Books

Couscous with Tata Hannah by Huguette Zerbib – A personal memoir of life in a small Algerian town. Recently, Huguette’s granddaughter asked her: “Grand’mère, what is our background?” This volume could be seen as an answer to that question. “Couscous with Tata Hannah” is a memoir of a largely vanished world and of Jewish North Africa. Memory and storytelling are central to Jewish life and the writings incorporate the author’s personal experiences followed by anecdotes

Couscous with Tata Hannah

A Change of Nuisances by Kathy English – An absorbing novel about finding the courage to make a change. This feel-good story begins when Pat, exhausted by minding her grand-children, decides to have a holiday from her life. She takes her break in the only place she can afford: her home city of Cambridge. Her sight-seeing is interrupted by a meeting with Jenny, a college bursar with a big problem; she has lost a painting

A Change of Nuisances

Cambridge Rose by Siobhan Carew – the third in her fantastic Cambridge Crime series. Rose Foster meets Ronnie Lyndon when she begins a master’s degree in Cambridge. A relationship blossoms. Rose is still reeling from the death of a beloved aunt. Is life now on the up? Just when she thinks it might be, Rose is plunged into a terrifying situation. DI Harry Meredith has been investigating the kidnapping of a wealthy diplomat’s daughter. When

Cambridge Rose

Giving Voice by Ilse Pedler – a fascinating book of poetry with animals, and our love of them, at its core. The poems in Giving Voice celebrate the human-animal bond and also complementary therapies and the place they have in the treatment of animals. The poems have been collected from veterinary surgeons and doctors but also supporters of complementary medicine and poets who feel strongly that they should have the right to choose such treatment

Giving Voice

50 Camels and She’s Yours by Jane Wilson-Howarth, Francoise Hivernel, Stephanie Green, Sally Haisleden and Seeta Siriwardena. Travel comes with challenges as well as delights, and travelling women can face some special issues. The five of us, whose writing has come together in this anthology, have found various means of diffusing awkward situations, and turning tensions around so we enjoy the moment. For Seeta Siriwardena in Egypt it was the kindness of strangers that helped

50 Camels and She’s Yours

‘Revenge’ was the fantastic theme for our 2019 short story competition. This anthology brings together the stories our members created on this evocative theme. Huge thanks for compiling our latest short story collection to Siobhan Carew and Thure Etzold. Buy our ‘Revenge’ anthology here

Revenge – Short Story Competition Anthology 2019

Local by Peter Dean – A fantastic book of over a hundred poems. Local is a poetry book collection made up of the best poems from my poetry pamphlets from 2001 to 2016. The poems are, on the whole, not rhyming, although some do tell a story. There is a mix of subjects and styles, and most of these verses have been published in the Cambridge News ‘Poetry Corner’ when it existed. There are over

Local

Shelford/Dove’s Touch by Peter Dean – A hugely entertaining double volume of poetry. These two poetry books contain Pam Ayres-like story poems. Some are funny, some more serious, but they’re always entertaining. They are suitable for the whole family to enjoy and cover a wide range of subjects. Dove’s Touch is available as a separate volume, but the two have also been combined into a collection, giving excellent value for money! Shelford/Dove’s Touch two book

Shelford/Dove’s Touch

Simon L’etoile: Black Widow and Me by Peter Dean – A heartwarming story of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll! Simon L’etoile: Black Widow and Me is the story of a fictional rock band from the 1980s. It is told as a memoir, through the eyes of the lead singer, Simon L’etoile. Following the band and its members through touring and recording, to great success when they play festivals and have chart hits – but

Simon L’etoile: Black Widow and Me

Worlds Apart by Helen Culnane – A historical novel about the power of friendship. ‘Does that mean that we’re friends?”Friends,’ said Jean, grasping Dolly’s hand and shaking it in solemn confirmation. In 1910 in the north of Scotland two country girls from opposite ends of the social scale meet and become friends as they adjust to new, unfamiliar lives in the city of Elgin. But will it be possible for friendship to survive social expectations,

Worlds Apart

Freedom – Short Story Competition 2018 Anthology. This year’s short story competition was judged by the well-known literary agent Julian Friedmann. In his comments he remarked on the generally high standard of entries. He felt Cambridge Writers would be able to outclass any other writing group in the country. High praise indeed! On the basis of this we have now been able to publish all the entries. The competition theme was ‘Freedom’, and entrants came

Freedom – Short Story Competition 2018 Anthology

Night Vision (a Messenger series mystery) by Hannah Hooton writing as H.R. Aidan. 16-year-old Noa Drury has enough to contend with when her troubled cousin Chelsea comes to stay, but then a mysterious spirit leaves a cryptic message for her to pass on to none other than his alleged killer Jake Burchell. But when Jake convinces Noa that he has been framed for a crime he didn’t commit the race is on to track down

Night Vision

Calix Puritatis (a Messenger series mystery) by Hannah Hooton, writing as H.R. Aidan. 16-year-old Noa has a ‘gift’ – the ability to see and speak to spirits. Her job is to pass on messages to the living from the spirit world, but when she is visited by apparent suicide Grant Fitzpatrick, an archaeologist with a cryptic message for his business partner, her suspicions are immediately roused. When Noa investigates the truth behind his death with

