The Temple Priestess

Bentreshyt, age 14, is a priestess to Goddess Isis, a role that she feels blessed to have.  One day Bentreshyt decides to practice her singing at the Lotus Garden of the Temple of Men-Maat-Ra, where her life will be changed forever.

Dorothy Eady, age four, wakes up in her bed, wanting to go home.  This confuses Dorothy's parents because that flat in London is Dorothy's home.  Over time Dorothy realises where her real home is, and after a few years Dorothy realises who she might be, but the truth of who she really is won't be revealed for many years.

There are many love stories in books, plays and movies, but few are as strange as the story of Bentreshyt and King Sety – a love that spans 3,200 years.

The Temple Priestess is a remarkable concept brought to life so naturally that I couldn't wait to see how this story was going to play out, because there's no way of guessing where this plot will go. Elise Watts – author.

 The Temple Priestess has a confidence in writing that few authors will ever show, and I am absolutely certain that as this story unfolds, you will be hard-pressed to put it down. Ann Reed – author.

 I thought I had read it all until I read The Temple Priestess, which made me realise there's a place for unusual and great stories. Adam Russell – author

The Temple Priestess Ebook and Print on Demand is available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Apple iBooks and many other retailers

 

Invisible Chains

 

Melanie Haddad, Australian-born and Arabic-speaking of Lebanese-Christian parents, and a clinical psychologist, knows she can help in the occupied Palestinian territories.  When Melanie accepts a position in Hebron in The West Bank of Palestine, she's warned of the danger there, but not this warning or Melanie's research prepares her for the trauma she will confront and the many risks she will face.

The structure of Invisible Chains drew me into this story in a way I never expected, and it is, by far, the most confronting novel I have ever read. Invisible Chains peels away the gloss and the politics and exposes the truth crystal clear and sharply bright. Elise Watts – author.

Invisible Chains is more than a must-read, it's a story that you won't ever forget. Ann Reed – author.

 It's not possible to read Invisible Chains and not be moved – in short great writing. Nat Pierce – author

Invisible Chains Ebook and Print on Demand is available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks

Lulu

Reviews of Pandora's Box:

·         What makes G W Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box (Die Büchse der Pandora) so astonishing is the non-moralistic candour of its ambiguous sexuality and the electrifying presence of a 22-year-old American actress named Louise Brooks.  Based on two plays by Frank Wedekind, the film is a completely modern creation, concentrating on the amorous exploits of Lulu, available to seemingly everyone but possessed by no-one, who manages to bring all of her suitors, male or female, to grief.

·         When all is said and done, I would say Pandora’s Box is a great film, an impressively skilful film, but one that’s very much in debt to the presence of Louise Brooks.  It will probably always be included on lists of the greatest films ever made.  It will probably always enjoy praise.  But it does seem to me that the real cult of the long and gritty Pandora’s Box is actually the cult of Louise Brooks.

·         With Pandora’s Box you forget that it’s black and white.  You forget that the internet has yet to happen.  You forget that more than two hours have gone by.  You forget because it’s completely modern — 100 per cent gripping and involving. 

·         Full of striking imagery which, once seen, will stay with you forever, this is a highly accomplished piece of work which brings together some of the greatest talents of the era. 1929 was a good year for cinema, but amongst its several treasures, Pandora's Box stands out.

·         And yet, seen today, Pandora’s Box is a bold and captivating film and Louise Brooks’ performance simply breathtaking.  Playing the bright, vivacious but totally amoral and curiously vulnerable Lulu, she dominates virtually every scene she appears in.

Although made in 1928 and first screened in 1929, the greatness of Pandora's Box wasn't recognised until 1953, when the acting style of Louise Brooks, quite literally decades ahead of its time, was finally regarded for the triumph that it was. Lulu tells the story of one of the greatest silent movies ever made, and the story of one of the greatest movie actresses of her era. 

I recommend Lulu as a psychological drama that will make you think – five stars.  Kate Baldwin – author.

Lulu is a great novel.  Janet Miller - author

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The Young Romantics

 

Now we will write ghost stories – so said Lord Byron in Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva, on June 17, 1816. Out of this challenge came the beginnings of Frankenstein and the beginnings of the first, modern vampire story. But there is much more to this novel than those two stories.

Mary Shelley, the talented but moody daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecroft. Percy Shelley, or as he preferred to be known, Shelley – a gifted poet who swept Mary off her feet at the tender age of 16, when they eloped. Claire Clairmont, Mary's step-sister and eight months younger, intelligent with a radical approach to life, and who was the third part of their inverted triangle. Lord Byron, who had fame like a rock star of the time, but because of his many scandals he had to flee England. John Polidori; age 20 and Byron's physician, who wanted to be a writer and thought accompanying Byron on his travels would help with this.

