Mercenaries

Mercenaries plunges into the no-holds-barred dark world of Airbnb machinations.

Carla, a comedian, and Louise, an actress, are bribed by an elderly landlady, Alice, to travel to a rival Airbnb establishment on the coast and exact revenge.

A mélange of gruesome memories emerges as events unfold.

With illustrations by the author.

Metamorphoses

“Returning to a rejuvenated South Australian infantry battalion, after having been severely injured at Gallipoli, newly promoted Sergeant Major William Berenger finds himself in the sleepy village of Albert on the Somme on the eve of a massive Australian assault at Pozières. Having married Juliana, whom Berenger had first met 15 years earlier as a Boer prisoner in the South African war, Berenger is called again to the colours, despite the impending birth of their first child.

A young British soldier, Private Reginald Atkins from the Ox and Bucks finds himself trapped in a shell hole in front of the Australian trenches. He is soon joined by an injured Australian, Private Lachlan Watts trying to make his way back to his battalion. Subsequently, both Watts and Atkins are tried for cowardice: the Australian soldier being found Not Guilty, whilst the British soldier is unjustly executed.

Whilst on a night reconnaissance mission in No Man’s Land, Berenger encounters a German soldier from the Bavarian 16th Reserve Infantry Regiment, whom he severely injures but does not kill. Removing this soldier’s identity tags, he discovers upon slithering back to Australian lines, the soldier’s identity as hitherto anonymous aspiring artist, Adolf Hitler.

Berenger discovers that the Germans have been attempting to tunnel under Albert in an attempt to blow-up the Australian lines. Pozières must be taken before the Germans thwart the Allies’ imminent assault.”

Metaverse Unfolds

As the earth’s environment and ecosystems become increasingly degraded, humans must rely on the advanced technology of the unfolding METAVERSE to survive. In this thrilling and fast-moving novel, we explore the transience of human frailty through themes of lust, jealousy, greed, betrayal, intrigue, murder, and the sacrifice of immortality for love. With the limitations of our current environment, many choose to spend much of their time in virtual reality, where they can enjoy a sense of home, family, and the beauty of nature. However, as millions flock to this virtual world, it becomes increasingly likely that we, and those around us, are simply part of a virtual journey. Will you join us in the METAVERSE?

Mettle & Flesh

‘I realise with quite a fright
this page is now my portal
for as you read the words I write
I become immortal’

Mettle & Flesh is a collection of poetry encompassing observations on life, and how we see ourselves within it.
Born from personal experience, the poems span across topics ranging from love, loss, ageing, trust, bad dates, and the inner thoughts we usually keep to ourselves.
The poems range from contemplation to rage, from disappointment, to questioning the status quo. Within them, you will find a personal connection as you hear your own inner voice echoed on the page.
Mettle & Flesh is a representation of the inner strength we build through experience, and the pain and joy that our flesh can bring.

Mia's Blackbird

Mia Gretel Augustus, not a lick over 44 and preceded as she walks by a sharp blonde quiff, is living a safe and dependable life on the coast as she manages an odd gift.

Since her brother’s death, she has seen people’s souls and helped them heal. But what about her own soul and healing?

The appearance of a blue-eyed stranger in six-inch heels and a pencil skirt plunges Mia back into the world of the living again. She feels her skin scrape against splintering wood, heart puff into pink like a swollen starfish, and soul crash and burst as a cresting green wave.

But will sharing herself and her gift mark the end of their love?

And what does the emergence of Mia’s wisdom mean for her future?

Mike Black

The story starts with Mike Black’s early life and the circumstances that moulded him into an adult ready for life and the creation of businesses across Europe. Then, when coming to the aid of a German friend in serious trouble, Mike was introduced to the activities of an old school friend in Northern Ireland who carried out operations for various governments on a strictly off-the-record basis. During the 1960s and 1970s, as Europe remained divided by the Iron Curtain between western and Soviet nations, these activities became more and more numerous. A steady inflow of criminals came from the east: they targeted business leaders, threatening their families as a means of blackmailing them to comply with their extortionate demands. After his Northern Ireland friend died, Mike decided to take over his business and employ the staff, a decision he never regretted in spite of the dangers.

Milk Tea Can't

As soon as you discover Fraser walking backward and barefoot on the Meadows, Edinburgh Castle splashed by Hogmanay fireworks, you will be hooked.

You will be further compelled when you find out Edinburgh is a character in the novel, her worried eye on Fraser that ominous night.

