Showing results by author "J. C. Williams" in All Categories

Libby Tebbit had absolutely had her fill of big-city life. So, when presented with the opportunity to take over her gran’s shop, The Bookshop by the Beach, she’d have been crazy to turn it down, right? Idyllic notions of lazy days by the ocean shore, shooing away the surplus eligible bachelors circling around her like squawking gulls, filled her head. These things were certain to await her, she felt confident, in this next glorious chapter of her life - this wonderful seaside adventure on the Isle of Man.

The charming seaside Isle of Man cozy mystery series continues in A Case of Pier Pressure. Toby Haddock and his investigative partner, Quinn Flitcroft, had recently played a pivotal role in bringing a vicious murderer to justice. But if Toby thought life in his new home on the Isle of Man was going to be a sedate, quiet affair from now on, he was in for a serious wake-up call.

A charming seaside mystery with heart, humour and a determined female sleuth. Ordinarily, there’s not too much crime to speak of in Port Erin, a sleepy seaside village on the Isle of Man. So when Quinn Flitcroft, working as an insurance fraud investigator in England, hears about a gruesome murder in her hometown, she is understandably horrified. Quinn is fairly confident that her former Isle of Man Constabulary colleagues will wrap this case up in no time.

The services of the Eyes Peeled Detective Agency are secured by Sir Barrington Hedley-Smythe following the theft of four rare and exceptionally valuable bronze busts. Sam and the team are soon hot on the case, also happening upon a mysterious spate of missing pets in the process. Then, if their caseload wasn’t busy enough, the shocking theft of the iconic Isle of Man Senior TT Trophy is making global headlines, meaning even more potential work for our intrepid team. Overall, ideal business conditions for an expanding firm of private detectives, you’d imagine? Not so much….

Until quite recently, Ben Parker was considered, by many, one of the finest bakers on the Isle of Man. Indeed, his wife was once the first to concur with that accolade, directly attributing his culinary skills to her expanding waistline, in fact. So it was ironic, Ben couldn’t help but consider, that she ran off with the dietician he’d hired at her behest.

The feel-good comedy adventure continues! Following a hectic year immersed in all things crafting, Charlotte Newman was looking forward to a much-needed holiday. And the fact that a few friends from the Crafternoon Sewcial Club were also tagging along was an added bonus as far as she was concerned. But before she could let her hair down too much, there was some unexpected interest in her expanding crafting clubs in the form of a BBC news reporter, eager to record a feature about her various initiatives.

Facing eviction and a trip to the job centre, Adam’s agent suggests he might consider writing books for another popular genre, such as spicy romance or Christmas novels. But the problem is that he’s relatively useless with anything considered romantic (as Stacey would confirm), and he hates Christmas.

The Crafternoon Sewcial Club’s going from strength to strength, although Charlotte Newman is far from resting on her laurels. When a chance encounter highlights the sorry plight of parents unable to afford school uniforms, Charlotte is itching to develop a solution. And before too long, she’s initiated a clothing exchange program christened ReCyCool. Unfortunately, news of her fledgling enterprise is painfully slow to travel around the Isle of Man. If it has any chance of succeeding, Charlotte will have to arrange something spectacular to get the word out.

It's not that single mum Charlotte Newman is completely and utterly obsessed with crafting, necessarily. Sure, she has balls of wool stashed everywhere like a squirrel stores nuts and more needles than a tattoo parlour. But that doesn't mean she has a problem, right? Finding herself between jobs, Charlotte fills her time teaching crafting skills at the local nursing home. Encouraged by how positively the residents respond, the possibility of a career doing what she adores fills her mind.

By his own admission, things haven’t gone too easily for Ben Parker of late. However, hopeful of turning his fortunes around at his newest business, the Life’s a Pitch campsite, there was an air of quiet confidence wafting around the campground wherever he stepped. Until, that is, some unexpected news from his ex-wife throws something of a spanner into the works, placing him in a serious financial pickle as a result.

