Troubador Publishing strana 14 z 16

It’s 1960; Nolwen is growing up in a remote part of West Wales. Her life is not always easy; she is subjected to bullying at school, where she’s given the long-lasting nickname ‘Frankie Gosling’. Against her parents’ wishes, she joins the WRAF at the age of seventeen, where she struggles to face new challenges – personally and professionally. Nolwen’s ability to adapt and persevere is tested again when she is forced into a second career. Her fortunes change for the better with a fulfilling role, the rediscovery of a dormant talent, and the security of love. However, this happiness eventually comes at a cost. In her twilight years, when Nolwen is diagnosed with a condition that affects her mind and memory, she revisits the events of her life. Her courage, grit and determination throughout are evident, and it becomes clear how moments from the past, along with their psychological wounds, have truly shaped her character. Although heartbreaking at times, humour lightens the story, which tells the inspiring journey of one woman from her childhood to beyond, with all the trials and triumphs in between.

Many of us approach dating or a new relationship with what we believe is a fresh and hopeful spirit, not recognizing that we’re also carrying with us the invisible baggage of hidden expectations and ingrained patterns. To truly start anew, we need to first get in touch with the relationship we have with ourselves. Rather than “working” on the relationship, it’s the work we do to understand what’s going on inside us – independent of other people – that can unlock the door to true connection.The heart of this book is a guide to identifying and breaking old patterns. With this fresh approach to dating and even to existing relationships, we can finally see the lighter side of love and find joy in connection.“I have been a marriage and family therapist for almost 50 years and I love this book. It is the perfect resource for people searching for love and happiness in their relationships. Whether you’re still looking for the perfect partner or if you’re in a relationship that has lost its spark this book will touch your heart and leave you hopeful, happy, and on your way to the relationship of your dreams!” - Christine Heath MS, LMFT, MAC,CSAC Published author“Becoming Relationship Ready is an engaging, wise and inspiring story of getting over ourselves to find ourselves. It reflects the struggles of so many clients I have seen over the years. I wished I had this book to share with them. This book is a simple gift for those who think they’ll never find love with the ‘right’ partner.” - Judith A. Sedgeman, EdD Published author, podcast host and Mental Health Mentor

Louise’s tragicomic memoir is set in Belfast at the start of the Troubles, but the madness in the streets is just a backdrop to the chaos she’s experiencing at home. When we meet her in 1969, she’s living with her seven younger brothers, a live in teenage ‘mother’s helper’, her chauvinistic ‘fixer’ father and her deeply religious, golf mad mother. Louise explores with humour, the unique challenge of trying to experience a semi normal teenage life when the IRA (and her mother!) are doing their absolute best to scupper her plans. The complicated nuances of identity in Northern Ireland are illustrated by Louise’s close relationship with her maternal grandmother, who once a proud Ulster Protestant is now happily ensconced in an IRA stronghold. Louise dreams of emigrating to California (or anywhere with a bit of sunshine), where she’ll become a celebrity hairdresser, and no-one will ask what school she went to. But things don’t quite work out like that, and Louise unexpectedly finds herself training to be a teacher. Then, just as things are looking particularly grim, along comes what seems like the perfect opportunity to escape.

Aggie has reached that “certain age” - in her case, a thousand years or so, give or take a decade. After centuries of bringing kings to their knees, running a small-town cafe isn’t how she imagined her life would pan out. Now, thanks to the machinations of the false vegan from across the road, she risks losing even that. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, along comes her old friend, Babs, in her House-on-chicken-legs, ready to ruffle some feathers with her unique blend of borscht, tough love and alcohol. But everybody has a secret - the grocer who hides his loneliness behind a cheery smile, the neighbour crippled by debt and grief, and the young woman who jumps at her shadow - and before Aggie can help anyone else, she has demons of her own to lay to rest. Can she confront her past to save her future? What is the ‘Vegan’ really hiding? Will Babs ever let her have the last word? Raucous, rowdy, and heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measures, Babs and Aggie is a magical tale of love, loss and the comfort of a friendship forged through food, laughter and a LOT of slivovica.

