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Ever since her son disappeared, Julia has lived as a reclusive shadow of her former self, paralysed by anxiety and grief. One night, she is viciously attacked and left for dead—only to be saved by a mysterious stranger known only as ‘Sam’, who claims to have no memory of his life before rescuing her.But when Julia discovers her missing son’s name carved into Sam’s skin, a fragile alliance forms between them. Together, they begin a perilous search for answers—about Sam’s identity, and his haunting connection to her son.As powerful forces rise to stop them, Julia and Sam must confront impossible choices. How far are they willing to go—and what are they prepared to sacrifice—to uncover the truth?

Consumed with grief after the loss of her mother, Esme begins to see and hear things that others can’t.Diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she hides her experiences, afraid she’s losing her mind. But everything changes after a session with her psychiatrist leads her to Perkin, a Canadian expat, and his mother, Toni, a reality researcher with unorthodox ideas.As Esme and Perkin grow closer, she starts to believe her visions might be more than just symptoms—they could be glimpses into hidden layers of reality. Together, they test the boundaries of perception and are drawn into a world as dangerous as it is beautiful, where nothing is quite what it seems.

A unique celebration of David Wood’s creative collaborations and cherished friendships with three legendary children’s writers —two of whom are also fondly remembered for their remarkable talent for illustration.This book brings together correspondence and personal recollections that chronicle the development of Wood’s acclaimed stage adaptations of Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden, as well as his endeavours to create a television animation series based on Kathleen Hale’s Orlando the Marmalade Cat.Revealed in fascinating detail are the working practices of these three grandes dames of children’s literature as they join forces with Wood—hailed as ‘the national children’s dramatist’—to bring their beloved stories to stage or screen. Their witty, insightful letters and thoughtful annotations sparkle with humour and enthusiasm, offering a rare glimpse into the creative process. Wood’s sensitive and respectful approach to adapting their work lays the foundation for enduring friendships.

In this richly woven tapestry of family, social, and local history, the lives of ordinary people unfold in extraordinary ways.The Jaques brothers were part of the infamous Long Company—a criminal gang that brought fear to the streets of Prescot in the mid-nineteenth century. A silk winder rose to fame as a blackfaced performer on the variety theatre circuit across northern England. In a bold leap of faith, a pawnbroker from Bolton emigrated to Canada with his family in the 1870s, going on to build a new life as a successful prairie farmer. And in a true rags-to-riches story, the illegitimate son of impoverished weavers in Victorian England rose through the ranks to manage a thriving cotton-spinning mill in Bolton.These compelling stories—drawn from the author’s own ancestors—reveal how individuals shaped and were shaped by the communities around them. From watchmakers and millers to miners and a possible link to landed gentry, this book explores the shifting landscapes of industrial Britain through deeply personal lenses.Meticulously researched and richly documented with archival material and contemporary press reports, it offers fresh insight into the lives that formed the backbone of a changing society.

The new King of the Elves has disappeared while searching for stolen gold and missing Leprechaun children. As a last resort, the elves turn to humans for help. Once again, Henry, along with Tom and Flora, must step into a parallel world to find the lost king and the missing children. Their epic journey is steeped in ancient folklore, ghostly encounters, and a battle against the evil Goblin Empire. The dangers they face are many: bloodthirsty werewolves, a deadly maze, and a ritual human sacrifice. A magical coronation at Ludlow Castle hangs in the balance. The odds of success are slim — but with the help of a brave beaver family, talking nettles, and a magical longbow, is there still hope?

When Cougar Bill, lead guitarist and founder of the iconic pop group The Cougars, is found hanging from the rafters of his sprawling country home by a curious schoolboy, Detective Chief Inspector Max Bellamy is called in to investigate.Was it suicide—or something far more sinister? What links Bill’s death to a string of mysterious drownings from years past? And how much does Josie, Bill’s wife and the band’s manager, Eric Irwin, really know?As Bellamy digs deeper, he finds himself navigating a tangle of suspects, secrets, and those eager to dismiss the death as a suicide. But when threats are made against his wife, MP Louise Bellamy, the case becomes personal—and the stakes turn deadly.Will Bellamy uncover the truth before it''s too late?