Calix Puritatis

Girl Missing (a Messenger series mystery) by Hannah Hooton, writing as H.R. Aidan. Holly Winslow is missing. Her parents insist she’s a runaway, mixed up with the wrong crowd. But P.I.’s daughter, Noa Drury, isn’t buying it. She’s had a ‘visitor’ who has suggested otherwise: Holly’s ghost. 16-year-old Noa has a ‘gift’ – the ability to see and speak to spirits. Her job is to pass on messages to the living from the spirit world,

Girl Missing

Chasing the Wind by Hannah Hooton – The fifth book in her fantastic Aspen Valley series. CHAMPIONS ARE MADE BY THE ADVERSITIES THEY OVERCOME. When tragedy strikes Aspen Valley Stables, racehorse trainer Jack Carmichael is in danger of losing everything – his wife, his reputation, his sanity… then in walks Lucy Kendrick, a young reporter, all set to shadow him. Every journalist has an agenda and Lucy is no different. Can she uphold her cover

Chasing the Wind (Aspen Valley Series #5)

Jack and Jill went Downhill by R J Gould – A realistic romantic novel about fairytale relationships. “They think they have it all. Then it starts to go wrong.” Freshers Big Party Night and it’s love at first sight. There’s passing amusement when they discover that their names are those of the nursery rhyme, but the connection with the children’s story is long forgotten as the relationship thrives. They fail to recognise that their lives are replicating

Jack and Jill went Downhill

Symbiosis by Thure Etzold – A truly thought-provoking and futuristic novel, full of intrigue. What happens when virtual reality catches up with reality? If you think that as a consequence, only more time is going to be wasted with gadgetry, you couldn’t be more wrong. It is 2036, seven years after Black 5/11 when humanity broke in two, largely caused by the advent of ‘true virtual reality’. Ellie, a young woman from a Hutterite colony

Symbiosis

Cambridge Green by Siobhan Carew – The second novel in the much-loved Cambridge Crime series. When DCI Anne Fountain phones newly appointed Detective Inspector Harry Meredith with news of a murder, he is surprised to learn that his first case will take him back to the Cambridge college he graduated from. A body has been found in the Fellow’s Garden of St Benedict’s College. Harry and his Detective Sergeant, Ellen Brookes, quickly realise that there

Cambridge Green

Safartu: Travels with my Children by Francoise Hivernel – A fascinating memoir. A long, long time ago, Francoise had promised her children that she would write for them some of their adventures. As with most promises, that one took a long time to materialise. However imperfect her writing is, the fullness of the joy in it isn’t. The first 2 chapters tell of the birth in 1976 and then again in 1979 of her two

Safartu: Travels with my Children

A Woman By a Well by Emily Bilman – In these poems, the writer explores the deepest and most mysterious aspects of herself and we, the readers, are assisted in our own self-explorations. The sense of exile from the world and from oneself, which Emily Bilman explores, goes all the way back to that most potent and enduring of myths: the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Like Edwin Muir, the

A Woman By A Well

Making the Running by Hannah Hooton – The fourth in Hannah’s Aspen Valley series. On the surface of things, life for stable lass, Kate Creswell, looks rosy. Wealthy boyfriend, Nicholas, is a text-book example of the perfect partner, and her ambition to lead up at Cheltenham Festival is set to come true with her favourite horse, d’Artagnan. But dig a little deeper and thing aren’t quite so blissful. There’s the small task of keeping her

Making the Running (Aspen Valley Series #4)

Resilience by Emily Bilman – A collection of poetry. With her skilful use of metaphor and her wonderful use of language and imagery, Emily Bilman reminds us that our capacity for resilience endows us with the power to survive trauma. The modern Faust, to whom the book refers, defies death through the power of resilience. Like Faust, we have to surpass evil impulses to purify ourselves and reach resilience. As we survive tragedy and misfortune,

Resilience

Share and Share Alike by Hannah Hooton – The third book in the Aspen Valley series. Finalist in the RWA Marlene Contest, 2014. Winner of the Katie Price Prize, 2014. Everyone has secrets… Everyone has a past… Tessa thought buying into the dysfunctional Ta’ Qali Racehorse Syndicate would be the perfect distraction from a life best forgotten. Some are willing to distract her with words of woo, while others are able to distract her with

Share and Share Alike (Aspen Valley Series #3)

CATalogue by Siobhan Carew – A hilarious book from the rather imperious voice of much-maligned Merlin the cat. Merlin wishes he had a magic wand. There are problems at home. His owner, Angie, has married Dick, and Merlin really doesn’t like him. Dick’s negative attitude and cutting comments would depress any cat, but Merlin is feisty, and he stands his ground. Dick’s daughter Celine, her boyfriend Maffs, and his son Reg have become a part

CATalogue

Such Fine Boys by Les Brookes – An enthralling gay romance set in the 1980s, following the twists and turns of a relationship buffeted by external forces. ‘Chance, as they say, is a fine thing, so when it does come you have to seize it. Sure, it might burn you, might freeze you, might turn you to dust and ashes. But it’s the one thing that matters in the end, and you simply have to

Such Fine Boys