Rockin is nominated to be the groom but in real life is dating a beautiful blonde Catholic school teacher. He sits in the plush surroundings of the Savoy hotel dreading the phone call he was going to have to make, asking her if he could be a fake groom and appear in the Sunday Sport newspaper.

Two scruffy-looking men walk into the bar; one has a camera slung over his shoulder. The time has come: Rockin has to make the call.

The Student

Loosely based on the author’s experiences in Cairo, immediately following the 1967 war, this engaging story follows a group of American students sent to Egypt to learn Arabic. During the course of their stay, the students experience conflict between their, often romanticized, images and the reality of life in Cairo as they learn to survive during the last days of the Nasser regime and the end of Egypt’s golden age. This book provides an alternative view of Egypt and the Middle East as its protagonist, an imaginary James Bond, studies, shops, haggles and defends his self-identity in a foreign culture.

The Successors “To the Strongest”

The king is dead, long live his successor!

The young King of the Kaldonians, Alastair, lies dying in an Asian palace, surrounded by his generals and subjects. Alastair has conquered a vast empire but has no children and his natural successors are considered unsuitable heirs by his generals. 

The foot soldiers, however, retain loyalty to the royal family and force the commanders to accept Alastair’s obscure half-brother and unborn son to be made joint monarchs. Many of the generals see opportunities for themselves to carve up the empire but are suspicious of each other of wanting to usurp the puppet kings and seize total power.

What is behind the spate of unnatural deaths spreading from the palace, through the city, that draws an ordinary brother and sister into an alliance with two exotic adventurers to stop a world-threatening menace?

Looking on are the conquered people of the empire. Is this the time to throw off the yoke of Kaldonian oppression for the restoration of their ancient liberties?

As predicted by the dying Alastair, only the strongest would be his final successor.