This is the story of these five remarkable young people, thrown together during four days of rain and storm, and all of what followed. It is a story like no other.

The Young Romantics is the best and one of the most unique historical novels I have ever read. I absolutely guarantee that it will keep you enthralled, from the first page to the very last. Elise Watts – author.

Scrupulously researched, beautifully written, it really feels like you are amongst these remarkable people, and their triumphs and tragedies. The Young Romantics is a must-read. Ann Reed – author.

I can't imagine a person who could read The Young Romantics and not be captivated by it. John Hill – author

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Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister

 

A coming of age story with a difference. Annette, age 18, moves from her home city of Mutare, in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, to the capital Harare, to attend the University of Zimbabwe with her best friend, Michelle, and Michelle's cousin, Eddie. Michelle's other cousin, Emily, a second-year student, helps Annette and Michelle with useful study tips, and just as useful dating tips. Emily also helps Eddie, but as a young male student his dating options are limited.

 Away from home and parents, Annette and Michelle set Harare on fire, although not everything goes as smoothly as it should. Eddie takes Emily's advice and dates a 16 year old schoolgirl, Anesu, from the township of Chitungwiza. Anesu's friend, Allison, and Anesu's younger sister, Zendaya, know if they stay in Chitungwiza or Chi-town, they will end up poor like their parents, which doesn't appeal, but if they date Eddie's friends, like Anesu they won't have enough money for the necessities of life. Allison knows she needs to do something, but what?

 Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is set in a nation recovering from past political and economic turmoil, while Zimbabwean culture, like all African nations, is now a mix of traditional African values, and Western values from the days of colonialism, which makes life difficult for young women like Annette, Michelle, Anesu, Allison and Zendaya, wanting freedom like women in Western countries, but Zimbabwe isn't quite ready for this.

Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is unique and it\'s great. Michael Clark – author.

Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is a great read that I can't recommend highly enough. Alice Mason – author.

Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is a marvellously entertaining novel. Luke Griffin – author

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK, and other Amazon outlets

Poor Girls

 

Rose Juma and her best friend, Susan Biar, have a good life by South Sudanese standards, with their home town of Yirol largely untouched by past wars, especially school which they both attend. But Rose and Susan are tall and beautiful, which ironically works against them.

Alice Murray and Steve Hall, travel to Juba, South Sudan, to raise money to help the women and children of this poor nation. For sure South Sudanese are doing it tough, and women are doing it tougher, but how to get on top of the biggest problem, the marriage of teen girls, eludes Alice until she travels to the town of Yirol. There, the pieces fall into place, but Alice has now put herself and her partner into terrible danger.

Poor Girls is set in a nation already devastated by decades of war when it was formed in 2011, and now is attempting to recover in a world that doesn't do African nations any favours.

Poor Girls is storytelling at its finest, immersing you in a place far away, where you live the triumphs and tragedies of the two key characters, with countless insights, large and small, and endings that totally makes sense. Read Poor Girls because you will not be disappointed. Ann Reed – author.

Put simply, Poor Girls is great storytelling. Mary Parks – author.

Poor Girls takes you there, and afterwards you won't be quite the same. Nicolas Ward - author

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Upon The Sea

 

Shanghai 1935, Paris of the East, Whore of the East. Young expat Matthew Clark, having learned the language and some customs, arrives in Shanghai determined to conduct business honourably.

 Newly released from jail, Li Yunhe changes her name to Lan Ping and sets out to become a professional actor. She gains lead role in a play to rave reviews, meets and dates a young rising star, and soon finds herself acting in movies. But Ping's an unconventional young woman, even by Shanghai's hedonistic standards, where her life becomes ever more chaotic as she struggles to keep her head above water.

 Matthew falls in love with taxi girl Mai Jing and they soon become part of the expat social scene of Shanghai, attending balls and functions. But when Jing's sister Binbin has problems with her gangster husband, Jing and Matthew have no choice but to descend into Shanghai's dark underworld with all the danger that entails.

 Upon The Sea is a story of relationships, set Shanghai in its heyday.

Fantastic setting, beautifully drawn characters – certainly the best novel I have read for quite some time – five stars. Alice Pickard – author.

 Gorgeously constructed, beautifully written, Upon The Sea is one of the best and most original novels I have ever read. Kate Baldwin – author.

