Troubador Publishing

1066 is one of the most famous dates in English history, with the Norman Conquest highlighted in the Bayeux Tapestry (due in England for the first time in 2026). But how much do we really know about what is a far more complex story? This book represents a fresh approach to such issues as:? How Athelstan’s England slipped into the disasters of Aethelred and the Danish Conquest of 1016. ? How England and Normandy were linked long before and after Hastings. ? How Edward the Confessor contributed to the Norman Conquest, and what defeat really meant to the English. ? How the Norman inheritance led to Anarchy before Henry II expanded his territory through to the south of France. ? How Henry’s legacy was comprehensively lost by his sons, with England given to the pope and nearly taken over by the French. ? How, out of all this adversity, Magna Carta and an effective parliament emerged, proving England and its people remarkably resilient.

Mystery continues to surround the disappearance of Theo Salter, the unscrupulous estate agent whose car crashed into a Fenland canal while he was on the run as a multiple murder suspect. Several years later, his younger brother arrives in the East Anglian town of Camford to seek the truth. Leo, who until recently knew nothing about Theo, wants to know whether his brother is still alive… and, if possible, meet him. He takes up a job at a local newspaper and encounters a variety of unusual characters, making enquiries about his brother that finds him in several dangerous situations. Will Leo ever meet his brother and discover the truth?

Two women, two dangerous obsessions, one tangled web of love, longing, and lies. When newly retired teacher Taryn stumbles into the seductive world of the Argentine tango, the unexpected reappearance of her charismatic ex, Marc, threatens to unravel the stable life she’s built with steady, dependable Neil. As she spirals between exhilaration and self-destructive temptation, Taryn risks repeating the very mistakes she once swore she’d left behind. Down the road, Rachel – clever, impulsive, and half Taryn’s age – is trapped in an affair with a married man she calls “Sam”. She knows he’s wrong for her. She knows the relationship is doomed, but Rachel can’t tear herself away. When Taryn, determined to save her from heartbreak, draws her into the tango scene, a truth erupts that leaves both of them reeling. With their lives suddenly entwined, Taryn and Rachel must confront the illusions that have kept them captive: illusions about love, about themselves and about the people they’ve placed on pedestals.

Alexandra Darcy Hebden-Dent – but she prefers Alex – is an ordinary teenage girl living an ordinary life. Until one day, everything changes. One of Alex’s favourite people is her Grandad, but he is an ailing old man. When he sets her off on a secret treasure hunt around the ancient city of York, Alex suddenly finds herself in a murky world of ancient organisations, where a battle between predators and protectors is unfolding. She must unravel the secret code and decipher the clues before it’s too late! But in a world of double-agents and power-hungry factions, even those people closest to her are not what they seem. Who can Alex trust? As she struggles to overcome her own challenges to fulfil the final goal of the quest, she unearths hidden family secrets. In the race to discover the most dangerous of secrets, who will be the victor? And, if Alex fails in her quest, will it be the end of it all? Follow Alex on a thrilling adventure through hidden historical sites where murder and mayhem rule!

Emma Johnson has been shortlisted for the post of Southwest Young Poet Laureate for 2026/2027Family memories, growing up, getting old, the Troubles, quirky personalities, Covid, cancer, 9/11, Mr Trump, friendship, loss, love, the pangolin, a toad and even the humble potato find a place in this grandfather–granddaughter collaboration of prose and poetry. Sixty-five years between them but a special bond brought about by a shared passion for writing. Emma’s award-winning successes have given her the confidence and desire to continue her writing. Despite her other school commitments, rarely a day goes by without her putting words on a page. She is currently working on a fantasy novel.

Odile, a French woman living in Edinburgh, may be getting older, but she refuses to fade away or conform to what is expected of her. Like her friends, old and new, Odile is a testament that mature women acquire their strength through the struggles of life. After all that experience, sacrifice, rage even, she is determined to remain relevant. She intends to live her precious life to the full and very much on her terms. Odile has worked hard at leaving her past behind. With time, she has forged her own path and raised her daughter, Rowan, singlehandedly, against the odds. Yet, the past has a habit of resurfacing, no matter what. Besides, what she calls her past belongs to her daughter too, and it is Rowan who will put Odile to the test. Is Odile really the woman she thinks she is? Can she find her way of making things right and discover her own way of ageing well? Her quest begins.

