Murgatroyd's Christmas Club
Murgatroyd's Christmas Club

Author: Stephen Bailey

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1909015172

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Skint! Broke! Pennyless! Hard-up! Willie Arkenthwaite, an ignorant, rude and terribly crude dyehouse worker in Murgatroyd’s Mill is feeling a bit poor after his Christmas break and returns to work a troubled man. Not only does he have to put with the nagging mother-in-law at home, but he has a family (and pigeons) to look after and he fears next Christmas will be just as tight. Until one day this normally docile and inarticulate man does something he’s never done before – he has an idea. Willie wants to start a Christmas savings club. So what does he know about running a club? Nothing. What does he know about setting up a committee? Nothing. Has he ever saved before? Definitely not. Luckily his best friend, Arthur Baxter, who has visions of grandeur, is a little bit more organised and is able to help Willie along and before he knows it, he’s the Treasurer. What does he know about being a Treasurer? Nothing. So how on earth will this man be able to collect his wits about him and make next Christmas better for everyone? Well, with the help of his whimsical friends and workmates, a kind and generous mill boss and a eclectic local Yorkshire village community (and not forgetting his tolerant wife), he might just be able to pull it off although you can guarantee, where Willie’s concerned, there’s bound to be some mishaps on the way.

Murgatroyd's Mill Trip
Murgatroyd's Mill Trip

Author: Stephen Bailey

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2016-02-22

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1909015342

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Breakfast, bus, beer, Blackpool…bust! The Christmas club was a great success, the Christmas club social evening passed by with only one incident and Willie, Arthur and Eustace were feeling pretty good about themselves; especially Eustace who, on the back of that one incident, was beginning to have a turnaround in his life. But has Eustace bitten off more than he can chew when he decides he is going to organise the Murgatroyd mill trip to Blackpool? He thinks not, but then…it is Eustace. The normally down-trodden, stuttering, bumbling fool that is Eustace is bound to stumble his way through this minefield of potential problems but, as usual, he has his friends Willie and Arthur to back him up. But could that make things worse? If organising the trip wasn’t hard enough, imagine the things that could go wrong with a bus full of drunken mill workers enjoying the delights of sunny Blackpool. Liaisons with ‘ladies’ on another trip? Escaping the clutches of Madame Zsa Zsa? Kidnapping a donkey? Crashing the bus? How is Eustace and his friends going to get out of this series of mishaps? After all, they are responsible and the police are always involved…

The Tammersford Lot
The Tammersford Lot

Author: Rosie Driffill

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2016-06-20

Total Pages: 94

ISBN-13: 1909015431

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Surrounded by moorland, Tammersford is as closed off from society as its residents are from each other. Too consumed by their own routines to really understand themselves – and those whom they encounter – the people of Tammersford continue to lead lives marred by monotony, cowardice and poor communication. Just as dismal winter turns to searing summer and back again, passions that run high are soon quelled, and convictions held are all too soon repressed. Only certain among Tammersford’s residents are able to sow the seeds of change, but faced with a degrading environment and a legacy of traditionalist values, the status quo may reign supreme for some time to come.

Education, Education, Murder!
Education, Education, Murder!

Author: Frank Hill

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2014-09-23

Total Pages: 110

ISBN-13: 1909015261

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A break in, a robbery and a hideous murder at a local primary school. This is a vicious and unusual event in the dreary mill town of Telbury where Detective Inspector Marcus Harrison finds himself after transferring against his will from the big city. At least now he has a case to get his teeth into that will take his mind off his own troubles. But is it such a simple case? Surely these events are related, aren’t they? With such an unpopular victim, suspiciously behaving staff, blackmail, corruption and vice all being uncovered, finding the murderer may be trickier than he thought. If working through these issues wasn’t enough, the discovery of a second body throws all reasoning out of the window. Only with help from an unexpected source can DI Harrison bring the killer to justice.