 Upon The Sea is one of the most entertaining novels I have ever read. Leon Carter - author

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Into Smoke

 June 1918: Les Taylor and his wife Dolly Grey, plan the biggest jewellery heist in Melbourne's history, and intertwine this with a scheme to expand their gang.  In early 1919, Spanish Flu hits Australia, putting 16 year old Lilly Kelly out of work.  When Dolly arranges a meeting with the Fitzroy gang but is mistreated, Les launches retaliation which realises his ambition.  Lilly crosses paths with Les and Dolly and soon becomes friends with the now well-known gangster and his wife.

Les Taylor is more of a thinker and a planner, but it isn't until one evening when Les dances with the young Ida 'Babe' Pender, and Ida becomes Les's girl, that his true nature is revealed.  With Ida's encouragement, Les becomes ever more audacious.  When Les and Ida go 'into smoke' Les becomes a city-wide folk hero.  Meanwhile Lilly Kelly, friends with Les and Ida, has her own problems to deal with.

Into Smoke is a story of love and soulmates, tragedy too, set in a time of great change.

Into Smoke has everything going for it: place, time, characters, story, and plot threads that make you think. Recommended – five stars. Alice Pickard – author.

Into Smoke has the hallmarks of a mature author who's confident with his craft, including realistic characters, being both good and flawed, a fast-moving plot, and touching upon multiple themes which is a characteristic of Mark Morey's writing. Kate Baldwin – author.

Into Smoke is one of the best novels I've ever read. Owen Green - author 

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Thunderbolt

Australia's Wild West, wilder than anywhere in the world.  Amidst thousands of outlaws over many decades, one stands proud: Fred Ward or Captain Thunderbolt, the gentleman bushranger.  Forced into a life of crime by circumstances, Thunderbolt had a code of honour: be courteous, use minimal violence, only steal from the rich and never steal from ladies.  For seven years Thunderbolt evaded the authorities, helped by the ordinary people of western New South Wales who saw him as one of their own.  Just as remarkable is Thunderbolt's girlfriend Mary.  Raising his children, scouting hold-up locations and even riding with Fred as his lookout.  The police, unable to apprehend Thunderbolt, targeted Mary instead, but always she went back to her man.  The story of Fred and Mary Ward even though outlaws, is a story of love, honour and decency.

Thunderbolt covers many years of Fred Ward or Captain Thunderbolt's life, and much of his outlaw life, making for a sweeping and exhilarating story the likes of which I've never come across before.  You must read this story - five stars.  Alice Pickard – author.

Read Thunderbolt for action, adventure, excitement, love and romance, it has it all.  Chloe Newman – author.

Once I started reading Thunderbolt, I couldn't put it down.  Cody White - author

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks

Overreach

The year 2020 is marked by bushfire, pandemic and political upheaval in Australia.  Canberra-based fashion photographer Matt Taylor can't believe his luck when he comes across indigenous model Asha Reid – kind and mature beyond her years.  Luke Monk and his wife Alice have such grave concerns about the newly-elected Australian Prime Minister that they recruit followers to their cause.  In Canberra, a capital city more like a small town, Matt and Asha, and Luke and Alice, are set on a collision course which results in national and personal tragedies.  This is made worse when those who caused such harm simply disappear when the nation needs justice.  Will justice be done or justice be denied?

 

In my opinion this unusual spy story mixed with romance and fashion photography is a must-read for 2021.  Five stars.  Mary Parks – author.

 

Interesting story, well-drawn and believable characters, especially the terrorists, what more could a reader want?  Five stars.  Chloe Newman – author.

 

Overreach is a great story, no question.  Joshua Beck - author

 

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks

 

Burrangong Creek

Young, population 7,170, straddling Burrangong Creek.  Small town Australia.  Orderly, peaceful and struggling.  Jack, his partner Jessica and Jessica's daughter SopYhie move into Young, recruiting young Josh on the way.  There they ignite a drug war beyond the capabilities of Young police to control.  Senior Constable Luke Scott tries his best, but as this war becomes ever more dangerous, Luke's best might not be enough.

I got drawn into the lives, loves and many problems of the characters of this remarkable story and literally could not put it down.  Recommended!  Chloe Newman – author.

Full credit to the author for producing a uniquely outstanding novel. Five stars.  Alice Pickard – author.

 

What a story – amazing!  Leon Hayes - author

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks.

Across The Border

Detective-Sergeant Shui Nuan goes undercover in the nightclubs of her home city, Guangzhou China, to be recruited by triad gangs manufacturing the drug methamphetamine or ice.  Only Nuan doesn't realise her taskforce is infiltrated by the gang she's investigating..


Ma Thi Mai is a young Vietnamese girl abducted into China, first into a fake marriage before being swallowed by organised crime in Guangzhou.  Mai despairs of her future as much as Nuan is unaware of the danger she's in.

