The Flower Angel
The Flower Angel is a fictional story inspired by true-life events.
This story refers to the sexual exploitation of children. The references are neither explicit nor do they promote or in any way seek to condone or justify this behaviour, but nonetheless, some readers might find the content disturbing.
After her heroin-addicted mother sells Angela into child prostitution, her stepfather makes the fourteen-year-old Angela pregnant. Although medical records confirm that she underwent an abortion, Angela is convinced her baby survives. After her mother disappears, Angel is encouraged by her social worker to return to the Flower Shop, where she provides overnight accommodation for homeless men. When detectives link the deaths of these men to the Flower Shop, Angela is committed into secure psychiatric care.
On her release, she moves to a quiet village where she meets a recently bereaved clergyman who has a passion for jigsaw puzzles. Angela marries a detective and becomes the mother of three children, but never ceases to believe her first child survives. On the child’s eighteenth birthday, Angela and the clergyman put the pieces of the puzzle together and Angela discovers the truth.
For adult reading.
The Mad Days of March
B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
This is the daily diary of Terry March, whose single act of kindness leads to a month of madness and mayhem. After helping an old guy dispose of a blood-stained carpet at the local tip, Terry rescues his old TV remote and while driving home, he uses it to zap phantom aliens! This leads him to an encounter with Police Sergeant Susan.
His new resolution to be helpful leads to his first opportunity to be unfaithful to his wife of nineteen torturous years. A soon-to-be divorced Lauren offers her favours to thank Terry for his kindness, but Terry declines the invitation. Within days, another opportunity arises, and Terry can’t convince himself that those phantom aliens haven’t spirited him away to a parallel universe.
Before that first week of March is over, Terry faces redundancy from his mundane job at the local council. To tackle the backlog of paperwork, the council employs a temporary typist, Ashley, who closely resembles Terry’s 19-year-old daughter, Megan.
Terry’s wife, Brenda, disappears and Carol, her twin sister moves in. When a body is found in his garden, Terry is arrested for murder. Carol adds to his torment by accusing him of rape! While in a police cell, Terry encounters further problems as Lauren’s police sergeant husband is the custody officer! But all is not lost! Police Sergeant Susan persuades Carol to withdraw the charge and mysteriously, that old guy from the tip makes a deathbed confession to the murder! But the mad days of March are not yet over. Ashley disappears. Terry’s daughter Megan suffers traumatic memories from her past. Lauren’s house is set ablaze, and a mysterious detective Dave is concerned that Megan too has disappeared!
All this and more in a month of the Mad Days of March!
For adult reading Click here for Amazon
Philip Catshill’s Poetry Compilation
I publish poems and verse on various websites. In response to requests by readers who have enjoyed them, I have compiled a few into a single publication. The trouble with publishing poetry for e-books is the variety of devices available to readers. This means the poetry doesn’t always format correctly. I’ve checked this on different devices, and in most cases, they are OK, but if you have trouble, reducing the font size might help. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the work.
Never say I Can’t.
Awesome Indies Book Awards Seal of Excellence.
B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
IndiePENdents’ Seal.
Non-fiction
The genuine reflections of a former police officer who, at 30, called on guile, grit, and humour in his determination to overcome the effects of a major stroke and return to active police duty.
