Biography/Memoirs

The true story of a Jewish refugee boy, Erich, who arrived in this country from Nazi-occupied Europe three days before the start of the war. He was just four years-old and would never see his parents again.

His earliest memories are of the tiny room he slept in off the bedroom of the couple he called ‘mutti’ and ‘fater’. But who were the Kreibichs, his foster parents? Traumatised by the separation from his birth family he blocks out, from then to now, all memory of his life before, even failing to recognise his eldest brother when he turns up years later.

Erich must come to terms with the realisation that the Kreibichs are not his real parents, to learn of his past, his family and how he came on the Kindertransport.

The book follows his unusual journey from orphan refugee boy to man, and from Vienna to Buckingham Palace!

Author Sir Erich Reich was a victim of Nazi persecution. Arriving in the UK as a four-year-old boy, he grew up in Surrey. He has spent many years in the travel industry and in 2008, Reich was recognised with an outstanding contribution award at the Professional Fundraising Awards.

He was knighted for his charitable contributions in the 2010 New Year Honours.

Reich is currently married to Linda Haase and has five grown children from previous marriages.

Author Ian Paul Lomax regards himself as an ordinary man but in truth, he is an extraordinary man.

His first book, For the Love of Christopher: A Father’s Tale, required him to bare his soul to write about the heart-breaking consequences of having his child kidnapped while on holiday in Greece.

This book, The House on the Hill, requires an even greater degree of bravery. He tells of a childhood in 20th century England where poverty and deprivation were the norm and far worse, he tells us of the violence he experienced from a drunken, gambler father, from being a toddler right up to his mid-teens.

This upbringing made him, against his own nature, into a violent troubled youth and but for the one shining star in his life, his mother, there can be no doubt that his adult life would have been a series of catastrophes, culminating in a life of crime.

This book does not make comfortable reading but the amazing strength of his mother and her love for him made Ian’s story into one of which he can be justifiably proud.

For most twenty-one-year-olds, being sent to work as a rep in Ibiza for the summer would be a dream job. I, however, was devastated by the news.

I was a teetotal virgin recovering from an eating disorder, with an active dislike for socialising. I didn’t want to go, but I needed to go to Ibiza. I needed to escape the monotony of life back home: my recent illness, my tedious job, the mundane routine. I took the plunge, accepted my new role, embraced the challenge and moved there.

Living in a quiet village away from the notorious bright lights of San Antonio, I saw a different side to the island and I fell in love with its serenity and air of acceptance almost immediately. In return, it loved me back and from day one, the beautiful island cast its spell on me, helping me to rediscover the confident, happy girl I used to be.

My four months spent living in Ibiza were the best, the worst, the most testing, rewarding, heart-warming, eye opening and liberating of my life. The only way I could fathom the craziness going on around me on a daily basis was to keep a journal.

I never imagined I would be sharing it with the world, but here it is; an insight into my thoughts, feelings and all of the weird and wonderful occurrences that went on during a season on the party island. It is all here, from the time I went on a date and was given a watermelon as a ‘present,’ to the day a guest ‘broke wind’ in the face of our receptionist…

Beautifully honest and wickedly funny, Lucy on Leave is not your typical journal about illness and recovery. It is certainly not for the faint-hearted either, but not for the reasons that the reader might expect.

For those who are going through, or have been through, similar experiences with cancer, this book might be cathartic and even helpful, but mostly delightfully funny.

For those who are not, this book, which can be read as a whole or enjoyed as a series of short essays, goes far beyond the subject of Lucy’s illness to muse on the ups and downs of motherhood, marriage, childhood and Yorkshire life.

If you want to know what the game ‘butt waves’ entails or how to play ‘I demand the Diamond!’ Or why Wakefield, West Yorkshire, beats Paris for culture, hands down, or even what happened when Lucy forgot to wear any underwear to school, you will have to buy this book to find out.

Most holiday romances have no conclusion good or bad. Just a few lead to fairy-tale weddings and ‘happy ever after.’

Author Ian Paul Lomax went to Corfu and fell in love with a Greek girl called Helen. They married in England and had a lovely little boy called Christopher. Blissfully unaware that his mother-in-law had plotted with his wife to abduct his son while on a trip to Greece, Ian found himself alone and broken-hearted in a strange country.