Police investigations never travel in straight lines, especially when an undercover operation turns deadly and a teenage girl is trafficked across the border.

The stark realism of Across the Border sets it apart from any crime story I've ever read.  Definitely a must-read.  Ann Reed – author.

Across the Border is fascinating, no question, using well-developed and interesting characters in an exotic setting, with a surprising but also satisfying outcome.  Surely one of the great crime fiction stories of all time.  Kate Baldwin  – author.

Like its predessor Ice, Across The Border is a crime story like no other. Michael Garrick - author.

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks.

Ice

Newly graduated from the People's Public Security University in Beijing, police sergeant Shui Nuan returns to her home city of Guangzhou.  There she is appointed to Office 1.10; tasked to take out the leadership of the triad gangs who manufacture the drug methamphetamine or ice.  Real-world policing is vastly different to university studies, while finding love proves to be almost as challenging.  But when Nuan comes face to face with her best friend, now a mistress to a triad gangster, her troubles have only just begun.

Read this story Ice because it does more than investigate a crime.  Ice takes you on a journey to a far away place, it immerses you into a both modern and ancient culture, while the story twists and turns, and suffers setbacks and danger.  Five stars – my book of this year.  Ann Reed – author.

For those who like crime stories with a difference, for those who like exotic and interesting stories, or for those who simply like good stories, I can't recommend Ice highly enough.  Kate Baldwin – author.

Five brilliant stars, a story like none other! – Michael Garrick, author

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks.

Wenge - Destroy The Old!

May 25. 1966 and Peking University is abuzz.  First year student Yang Fan follows the crowd to see a big-character poster denouncing those not supporting the Cultural Revolution.  Fan, the daughter of a revolutionary hero, gets swept up in Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution as she struggles counterrevolutionaries, targets revisionists in their homes, and attacks Confucianism as the worst of the four olds.  But like all Red Guards, protagonist becomes victim as the tables are turned on Fan; leaving her to ponder what she did and what might have been.

I was totally blown-away by Wenge - Destroy the Old! - Mary Parks, author

Amazing! - Ryan Gray, author

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Yuejin - Aim High!

Life for Chinese farmer Chen Zhu is based around the seasons of planting and harvesting rice.  Then The Great Leap Forward is launched by Chairman Mao.  Their village becomes a commune.  Their children are taken away.  They're forced to farm in ways that are counter-productive.  Zhu is sent to a steelworks in the city while his wife, like many wives, takes on the burden of feeding their nation while everything around them is falling to pieces.

Expatriate Chinese and former spy, Lin Chao, is asked to return to her homeland to investigate a possible large-scale famine.  What Chao sees is so bad she can't bring herself to merely report on what she's observed.  Instead she attempts to slow the pace of The Great Leap Forward.  This brings Chao face to face with the leadership of the People's Republic of China while putting her life in terrible peril.

Yuejin - Aim High! is historical fiction at its best, telling an incredible and tragic story that few have heard about.  Ignorance, incompetence, pride and callousness all play their parts in this heart-breaking tale - Alice Pickard, author

Dramatic and troubling - Lucas Burns, author

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Ketsumeidan

Japan in the early 1930s is suffering badly from a decade of economic depression.  Young geisha Aiko Orikasa is convinced Japan is moving towards war in Asia, and ultimately a war with America.  Aiko and police inspector Yuudai Sato work against a military determined to take Japan to total war.  But forces are working against them as Japan goes to war in China.  Young Lieutenant Kurisu Sato then becomes part of the espionage maelstrom of occupied Shanghai, as ally becomes foe and foe becomes ally; almost day to day.

This is a fascinating tale about a country which instigated a war it could never win, and was then prepared to fight to the last man and woman to stave off an inevitable defeat.

A remarkable setting, remarkable characters and a remarkable story.  Ketsumeidan will have you furiously turning pages to see what happens next - Alice Pickard, author.

Ketsumeidan shines a new light on a well-known conflict, with a cast of characters and events that will enthrall readers from the first page to the last - Mary Parks, author

I loved it! - Remy Martin, author.

Ebook and Print on Demand available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Apple iBooks.

Blood Never Sleeps

In the chaos of the Syrian Civil War, three individuals see their lives dramatically changed by the rise of Islamic State. Young Adnan Richie and his wife Ranim have their lives turned to hell when Islamic State wins control of Raqqa. Kurdish schoolgirl Sarya Goran joins the Kurdish Women's Militia; determined to defeat Islamic State before they bring their cruelty to her home province of Rojava.

Blood Never Sleeps is about ordinary people dealing with Islamic State in different ways, to eventually converge on Raqqa for that final, dramatic, confrontation.