This story is a psychological excavation, a deep dive into guilt and fear, and the crushing weight of trying to survive our mortality. It proposes man has to descend before he can ascend from his worldly experience and overcome death. The story also offers something else unsettling: a journey into the mind of a man unravelling under the pressure of his own ideas, beliefs and shedding everything he imagines he knows. Will this story offer you the ultimate release from all sufferin? t doesn’t offer sympathy; it offers a mirror. And crucially whether redemption from the human condition is possible. It invites you to consider you have suffered enough, that is why you are reading this. Welcome, you have answered the Call. For a moment let’s return to the self you imagine you are; you feel trapped inside fear, which is largely unconscious, and often becomes overwhelming. Perhaps the pain seems inevitable for an open deep heart, such as the dread of being lost, alone or anonymous. In short you are exhausted by the pretence. The story is intended to navigate you to the truth of who you are. The more predisposed you are to your sense of self, the more resistance you will have in accepting the content. Read it slowly. Let it provoke you. Because we need one another.

While out exploring on his bike, twelve-year-old Joey Jenkins discovers the ruins of a school and a remote old schoolhouse. There he meets and flees from Nora Carter, in her youth a glamorous pin-up star of the variety theatre called Naughty Ninky, now a battling old lady with dyed hair, a wide vocabulary of swear words and a warm heart, breaking out into her old music-hall songs at any opportunity. They become friends. Nora shares her rambling old house with four ghosts aged seventeen to seventy who befriend Joey and support him in some very alarming adventures and his burning ambition to become an actor. Nightmare Castle, a scary mystery play, features largely in the story. Joey has a loving family and one close friend, Leo, a stocky red-haired boy forever getting into fights. But soon Joey must confront more dangerous characters, including a teenage gang leader, Boris, a man-mountain ex-wrestler obsessed with knitting, and violent criminals with plans to force Nora from her house, destroy protected wildlife and smash the surrounding wood to open a quarry. Even more frightening, on a stormy winter’s night, are the massed ghosts of plague victims buried nearby who do not wish their bones to be disturbed.

The characters in this book – their lives, circumstances, and surprising connections – are as wide-ranging as could be imagined. Woven throughout are threads linking Laugharne, coalminers, music, railways, Church Gresley and more. The book reflects on the Theophilus family but it is not a growing of family trees: scattered twigs can be found but establishing genetic lines is not the focus. George Orwell was not related to ‘Uncle Bill’, and whether Dylan Thomas had familial links does not lessen the influence his work had on the family. Elsewhere, the book explores how complementary occupations shaped lives, from the shipbuilding Garlicks to the ceramic-manufacturing Poulsons. Richly researched, it offers surprising new facts, fresh angles on familiar stories, and glimpses into the context that makes history come alive. Illustrations are as varied as are the glimpses into social, economic and cultural history.

It is the 1640s and the turbulent times of the English Civil War can be felt across England. Gideon is a frustrated woodturner and would-be actor, who believes nothing is more important than the theatre. Unfortunately, Puritans have recently closed all the theatres in London. The chief instigators of these actions are his father, Eli, and brother, Matthew. Gideon's ultimate goal is to restore the Globe Theatre to its former glory. Having left his previous work, he now acts on "the stage of life", assuming various characters as he travels between Parliamentarian London and Royalist Oxford to act before the King, who has set up his headquarters there. Each adventure will be a different act in the play Gideon intends to write and perform once the Globe is restored. On the road to Oxford, Gideon is waylaid by Parliament's most feared soldier, Colonel Mordet, who promises him that if he assassinates a main funder to the King, Mordet will have the Globe restored. Things become more complicated still when he meets Molly, a political radical, with whom he falls in love, but who will use him for her own ends. Theatrecy is a hilarious black comedy set in the dark days of the English Civil War. It is a cocktail of romance, unrequited love, murder and espionage, all heavily laced with dark humour, and a vivid and original portrayal of an extraordinary time.

MY YEAR OF GERIATRIC PAINTING is about the author’s 12 months of painting as a hobby, starting at 85 in 2024 and ending at 86 in 2025, as well as his thoughts and feelings that this generated. But it is even more about old age in general and how it can be one of the greatest periods in a person’s life. The word ‘geriatric’ in the title is used very much tongue-in-cheek. Paul asserts that old age, apart from the inevitable, can be full, eventful, and extremely interesting. And that is true even if you haven’t lived in Mexico since you were 26 years old like he has, and since your 80th birthday written six books like him, and also recently visited several countries, including Britain (Paul’s country of birth and youth), Spain (where he met his wife of 60 years in 1963), and Cuba (twice, first with his 21-year-old grandson and then with his daughter, that grandson’s mother). This book contains both physical and mental adventure within it, as well as amateur art and everyday ‘geriatric’ life.