A story that spans five thousand years. Telikus stumbles out of the desert and leads a Stone Age community into an uncertain future. Two brothers, trying to avert the first war, fight with swords and shields reminiscent of Mycenae from Earth’s antiquity. A farmer stands up at an assembly like ancient Athens and starts a revolution. A brother and sister must uncover the secrets of a dead aunt to avert a nuclear war. All the time, a Super Intelligence, dormant on an ancient space relic awaits the first Hominin to enter the bridge… It starts with a naked man walking out of the desert with no memory…

An album of poems that will freshen the spirit, put a smile on a world-weary face and produce that most valuable resource that the human mind and body has - laughter. Open any page and you will find poems which are always quirky, sometimes thought provoking and often very silly. These poems allow the mind to soar high, wide and into colourful unreality and abstract concepts. Within this collection you will find poems which conjure up an Invisible Rat, Tom - a boy who explodes and even a Geometry Party. From an author who just loves embracing the ridiculous and is able to impart a sense of absurdity for pure enjoyment. The text is coupled with visual representations created by Ian Ward. So help yourself to a small portion of the ridiculous and the absurd, but always leave enough appetite to return to these gobble-up verses.

From the age of ten Ian Bloomfield worked as a professional musician, as a pianist, as a French Horn player, and later as an opera singer. From performing with the English National Opera, the Royal Opera House, with Phantom of the Opera and many other notable theatres and companies, Ian fell from favour and found himself busking in Covent Garden flower market and singing in restaurants as a singing waiter. Then for over twenty years Ian sang all over the UK, Europe, India and the middle east as ‘Bodget’ the singing waiter, serenading audiences with his intoxicating mixture of fine singing and abundant humour. ‘Sing for your Supper!’ takes a look behind the scenes at the parties and events where the rich and the famous hedonistically celebrate their wealth and good fortune. But it also takes a peep at the poor, the sick and the dying as they cope with the struggle of their lives and honour those lives with a song.

The adventures of three animal friends who live on the beautiful Isle of Wight. The friends are Pal, a wise border collie dog and the two piglets Patsy and Pickle.It was Pal to the rescue when he found out the piglets were doomed and were going to be made into sausages. Luckily Pal had been told of how they should travel to reach the safe and secret place known as Harmony Haven. After many exciting adventures they arrive at this magical place. There they meet its guardian, the magnificent Oliver Gruffle. Although looking like a large teddy bear, Oliver is in fact an alien being.But what teddy bear has a golden star on his forehead, human looking hands and alien special powers? Well, Oliver has.Surrounded by talking animals and strange beings, the friends love their new home and they love Oliver Gruffle too. Little do they know they are going to have more exciting adventures that will be just MAGICAL.How will Oliver Gruffle react when he finds out a grey squirrel called Sizzle is looking for Harmony Haven. The island is a haven for red squirrels only. So what will happen if Sizzle Squirrel dares to come to the island?Luckily Pal has been told of the way they should travel to reach the safe and secret place known as Harmony Haven.

‘I Didn’t Ask to Be Born’ is filled with personal memories interwoven throughout with historical accounts of royal and aristocratic children’s mismanagement and the repercussions for mental health. There are poignant anecdotes of modern-day children’s dilemmas supported with psychological theories. Focussing on how the complexity of poor mental health resulting from childhood trauma demonstrates the dire impact on society. The concerning limitations of current frameworks are highlighted suggesting that a more holistic approach to mental well-being is needed. This is a candid exploration of personal growth as the intricacies of the human psyche are explored. ‘I Didn’t Ask to Be Born’ is a call to reclaim one’s rightful sense of self helping to foster empathy for the complexity that unites us all.

BOOK THREE OF THE ILLBORN SAGA ONLY ONE CAN CLAIM THE POWER.After the four Illborn have remembered their recurring dream in full, each of them must decide what they are going to do with their newfound knowledge.On the island of Abass, Arion and Leanna must both choose between a return to Angall, and a dangerous journey into the war-torn Holy Land. In Andar, as Allana continues her ascent to power, she begins a deadly game of cat and mouse with Aiduel’s Guards and the Archlaw. And in Bergen, Corin must decide whether he needs to leave his homeland to pursue and to kill the others of his kind.As their powers continue to grow, will fate draw the four together? And if so, are the dire prophecies of the Illborn destined to come true?Gatebound is the thrilling third and penultimate instalment of The Illborn Saga, the acclaimed epic fantasy series by Daniel T. Jackson.

