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Leeford Village - the book

Co-written with York-based author, Jon Markes, Leeford Village is the story of day-to-day life in an English Village.   As authors, we don't take ourselves too seriously and some have described 'Leeford Village' as a 'soap opera' or 'a bit like Emmerdale or The Archers but with a lot less farming -  and a lot more amusing'.  Jon and I are hoping that you get to love the 60-odd characters in the book as much as we do.  The stories are based on the serial that has been published in the Express and Star and Shropshire Star newspapers since September 2019.   The book is based on the first year of the serial with a few extra chapters that bring the main characters to life.  Click on the image to go to the relevant Amazon page.   Hope you enjoy the book.

Best wishes,

Michael Braccia

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Banfield Tales (collection  of short stories):

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If you read the books,  I would really appreciate your writing a review on Amazon.co.uk

 

Also, if possible, a review on goodreads.com would be helpful

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Michael's second book, a collection of short stories

-quirky comic tales, romance, science fiction, supernatural and ghost stories.

 

Rocket Man in the King's Clothes:  Darren Cavannagh thinks he has talent...

Killing me Softly:             Susan has been unlucky in love.  Will her bad luck continue?

Don't Take a Fence:         David should be more careful when he's painting his fences!

Second Millennium:         A cautionary tale from the future.

Young love:                   Love is never easy;  for teenagers it can be all-consuming.

Technical kidnap:            Henry has a plan; his teachers are not going to be impressed.

The Journey:                  Who is she?  Where are they going?

The Birthday Present:       A single Dad struggles to make ends meet. 

                                  His son really does want that new computer.

Victor:                             His day doesn't start well.  It just goes downhill from there.

Big Fish in a Small Pool:   Extract from debut novel 'Could it be That Way'; David hopes that his football career is ready to take off.

Man in the Shed:            Ted has no luck.  Will the man in the shed get what he wants?

Reunion for Ralph:           "Joseph was sad to hear about his old friend Ralph, who had developed Dementia..."

Pigeon:                         From the perspective of the pigeon, the 'middle-aged bloke at number thirty-six' is a pain in the neck.

Jenny of the Echo:           Journalist Jenny Greenhall has a battle on her hands.

She Blames Me:              Don't turn the lights out.  The narrator, John, is followed again.   What does she want?

Could it be That Way :    Living with Autism

After sporting and academic success in junior school, David White is plagued by bullying when moving up to the local grammar school.  He finally breaks through in both sport and academic studies, developing in character and confidence.  Supported by his loving family, and particular his father, his character is shaped to prepare him for both his career and his life in the future that are both influenced and consumed by autism.  David’s major influences are his father (Norman), his father-in-law (Nigel) and his wife (Anita).  The problems that his son, John, endures shape David’s later life.  John has severe autism, learning disabilities and epilepsy.

After years working in I.T., he realises his destiny is to spend the rest of his working life dedicated to helping young people who have autism and learning disabilities.  How he achieves this is a surprise to his family, and even to himself.  There are tragedies along the way, but David has the support of his loving wife, Anita, and together they keep their son at home while at the same time helping other families with similar issues.

It is also a story about love; the love that David has for his parents, his wife’s parents and his son.  It is also about the passionate love his feels for the woman he married and who gave him a son, and the impact that autism has on their relationship.

This is a fiction, not a text book, but through the experiences of David, and of course John, it may be possible to gain an understanding of some of the aspects of autism.

 

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