Troubador Publishing strana 5 z 16

It doesn't always pay to return to the golden places of our childhood. At eight years-old, Michael Western was sent to stay on Anglesey while his parents worked out their acrimonious divorce. During that brief holiday, he fell under the spell of 9-year-old Olwen, the favourite child of the little town where she lived. For Michael this was a period when he felt safe and valued. Now, 25 years later, he returns to Anglesey with his wife and quaint daughter Tottie to find Olwen, feeling that a meeting with her will bless Tottie's childhood just as his own was blessed. On arriving on Anglesey, Michael makes a shocking discovery and realises that none of the adults he knew as a child can be trusted. He has a mystery to solve.

Psssst... Come and meet the Hawkins family... There''s Harry 8 years old, the eldest of the children who does the smelliest of farts. Then there''s Ben 6, who likes to mend things, taking them apart, then has trouble putting them back together. What about Ruby 5, the only girl in the family who just talks and talks and TALKS. The baby of the bunch is Jonny aged 3, who lives for his trains (choo choo!). And not forgetting Dad, who singlehandedly brings the children up, ensuring that they look out for each other, as their individual characters and personalities grow within each story. In this story, the whole family—Harry, Ben, Ruby, Jonny, Dad, and grandparents visit the funfair. Each has a favourite ride, but which will they choose first? Is the Helter Skelter too high, or is Cowboy City too wild? Are the Bumpy Cars too fast for the grandparents? Which ride will be the best of all?

Cora Roberts, aged 11 1, lives next door to Dr. Wild, a reclusive inventor, and his sister Joan. Joan has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital. The Roberts and the Wilds households have been in conflict for years. One night, Cora observes Joan feeding the stars in the Wilds'' unkempt garden. Armed with photographic evidence, a belief in the influence of the stars and a desire to become rich and famous, Cora persuades her best friend Sita to help her prepare some bait to capture the stars. At the point at which they manage to trap a jar full, they are disturbed, panic and separate. Cora gets home, but Sita is lost amongst the strange shadows in the Wilds’ garden. Armed with the stars, Cora returns to the garden. In her attempts to find Sita she is thwarted by who she meets. Will Cora ever find her friend again? Reality shapes fantasy, and fantasy impacts reality in this wise tale of hope, friendship, and light versus dark.

5,000 years ago, the people who lived on the north Pembrokeshire coast moved their entire culture, along with as many as 8o 1-to-2 tonne “Bluestones”, 300km across country to the place now known as Stonehenge. Why? In this book you will find an answer – 50 years of archaeological discoveries and forensic science have been assembled into a fascinating story of Stone Age motivation and achievement. They first built a lunar observatory to try and unravel the Moon’s influence on the tides in their fishery, the estuary of the Nevern river, but the observations failed – they had no clear horizon to monitor moonrise bearings. But they knew of a better place in southern England where the chalk Downs inhibited tree growth and had clear horizons. And so, Stonehenge came to be. It is the sum of 5 or 6 different circular constructions, all with the same centre. The builders of Stonehenge 1 defined that centre and made the 110m diameter boundary ditch and, most puzzling to modern investigators, the number 56 of the Aubrey ring of Bluestones. This book gives the answer. The only answer so far that tells us why, at Stonehenge, 56 is 14 times 4.

Society stands on the edge of the next artificial intelligence revolution, but is still struggling with the fallout from the last one. Machines have replaced jobs, unemployed masses cling to universal basic income, and the powerful embrace radical technologies. In this world transformed by AI, but so close to our own, three desperate people uncover a conspiracy that subverts the law, controls the masses, and chains two sisters to a grim future.Beau Abelard is a haunted academic, and a tutor for a technology billionaire’s mysterious grandchildren. Anika Bakshi is a passionate but overconfident lawyer, striving to convince an AI jury that her client is innocent. While Lucas is a charming yet insecure online influencer, hungry for attention, sick of poverty, and conflicted about his feelings for his creative partner. Together they must navigate a deadly Turing test, explore the limits of love and loyalty, and learn what it means to be human.