A chilling supernatural thriller that weaves between the storm-lashed shores of Orkney and the chaos of Manhattan.When two divers illegally recover artefacts from HMS Vanguard—a WWI war grave resting beneath Scapa Flow—they unleash a deadly series of hauntings.As the cursed relics pass through unsuspecting hands, ghostly forces strike with growing intensity. A haunted priest, a blunt medium, and an unconventional deliverance minister must work together to uncover the truth and lay the spirits to rest. But the dead are not easily appeased...Will they find a way to end the hauntings—or be dragged under like the rest?Inspired by real events, this gripping tale explores guilt, redemption, and the lasting power of the past.

The Dream of Magnus Maximus follows the family of the usurping Emperor Magnus Maximus and his British wife, Elen, in a tale of Britain’s emergence from Roman rule.In AD 386, Britain stands on the brink of transformation. The familiar rhythms of life are crumbling as imperial control wanes. Struggles for independence clash with the might of empire, while old pagan beliefs confront the rising tide of Christianity—testing loyalties to kin and country alike.As the Roman world fades, a dangerous new age is born. With it comes turmoil that threatens to engulf Britannia.Can Magnus Maximus claim his dream of empire? And if he does, will Elen’s Christian faith help shape the future—or will the cost be too great for them both?

Sixteen-year-old Erica Brooks longs for adventure, acceptance, and answers—especially about the mysterious power she keeps hidden, even from herself.When she is suddenly transported to the enthralling world of Aqouril, Erica discovers an extraordinary ability to control water—an ancient power that marks her for something far greater than she ever imagined.To master her gift and uncover the secrets of Aqouril, Erica must face a series of harrowing trials that test her courage, strain her friendships, and push her to her limits.Gripping, heartfelt, and brimming with magic, The Trials of Aqouril is a spellbinding journey of bravery, transformation, and self-discovery.

Munich & Vienna, 1932Aspiring opera singer Angelika Eder thought she had it all—a cultured life in Vienna, along with the guidance of her glamorous mother, a world-famous soprano. But when tragedy strikes and her mother dies amidst a swirling family scandal, eighteen-year-old Angelika finds herself uprooted to Munich, where civil unrest is rife and leaders of the increasingly powerful Nazi Party seek to use her voice as propaganda.When a figure from her mother’s past offers Angelika the chance to study and sing at an elite Viennese university, she decides to fight for her dream while evading the vile Nazis she despises. But the Nazis aren’t relenting in their demand that Angelika support their party and sing for Hitler himself. Can Angelika find her voice and stand against evil, even if it means risking not only her dreams of fame, but also the safety of herself and everyone she loves?

Families at War is a sweeping tale of love, loyalty, and the brutal legacy of war.In 1930s Friedrichshafen, a shared passion for art binds English-Jewish Judith, idealistic Matthias, and zealous Hinrich—until Nazi ideology tears them apart. As WWII ignites, Judith returns to England to serve as a wartime nurse.Matthias, haunted by his love for Judith, fights on the Eastern Front, battling not just enemies but his own conscience. Meanwhile, Hinrich descends into darkness as a sadistic SS officer. Their families, too, are drawn into the maelstrom—some resisting, others complicit. Years later, an art exhibition reunites the trio, each scarred by the past.Now artists, Judith and Matthias must confront the memories that shaped them, while Hinrich reappears in a guise both familiar and changed. Moving and unflinching, this is a story of shattered innocence, the enduring power of memory, and art’s ability to redeem or destroy.