Allow yourself to be both warmed and appalled with the characters you will meet, all in some way dealing with core human concerns that resonate with us all. 

Taking place in such a charming location, this is a book that celebrates the spirit of the city and its people whilst exposing the underbelly that can destroy all of us.

“Wow. This is heavy-hitting stuff.  There is gold in here.” Dane Picken, Screen Writer & Filmmaker, Australia.

This is a book that will generate important conversations.

Mirror of hope

Marcos was an accomplished painter who had given up on love and had decided that he was going to grow old and maybe wise but being wise was not guaranteed after what he had just experienced.

His parents were his bench mark for love and marriage he held his life up to, his mum was always trying to find him the “one”, his dad knew his wife meant well but couldn’t stop herself.

He knew he loved painting and could often dream in colour, he dreamt about fairies, sandy beaches, the circus and other wonderful things but one constant in his dreams was something he would never be able to tell anyone about, or they would definitely have the men in white coats with strait jackets come and bundle him in the back of an ambulance or ensure he had no sharp knives around to do a Van Gogh.

Was he going mad or does love make you crazy? Queen said it right in “Crazy little thing called love”.

Come and see what or who Marcos was going crazy for.

Would you hold out for the love of your life, do you even believe there is only one person for you?

Misanthropy

I am in love with someone, someone who is kind and caring.

He comforts me, protects me and makes me feel complete.

Okay, he may have stalked me for a little while without my knowledge, but I did not know at the time, so can look beyond that.

He knows me better than I know myself.

I am an open book to him, despite keeping my feelings closed.

The only problem is… is that he is not from around here…

But why should that matter?

Why should that matter… the word ‘matter’ means more to me now than it ever did!

He is not from around here, because he inhabits our parallel dimension of dark matter.

Dark matter, the substance that science proves exists, yet is unable to explain.

His kind, is what we humans refer to as jinns, spirits or demons…

Should it matter now?

Either way, it is too late…

Missing in Action Presumed Dead WW1

Chris Clark, a soldier from Sheffield, is fighting on the Western Front. Siggi Haas, a soldier from Berlin, is also fighting on the Western Front. They were just ordinary young men before the war started and now, their lives have been cast to Fate. Chris worked in a steelworks and was happy with his lot. Siggi was an assistant history teacher and looking forward to becoming a good teacher. They were uprooted from their normal environment and thrust into a world of war, as so many others were. They knew nothing of war and assumed it to be something gallant and adventurous. They even assumed they might enact some heroic deed.

There were so many heroes in the Great War and so many battles that I have not mentioned because this is a story based mainly, but not entirely, on the Western Front. It concentrates on the events surrounding Chris and Siggi, being the British Army and the German Army.

The words of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and leaders have been taken from letters, diaries, memoirs or documents — real people experiencing real events. However, Chris Clark, his family and friends are fictional, as are Siggi Haas, his family and friends. Some of the men in this book died in the Great War, some lived and some endured something in between living and death.

Modern & Medieval

A medieval monarch finds himself unexpectedly in the twenty-first century with so much to learn to adapt in a new world. Finding new friends and having new experiences he settles in this new place but soon tragedy forces plans to change. The former monarch finds his way in the present day and struggles along the way but eventually begins to plot his way back to his rightful place. Alliances are formed and broken as a country is divided and the main goal of government is to find a way to bring the nation together. Help arrives in the form of the former monarch whose reign ended more than five centuries earlier but his influence is not well received across the whole country. The former monarch works with the current prime minister to put plans into action but their relationship is far from straightforward and at times threatens to divide the country even further.

Modern Iraqi Poetry: Abdulwahhab Al-Bayyati: Poet of Diaspora

‘Abdulwahhāb Al‑Bayyāti was one of the triumvirate of poets who dominated modern Iraqi and Arabic poetry of the mid-1950s. Following the pioneer female poet Nazik Al-Mala’ika, he moved away from the tail-end of the romantic period of Arabic poetry, with its reliance on classical verse style.
These modern poets introduced new subjects, both social and political, employing a more psychological approach. They used direct language, free from the traditional figures of speech, but enriched with cultural connotations.
This is the fifth book of translations by ‘Adulwāḥid Lu’lu’a to be published by Austin Macauley. The first in the ‘Modern Iraqi Poetry’ series, showcasing the work of Abdulrazzāq ʻAbdulwāḥid, was published in 2018.