Marisa

by Peter Cowlam

The book’s central time frame is the 1970s, when Bruce takes over a financial consultancy firm founded by his father, and Marisa inherits property. Love, lust and money are what drive them both, until their relationship meets its first challenge. Bruce retreats further into the world of commerce. Marisa’s interests are social and political. Twenty-five years on from their affair, a chance entry in one of Bruce’s business listings shows that Marisa is now boss of the Rae Agency – a media PR concern. Bruce, as he recollects their tumultuous relationship, is torn between his harmonious family life, and renewing contact with Marisa. Finally, when he does decide on a course of action, he has to face the truth of not having grasped the cultural separation their two different views of the world have wrought over the last quarter century.

Just Deserts

Book 3 in the Hackers thriller series

by L. J. Greatrex

The extraordinary challenges facing our well-established character now known as ‘Bill Pascal’ are all too evident as William Forester seeks to remain invisible to the outside world. A chance encounter leaves him feeling vulnerable once more and he steps up his efforts to discredit and bankrupt the man he holds responsible for the years of struggle he has encountered. Notwithstanding the fortune he has amassed and the now comfortable lifestyle he has carved out, the ever-present doubt that his anonymity will be revealed forces him to take extreme measures to exert the just deserts he has waited so long for.

Who’s Afraid of the Booker Prize?

by Peter Cowlam

Winner of the 2015 Quagga Prize for Literary Fiction. For Alistair Wye, assistant to ‘top’ novelist Marshall Zob, Zob makes just two mistakes. First, he plans a commemorative book celebrating the life and work of his dead mentor, John Andrew Glaze, whose theory of ‘literary time’ is of dubious philosophical pedigree. Second, Zob turns the whole literary world on its head through the size of advance he instructs his agent to negotiate for his latest, and most mediocre novel to date. Secretly Wye keeps a diary of Zob’s professional and private life. Comic, resolute, Wye stalks through its every page, scattering his pearls with an imperious hand, while an unsuspecting Zob ensures perfect conditions for the chronicles satire. Set in the relatively safe remove of London’s beau monde in the early 1990s, Who’s Afraid of the Booker Prize? unremittingly debunks the phenomenon of literary celebrity. The plot revolves round a researcher working through an archive of computer discs, emails and faxes, and his own diary recording his reactions to life in proximity of bookish heavyweight Marshall Zob. It’s a roaring satire, in the best English comedic tradition.

The ECG Workbook

by Angela Rowlands, Andrew Sargent

Now in its THIRD EDITION. Many books on ECG interpretation use simulated ECG tracings. Most of the traces that you find in this book are from real people and of the quality that you will be expected to interpret from in practice. There are two new chapters in this third edition that add greatly to the usefulness of the book. There is now a chapter on Hemiblocks, Bi Fascicular and Tri Fascicular Blocks. Here the reader will see how what seems a complex diagnosis from an ECG is easily mastered by simply putting together two concepts learned in earlier chapters. The other new chapter is on Paced Rhythms to help those looking after patients who have pacemakers fitted as it is recognised that pacemakers may cause confusion when trying to interpret the ECG. Both these new chapters adhere to the principles followed set out the first edition: that the text should be accessible and relevant to all practitioners, regardless of their experience and that the text should always be supported with relevant exercises to reinforce learning. Contents include:Recording a readable electrocardiogram (ECG)The electrical conducting system of the heartA systematic approach to rhythm strip analysisHeart blocksCommon ArrhythmiasEctopics and ExtrasystolesThe 12 lead ECGAxis deviationIschaemia, injury and necrosisSites of infarctionBundle branch blocksChamber enlargementHemiblocks, bifascicular blocks and trifascicular blocksPaced rhythmsA systematic approach to ECG interpretation

Shadow Self

by Paula Marais

No mother is perfect... In jail I have a lot of time to think, and I don't always have control over where my mind wanders. A lot of the time, and despite myself, I think about Clay: how much I loved him, the mistakes I made. So many mistakes! My daughters. My little boy, Joe. But my thoughts aren't always completely clear. I think through gauze, through filters. Being locked away minute after minute, second after second (for that's how slowly time passes) has made me realise that I've spent my whole life in a fog. Some days it's like parting a thick black curtain in front of me, and just when I manage to open it and see a little light, the curtain falls closed again and I'm left in the dark. Most people want to know where this all started, and I sometimes wonder that too. Thea Middleton is behind bars for an unthinkable crime. As she, her husband Clay and eldest daughter Sanusha try to repair their shattered lives, their individual accounts form the pieces of a tragic puzzle that will haunt them forever.

