My Books and Short Stories

Enslaved

How could I be so silly? I was uncertain. Everyone enthused about you, based on hearsay and syrupy promise. But promises have a habit of turning to dust. I am your slave. I do everything for you. No life of my own. You are unable to thank me or show appreciation – I have to accept that. When I maintain my vigil and see to your every need I get jealous of others more free. Then you cry out to me. Then I comfort you. Then I hold you tight and kiss your little face. Then I want for nothing else. 

   Hubris

I smirk, what a slick charmer I am. I spray aftershave, put on my gold chain, trim my moustache and drive off in my aged MG Midget. I park and call a girlfriend  I dated over twenty years ago. I see her sitting outside a cafe, looking as lovely as ever. I can hardly hold the mobile phone as I dialled. We talk about bygone days. We laugh. We bond. She enthusiastically says we must meet up. Suddenly, alarmed, she gets up. 'Sorry, Jack. Call again. Gotta go. There's a creepy old pervert staring at me from an MG.'

This is collection of short stories of self-discovery, darkness, greed and awakening, that feature women.  There are tales of courage as well as weakness. The stories explore the myriad ways that they perceive their lives, and how some show enormous courage, whilst others fail.

Look over the Horizons of life and you will see people facing enormous challenges. These stories feature men, some good, some bad, and those who are just unfortunate. The tales take you from the streets of UK to the Middle East and India - there is even a touch of interstellar mischief.

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An insightful quote I got when in India.

He who sees himself in all beings, and all beings in himself attains Brahmin, not by any other means.  

If you knew how much your body was worth you would not go out at night! This frightening tale on the subject of harvesting body parts is inspired by many countless real life events reported over the last decade or so, and indeed more recently. The protagonist, Jane, working for MI6, uncovers the link between a hospice in East Anglia and a mysterious international organisation. Her investigation takes her to Europe and the USA, and a team member to China. 

Lock your door before you go to bed tonight!

A psychotic episode can happen at any time, for any reason and last from an hour to months. In this tale, an ex-CID officer's mother is murdered by a local thug, and the event consumes her. She deals with her overwhelming grief in the most gruesome way - it sparks a national outcry about crime and punishment. It must be stopped. There is a twist throughout the tale and at the end. 

An elderly congressman has had enough of contemptuous US politics and sets out a scam to see sitting President fail in his bid for re-election. But his plot, involving motivating young people to go into the desert to make a politically motivated video, goes horribly wrong. The story flirts with the misuse of power and how it corrupts. It is an exciting chase as two teenagers are pursued by a rogue FBI agent to Atlanta, where they want to use CNN to broadcast the truth to the nation. Will they succeed?

Emerging from rural Devon into wartime London, Mary tries to reunite with her family and gain the personal independence that she craves. She is both tough and naive, and adores her father, a writer and poet, but is shattered as his secrets are laid bare. Escaping to the WAAF, she bravely faces extreme dangers that war brings, then the bitterness of lost love and betrayal threaten to overwhelm her. How will she find the strength to rise again?