1930s Warsaw. Two privileged sisters: Ida—glamorous and self-assured—and Luiza, the spirited tomboy striving to fulfil the ambitions their German-born father once held for the son he never had.At just seventeen, Luiza''s world is upended when her Polish homeland is occupied. Caught between two identities—raised speaking both German and Polish—she must now decide where her true allegiance lies. Meanwhile, Ida, newly married and expecting her first child, is living under Soviet occupation in the eastern part of Poland. When she vanishes, taking her baby with her, Luiza begins a search that will span decades.In a cruel irony, the war that destroys Ida brings Luiza both adventure and love. But her life becomes driven by survivor’s guilt—a need to live not only for herself, but for the sister she lost.Inspired by the life of the author’s mother, Finding Ida is a gripping family saga. It explores themes of faith, loss and forgiveness, and the enduring human drive to survive. At its heart, it is a story about identity and belonging.

This irreverently satirical book pokes fun at the bureaucracy rampaging across quango-land; the vagaries of office life, with its endless meetings, counter-productive wellness programmes and pointless motivational events; the absurdity of many corporate visions and missions; the comicality of jargon beloved by officialdom; the pomposity of inflated job titles; political correctness gone mad; and the wholesale takeover of our daily lives by digital technologies, including artificial intelligence.The book also attempts to defuse – albeit in a light-hearted way – some of the usage booby-traps strewn across the English language.We laugh at the comical name and farcical purpose of the organisation parodied in the book, at its absurd hierarchy and taxpayer-enabled profligacy, at the pointlessness of its frenzied working practices, at the abundance of its committees with their ridiculous names and remits and at its surreal rebranding exercise.We also chuckle at the highly inventive names of the book’s protagonists and gasp in disbelief at the linguistic ineptitude of the organisation’s editorial team and at the ludicrous phraseology used by the mocked bureaucrats in their countless policies, directives, rules, regulations, edicts, decrees, statutes, precepts, schedules, memoranda and the like.

After a breakdown and the loss of her job, Mattie moves into a house inherited from an aunt she never knew existed, hoping to find peace and stability. But the house holds more than she expected —it has a sitting tenant, and secrets that refuse to stay buried.As Mattie unravels the tangled threads of her family’s past, she discovers the shocking truth about her mother, her birth, and the sister no one ever spoke about. Just as she begins to settle in, an unknown enemy launches a sinister campaign to drive her out of the home she’s grown to love.With her past and present about to collide, can Mattie find the strength to rebuild her life.

The Composition of a Crow is a dark and gripping modern retelling of the Greek myth of Apollo and the crow, where trauma, manipulation, and self-discovery collide.Lora, known only as “little crow” to her nameless captor, has endured years of abuse until she finally reaches her breaking point — and kills him. But freedom remains elusive, as she is haunted by his ghost and forced to confront the psychological scars he left behind.Obsessed with Eleanor, a woman whose strange behaviour echoes her own past, Lora uncovers disturbing parallels, suspecting that Eleanor may be trapped in the same cycle of abuse. Lora’s emotional journey becomes a tense battle as she navigates the line between love and manipulation, empathy and envy — all while grappling with her past and the choices that lie ahead.Blurring the boundaries between reality and the supernatural, The Composition of a Crow takes readers deep into the psyche of a woman fighting to piece her life back together, all the while haunted by the eerie sense that her fate may already be sealed…

What would your life look like if you stopped waiting for permission to live it?In this powerful and practical guide, Lizzie shares her raw, unfiltered journey from approval-addicted people pleaser to a woman who trusts her gut and lives unapologetically. From uprooting her family from an off-grid paradise in Australia to chasing her dreams in the Scottish Highlands, Lizzie reveals how breaking free from society''s rules can transform your life. If you’ve ever felt stuck, doubted yourself, or tied yourself in knots trying to make everyone else happy, this book is your wake-up call. Through relatable stories, actionable exercises, and a no-nonsense approach, you’ll learn to:Let go of the need for approvalSet boundaries without guiltTrust yourself and follow your desiresBuild a life that feels expansive, not restrictiveThis isn’t just a book—it’s a rebellion against the lie that you need to be “enough” for everyone else. The life you want is waiting. Stop seeking validation. Start believing in yourself. Because you don’t need anyone’s approval to live your best life.