The Punishment

by Paula Marais

A story of love, betrayal and the choices that define who we become. France, 1942 – In a time when friends become enemies and secrets are traded like currency, the forbidden love between a German officer and a young Frenchwoman can only lead to disaster. Against all odds and despite the obvious danger, Cédonie Boineau and Kommandant Kurt Auer get caught up in a romance they find impossible to resist.But as the illicit relationship builds, Cédonie’s ardent admirer and vindictive rival lurk in the shadows, and watch. Thibault Bosc nurses his unrequited love for Cédonie along with his growing hate for the Boche invaders, while Odette de Bary gathers gossip that will change the town forever.And when the war is finally over and truths come to the light, Cédonie is left at the mercy of the town to face her punishment. Author Paula Marais has woven a beautiful tale of the complex loyalties of the human heart and the surprising forms that love can take in war.

The Punishment

by Paula Marais

A story of love, betrayal and the choices that define who we become. France, 1942 – In a time when friends become enemies and secrets are traded like currency, the forbidden love between a German officer and a young Frenchwoman can only lead to disaster. Against all odds and despite the obvious danger, Cédonie Boineau and Kommandant Kurt Auer get caught up in a romance they find impossible to resist.But as the illicit relationship builds, Cédonie’s ardent admirer and vindictive rival lurk in the shadows, and watch. Thibault Bosc nurses his unrequited love for Cédonie along with his growing hate for the Boche invaders, while Odette de Bary gathers gossip that will change the town forever.And when the war is finally over and truths come to the light, Cédonie is left at the mercy of the town to face her punishment. Author Paula Marais has woven a beautiful tale of the complex loyalties of the human heart and the surprising forms that love can take in war.

I'm a Southall Girl

by Shaida Mehrban

"I’m a Southall Girl" is the story of an Indian immigrant family, who arrived in Heathrow, London seeking a new life and a fresh start on Beachcroft Avenue, Southall. These aspirations are common among immigrants but the tragedy that the Nath family is fleeing spans three generations. The dark secret of that tragedy is a closely guarded family matter, but it has to be revealed eventually, and those dreams become shattered, especially as mental health is not understood or easy to accept.

Invisible Scars

by Peter Sykes

Whilst Paul and Kate work alongside each other as doctor and nurse on the surgical ward, strains in their relationship emerge. And when Kate's baby dies and Paul's inexperience costs lives, doubt and despair hang in the air and their marriage appears to be doomed. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Paul saves the life of a critically ill patient and Kate is finally able to bid an emotional farewell to the child she has lost. Will their marriage survive the stresses of their hospital work and their past traumas?

The Bicycle Teacher

by Campbell Jefferys

In the summer of 1981, Michael from Perth meets Kathrin from Berlin. It’s love. It’s East meets West, and East wins. The place where we are born and raised greatly shapes our lives and opinions. To those in the west, life behind the iron curtain was horrible and oppressive. But for the millions who lived there, it was a way of life and they did the best they could. Some are now even nostalgic for it. Ostalgie it’s called in Germany. For Michael Smith, East Germany fills all the gaps in his own life. He’s happy there. He wants to stay. Everything is within his reach. And yes he’s very naïve, and yes he’s ignoring a lot of bad to focus on the good, but ignorance really can be bliss. That is, until the Berlin Wall falls. He’s forced to watch as his beloved East Germans give up their country for the west, for everything he had rejected. By unification in 1990, their country and identity is all but forgotten. It’s then that the lies are discovered, the secrets revealed. How does he continue?