Unlock a New Way to See the World. Sense there''s more to travel than meets the eye? Connection: A Travel Guide is your passport to the hidden layers and human stories in every destination – including your own home. Social anthropologist Dr Jonathan Newman shares 12 key pathways to connect with the lives of others and gain a deeper understanding of different points of view.Why do tourists visit ancient cities? Are military arms fairs better holiday destinations? What’s the relationship between a traveller and their luggage? Are people strange because of their hats? Can dogs teach humans to smell the world? Who drinks in bad pubs?This unique guidebook suggests hundreds of places to visit, which are rarely revealed by other travel books, and offers over 200 insightful questions to improve your conversations around the globe. Each short chapter shares new insights and practical steps to make your next trip an adventure. Embrace a form of travel that transforms your understanding of the world and your place within it. Connection: A Travel Guide invites you on a journey of profound discovery, one unexpected encounter at a time. For life’s explorers, it’s the perfect ticket.

An ancient treasure, the Mercurial Mask, has been stolen from the British Museum. Richard Templar is charged with recovering the stolen mask. His mission is to reunite Margaritta Bonaparte with her elusive husband, the infamous thief, Jean Petize, who in return will reveal the whereabouts of the Mercurial Mask. From a Greek island prison to the deserts of Egypt, Richard faces rogues, mercenaries and madmen. On his quest, he is accompanied by Tannie Annie, an ex-soldier, Lans, the Australian barman, and Geoff, an ex-intelligence officer, as well as Jean and his wife Margaritta. With these unlikely allies at his side, he battles towards a final explosive confrontation with General Pretorious on the South Downs of Southern England.

In early medieval Poland, Iwa has never known life beyond the forest. She is part of the Bison Grass Clan, a group of hunter gatherers who follow the herds through the forest. Yet there is something in her blood that sets her apart. Her mother was not of the clan – a woman who was born in the far-off lands of the Polish lords that lie beyond the forest. She died giving birth to Iwa and there have always been rumours surrounding her birth, of strange magic and pacts with the dark forces of the world. When warriors from the Polish lands invade, seeking to carve a kingdom in the forest, Iwa’s world collapses. But their ambition awakens something ancient – an old power that should have remained buried. Shadows lengthen, the dead stir, and a banished sorcerer calls from beyond the veil. To save the forest – and herself – Iwa must confront the truth of her lineage and the dark legacy it carries. Between the fall of the old world and the birth of the new, she must decide what she will become: protector, destroyer... or the spark that consumes everything.

In World War Two Rhiannon is still a servant in a boarding school, but determined to get ahead, studies in every spare moment for the RSA exams leaving time only for her other passion – Girl Guides. She makes a wireless with her Guide friends and picks up a strange coded signal. Is it kids mucking around? Criminals? Or even Nazi agents? Then some other working class girls – Alice and Josie - get scholarships to the school so Rhiannon must cope with her jealousy. But it isn’t all jam for Alice, one of the scholarship girls, as she struggles with a stammer. She is brutally teased and runs away. Then one of Alice’s tormentors loses her beloved horse and Alice finds it. Rhiannon is on a Guide trek, hears the call for help and goes to help. A love of horses brings the girls together so they start to make friends. At the same time some of Rhiannon’s fellow domestics make it difficult for her to study as if the hours she has to spend cleaning and doing kitchen work weren’t enough. Then there’s a possibility of a new opportunity for Rhiannon to work in a factory with day release classes. Should she take it or is the teaching she gets at the school better?

Sir Jameson. Commander Adams. Bill. The Mate. You won’t have heard of him – yet, in those curious ways history has of connecting us all, chances are you have benefited in some way from the remarkable things he did in his extraordinary life. To tell the story of Jameson Adams is to tell the story of twentieth-century Britain – adventure and exploration, politics and war, poverty and opportunity, employment and health. After running away to sea as a teenager, he worked his way up through the Navy to play a pivotal role in defending the British coast. In 1907, he was chosen by Shackleton himself to be the Nimrod Expedition’s second-in-command, venturing further into the Antarctic than anyone had gone before. Prime Minister Lloyd George personally selected Adams to transform the struggling Munitions Department during the First World War, while his 25-year career with the Ministry of Labour alongside Churchill and Beveridge laid the foundations for the Welfare State. This is a story of adventure and adversity; of courage, care and compassion; of the belief in a better future for everyone – and of always believing in humanity and hope