Paula George

Online Catalogue | Writers' Biographies |  Paula George

Roots, Branches And All - Paula George "Roots, Branches And All" is the story - the ongoing story - of Paula George's search through her family history. That she's learned a lot about how to go about it is evidenced by the fact that she's got back to 1590 and that's pretty impressive by anyone's standards. There's a lot of helpful advice for others contemplating similar research, and it will be of enormous interest to anyone related to the author; there seem to be a lot of people in that category, she says. Because there is a cost, albeit quite a modest cost, involved in assembling the information in this book it was decided that there really had to be a charge for the book, even if it was equally modest, to help to pay those costs. But then it was decided that this was a labour of love which repaid its cost in the sheer pleasure of research (and, incidentally, kept the author off the streets). Despite this change of heart you'll still have to pay to gain access to the book, but the proceeds will go to SPARKS, a registered charity. This is what they say about their activities: - "SPARKS’ aim is to enable all babies to be born healthy and stay healthy. One in 30 children will be born with a condition which may affect them for life. Our goal is to reduce this statistic by funding vital medical research into conditions affecting babies and children throughout the UK." To find out more about SPARKS visit www.sparks.org.uk (about 11,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

The Way Ahead 1: Return From The Depths - Paula George "The Way Ahead" is the sequel to "The Way Of Things" and features many of the same characters. You can be sure, then, that it'll be fun! The first part, "Return From The Depths", is the story of the reconciliation between Dafydd the Peacemaker and his older brother James. But this is Alvalard, so there is nothing simple about the process. It involves a lot of boat travel - never Dafydd's favourite means of transport - a giant (and we mean GIANT) worm, the deeply unpleasant Conway Afanc, a lot of people best described as 'redeemably undead' and more imps than you can shake a staff at. It also involves Lemna Minor, who does most of the staff-shaking. The story is every bit as fantastic as those in "The Way Of Things" but this has one huge advantage - the presence of Lemna Minor. Is Lemna really mad, or is he using his 'madness' as an excuse to ignore orders? Will he perform the role set out for him in the unfolding drama? There's only one way to find out, isn't there? Another book from Paula George that we can't recommend too highly. (about 42,000 words) Price: £4.50 Quantity:

The Way Ahead Part 2: A'Wede Away - Paula George The peace of Alvalard is under threat from Black Knights who carry mysterious sticks which fire flames. No one is safe as this terrible army march through the land. At times such as these the Dafydd the Peacemaker would be called on along with the wise Hafren Wildharp and the perfect knight Sir Spear Plume. But Dafydd, Hafren and the Plume have been spirited away and imprisoned with what appears to be a reconstruction of a World War Two Prison Camp along with all the other heroes of the land. It is time for the Renegade Saxon Mordart to earn his place among them. It is a task he willingly takes on. But why has the Guardian brought the motorbike mad Bert Fisher to join them? What part does he have in the latest of the Alvalard adventures....? (about 42,000 words) Price: £4.50 Quantity:

Woodland Magic - Paula George Another delightful fantasy from Paula George, "Woodland Magic" brings together many of the characters from "The Way Of Things" quartet, mixes them with others from "Old Magic" then adds a few new ones of its own. It is set in woodland - obviously - and is centered around an old oak tree. But this is not just any old tree. This one has four trunks and each is a Gateway into another dimension, another Realm. In charge is the Gatekeeper, normally the most reliable of beings, however something has gone wrong. Atropina Belladonna, has escaped from her carefully created prison and she's only got one thing on her mind - revenge - and that spells trouble for all sorts of people! The story features the River Alun, which not only exists but flows through the woodland in which the story is set. The oak tree in the story exists also, complete with its four trunks. It is said that this particular woodland has wolves and bears in it to this day, and that it's where the lost treasure of a Celtic princess lies buried. Should anyone decide to go treasure hunting, though, they should beware. It might be true about the bears and wolves, and that oak tree just might be a real Gateway.... (about 22,000 words) Price: £3.00 Quantity:

Sheridan's Wager - Paula George Judith Brant was an attractive young lady, but the young men of Victorian London regarded her as aloof and unobtainable. Perhaps her attitude to those who would court her was conditioned by her brother, an idler who gambled to excess. Unknown to either, his gambling was to shape his sister's destiny. Far away, on the moors of Devon, lay Lawrence Sheridan's estate. He was of a family with a dark past, shrouded in secrecy, and that history had made him the man he was. When he met Judith his desires came to the fore, yet he knew of only one, very dark way, to satisfy those desires. How Judith Brant came to spend a snowbound winter at Sheridan's house on the moors is a tense tale of passion, loyalty and devotion, the climax of which remains uncertain until it is reached. Nobody reading this book should ever be lulled into thinking the outcome is inevitable! This is the first in a series of Victorian romances; readers will consume the others just as voraciously! (about 53,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

The Dressmaker's Daughter - Paula George The second of Paula George's Victorian romances is set against a background of rapid social change. The Lovelace family lives in a town that has come to terms with industrialisation, if not with the undesirable elements that come with it, and is getting used to new ideas such as being served by a railway. There are the beginnings of the erosion of the great divide between the classes too: the Lovelaces are working class whereas the Walters family are members of the gentry as are the Henlys, whose daughter Helen is engaged to Enryk Walters. But Enryk meets Flora Lovelace and suddenly sees his engagement in an entirely new light. The Walters and Lovelaces are not unknown to each other, we discover, and their history appears to stand in the way of so much. The author has woven a captivating story of sickness, kidnap and above all love which develops its plot and subplots so intriguingly before bringing matters to a satisfactory but surprising conclusion. It is a most appealing work, and highly recommended. (about 54,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

Winning Victoria - Paula George This is the story of Victoria Yates, who lives with her father in an isolated house on Dartmoor. There are helpers living in the house too: Mrs Ramsy the housekeeper, two young men of dubious backgrounds and the foul-smelling, dirty Stanton who lives in the stables. Victoria's father was a lawyer by profession, but his work has made him certain enemies. One day, those enemies track the family down; violence and bloody murder ensue, Victoria being saved (however reluctantly) but the inventive and quick-thinking Stanton. Events move on as Victoria begins a new life in the little community to which Stanton takes her, across the moor from her childhood home. There she meets the industrious young doctor, the meek vicar, the vicar's twisted and splendidly nasty sister and many others - including the family the smelly Stanton. But who has set his heart on winning Victoria? The third of the author's Victorian romances, this book is vibrantly full of life and ultimately brings all its plots to very satisfying conclusions. Lovers of romantic fiction will find this book hugely enjoyable. (about 52,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

The Master Of Redmays - Paula George Catherine Oliver was a farmer's daughter from the Isle of Wight, perhaps luckier than some. Her aunt was in a position to take Catherine on a tour of Europe as part of her education and to secure her a position as a governess at Redmays, a house owned by the Lynton family, on the mainland. Catherine soon discovered that Redmays contained more than its fair share of family secrets. The younger of the two Lynton brothers, Edward, owned the house with his wife Sickle; the elder brother, David, was confined to bed in the house, apparently close to death. Gradually the secrets were revealed partly because Catherine recognized what was really happening and partly because she coerced, very gently, others to reveal what they knew. But someone in the house was not as kind and innocent as they appeared, and was in fact a homicidal predator. When Catherine was lined up as the next victim the help she needed came from the most unexpected source, and its arrival led to an explosive climax. Victorian England might be perceived to be prim and proper but, as this book shows, the Victorians were perfectly capable of the most delightful impropriety! (about 52,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

Alfred's Choice - Paula George "Alfred's Choice" is the story of Philip Jeffries, a soldier invalided out of the Crimean War and picking up the pieces of his life. He finds help at the cottage of the old 'Gramfer,' who has a beautiful garden and keeps strange, exotic birds, budgerigars. Alfred is the leading budgie, and much of what happens to him and Elsie, his mate, is taken from real life. Some nice people come into the story and also two rather unpleasant females. Philip's rehabilitation is aided by a dedicated young doctor, through whom he is introduced to the remedial effects of sea bathing. He also meets a nurse who had tended his horrific wounds at the hospital at Scutari; as his life is rebuilt thanks to the friendships and interests he creates she becomes more and more the focus of his new life, a life that seems to mirror the relationship between Alfred and Elsie. The book is an intriguing view of a rarely explored aspect of Victorian life which shows the values of the day, but it also offers a glimpse into the racier side of life. Taken in the context of the book, it is, even today, quite shocking even if it's not in the least explicit. (about 31,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