Hunter

A Novel

by Campbell Jefferys

How do you find a way to fit in when you don't really feel you belong? Hunter follows the stories of Eric, a teenage boy, and two men, one a Nazi from Austria and the other a Nazi from northern Germany. Eric has just moved from the country to the coastal town of Crescent Bay and has difficulty adjusting. To earn some money, he begins doing odd jobs for seniors and comes into contact with the two old men. Of Germany descent himself, Eric becomes fascinated by the men and the stories they tell. Are they Nazis? Should he contact the police? He discovers that one of the men has damning evidence against the other and he is forced to choose who to turn over to the police. Set during the Gulf War and with a backdrop of middle class Australian coastal life, Hunter is a coming of age story which poses some interesting questions about nationality, social acceptance, conformity and middle class suburban life in Australia. Winner of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

The Label Maker

by MacKenzie Stilton

Surrounded by people, constantly connected and instantly gratified, yet lost, unsatisfied and alone. Like so many people around him, Joe Solitus is drifting through life, a phone in his hand and a laptop under his arm. A pharmaceuticals salesman in Montreal, he's a normal guy in his late 20s living in the digital age. He works, dates, meets friends, swims, goes to yoga class, talks to his cat and surfs the internet. But a lot of what he does is time-wasting, a filling of a void. There is no search for higher meaning, to find his place in the world, or to come to terms with grief and loss. He's caught up in what he's doing and so is everyone else. There's no time to question anything. With the help of some real-world friends, Joe manages to get outside his comfort zone, first at a tech-free resort, then by going on a digital diet, and finally by starting a movement that goes viral online: Simplicity. He wants to reduce his dependence on technology and get control of his life. But he's not the only one who wants this. What starts as an underground movement quickly goes mainstream. The simplicity truisms, lifted from the statements Joe's father used to make, become the gospel for a disenchanted generation desperate for guidance and definition. Joe's quest to focus on what's important and get control of his life leads him to face truths he had always avoided and to become the person he never wanted to be. Is Joe Solitus the spokesman for the digital generation? Is simplicity the answer?

Dixon Grace

1.9.7 Hamburg

by Alexa Camouro

Dixon's European sojourn goes awry when she's arrested for corporate espionage. She's just an innocent Australian teacher working abroad. Or is she? For Dixon, it's a matter of wrong place, wrong time. The investigating officers are convinced she's stolen the navigation and guidance technology from the plane manufacturer Flussair, and that she's behind the murder of a top-ranking executive. All the evidence points to her, but she insists it's all a misunderstanding. She breaks out of custody in order to prove her innocence. But there are sinister elements at every turn, including a rising Indian corporation called Nayakall, a people-smuggling prostitution ring in Hamburg, a language school up to no good and a boyfriend with a dark secret. Who can Dixon trust? Will she get out of Hamburg alive?

A Little Leg Work

by Royce Leville

When you order a meal in a restaurant, how can you be sure you get what you asked for? Isn't that meat a little pale to be beef? And what tastes like chicken doesn't mean it's actually chicken. The thing is, most diners are completely oblivious as to what goes on in a restaurant's kitchen. They order, eat and pay, with no clue as to where the food has come from. Take the Alfresco Paradiso in A Little Leg Work. When this renowned Italian restaurant turns to a new food source, with surprising and sickening results, it means a plate of meatballs will never be the same again. And while no one knows what the Alfresco's chefs are up to, the public loves it and gobbles it up. A local detective (and weekend gourmet chef) tries to find out just what it is that makes the meatballs so good, while his brother-in-law, a journalist, smells a page one story. Meanwhile, the Alfresco owner becomes a celebrity and all those involved in the restaurant start rolling in the cash, including a butcher, an adventurer and a morgue manager. They all get to tell their own story and have their say because the book is told from numerous points of view. Royce Leville's debut novel pushes the boundaries of taste and the limits of traditional narrative style. Replete with footnotes, multiple narrators, gristly scenes and thousands of satisfied eaters, A Little Leg Work will disgust, intrigue, amuse and offend, and leave you salivating for more.

True Blue Tucker

by Campbell Jefferys

Two men go in search of the real Australia, and find it in a bar in Munich. But what will they do with it now they've found it? Australia. What comes to mind when you see or hear this word? Guys in khaki shorts jumping into crocodile infested waters. Long, white sand beaches. Shrimps on barbecues. Athletes and actors. "Really? Mel Gibson is Australian?" Surfer boys and pin-up girls. Cuddly koalas that aren't really bears. Come on. There has to be more to Australia than that. There is. Much more. True Blue Tucker is the story of Darius and Humphrey, two friends who go looking for the real Australia, a journey that takes them to Australia's north-west, Canada's ski hills, London's damp streets and Munich's bars. Along the way, they learn about themselves, about their country and about what the world thinks of Australians. Ambitiously and misguidedly, they set about changing the stereotype, by opening an Aussie bar in Munich that tells the real history of Australia. It's out with the inflatable crocodiles and in with information about stolen Aboriginal children; out with Paul Hogan and in with Pauline Hanson. And there's convict stew on the menu, and not kangaroo burgers. No other work of fiction tackles the topic of Australian identity, history and society quite like True Blue Tucker. What does it mean to be Australian? Read this book to find out. 'True Blue Tucker' won the bronze in the Australia/New Zealand fiction category of the IPPYs, the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

