In this second book of the series, TA returns to the Philippines to clarify what happened 12 months previous when he became a pawn in a national armed uprising. After meeting his saviour on his earlier misadventure, he journeys south. There, mistaken for a rich businessman, he is kidnapped. The businessman is intent on recovering gold buried by his grandfather during the Japanese occupation.In this second book of the series, TA has re-visited the Philippines to discover what happened to his co-guests at the holiday resort of Apuao Grande after the political uprising. After finally reconnecting with the mysterious ex-pat former resident of Apuao Grande, he journeys south to visit other resorts. A wealthy local resident of Japanese descent, with multi-national businesses, befriends him and offers his business connections and transport for TA to use. Unknown to TA, the businessman is the target of a revenge kidnapping and ransom. The kidnappers unknowingly snatch the wrong man. The businessman uses the distraction to track down gold deposits confiscated and buried by his grandfather, a colonel in the Japanese Army occupying the Philippines in WW2. No officials know that TA is missing, but his mysterious ex-pat friend suspects something is wrong and sets out to find TA.

A collection of 13 wonderfully witty, superb suspense, and seriously sad fiction tales; situated in various locations from Japan, Australia, Philippines and New Zealand. The themes in the stories are as varied as the locations, with comedy, romance and suspense, sometimes in the one story. Lengths vary from 750 words to a 15,000 novella. Easily readable without a dictionary by your side.For people who enjoy a variety in the type of stories they read, this collections stories vary from light-hearted, to stories that will grab you by the heart. The length also varies, which means a story can be selected according to the reading time available. A 15,000 word novella has a mixture of all moods. The 13 fictional stories aree situated in various countries including Japan, Australia, Philippines and New Zealand, sometimes with comedy, romance and suspense all in the one story. The lengths vary from 750 words to a 15,000 word novella. Written with the intention of allowing the reader to relax in their reading without struggling over the meaning of words.

Collection of five light-hearted comedy plays, plus two versions of the same play from a different understanding or knowledge surrounding the circumstances of the past. These are a more serious social comment about the historical circumstances surrounding past events in one of the character's lives. One of the two players is totally unaware of the common thread between them.A collection of short sharp plays. The first five are light hearted comedy plays, using events we have, or will, become involved in during our lives; plus two versions of the same play, from a different understanding of the past, by one of the players, both being serious social comment. One of the characters is totally unaware of the common thread between the two. Cast numbers and props are minimal. Plot lines are very much everyday occurrences made into plausible scenarios. There are several walk-on parts for including people without the confidence or skills in public speaking. Others have comprehensive off-stage spoken parts for people who are afraid to make a physical appearance, but confident enough to speak, unseen.

N.Z Book of the Week on TV's The Book Show 2013. 17 more wonderfully witty, superb suspense and seriously sad tales, situated in any of dozens of countries. Fiction, expanding on incidents that could have happened to anyone. Themes from comedy, romance and suspense, sometimes in one story. Length varies from 750 words to a 13,000 word novella. Easily readable without a dictionary by your side.For people who enjoy a variety in the type of stories they read. N.Z. Book of the Week on TV's The Book Show. This collections stories vary from lighthearted, to stories that will grab you by the heart. The lengths vary from 750 words to a 13,000 word novella with a mix of all moods, which means a story can be selected according to the reading time available. The 17 fictional stories are set in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, sometimes with comedy, romance and suspense all within the one story. Written with the intention of letting people relax and enjoy reading without making the thought processes stop to interpret the meaning of words.

The first novel involving T.A., a tourist to the Philippines, seeking romance, becomes inextricably involved in an armed uprising at an isolated tourist resort, part of a national rebellion. Unsure what to do, he is foolishly guided by the actions of his fictional heroes in the many novels he has read. Then, at a loss, he teams up with a mysterious ex-pat permanent resident of the island.This is the first of three novels involving T.A. Returning to the Philippines to reunite with his girlfriend, and return to their isolated island tourist resort to rekindle their romance, he becomes an unwilling and inexperienced participant in a national armed uprising. He is only aware of the local events and initially thinks he has stumbled on a massive drug-smuggling operation and is unsure if, of how he should resist. Untrained for such events, initially he is guided only by the actions of the fictional characters in the many novels he has read. A mysterious ex-pat, permanent resident on the island, reluctantly takes him under his wing and T.A. tries not to be a burden as they try to save themselves and as many tourists as they can.

A sample story from the collection of 13 stories in Short Shorts & Longer Tales. A deaf mute aboriginal artist loses a canvas on which he has painted his life. Though he knows where it is, and he can see it, he can't touch or reclaim it. But his ancestral upbringing means he can't leave it behind, so he remains in the vicinity to be near it, passing his time waiting an opportunity.The sample story, "An Artist's Freedom", is merely to give an appetizer from the collection of 13 stories in "Short Shorts & Longer Tales." The sample story tells of an aboriginal deaf mute who loses a canvas on which he has painted his life. Though he knows where it is, and he can see it, he can't touch or reclaim it. But his ancestral upbringing means he can't leave it behind, so he remains in the vicinity to be near it, passing his time waiting for an opportunity to reclaim it. The story earned a 4th placing in the NZ Writers' College nationwide competition in 2010. The full collection is widely varied in location including Japan, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand; varied in nature from wonderfully witty, superb suspense and seriously sad tales. Varying in length from 1,000 words to a 15,000 word novella. Easily readable without a dictionary by your side.

From the second collection of 17 stories in My Other Shorts & Formal Tales. A Sunday country market is livened up by a gate-crashing, old lady. A fiercely independent migrant, Polish WW2 survivor from out of town. She wants to set up to sell a range of memorabilia, home cooking and sweets. Immediately charming the regular stall-holders with stories and skills. She has other skills; unrevealed.A story from the second collection of 17 stories in My Other Shorts & Formal Tales. The Sunday country market stalls are livened up by the gate crashing of an out-of-towner. The aged old lady, a Polish migrant and surviving veteran of WW2, wants to set up her own stall to sell a wide range of Polish memorabilia, bric-a-brac, home cooking and home made sweets. She immediately charms the other regular stall holders with her wonderful cooking, skills and many stories. She has other skills, unrevealed.

Our lives are determined by relationships, some fleeting, some lifelong. But most are in between. Some make good, some go bad. The life is searching, learning, discovering; sometimes about yourself if you look. The extremes of emotions can make the middle ground so very hard to find. But until you've flown to the dark valleys, you'll never appreciating soaring like an eagle above the mountains.Our lives are determined by relationships, some fleeting, some lifelong. But most are in between. Some relationships are made good, some go bad. We are often left wondering how and why some things changed. The searching, the learning, the discovery sometimes of yourself, if you really look. Through this we can experience the extremes of emotion which can make the middle ground so hard to find. But unless we have been to the dark valleys, we will never learn that we can soar in the sun above the highest mountains like an eagle.

Essayist. Preservationist. Mountain man. Inventor. John Muir may be California's best-known icon. A literary naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club and Yosemite National Park, Muir left his legacy on the landscape and on paper. But the celebrity of John Muir does not tell the whole story. In Essential Muir, for the first time, Muir's selected writings include those that show his ecological vision without ignoring his racism, providing a more complete portrait of the man. Taking the best of John Muir's writings on nature and placing them alongside his musings on religion, society, and his fellow humans, Essential Muir asks the reader to consider how these connect, and what that means for Muir's legacy in environmentalism today. Fred D. White's selections from Muir's writings, and his illuminating commentary in his revised introduction, reveal the complex man and writer behind the iconic name. In the new foreword, Jolie Varela (Tule River Yokut and Paiute) of...

One of the patron saints of 20th century environmental activity, John Muir's appeal is that he not only explored the American West but also fought for its preservation. My First Summer in the Sierra is Muir's account of working as a shepherd in the Yosemite valley, which later became Yosemite National Park as a direct result of Muir's activism.