Jack, Emma, and the gang from the Lonely Heart Attack Club (Isle of Man branch) are back.... For their next challenge, how will they surpass a World Record attempt? Get their members to compete in an Olympic Games for the elderly, of course! The Wrinkly Olympics is a feel-good, heart-warming story that’s sublimely funny.

The gang is back for another crazy adventure. The idea of the maverick racer, Dave Quirk, winning a TT was as probable as a seaside donkey winning the Grand National... But he'd been trying to do exactly that. An unlikely victory would also secure the TT Farm for Frank and Stan’s charity, but it was a crumbling, financial black hole and filled with asbestos. Dave and Monty quitting their jobs to work there wasn’t fantastic timing, either. The charity needed a truckload of cash, and fast.

Tom is a bit of a waster...Turning the wrong side of t30 hit him pretty hard, and what with having no money, no love life, no decent job prospects to speak of, and with debt coming out of his ears, well, the future wasn’t exactly looking too rosy. Tom knew he wanted more out of life and now was the right time to make a fresh start, but, in typical fashion, he didn't have a plan or even the faintest idea of where to begin. So, logically, he'd start by quitting his current job and see what turned up in the process!

Life rarely stands still when you find yourself surrounded by a bunch of loveable crackpots. Certainly, that was the case for Frank and Stan. With their hugely successful "Le Mans" TT now behind them, thoughts turned to their next adventure and, inevitably, also to the topic of their own mortality.

Frank's had better days.... The doctor gave him the news he didn't want, and he's also discovered the worst kept secret in Liverpool: that his wife's fitness instructor is providing her services that extend beyond the gym. With time a dwindling commodity, Frank decides it's time to do something he wants to do. With a little encouragement from his oldest friend, Stan, the first destination for his 'bucket list' is the Isle of Man TT Races. They had been content to just spectate, but fate had other ideas.

Eyes Peeled is the Isle of Man’s first and only detective agency. Not much happens on the idyllic Island that needs detecting, so on the whole, the team is not the most adept. In fact, generally speaking, they’re pretty useless. One of the agency’s more eager employees is Sam Levy. Nearing 40, he’s finally found a job he actually loves - even if he isn’t particularly good at it. Okay, let’s be honest. He’s rubbish. Still, Sam’s services are secured by persons unknown to track down a glamorous yet mysterious art dealer recently arrived on the sleepy Island.

Bucket list item number one for Frank and his oldest friend, Stan, was the TT Races. They did it, and loved it so much, that now they’re heading back for item number two on the list - TT Races yet again! The fledgeling race team they’d cobbled together on their first outing - despite moments of definite glory - didn’t exactly thrive. But, despite this, they’ve once again secured the trusty services of Dave and Monty - the two most out of shape, yet passionate and dedicated, racers in the paddock - and they’re optimistically eyeing a top 10 finish.

For some kids, playing their game console was a matter of life and death.... But for 10-year-olds Luke and Conor, it was more important even than that! In fact, the topic of conversation on every boy’s - and even a fair few girls' - lips was the latest shoot-em-up survival game called Hundred-to-One. The prospect of competing in the Hundred-to-One world championship tournament, with untold riches in prize money and international bragging rights, was simply irresistible.

Jack Tate is hopeless.... Everything he touches turns into a disaster, but he means well. His business is even less successful than his love life. His once-thriving coffee shop was on the brink of bankruptcy, but salvation could be right under his nose. At the insistence of his loyal and underappreciated assistant, Emma, he sees that the last hope of saving his business could be the only customers who’ve not deserted him for the faceless coffee chains - the old folk.

Join the adventure through dystopian worlds, to outer planets and into a speculative future. Welcome to the Future Days Anthology. Seventeen authors imagine a future with thrilling tales, starships, unlikely heroes, and exotic aliens, all of which combine to make Future Days a must-listen sci-fi fantasy short story collection.