The Bookshop Hotel

by A. K. Klemm (author)

"The Bookshop Hotel took a deep breath... For so long, the building had longed for heavy hearts to grow light and for weary souls to find laughter." Returning to her hometown of Lily Hollow, AJ Rhys sets out to fulfill her childhood dream of restoring the old hotel on Aspen Court. With nothing but the legacy of her great-grandfather and the help of two dedicated strangers, she begins transforming the once-grand hotel into her ideal refuge. Only after the renovations are in full swing does it become clear that the hotel is having an effect on the town and everyone in it. Memories still haunt both AJ and Lily Hollow, but they begin to release their grip as the hotel binds its patrons together. The first book in a series, The Bookshop Hotel is a story of family, tragedy, forgiveness and the power of books. Join AJ and the residents of a small town where the past is never far away and secrets remain just below the surface.

Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability

Stories from a Small Florida Town in the 1930s

by Susan Adger (author)

In the 1930s, the fictional town of Toad Springs, Florida, is filled with the adventures and daily whatnots of worthy, down-to-earth folk such as Flavey Stroudamore, owner of a three-legged gator named Precious who also just happens to have a birthmark of Jesus on his side. Joining Flavey are Buck Blander, pastor of the Church of Everlasting Liability, who honed his preaching skills in prison but doesn't tell his parishioners, and Sweetie Mooney, whose attempt to run a beauty shop in her aunt's home fails after tragedies with head lice and henna hair dye. This lively, heartwarming collection of tales from the Sunshine State will inspire you to smile!

Chickens & Hens

by Nancy-Gail Burns (author)

When young Marnie unexpectedly loses her father, her grandmother moves into her home to help her mother and all three women must create a new life together---all while Marnie goes through the trials of adolescence in 1960s small-town America. Marnie witnesses unexpected lessons---from the heartwarming to the hilarious---learned by family and townsfolk. She also sees the older women in her life fall in love again. But will Marnie ever find true love herself... or has she missed the most important lesson of all? Find out in this delightful story of three women who will make you laugh, make you cry, and above all, make you proud to be a woman.

A Perilous Passage of Princess Petunia Peasant

A Modern Fairy Tale for All Ages

by Victor Edward Apps (Author)

In THE PERILOUS PASSAGE OF PRINCESS PETUNIA PEASANT, teen activist Pet Peasant has no time for administrative red tape. All she wants is an audience with the high regent. Without changes in the law, her village will suffer. With her best friends, Pet sets off on a journey to the centre of power. But events spiral out of control quickly. Terrifying monsters hunt her. Why? Is there something special about her?

How Angels Die: A Confession

by Guy Blews

If someone you love is suffering from a debilitating illness and wants to end their life and wants you to help them do it (asks you to assist with their suicide), what would you do? “How Angels Die: A Confession” will leave you with a sense of having seen the worst in life, but the best in the human spirit. The World Health Organization states that somebody dies by committing suicide every 40 seconds. Approximately 800,000 people kill themselves every year and suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people aged 15 to 29. “How Angels Die: A Confession”:When the author discovers that the love of his life has a virulent case of Multiple Sclerosis, and that she does not want to endure the suffering any longer, he is forced to consider and enact the unthinkable. Guy Blews opens up the discussion of assisted suicide in a way that encourages the reader to see it as an act of unconditional love. This emotional journey is a tour de force that deftly and courageously allows love to conquer all. “How Angels Die: A Confession” is a love story that will shake you to the core. It will, at its very essence, give you hope and open your heart. Torn between a deep understanding of what she needs and the moral dilemma of what is right, Guy was left with one choice - to support her in everything she did because he loved her more than anything. Book Foreword written by Actor, Director, Producer Randall Batinkoff. Randall Batinkoff does quadruple duty as Director, Producer, Co-Writer and Star of the movie, “37: A Final Promise.” Randall Batinkoff has worked with some of the best actors and directors in the movie industry over the past three decades.