It’s 1994, Kurt Cobain has just died, and teenager Alex is spending the summer working in her Aunt’s Bed and Breakfast in rural Argyll. The village pace of life is slow compared to home in Edinburgh and Alex resigns herself to a quiet summer spent serving breakfasts and making beds. Everything changes however once she meets the twin brothers who live next door.
Spanning the next fifteen years of Alex’s life, Fade Into You is a love letter to growing up in Scotland in the 90s and 2000s. Set against a backdrop of T in the Park and the war in Iraq, soundtracked by Britpop and Grunge mixtapes, with the sweet taste of tablet, it is a novel about growing up and growing apart. It explores the intensity of childhood friendships, how they change as we get older but how they never really leave us.
Kings of the Wyld meets Deadpool in this action-packed fantasy adventure set in an Arab-inspired landscape.
Varcade fled to the deserts of Harrah to escape his past as an Educator, a member of an order of zealot warrior-monks that aims to shape the world according to their sacred Teachings by force. Varcade makes his living as a reckless sword-for-hire, caring only about himself, until his self-centered lifestyle is turned on its head when he is contracted to recruit a misfit team of unruly assassins and take out the mighty Bone Lord of Akrab.
But the Bone Lord is aware of the plot and sends her band of Dusters to stop them; individuals who have gained bizarre and lethal magical powers by snorting the pulverised bones of dead gods. Hunted by Educators and Dusters in a city-state where an escalating conflict between the human and demon population threatens to boil over in a civil war, will Varcade and his ragtag crew save Akrab from the cruel Bone Lord, or will they make things even worse?
“The Crew is a rampaging romp of an adventure, as thrilling and hilarious as it is fantastically unique. I loved it.” –Dyrk Ashton, author of The Paternus Trilogy
Before the killing began, Varcade wanted to enjoy a glass of iced milk sweetened with honey. He licked his lips, drumming his fingers on the counter as the bartender poured the drink in a clay cup, then set it before Varcade. “There. Happy now?”
Varcade flipped a copper coin to the woman. “You bet,” he said with a smile before downing it in one swig. He exhaled and wiped the milk from his upper lip. “Alright, with that out of the way, it’s time for me to kill a guy. I’m looking for someone by the name of—”
“You what?” the bartender interrupted. “Kill a man? Here?”
“Yup.” Varcade nodded. “That’s the job I’ve been paid for. Why else would I be somewhere like this? No offence, but we’re in the middle of the desert. You couldn’t have chosen a livelier place for your tavern?”
“Are you bloody stupid?” the woman said. “You can’t come to my establishment and tell me you’re gonna kill someone. I’m trying to make a living here.”
“You do you, and I’ll do me. How ‘bout that?” Varcade turned away from the bartender and leapt on the nearest table, knocking over their drinks and food to the dismay of the patrons sitting around it. Now he had everyone’s attention. Behind him, he heard the bartender shouting something about guards.
“I’m looking for a guy calling himself Frying Pan Pete,” Varcade said. “I’ve been told he likes coming here. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll be gone before you know it.”
The man seated by the table tugged on Varcade’s leg. “You really don’t wanna be messin’ with Frying Pan Pete, man,” he whispered. “Trust me.”
Astronauts are dying on the first crewed mission to Mars. Is it bad luck, or something far more sinister?
An international mission to search for life on Mars meets heated opposition from the religious right in the USA. Astronaut Hattie Fredericks’ dreams are realised when she is selected for the voyage, but her presence on the Starship coincides with a series of incidents which threaten to derail the mission.
After a near-miss while landing on Mars, the world watches as Hattie and the crew struggle to survive. But worse than the harsh elements are her suspicions that someone is trying to destroy the mission. After several crew members die, Hattie doesn’t know who to trust. And her only allies are 35 million miles away.
As the tension ratchets up, violence and suspicion invade both worlds.
The Unorthodox Creator: How to Survive and Thrive in the Digital World explores the digital world, anything from social media to Web3. It embarks on a journey taking you from the past to the present to the future. Technology as we know it is evolving at a rapid pace and there are many opportunities that come with this evolution if we’re willing to adapt. Author Derron Payne walks us through the case studies, research, and everyday people that are proving the world is going digital fast and soon it will be hard to succeed without an online presence.
Reading this book, you will discover what it takes to be a digital creator, how to start creating, and how to position yourself for success in the digital world. Entrepreneurs and business executives who are looking for ways for their company to stay ahead of the curve can also gain insight and helpful tips. The Unorthodox Creator is an essential tool for everyone and it will help guide you through this new world.
When Herman the hermit crab gets too big for his shell, he can’t find a new one that feels just right. With his sister, Hiro, he travels up and down the beach in search of a shell he can call home.
They don’t find a shell, but they do find something else – a pile of rubbish left behind on the sand. But can Herman make a home out of any of it?
Far across the sea and hidden by mist, lies a mysterious island. A bizarre place, populated by talking animals, that doesn’t appear in any atlases. A land that somehow continues to change its position on the planet each day, to prevent it from being found by humans. Welcome back to the Island of Animaux!
The five new tales in Monsieur Le Chef pick up where the last ones left off. Aubrey the Turkey continues to get up to his old mischief. In one story he imagines he is a great chef, until Clifford Platypus gets mixed up with preparations for the main course. In another tale Aubrey presents himself as a great explorer, to save poor Walli Hog. The arrival of his sister forces Aubrey to face his lack of bravery. And the three friends come together to play in an exciting football cup final. Other old friends reappear and new creatures, some sinister, are also introduced. Stories packed with fun, silliness, naughty behaviour and happy endings.
Please enjoy the stories. And don’t be afraid to laugh, particularly at Aubrey’s expense. But please, please, please – continue to remember to keep the latest position of the island top secret!
Everything Is Better With Dragons 