Blood Never Sleeps is a remarkable story about contemporary events, where love literally triumphs over hate - Alice Pickard, author

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In Our Memories

In Our Memories is one family's story of loss, suffering, and eventually justice.

By August 1915, the Armenian residents of the city of Urfa know they have few options.  With little to lose they wage war on the Ottoman Army for two months, despite being outnumbered eight to one.  Defeat is inevitable, after which Anoush Hagopian, one of the survivors of the Women's Brigade, gathers her mother and her children for their deportation to Aleppo.

Swiss doctor Paul Lang stands beneath nine young women crucified, while wondering who could do such a thing.  Unable to gather information about atrocities committed against the Armenian people, he decides on a course of action which will change his life.  In a brothel in a backstreet in Aleppo, he finds sixteen year old Karine Hagopian, who tells her story of courage and tragedy.  Together, Paul and Karine set off to find Karine's mother Anoush, but it's far from certain that Anoush survived the attempted extermination of her people.

The more time Paul spends with Karine, the more he's fascinated by her strength, her suffering and her vulnerability.  Equally fascinating is her heritage, which seems to have changed little over the past millennia.  Infatuated by Karine; Paul will devote his life to the rescue of the survivors of this terrible atrocity.

'Unforgettable story of love, loss and bravery.  Highly recommended' – Mary Parks, author of Secret Star.

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No Darkness

What started as a work posting to Zimbabwe with his African girlfriend, becomes a life and death struggle against the forces of despot Robert Mugabe.  Michael Page had no idea that a simple misunderstanding would have such tragic consequences.

Set in 1999 when Zimbabwe is in a slow and inexorable decline, and the political scene is disturbed by a new opposition party which has a real chance of democratic victory.  Only a tyrant deliberately destroys his own country in order to retain power and control, and Michael and his girlfriend Cathy become embroiled in what is close to a civil war.  Can they make it out alive?  And even if they do, can they survive the psychological torment they have endured?

Well written, fast paced, wonderful characters, and the fascinating setting of a country in decline turned into a police state.  There is much to like in this interesting hybrid of action, thriller and romance. LaWrence - author of Skipping Stones along the Kitchi Sibri

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The Adulterous Bride

Many noble daughters of Venice are consigned to abbeys for want of a dowry.  In 1426, Filipa Barbagio is sent to San Nicolai di Torcello, where she enjoys the hedonistic lifestyle available to her: dressed in the latest fashions, wearing expensive jewellery, attending masquerade balls, entertaining her family and taking men to be her companions.  And then she falls in love.

Dardi Zorzi loves Clario Duodo, but society expects an arranged marriage with sweet Caterina.  Their marriage is difficult at first but gets better over time, especially after the birth of their daughter Lucia.  Tragically Caterina is murdered and Dardi is the prime suspect.  Filipa comforts and helps her oldest and dearest friend, but then Dardi is accused of the most heinous crime of all.  In the aftermath of this terrible denunciation, Filipa risks losing her newly-found love while Dardi risks losing all.

What an amazing story!  Renaissance Venice told from three different points of view: bright, extroverted Filipa Barbarigo who steals every scene she's in, honest and decent Marin Curri, happily married to the wonderful Blanca, and Dardi Zorzi who has to make the best of an almost untenable situation.  Amazing backdrop, amazing story, amazing characters, and the most masterful ending that I have ever come across.  Congratulations. Sarah Holmes – author of Promise of Canaan

Ebook and hard copy available from Amazon, Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble

The Last Great Race Published

Achille Varzi: the most successful of his time; hero to his followers; worshiped by the women in his life; driven to succeed.  Told partly through the eyes of Varzi and partly by fictional Italian-Australian journalist Paul Bassi, we follow the many triumphs and tragedies of Varzi's life: his passionate love affairs, his tragic addictions, his recovery, his marriage and his re-signing to race once more.

This is a fictionalised account of a real-life story that seems to incredible to be true, only it is.

Go to my Books page for more details

The Last Great Race is available from Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK Barnes and Noble or print on demand from Createspace

One Hundred Days Published

Australian soldiers were amongst the bravest in the world, but bravery alone wasn't enough. They needed training and they needed battle plans that worked, and then they would win. And win they did; they won the Great War. Please go to my books page to order or download your copy.  View the film clip on YouTube

Maidens in the Night Published

My sequel to the Governess and the Stalker, Maidens in the Night, has been published by Wings ePress. Please go to my Books page to order or download your copy

The Governess and the Stalker Published

My latest novel The Governess and the Stalker has been published by Wings ePress.  Please go to my Books page to order or download your copy