Richard Graves is a biographer who has now turned the spotlight on his own life and times. Here, the personal experiences of the author are from a very different world, when there was no Internet, no smartphones, and no social media. He details the education, both religious and secular, that he received, and the isolated life that he led at boarding school. Here are described the seaside holidays he went on, the books, poems, newspapers and comics that he read, the wireless programmes and the songs to which he listened, and the television and films that he watched. Here too are such events as the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, the Malayan Emergency, the Suez crisis, the Cyprus Emergency and, with the launch of Sputnik 1, mankind’s first steps into Space. We also glimpse the leading politicians and celebrities of the day such as Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Lady Docker and Marilyn Monroe. Here, in short, is a fascinating portrait of what it was like to live through those times of long-ago.

In this powerful novel the horrific story of sexual abuse of young children by clergy is told through the lives of three main characters: the abuser, Archdeacon and then Bishop Colin; the abused, Jack; and finally the Reverend Katherine who offers hope and redemption to Jack. The circumstances and lives of Colin, Jack and Katherine are individually recounted and how they intertwine with one another develops through the novel. Despite its distressing storyline, the power of hope and love also shows that there is balance in life’s journey. Numerous themes are explored during the story including the role of institutions and the total disregard of the children’s voices and needs by Church, Police and Social Services who all take the importance of the ‘establishment’ to be a more vital aspect than that of the child. In particular it highlights the Church’s disgraceful policy of primarily wishing to preserve its reputation above the care of these vulnerable children.

When the Covid lockdown was imposed in 2020, Bob Ward, having had his boyhood shaped by WWII, foresaw that this would have profound effects upon community life. As an elderly man living in a rural town, there was little he could do, but he felt that this was a time to bear witness to the challenges, from the mundane to the heart-rending. By way of making a commitment to being open to whatever the experience might bring, he began to write short verses, often several on one day. He kept this up for ten weeks to create a mosaic about life under siege by an invisible force. The outcome was not simply a collection of poems, but an historical record to be set alongside other accounts of a period in our country’s life which brought significant social change. By publishing this book, the author seeks to honour all those who succumbed during the pandemic, and also those who accepted the risks of trying to save them.

When Nurse Mary is offered a contract to work in Milingimbi, one of the most beautiful islands in the Top End of Australia, she can’t believe her luck. Leaving behind the peaceful green fields of Ireland, her adventure takes her to the rugged red dirt, forests, beaches and saltwater crocodiles in the Outback. Little does she know, there are many challenges occurring behind the scenes, including missing persons, murders, drugs and dreadful encounters with dangerous native animals, leaving her and her colleague Amanda shocked at what they see each day. Are they ready to confront what’s out there in the huge Northern Territory of Australia?

A family holiday in Cornwall provides lots of fun for George and Beatrice and their dog Archie, especially when they run into a mystery to solve! The children are on holiday with their parents in Trelorna, Cornwall, a beautiful fishing village which is such a break from their home in Crystal Palace, London. Even though they are planning on a normal family holiday with sea swimming, cricket, and stargazing, they run into the middle of mystery when Beatrice does something rather drastic to recover her property in the night. The children end up getting involved with pirates, communists and criminals – but they do manage to enjoy lashings of brilliant food. Archie, and his nose, saves the day…. And is rewarded with a red spotted neckerchief for his efforts.

What if the world isn’t quite what we’ve been taught to believe? In The Quantum Connection, you’re invited on a compelling journey through science, philosophy, mysticism and mind. Drawing on insights from quantum mechanics, psychology, metaphysics and the thought traditions of the East, the author invites the reader to consider the richness of the human experience from a new, more expansive perspective. A primer for anyone searching for a deeper understanding of the human condition, The Quantum Connection challenges the conventional scientific worldview and considers alternative ways in which we might better understand both ourselves and our place in the cosmos. Whether you’re a curious idealist, a middle-aged misanthrope, a spiritual seeker or simply someone who senses that something doesn’t quite add up in the dominant narrative, The Quantum Connection offers a thoughtful examination of the deeper forces at play in our experience of reality. It’s a bridge between East and West, science and spirit, and an invitation to reflect on what it truly means to be alive, to fully exist in the here and now…

