A Word of Hope

Each of us are on the journey of mortality. A journey in which no one is spared a handful of heartaches, a time of trial, or a darkest hour. And though our time on Earth is a time for joy, love, and life– there will come a time, or many, of shadow when a simple word of hope is all that seems to part the darkness surrounding us. A time when it is only hope that is light enough to keep us moving on our path. Where this hope can be found is a question whose answer is too individually unique to capture in a simple phrase.

A Word of Hope is a collection of poetry that explores some sources of hope and the faith required to find them. Other poems in the collection paint a picture of the hardships of mortality as these are the times hope is most needed. These poems serve as reminders that no matter what may darken our lives, there is some light that will always shine. There is always hope to be had.

A World of Stone

From Mireille Saba Redford, author of A City Across the Night, The Waltz of Dust and The Wounded Virtue, and translator and editor of The Anthology of Contemporary Australian Poetry, here is a new collection of English poems that will take you to a forgotten land where nothing seems to matter anymore.
A World of Stone adopts the voice of a woman who finds her life turned upside down when faced with the harsh realities of the modern world and clings to her childhood memories, when the land of legends was a truly mysterious and captivating place.
It highlights her love that could not overcome her pride, her loneliness caused by the many losses she has encountered, and her sorrows amidst the fast and sad changes in the world, such as humanitarian crises, drug abuse, violence, alienation, inequality, power in the hands of the few and abuse of human rights.
Throughout the poems, you will hear and feel all the torments, disappointments and cries which somehow have the power to change the way some perceive the world. However, there is a clear message that despite losing its ‘gentility’, the world can still have a ‘Margin of Peace’ that would guarantee its security and sustainability.
This book of love and anger, of the living and the dead, displays the values that once formed the very pillars of our society, and sends a call to restructure what is left and to stop the decline in civil liberties. Its vivid descriptions shed light on the poet’s own experiences, while stressing the need both to save a world on the brink and to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable by a return to the humanitarian principles of equality and justice.

A Year of Words

The year is 2007 and my mind is full of poems and a need to write. These poems I wrote are a diary of emotions reflecting the day that they were written. They are an eclectic journey through my year. They reflect an emotional journey whose intent is to diarise in rhyme the moment they were written.

Oft the poems are whimsical, sometimes philosophical, and other times musing. The poems were written without edits, the poems in this compendium are of the moment, no revisions were ever considered. These poems are my conversation with you, they are your insight into a very mercurial mind, full of emotion.

I have written poems all my life, and now at 74 some of them have found a page and an audience, please enjoy.

Abbie Brown: On the Cusp

Abbie Brown kicks off her 34^th year with an unexpected splash of fame: her Santorini vacation snap, featuring her in a vibrant yellow bikini atop a donkey, is plastered on billboards across London. (For clarity, the bikini is on Abbie, not the donkey!) Riding this wave of newfound celebrity, she lands a spot on Sir Giles Bromley’s BBC gardening show. Life seems perfect, until the universe serves her a slice of humble pie.

Navigating the chaos of single life (weighing in at 73kgs, if you must know), Abbie finds herself in the midst of an office medical drama, dealing with her nightmare flatmate Janice, and questioning if Rebecca truly is the refined acquaintance she seems. As for romance? Between George’s overbearing mother, Oliver’s youth, a married butcher, a BBC exec with a cringe-worthy habit, and the not-so-perfect ‘Peter Perfect,’ Abbie’s love life is a rollercoaster. Yet, she remains hopeful that her knight in shining armor is out there in the vast English countryside.

In the midst of it all, she gains a furry companion: Woofer, a lovable terrier with a quirky ear. Plus, there’s a promising spark with a dashing farmer from the Yorkshire Dales. The two are smitten. (We’re talking about Abbie and the farmer, not the dog, of course!)

But with Abbie’s track record, what could possibly go awry? Dive into a tale of unexpected fame, comedic misadventures, and the quest for true love.

Abduction Seduction

Abduction was the furthest thing from Aimalee Robertson’s mind when she applied for a research position, but it occurred, unceremoniously and intrusively.

Thrust into a world she could not comprehend and did not believe existed, she soon discovers the secrets behind the research position for which she so innocently applied.

Aimalee finds herself in a brand-new world amongst strange and intriguing … aliens!

These creatures are not at all what she imagined. In fact, they are intelligent, attractive, peaceful and loving.  

As she is drawn into their world, she finds herself attracted to a particular alien and, unable to resist his advances, succumbs to her inner guilty pleasure.

Now that she’s tasted the coveted “honey”, she realises there is nothing sweeter!

Africa in my Heart

Africa in my Heart encompasses tragedy, bereavements and recovery as well as protection for the environment and endangered species. It is a murder mystery but at its heart are two love stories: love of a place and romantic love. Beginning with a horrific tragedy, Jessica’s story unfolds against a background of the fight against poaching and her search for her own identity and place in the world. As a result of trying to track down the murderers, Jessica becomes involved with anti-poaching organisations. She and Lawrence become especially involved when they hear there is to be a raid on their friends’ safari park. They go on a mission to save the elephants and rhinos together with the police and anti-poaching organisations. Even as they draw closer together Jessica and Lawrence find themselves in great danger. Can they learn the truth about the murders and save the rhinos and elephants from poachers? How do they themselves escape from mortal danger?

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. 

Aftershock

When the ground beneath you starts to shake, there will follow an aftershock…

A normal day dawns, but for two people, lives have taken an unplanned and unwanted path.

Anna can’t remember anything about the night before and struggles to piece together what happened. Mark remembers everything but wishes he didn’t. He even wishes that it hadn’t happened at all.

What follows is the inevitable course of revelation, horror, guilt and shame inflicted on two individuals by the actions of others.

This hard-hitting debut novel highlights the ongoing vulnerability of women and explores the devastating impact of misplaced trust and loyalty.

Against the Rising Sun

Ahmed is The Angel of Egypt

Two very different worlds collide when Stella meets Ahmed through the internet. Ahmed is a Muslim from Cairo, Egypt and has been through much turmoil in his beloved homeland. Stella has lived a sheltered life in England and has recently split from her long-term boyfriend. Over time, despite the many cultural differences, love blossoms between the two and Stella decides to take the plunge and meet up with this dark, handsome stranger. How will Stella fare in this unfamiliar land?

Alan’s Lesswilling Chronicles: the monologues of an unhappy man

Alan is trying hard to make sense of his world since his wife left him for Chuck in Morewilling and the local Co-op closed down.

21^st century technology is eating into his wallet and his soul, and the price of a night out doesn’t leave change from a tenner anymore. But he is sure about three things:

No one in Lesswilling needs a bidet or a hot tub.

There’s no place for preserved lemons on British supermarket shelves.

His mother was right about hindsight – it is a “wonderful thing to meet your own arse coming back.”

Alba Regained

Frustrated equally by misrule at Westminster and the Scottish government’s failure to progress the independence agenda, a reinvigorated Scottish National Liberation Army seizes power from Scotland’s ruling party, the SNP, after a campaign of attrition during the 2020s. This tale follows the adventures of two young revolutionaries as they pursue their patriotic goal whilst struggling to understand their own personal and philosophical commitment to the cause.

With the effects of climate change now moving into a series of extreme weather events, normal life is so disrupted that unnatural (some would say magical) events appear almost as everyday occurrences, until eventually the human turmoil and the weather disruption come together in a dramatic conclusion that puts into question the singularity of the human experience.