This book tells the true story of Ian’s struggle through the Greek courts to recover his father’s rights to be part of the life of his son.

Ian Lomax has shared the story of his personal struggle discussing the pains of parental alienation and international child abduction.

For the Love of Christopher shows the depth of a father’s love and his uphill fight to simply be in his son’s life where international borders add to the complexity of family court litigation.

Were you an abused child?

Did you ever think of running away and joining the French Foreign legion?

Were you ever a gang member and a football hooligan?

Did you ever have your child abducted and your marriage in ruins?

Did you ever contemplate suicide?

All of these things happened to author Ian Paul Lomax and they are related in painful detail within this, his autobiography Return from the Abyss (sequel to his first book, For the Love of Christopher).

His story is also the story of a tortured child and young man growing up in a large industrial town in Greater Manchester in the second half of the twentieth century. This is a story not to be missed.

The name Cliff Slade will be instantly recognised as a frequent and indefatigable correspondent to the Letters to the Editor columns. This book is written in the first person, as being most appropriate for someone who is speaking directly to his audience. This is a very personal journey in letters.

It is touching and different insofar as it provides detailed insight into the life and mind of a man, the author, his relationships with his family and his take on local society, business, and politics. This is accomplished through the sharing of letters, only some of which have previously been published.

However, this is not just a book of letters, along the lines of ‘The Times Great Letters’ as there is depth, emotion, pain, laughter, joy, sadness, and a progressive personal and emotional journey of accomplishment and enlightenment.

Each correspondence is introduced, and most have accompanying explanations and information about the background and reason for each of the letters that have been included. Beginning with what motivated his writing, he reflects on his upbringing by delving into his childhood and the reasons that explain why he finds it easier to communicate through the written word, rather than verbally.

An excellent sense of humour is clearly evident in the self-depreciatory letters written to the paper under a pseudonym and in his letters to himself. The account of when the author met his wife and their marriage, ups and downs and all, along with his thoughts about life as a parent and his children, is very touching in its openness and honesty. He doesn’t claim celebrity status and claims to be from an ordinary walk of life.

In this remarkable book, Cliff shares his life and part of himself with the audience with a great deal of emotion. With an auto-biographical narrative, we are regularly moved from tears to amusement and back again.

The story of how Mike Newlin and his team brought laughter and pleasure to business guests all over the country by providing them with the best of sporting personalities as speakers at these eagerly awaited events.

Mike estimates that his company must have provided a welcome break from the pressures of corporate life to over a million hungry executives.

The chapters of this book read like the Who’s Who of British sporting and entertainment life over the last three decades and the stories he relates will have you smiling and chuckling as you enjoy them.

Author and entrepreneur, Mike Newlin’s story began in Manchester in the early 1980’s. The City was alive with a vibrant business community and that mixed with a sporting heritage that is second to none. It provided the inspiration for what became MBN Promotions who entertained over a million guests, until Mike sold the organisation in 2006.

The baby boomer generation and many others will enjoy cherished memories of such heroes as, Sir Stanley Matthews, George Best, Sir Henry Cooper and Freddie Trueman OBE. Add great speakers like Gordon ‘Broon from Troon’ Brown, Wilf McGuinness, Jack Blanchflower, Jack Charlton, Willie John McBride, Geoff Miller, David Lloyd and many more.

A brave and courageous portrayal of how one family suffered but ultimately, survived the abusive behaviours of a psychopathic father.

Starting with a definition of a psychopath, the author then relates the details of how his father unleashed a constant barrage of confusing, frustrating, painful abusive treatment on the family. The author, his mother and siblings endured this suffering on a daily basis, over many years.

The way that the author’s mother fought to deal with this ongoing, cruel and spiteful behaviour while protecting herself and her children is a central theme of the book.

This is a deeply troubling story of abuse but ultimately, the way the author, his siblings and his mother coped and survived the torments of their father, moving on to live normal and fruitful lives is an inspiration for anyone who has experienced abuse in the past or in their current circumstances.

Call Yourself a Father? can provide a beacon of light for the sufferers of abuse and hopefully, a way forward to deal with the destructive effects of psychopathic behaviour.