Without stress and trauma there would be no anxiety, depression, addictions or self-harm. There would be fewer infections, cancers, aches and pains. We would not comfort eat, buy things we didn’t need, or self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. We would be satisfied with our lives and content in our relationships. The only lines on our face would be laughter lines. 100% of us experience stress, while 50% of us will also suffer trauma in our lifetime. Stress and trauma have the power to cause or exacerbate 90% of mental and physical illness, so we need to understand how to manage these fundamental issues. Hospitals are full of patients suffering diseases of excess and neglect. But why do so many of us persist in doing things we shouldn’t, or knowingly neglect the things we should? Are we self-soothing to cope, or self-harming because we just don’t care? Are stressful secrets at the root of all ills? This book explains the science of stress and trauma. It includes tools for the reader to measure their levels of stress and trauma and offers suggestions to help them on their way to recovery.

Bereavement is what happens to you; grief is what you feel; mourning is what you do.Dr Wilson was one of the first clinicians to identify and discuss the trauma of bereavement on children and families. He is internationally known for his concept of ‘Whirlpool of Grief and The River of Life’ and ‘Dream Babies’. This book records his experiences having met hundreds of children and families and what he learned from what they told him.The book highlights what children know about death and aims to answer many questions such as, why do children die and what are children’s concepts of what happens when you are dead? “Is God a Mole?” says one child having seen the empty grave in the ground. The book explores the differences between how people grieve. What can friends and family say or do which can be helpful and what is considered unhelpful? How do parents and families react and what does the future hold? Is there anything a bystander can do to make it better and what approach should professionals take?You can’t know what you don’t know – LISTEN.The book is illustrated with drawings portraying how children perceive death.

Read Gracie and Beau’s Time Travelling Adventure to discover some of the fun that children had in the past and the excitement of travelling back in time.When Beau’s Grandpa dies, he has a visit from his friend Gracie. Using Gracie’s magical hat, the two children embark on a time travelling adventure into the past. They arrive at a time when Beau’s Grandpa was a boy. The children are fascinated to see what life was like when their grandparents were young.The adventure is illustrated with colourful pictures from a bygone era, which enhance the child’s perception of travelling back through time. 

“Everything seemed to be working out so well until the other day. It seemed to be the perfect ending to the story, but this Dark Lord… I tell you, Zareg, I’m shaken to the core of my being.” said Hob.In the final instalment of the trilogy, Hob’s crystal awakens disturbing memories in Grezendel, Dragon and Guzzleguts. Challenged by the knowledge of their old promises to Nazgat, Lord of Darkness, and angered by his threat to Alvina and Jimmy, they strive to put things right. Can anyone come through the battle with the Dark Lord unscathed?For those who are, or ever have been nine years old.

Detective Inspector Jo Carter’s latest assignment takes her to the birthplace of her husband, Seb, in Bury, Greater Manchester. She is to lend her expertise in investigating the wave of drug trafficking taking place there, but shortly after joining the team, and two days before Christmas, a local 19-year-old woman, Phoebe Wright, goes missing. She was last seen at night, heading out across the deserted and desolate Holcombe Moor. With no evidence of a crime, but no reason why she should abscond, Jo’s team begin to unravel a complex life behind Phoebe’s apparently normal existence. As the investigation unfolds, Jo receives a series of mysterious texts, each a single numerical digit. But where are these messages coming from? Are they linked to the missing person? And is there a connection to a local legend from a quarter of a millennium ago? When developments take a fatal turn, Jo finds herself in a struggle for control with her hostile second-in-command, Detective Sergeant Andy Mills, whilst wrestling with doubts about the stability of her relationship with Seb. And events will eventually lead her to a terrible truth, and into personal danger.

A vivid imagining of the lives of JANE AUSTEN and her family told in a novel One snowy Christmas Mrs Austen gives birth to her seventh child, Jane. From birth to untimely death Jane’s path to becoming a successful novelist is constantly choked by unpredictable circumstances.War with Napoleonic France, the press of poverty, fashionable Regency, the Romantic urge – all shape the Austens’ lives and fuel Jane’s imagination. Questions of love, feelings, freedom for women are continually thrown up, while she strives to balance family duties with the ups and downs of publishing fortunes A fictional narrative carefully woven from letters, memoirs, biographies, brings to life the world of Jane Austen in its most intimate expression