Trials Elsewhere Stories of life and Development in West Africa

In Trials Elsewhere, R. Matthias vividly describes his experiences as a 21st century traveller who does what many young university educated Westerners only say they want to do: travel the world and do some good. Moving from Canada to Washington D.C. to take on the inner city, Matthias then finds himself invited to apply his skills and idealism in The Republic of the Gambia. Working first for a human rights NGO and then for a Gambian owned Internet service provider, he begins to question his conceptions of how the world works -- is the Western way of doing things viable in other parts of the world? Is the Western way of work even a good idea? Is there any real value in idealism as Westerners understand it? As he ponders these questions Matthias is cursed at a wedding, survives a coup d'état, avoids the state's secret police, wanders for a year stateless without a passport or way home, and is sentenced by a tribal court. Matthias's experience in West Africa increasingly becomes an unpredictable adventure.

The Guild of Salt and the King’s Messenger

AD 1173. England is on the brink of war. Loyalties are divided across the nation and nobody is safe.

Young acolyte, Ralph and his friend, Harold, are thrust into the chaos of the warring factions when they are tasked to deliver a vital message to the Royalist forces.

Esmé, a young noblewoman, sets out on a quest to recover her inheritance while escaping the abusive grasp of her betrothed.

The travellers cross paths and form an unlikely alliance. But as the land becomes increasingly lawless and filled with danger, will the bond of their friendship prove strong enough when faced with the harsh realities and brutal savagery of a revolt against King Henry II Plantagenet?