A memoir about the life of the late Philip Stevens, fireman turned educationalist and academic.

After seven years as a London firefighter, the author qualified to teach after studying for a BA (Hons) at Liverpool University as a mature student. Later, Philip Stevens gained a PhD at UCL/IOE and enjoyed a long and successful career in education at senior levels in both schools and in adult education.

In retirement, Stevens published his first book in 2010, Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch (Apex) which sold in hardback and was reprinted in paperback. In 2014, he followed this with an acclaimed biography, John Lyall: A Life in Football (Apex) in hardback, paperback and kindle, about the legendary West Ham United manager.

In 2015, Stevens wrote an academic book, Rita and Gerald: Adult learning in Britain today (UCL/IOE) in paperback and kindle which received excellent reviews and made an impact on the sector.

Back to sport, in 2017, Stevens published Budge Rogers: A Rugby Life (Pitch) in hardback. This book was an authorised biography of a true legend of the sport and raised £3,500 for the RFU’s Injured Player Fund.

The author was a very good footballer, a lifelong fan of West Ham United and Essex C.C.C., loved music and enjoyed playing golf and walking his black Labrador.

Sadly, Philip Stevens died in 2019 at the age of seventy-two.

Working within the funeral business is not what most people would expect. ‘Tradition,’ ‘Care,’ ‘Respect,’ are words that we would normally associate with funeral companies.

One man who knows, better than most, what really goes on, is author Brian Woodworth. He started his career in Salford back in 1985 and has now penned this account of his working life.

He goes into great detail to describe his journey through the last thirty odd years. From humorous stories to tragic deaths, the book encompasses his dealings with clergy, morticians, other funeral staff, gangsters, murderers and people bereft of common sense. It’s all here.

Wooden Overcoat throws a bright light on the shadowy world of those whose business is death. Some of the stories will make you laugh; some will make you cry, and some will certainly shock you.

The final message from the author is: ‘Do today what you were planning to do tomorrow – as tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Health is wealth.’

Born in 1968, Brian Woodworth began his career in funerals in 1985. In 1987 he married Pauline. They have four children and today live on the outskirts of Leigh, in Greater Manchester. Brian dedicates this book to all those who never got to live their dreams and to all those who never got to say goodbye.

This is the story of a Yorkshire lad, who, aged three, was taken to live in South Africa. A rapscallion, or worse, Peter Conway came to the attention of the Johannesburg police and then, the South African Defence Force. As Peter’s scrapes escalated, he was shrewdly manipulated into serving, first the Apartheid South African Government and then, following Nelson Mandela’s assumption of the Presidency, the new masters of this achingly beautiful land.

Intelligence officer, infantryman in the Bush War in Angola, Hells Angel, brothel keeper, drug smuggler and mercenary, Peter was all these and more.

In 2004, together with Simon Mann, Mark Thatcher and others, Peter participated in the Wonga Coup, the failed attempt to overthrow the Government of Equatorial Guinea.

Finally, the venality and cynicism of modern South African governance became too much and in 2012, aged forty-six, Peter abandoned the land of his dreams to live in England and write this memoir.

Thy Will be Done discloses a frighteningly violent dysfunctionality, bordering upon anarchy, both in present-day South Africa and elsewhere in that continent. It is no read for the faint-hearted, but for those interested in one of the fastest growing and yet most dangerous parts of our world, it’s a must.

Sadly, author Peter Conway died recently at the age of 52.

Author Barbara O’Donnell has created a series of charming poems that tell the story of her late mother’s descent into the almost non-existent life of someone cursed by the Alzheimer’s Disease. There is humour and anguish here in equal portion and there can be no doubt that to read these verses will help to increase the readers knowledge of the terrible progression of this disease.

After her mother’s Alzheimer’s was diagnosed, she decided to move to a house with a granny flat. This she recreated to look like her mother’s bungalow; of some comfort to her, until the disease reached its ultimate conclusion.

With the experiences of her son Andy, Barbara teaches work-based qualifications to staff members at Scenario Management which she formed in 1997 to support people with profound learning disabilities, challenging behaviour and autism. She also lectures at Lancaster University on the Positive Stories days.

Apart from Andy, Barbara has three other children.

Barbara O’Donnell has also written Andy and Me, the story of her son, published by i2i Publishing.

An inspiring story about a fascinating life.

Born in South East England, author Linda Durman discovered that she was adopted. Growing up in a strained family environment at a time when tomboys were frowned upon, her determination to flourish owed much to the love and guidance of her grandparents.

Moving into adult life, the author trained, qualified and worked as a GP and then in Public Health. Along the way, she dealt with a range of serious challenges in a turbulent life: misogyny in the medical profession, broken marriages, living abroad in a dangerous environment, domestic abuse, the challenges of retraining for a new career, family bereavement, the stresses of reconnecting with her original family and the inevitable effects on her mental health, including depression and alcoholism.

In this book, she collects together the stories of how she found the strength to face each challenge and move forward, a stronger and wiser woman.

In retirement, Linda Durman continues to keep learning and to take on new challenges and skills while enjoying time with her large family.

Who Said Life Should Be Easy? tells all these amazing stories of challenge, crisis and opportunity and how she dealt with them showing resilience, perseverance and fortitude, all written in a no-nonsense approach which reflects the women she is.

An informative, thought-provoking and uplifting book, for those people suffering from heart conditions, but also for anyone who has ever questioned what life is really about.

After experiencing open heart surgery, author Chris Hillman became obsessed with a need to know what had happened to him in the lost six hours that he had spent in the operating theatre.

Helped by his Consultant, Mr Amal Bose, the author then went on a journey of discovery to explore the amazing inspirational real-life stories patients and world-class health professionals at the Lancashire Cardiac Centre had been on.

Using intimate personal interviews with Consultants, staff and patients, the author seeks to demonstrate that serious heart surgery can be a positive life-changing experience, giving patients a ‘Second Life’, providing a fresh appreciation of life and the new opportunities that come with it.

This Old Heart of Mine will make readers think about their health and about life and through a series of Reader Questions, the author is keen to receive feedback about reader views and experiences on their own life journeys.

Chris Hillman is a former management training consultant who now lives in Cumbria.

After years of successful but hard work within the UK security industry, Martyn Jones had run out of steam. Then a phone call came that changed everything. Head-hunted by a former Company Sergeant Major from the Royal Marines, Jones made the decision to become part of the personal security detail of the ruler of Haiti.

President Aristide, his First Lady Mildred and their two daughters, code named Dancer and Prancer were all under constant, deadly threat from the dark and elusive forces of Papa Doc Duvalier’s former establishment and remnants of the disbanded Haitian Defence Force. Jones was one of eleven determined men who stood between those that could launch deadly attacks on Aristide and his family at any time.

There was always something disturbing about the Voodoo nights in Haiti, best described as ‘gunshots, screams and drums in the night.’ Martyn Jones communicates this fascinating but frightening world, sharing his personal thoughts through a number of highly dangerous and frightening adventures.

Voodoo Nation is also the story of one man’s life reflections through various ups and downs while always dealing with the urge he felt throughout, to follow his spirit and go out into the world in search of adventure.

Born in East London to a single mother in the middle of World War Two, author Martyn Jones, was sent as an eleven-year-old, to Kennylands Park boarding school. He spent four very happy and fruitful years there and later, as a young man, became immersed in a very different world.

Following some false starts, he gained unlimited experience over decades in every aspect of private security. This gave him the capacity to deal with extremely violent situations but also, to manage delicate and emotional events with sensitivity and empathy.

Martyn was a former bodyguard to a third world nation’s president, his wife and their children; close protection officer in a Middle East war zone protecting senior NGO’s, engineers and senior corporate management in remote and high-threat regions. Currently, he is an ambulance driver with a dedicated team of clinicians, stabilising and transporting dangerously ill children to regional Centres of Excellence.

He is now looking forward to becoming a full-time writer.

Author Peter Barker spent his early years in Kent where his childhood memories included watching ‘dog-fights’ between the RAF and Hitler’s Luftwaffe. It was not surprising, therefore, that in 1948, he joined the RAF and in 1951, became a Junior Technician.

In the following years, he distinguished himself in most of the major conflagrations of the time including Malaysia and Suez. In 1955 he was awarded the British Empire Medal.

After leaving the service he joined the British Aircraft Company in Preston and for the rest of his working life was involved in conversion and refurbishment of various marks of Canberra aircraft.

Peter’s story is the history of the aeronautical industry throughout the second half of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of someone intimately involved.

It is a fascinating read on every level.

An inspiring story about the author’s battle with cancer and the significant impacts of that experience on her family.

After a diagnosis of leukaemia at the age of eight, author Samantha Wilson went through a terrible journey of pain and suffering into her teenage years. Told that their child had weeks to live, her parents, Bernard and Kathleen didn’t give up. Turning to herbal medicine, they sought help from a well-known local herbalist, Mr Abbott and gradually, Samantha recovered.

The book tells the story of how Samantha and her family dealt with the shock of the diagnosis and then, through relentless caring and support, helped her to survive. Step by step, Samantha began to live a normal life. Nonetheless, as well as a bout of meningitis, Samantha suffered bullying at the hands of both the children in her community and fierce objections from the authorities who tried to block her parents’ efforts to care for her outside the official system.

After surviving a court case and media scrutiny, somehow, Samantha grew into adulthood and made a life for herself. But there were scars which remained affecting her own wellbeing, her parents’ marriage and her older brother who had been so supportive in helping her to stay alive. Years later, Samantha was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and experienced a period of time suffering with mental health issues. She also had to help her family through difficult times and traumatic experiences.

Reluctant Rebels: My Family’s Fight for Survival is a story that will give readers hope. At the time of her leukaemia diagnosis, most children suffering with the condition did not survive. With her family’s support and the help of complementary medicine, Samantha pulled through, an example of alternative therapy and what it can achieve. She faced all of these challenges with a firm commitment to stay positive and do what had to be done.

Author Samantha Wilson went on to achieve an BSc in Complementary Medicine at Salford University and a PGDE at the University of Bolton. She is the Joint Owner/Managing Director at the White Opal Beauty and Holistic Training Academy. She lives in Bury, Greater Manchester, with her husband Brian and in her spare time, loves to see her son Ryan and his family and to go for long walks with her dog, Rio.

Samantha hopes that Reluctant Rebels: My Family’s Fight for Survival will raise awareness of complementary medicine and help the sufferers of leukaemia and their families to never give up hope.

Agnes Kaposi was born in Hungary the year before Hitler came to power and she started school at the outbreak of World War II.

The Holocaust killed many of her family, together with half a million Hungarian Jews, but a series of miracles and coincidences allowed her to survive.

She worked as child labourer in the agricultural and armament camps of Austria and was liberated by a rampaging Soviet army.

She struggled through post-war hardship to re-enter Hungarian society, only to be caught up for a decade in the vice of Stalinism.

In 1956 a bloody revolution offered the opportunity to escape to Britain, a country of freedom and tolerance, where she started a family and built a career as an engineer.

The story is written with compassion and optimism, without self-pity. The tone is light, and there is plenty of irony, even humour.

The narrative is underscored by the historian László Csősz and illustrated by several maps and more than a hundred archival images and family photographs.

Author Dr Agnes Kaposi is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Churchill Fellow. Dr László Csosz is historian and senior archivist of the National Archives of Hungary, and research fellow of the Wiener Holocaust Library, London.

An inspiring book about one man’s quest to fulfil a childhood dream.

After growing up in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, author Lawrence Nasralla moved to the UK where he became accustomed to life in his new country. He worked his way up from the bottom in the airline industry never wavering from his aim to one day, fly as the captain of a big commercial jet.

Meeting and marrying the love of his life, the author continued building his career and aiming for his goal, flying for various airlines in the UK and further afield, including time spent with his growing family in Brunei.

Discovering that their son had autism, the story shifts to the battle the family fought to get their boy cared for against institutional attitudes, policies and practices which were constantly pitted against them, making their son’s lives a misery.

Life on a Knife Edge will inspire anyone with a dream to follow it and to never give up trying to turn that dream into a reality. Also, the book will raise awareness of autism and hopefully, help families with autistic relatives. It sends a message that when things look their bleakest, all is not lost, and much can be achieved, even in the most challenging situations.