Spring 2020 and a fragile yet determined Mandarin duckling emerges into the world. From the nest to Middledown Pond, each step is fraught with danger, as rustles in the underbrush and ripples on the water pose potential threats. Above, a young squirrel tests her instincts, leaping confidently from branch to branch. Below, swans shepherd their cygnets, scanning the shoreline for danger. A wild-eyed dog races across the pond’s edge, scattering waterfowl like leaves in a storm. Summer arrives and the pandemic empties cities and floods the commons. Wildlife, accustomed to human absence, now faces new chaos. Birds of prey adjust their hunts as unfamiliar feet flatten the ground. The woods become both refuge and trap. Autumn calls for mating, and the deer rut begins with hooves pounding and antlers clashing. However, the ritual is disrupted by crowds and phones, causing a proud stag to falter and his harem to scatter, breaking the old order. Winter descends, and the squirrel slows, forming an alliance with crows to adapt to human presence. Foxes evolve rapidly, thriving in urban sprawl, rewriting territory and the rules of success. With the old ways broken, how will the common recover?

When polite arguments between members of an exclusive wine tasting society take on a sinister turn, private detective John Tedesco and wine merchant Jos Elsted find themselves caught up in the fallout. Can they work out how and why an outwardly respectable group of wine experts have turned into murder suspects? As his investigations lead him to the island of Madeira , Tedesco encounters a fellow private detective, Tony Camacho, and an opinionated former royal correspondent called Sir Reggie Challenor, who provide him with some interesting leads. Meanwhile , back in Rhyminster, Jos helps the police as they investigate the backgrounds of the club members, which reveals some real surprises. Can Tedesco and his team, including Barker the border terrier, crack the case before the final tasting?

Melissa fled abroad to escape the trouble she''d caused, feeling very smug at how easily she had managed to disappear. She met and married a local Millionaire knowing that he could well afford to keep her in the style of life she craved. She deceived Gabriel Rankine, gave him nothing except the promise of an heir which she had no intention of keeping! Immediately after she gave birth to her son, who she refused to acknowledge, she left Grand Cayman and returned to the UK. In Bristol, she moved back into her previous flat and promptly made extensive renovation plans and to start a Property Business. She renewed her quest to have her revenge on the James family. This time she was determined to carry her plans through! She hadn''t forgotten Gabriel! He forced her to have that wretched child, she would make him pay dearly for that! Whilst Melissa was plotting and planning, the families in Little Trenchard were expanding their businesses, trying to ignore the ever-present threat of Melissa being close by, their only comfort that she was totally unaware of being watched and tracked. There was no escape; the net was tightening!

Starting Strong: Your First Steps into Animal-Assisted Interventions is a practical, inspiring guide for anyone curious about working alongside animals to support people’s wellbeing. Whether you are a teacher, therapist, youth worker or simply someone drawn to the power of human–animal connection, this book will help you take your first confident steps into the world of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI). Written in a warm, down-to-earth voice by Charlotte Williams, a frontline practitioner and founder of a respected UK-based therapeutic organisation, Starting Strong shares hard-earned insights, case examples and powerful moments of growth, failure and learning. It offers clear guidance on the why, how and what of AAI, from ethical foundations to practical session ideas, without overwhelming jargon or unrealistic promises. This is not a clinical textbook or a feel-good memoir. It is a toolkit for action. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of what AAI really involves, how to get started safely and ethically, and how to reflect, grow and stay grounded as they develop their own approach. If you believe animals have something important to offer in support of human healing and connection, this book will help you turn that belief into practice.

Legends speak of myth and magic passed down through folklore – but not all threats come cloaked in spells. After a long journey, the heroes return – older, wiser, and hoping for peace. But peace is shattered when Uncle Julius reappears. He has no magic, no enchanted staff, no ancient curse. Just a voice as smooth as silk and a smile that hides a thousand lies. With nothing but his words, Julius can twist the truth, turn friends into foes, and bend even the kindest creatures to his will. Now, he’s spreading his influence across the land, determined to control every living being – and to erase the name Tobler from the world forever. As ancient stories awaken and strange forces stir, the heroes must face their most dangerous challenge yet: a battle not of strength, but of trust, courage, and the power to resist a villain who doesn’t need magic to conquer everything. Can they stop him before the name Tobler – and everything it stands for – is lost forever?