The Way Of Things Part 1 - The Lifting - Paula George This is a fantasy that rolls across ancient Britain from Salisbury to Bangor, out to sea and back again. The heroes are Flower Spirits, seeking their Guardian in the hope that he can save their people from the newly arrived Normans. Their travels bring them encounters with sea monsters, the Conway Afanc and a cast of wonderful characters, even the evil ones manage to show a dry sense of humour! There's the obligatory magic sword, a witch, an unpleasant father with three daughters (two as unpleasant as he is himself) spirits of the forests, river spirits and the Severn Boar (yes boar). Set against a recognizable background of the Britain of a thousand years ago, The Lifting does, on occasion, give an insight into the real life of those far-off days, but it's really a story of myth, legend and ethereal beings interacting with each other and real, flesh-and-blood life. (about 63,000 words) Price: £5.00 Quantity:

The Way Of Things Part 2 - The Sapphire Of Alvalard - Paula George In the second part of The Way of Things, the tale continues where The Lifting left off. It adds to the mix sibling rivalry, a dangerous thing, when the siblings in question are princes. Here also we meet the fearsome daughters of Patric McPatrik, King of the Western Isle. This time much of the action - and there is action aplenty - takes place in the North, including the author's interpretation of the Highland Games (where a good time can be had by both participants and reader) and the enchanting landscape of the Scotland of myth and legend. Strong feelings of love, honour, chivalry and duty combine, as the Royal House of Alvalard and their friends prepare for the trials that are to come, for as well as being an enthralling story in it's own right this book sets the scene for Part Three! (about 62,000 words) Price: £5.00 Quantity:

The Way Of Things Part 3 - Peacemaker The third part of Paula George's fantasy takes the story forward with characters both old and new. "Peacemaker" has its share of chivalry, treachery, sorcery and bloody battles between Light and the Darkness, and the unending cycle of life and death means that some well-loved characters reach the end of their lives. It is The Way Of Things. By the end of this book, Prince Dafydd has fulfilled his destiny as Peacemaker. Always an impulsive boy, he really should have listened to those who offered him lifestyle advise... Peace has come to the land and even Mordart is showing a friendly side. But is this the end of the Darkness, or is it just licking its wounds and preparing for another attack? The world of Alvalard and its neighbours comes to fizzing and sparkling life again in a book that is every bit as enjoyable as it's predecessors. (about 63,000 words) Price: £5.00 Quantity:

The Way Of Things Part 4 - The Way - Paula George In the final part of the quartet, the spirits of wind and rivers contribute their own abilities to aid the mysterious and apparently ageless Athro who is to steer events to their apocalyptic climax. Athro's task is not made easier by his having to cope with a couple of well intentioned but headstrong youngsters who have a finely developed talent for getting themselves into trouble. Also making a welcome appearance is Lemna Minor. Driven half insane by carrying a prophesy in his head, this staff-twirling dervish is a glorious creation who just might not be as mad as he appears... So the end approaches. The Final Conflict. Good versus The Darkness, the personification of Evil. If Good is to win, then terrible costs must be borne and someone must pay the Ultimate Price. Will Good prevail, or will the Darkness consume the World of Alvalard for ever? There is only one way to find out, isn't there? (about 63,000 words) Price: £5.00 Quantity:

Hell's Gate - Paula George Paula George is a writer of considerable scope, producing work for children and for those of us who think ourselves more grown up. "Hell's Gate" just might fall in between: it's a ghost story with a cast of young people, but it's not a traditional children's book. The background might perhaps be a little complex for younger children but it adds a lot to the story, which is involved enough to retain the interest of more mature readers. It's a compelling book, full of conflicts between characters, which moves along at a good pace, always building momentunm and suspense. It isn't the largest of books, but it does prove that quality matters more than size! (about 24,000 words) Price: £3.00 Quantity:

Old Magic - Paula George Set in the north of Scotland and centred around an archaeological dig, "Old Magic" tells the story of two children who are fascinated - perhaps a little too fascinated - by the activities of the archaeologists. Sometimes, digging into the past can have unforeseen circumstances: here, Paula George's inventive mind has woven a tale of long-buried forces of evil being released once more into the world, to be faced down by equally long-buried forces of good. It's a intense, exciting battle that produces the most unexpected of outcomes, changing the children's lives for ever. This is a beautifully crafted story that will captivate its readers from beginning to end (about 14,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

Online Catalogue | Writers' Biographies |  Paula George