A Fistful of Marigolds
A Fistful of Marigolds

Author: Joyce Worsfold

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2014-05-17

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 1909015237

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It’s the beginning of new school term in 1973 and Kathy Johnson needs a fresh start. Thirty, unmarried and an overworked teacher in a primary school on a run-down council estate, she is beginning to feel that life has passed her by. She needs to move on, but is still haunted by a tragic secret from her past. However, the disadvantaged people of Becklefield have problems of their own and it’s not long before Kathy is irresistibly, compassionately and sometimes unwillingly drawn into their tumultuous lives. A devastating fire; mice and marigolds, parental abuse and apathy, community poverty and passion, plus knights, castles, cub scouts and hilarious days out to the seaside all become entwined into yet another hectic school year. Kathy needs faith and hope to get through and perhaps with the help of the loving church community she can. Add to that a boy obsessed by Beethoven, a girl who finds hope through a love of flowers and the confusion of several children from the estate all sharing one father exquisitely wrapped up in two poignant love stories, one delightfully her own, and the heart-warming tale of Kathy’s life turns prejudices and assumptions upside down and tells just how it is in the chaotic neighbourhood surrounding an inner-city primary school. ''We are great admirers of Joyce Worsfold's writing. This book is filled with love, and we know that it will be enjoyed by many, many people.' Adrian and Bridget Plass 'If you enjoy a warm-hearted, life-affirming and penetrating read then 'A Fistful of Marigolds' is for you. Written in a lively, accessible and entertaining style, the story captures the joys, misfortunes, the pleasures and the heartbreaks of an inspirational teacher who clearly loved her work with children.' Gervase Phinn

The Ministry of Silly Poets: "I am not a poet!"
The Ministry of Silly Poets:

Author: Martin Rothery

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2014-08-13

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13: 1909015296

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I am not a poet! That is what I keep telling myself anyway! A poet is someone that takes the literary form very seriously and it would appear that I tend to be quite the opposite. I just enjoy playing around with words to create something enjoyable to read, something to make people laugh, something to make you think or just say “what was that?”. Who cares as long as it provokes a reaction? Yes, sometimes they are a bit of fun, sometimes a bit grim, sometimes thought provoking, but at the end of the day what poetry should be? Entertaining! I have been writing “poems” and rhymes for quite a few years now and I didn’t realise how many I’d done until I put them altogether in one place This book is the result of that. There is quite a variety and hopefully something for everyone. There is no theme or message I’m looking to put across, no particular order to read them in and no agenda but for you to take pleasure in the power of words, whatever order they come in! Enjoy!

When Times Were Bad
When Times Were Bad

Author: Paul Barber

Publisher: Fishcake Publications

Published: 2016-07-05

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1909015407

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William didn’t mind caring for his Granddad, he loved him dearly, but the generational gap between them was clear for him to see. With nothing in common, he longed for a closer relationship in these, his Granddad’s final months. However, Granddad rarely had anything interesting to say these days. This was until he stumbled onto the subject of his youth growing up in a Yorkshire town during the Second World War. Suddenly, his world was alive with reminiscences of the past, resilient local communities and his eventful childhood during the war years. Through Granddad’s youthful eyes, William could see how his family had survived those hard times through love and close relationships, something that even now echoed through time and would have a significant effect on himself. Yet, it wasn’t all good times and war spirit; it was often death, tragedy and heartbreak. Looking back through rose tinted glasses, even some of ‘those good old days’ were not quite that.

Highland Fling
Highland Fling

Author: Nancy Mitford

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 0345806956

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In Highland Fling—Nancy Mitford’s first novel, published in 1931—a set of completely incompatible and hilariously eccentric characters collide in a Scottish castle, where bright young things play pranks on their stodgy elders until the frothy plot climaxes in ghost sightings and a dramatic fire. Inspired in part by Mitford’s youthful infatuation with a Scottish aristocrat, her story follows young Jane Dacre to a shooting party at Dulloch Castle, where she tramps around a damp and chilly moor on a hunting expedition with formidable Lady Prague, xenophobic General Murgatroyd, one-eyed Admiral Wenceslaus, and an assortment of other ancient and gouty peers of the realm, while falling in love with Albert, a surrealist painter with a mischievous sense of humor. Lighthearted and sparkling with witty banter, Highland Fling was Mitford’s first foray into the delightful fictional world for which the author of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate later became so celebrated. With an Introduction by Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey.