Dr Bob Pullen shines a spotlight on the human brain, which is so central to what we humans are. He explains how our brains are made up of nerve cells or neurons, which behave rather like batteries producing a small voltage which becomes the language of the nervous system, a bit like Morse code. Our neurons can also behave like computer-chips processing electronic data. He looks at the brains of other animals and explains how different parts of the human brain perform different tasks, some areas performing movement, others giving us our five senses. He describes the fascinating ways our brains can create visual illusions, how we produce language and speech, how we feel pain and what happens when we sleep and dream. The book also touches on the nature of consciousness itself.
The book looks at the physical division of the brain into left and right cerebral hemispheres and describes how these differ between men and women.
And what happens when the brain goes wrong; how can it be examined? A damaged brain can cause difficulties, illness and disorder. Remarkable modern methods of examination such as measuring brain waves and magnetic resonance imaging are simply and clearly explained.
The brain is more than a normal organ. It governs how we think and makes us self-aware. Bob Pullen considers the mind, life and death, as well as our place in the universe.
The human race has all but destroyed itself and those who remain know that they must avoid repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. Life is a struggle but just when it seems as though all may be lost, the horses intervene. Through the bonds that develop between humans and their horses, people learn what the horses know, ensuring the advancement of humanity. And the horses wait for the person who will be able to help them in return ...
Lynn Mann is a writer with a long-standing involvement with horses. During her school years, she spent as much time riding and being with horses as she could. She took a break from horses to study for her biology degree and then on leaving university, realised her dream of having her own horse for the first time. She worked on show-jumping, racing and dressage yards before starting a business as a saddle consultant and riding instructor, which involved working both in the UK and abroad.
Other books in the series by Lynn Mann... Book 1: The Horses Rejoice
Reader Reviews...
Horse Magazine
This book was inspired by a special horse called Pie, a rescue adopted by author Lynn. It has a futuristic setting, where the world has all but destroyed itself. The heroine is Amarilla, whose family want her to develop a useful 'Skill' which will set her in good stead for the future. However, the youngster has other ideas and longs to be one of the 'Horse-Bonded' - someone that is spiritually drawn to a special equine. The bonded then dedicate their life to each other. But will Amarilla find a horse to have a special connection with? This is an enchanting story of preparing for an unknown future and developing a bond with a horse. Plus, 20 percent of royalties will be donated to The Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies, which rescued and rehabilitated Pie before Lynn rehomed her.
Paul Salmon - Fantastic book
Absolutely loved this book, a real eye opener and page turner, kept me engaged and hooked until the end. Highly recommended read ******
Susan Wilkinson - A novel for the horse lover and the sci-fi enthusiast
In Amarilla we find our new heroine with much to offer. Hopefully a sequel will follow.
I found the book quite inspirational and heartwarming and was a page turner. The relationship between the horses and the characters was something that the horse enthusiast would recognise.
MJ - Brilliant
This was a great read, very creative and thought provoking.
It was a clear and well thought through story and opened my eyes to a different way of thinking about how important the bond between humans and horses is and can be. A book aimed at adults and children. I will be looking out for the sequel and can't wait!
Bridget Jones - Surprised
I would have said that apart from the equine theme this would not have been to my taste at all but I found it totally engrossing and strangely plausible. I could relate to many of the characters and horses and although I wanted to reach the conclusion of the story I was left wanting more. I look forward to more from this author.
Beki - Amazing. Please read this book
Wow! Amazing. Please read this book. I so hope there will be a sequel?
Amazon Customer - Wonderful story
This fictional story is written in a very creative and beautifully imaginative manner. We know many parts hit on the truth.
It is thought provoking and funny and some parts brought me to tears. Whether we have a horse, or just know they are magnificent and graceful beings the story lifts up our vibration and I am looking forward to reading Lynn's next novel.
How much more suspicious can you get when everyone is lying to you?
Kara Hampton, a fourteen-year-old girl, is suddenly whisked away to her aunt's household. Confused? Yes. Kara is unaware of the new world she is about to encounter.
The strangeness of her cousins and the frightful presence of a creature who is on the prowl have most certainly got the better of Kara.
With curious mysteries to unveil, the girl finds many unusual threads to her fate, which turns into an unruly turmoil.
Finding her body changing, and new senses arousing, Kara is bewildered with shock as she's suddenly dragged into conflict with another pack of ancestral spirits.
As she's dragged into a supernatural adventure, Kara gradually realises what her family's paradox is, and what she is about to become...
Allow yourself to enter a world of doubt, dispute and excitement with Kara Hampton, as she reveals the long-kept secret of her family.
Generally, creating something unreal is what I enjoy most and imagination is my main influence. I’m more of a fantasy-type person in terms of books. Although I like to write day to day, normal life stories, I tend to weigh more over to the wacky, supernatural stories, and you can say that’s what inspired me to write this book as one of my first. Hopefully it portrays a phantasmagorical yet a humorous tale to teenagers, as I wrote this when I was 13/14, so this is mainly aimed at the younger generation who can relate to the language in the book. I really do hope you enjoy this book as much as I loved writing it!
S.M.Williams
John White was a man of vision. He was rector of the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset from 1605 until his death in 1648. Under his leadership, after a disastrous fire, the town was transformed into a model caring community, embodying his Puritan ideals. He then sought to export this model across the Atlantic, to what was becoming known as New England. He became the driving force behind the Dorchester Company and then the Massachusetts Bay Company, and he inspired many folk from Dorset and the surrounding area to emigrate and found a new Dorchester in Massachusetts. He also lived to see some of these early settlers go on to found what became known as Windsor in Connecticut. This is his story, and theirs, a story of new worlds at home and abroad.
David Cuckson studied law and theology at the University of Cambridge. He has worked as a Congregational/ United Reformed Church minister and as a solicitor in local government and in private practice. He is now retired and lives in Dorchester.
Boxer Walker was voted the best scrum half in the world in 1980. The incredible story of his life is in part, a social history of a half-forgotten era, when coal mines were the economic bed rock of close-knit communities across the north. He shines a light into what life was like in a claustrophobic Cumbrian pit deep below the Irish Sea and you will join him in the Workington Town dressing room when they beat mighty Wigan to win the Lancashire Cup for the only time in the club’s history.
You will also find out about the great players and coaches who helped to burnish his rugged skills and why he was always a prized target for violent forwards, years before the slick presentation of the Super League by Sky TV with its HD quality pictures and video replays.
Published:
May 2017
Paperback:
356 pages
Price:
£15.00
ISBN:
9-781911-175582
£15.00 (+ £3 postage) Number of copies:
Boxer’s story is full of highs and lows, including the day he was felled so heavily at the Recreation Ground, that a rumour spread around the terraces that the tackle had killed him.
Always exciting, uplifting, poignant, revealing and ultimately triumphant, Boxer: The Life of a Cumbria Great is a towering story of one of Cumbria’s finest-ever home-grown players and of a sporting character almost without compare.
Reader Reviews...
Rugby League Express
In a warts and all account, Gardner doesn't shy away from the fact that Boxer Walker could mix it with the best, almost a prerequisite of a scrum half's armoury in an era when every number seven was a target for enforcers. The award-winning author has written a superb account of a glorious career and this book is a must-read for every rugby league fan.
Adrian Durham, Talksport presenter, journalist and author
Mike Gardner paints a clear and poignant picture of Boxer as he is today, wonderfully written. Overall I enjoyed the description of old school rugby league, as well as the spirit and strength of the game in Cumbria. The photographs are a joy - plenty of them, and capturing an era and an area. The picture of the steps early in the book is awesome! Congratulations, loved it! The author should feel very proud
Rugby League Journal
It is all part of Mike Gardner's skills as a writer in taking us behind the scenes to the 'dark and mysterious' areas of rugby league that the fan doesn't see but only those who played the game can reveal. His descriptive talents and way with words at times present the story in an novel-esque style
Em and Bill are twelve-year-old twins. After their mum and dad die, they live with their wonderful grandparents, Pops and Grannie. Together, they invent an amazing, snake-like bicycle that can seat up to a hundred children - and it even has ten superseats for those who can’t ride by themselves. The amazing bicycle is able to bend round corners and can even wind up and down the aisles of a supermarket. Everyone wants to know about it and it becomes a world-famous super-bicycle when they ride round Monaco in front of the world’s TV cameras.
The World’s Longest Bicycle is for every child with no exceptions. It is completely inclusive, no matter who you are, your situation, or your ability. And it’s the first of its type in the entire world. A bicycle for up to 100 children to ride together, in a circle, in zig zags, even up and down the aisles of a supermarket. And in no time at all, it becomes famous across the entire globe.
This is a story about Knucklas Castle Hill, a special hill on the Welsh border It retells an ancient legend of King Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere, daughter of a giant. Today, in the upper Teme Valley, you can still fi nd traces of the story – not least in the river’s Welsh name, Afon Tefeidiad, so-called after Arthur’s words. There’s a huge stone in a field that looks like a giant’s head; a rock where the devil sat, and the old castle hill itself where the wedding took place.
But how did the stone get into the field? And were there really giants here? Surely this ancient hill knows the answers.
Reader Reviews...
Tom Levy, Teacher
This is a little known story of King Arthur, based on an ancient Welsh legend.
All will enjoy the vibrant illustrations, which jump off the page and truly bring the story to life. There are lumpy giants, dark woods, a smiling castle hill that perhaps knows all, and a brightly coloured wedding feast in Knucklas Castle. There are also lovely photographs and a fanciful, but usable map. So you can actually visit the rock where the giant sat; you can see the amazing face of a giant that Arthur turned to stone, and you can walk up to the top of the old castle hill, where Arthur married Guinevere - a truly breath-taking spot. It’s a lovely book for anyone who wants to experience the magic of this small part of the Welsh borders.
As someone who works in education, I recommend this book. It's just the right combination of engaging and educational. Young children will enjoy having it read to them as a mysterious tale, older children will wonder where his¬¬tory ends and myth begins, and for the Arthurian there are references to the sources at the end of the book. A beautiful book!
Frances Brett, Lecturer in Early Childhood
This vibrantly illustrated book shines a light on the secrets of a “special hill” on the Marches borderland, Knucklas Castle, quickly inviting the reader into a startling, ancient landscape where they can travel with Guinevere as she makes a dangerous journey to find Arthur, the one person who can free her brothers from the giants that occupy the land on the far side of the River Teme.
Written as if it is a story being told close to your ear, or as if being performed live in front of you, the author walks a teasing line between knowledge, speculation and pure mystery, creating an atmosphere in which almost anything might happen – and then it does! It is beguiling and funny, with no claims being made for certainties, but a suggestion that to be intrigued, and to ask questions about the landscape around you, is satisfying and important.
And by the end of the story there is a surprising twist in the tale that brings you back into the lap of fact, with photographs supporting this shift back to the present live landscape. Additional geographical, historical and archaeological detail offers information to help find, explore and make sense or story of a real place that can be visited. The move from the beautifully realised imagined lands within the opening pages, to the OS grid references at the end, captures the book’s journey – one that is well worth making, for children and adults alike.
Philippa Boast, grandmother and artist
Katy Mac treads a tight rope between fact and fantasy, history and mythology in this charming and informative book she has produced to help the Knucklas Castle Community Land Project. Colourful and whimsical illustrations enhance the story perfectly and we can smile as we learn more about the beautiful Teme Valley.
A Risk Assessment Guide to Murdering Your Financial Advisor
Small time investor Daryl Anderson is bored by his humdrum job and his uneventful suburban life.
Seeking change, he gets conned by a financial shark. Broke and homeless, his marriage and family destroyed, he decides to take the law into his own hands and to execute the man who has destroyed his life.
He travels to the Bahamas where he cuts the man's throat beside a luxury pool. Caught red-handed, Daryl seems destined to spend the rest of his life in prison but instead he is overwhelmed by a wave of public sympathy.
His trial at the Old Bailey becomes a media sensation and contributions pour in.
The world wants him freed but the law says he must pay.
When you have produced the final draft of your book, it is always advisable to have the text read and checked by a professional editor or proof reader.
You may have friends that are willing and competent to do this and we can advise you on the type of editing that is required.
We can offer four levels of editing as well as proof-reading.
You choose which, if any, are appropriate in your case: 1. Edit of sample pages and short report (£30)
We will edit a few pages to highlight editorial issues so that you can look for similar problems throughout the book.
This will reduce the amount of further copy-editing required when the book is finished. 2. Broad structural editing and criticism (£5 per thousand words)
A structural review is particularly relevant for works of fiction.
The structural reviewer will address the following main areas and produce a short report for the author ” Read More 3. Copy editing (£10 per thousand words)
A copy-editor takes a close look at your text, line by line, with an eye to grammatical errors, repetition, inconsistency and lack of clarity. The copy editor will make changes to the text, with suggestions for rewriting, grammar, and punctuation. When you receive the edited version, you have the final choice about accepting of rejecting the individual changes. 4. Proof Reading (£8 per thousand words)
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication. Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself. 5. Consistency Scan
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we offer an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies. This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling and inconsistencies of hyphenation and capitalisation.
We can also identify inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. 6. Cover text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we can work with you to make sure that these are correct and effective.
Copy Edit
Copy-editors get the raw material into shape for publication i.e they edit the copy.
When they have finished, the designer can lay out or typeset the book and produce a proof.
It is quite normal for the author to make additional changes after a book has been copy-edited.
Working through the material, the copy-editor may identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also very long sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They should correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering.
In fiction, they should also check that characters haven’t changed their name or hair colour, look for sudden changes from first to third person among other things.
The Copy-editor is not a proof reader and should not be expected to find all of the errors in the text particularly if the text is badly written to start with.
This is the job of the proof reader.
The final proof should be checked by a proof reader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
It is almost inevitable (and acceptable) to miss a few errors which can be corrected in a later edition.
Proof Reading
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication.
Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself.
If you have decided to complete this stage of the process yourself, we will send a detailed check-list to help you.
We ask you to try and ensure that the book is completely ready before we start the layout.
Once the layout has started, we expect that you might want to to make a small number of amendments but
if there are a significant number, we may need to charge for the extra time it takes to change the layout
so best to discuss this with us first.
Structural Review
In fiction, the main areas that a structural editor will address are:
Plot: Does the plot make sense? Is it believable? Is it satisfying or does it leave the reader frustrated? Themes: Are the themes effectively handled? Are there so many that the book lacks focus? Do they interfere with the plot or complement it?
Characterisation: Are your characters well developed and believable? Are they cast in a role that fits their personality? Do they sometimes behave out of character? Point of view/voice: Is the voice consistent or is it sometimes confused? Is the voice authentic? Are you using too many or too few POVs? Pace: Does the plot move forward at an appropriate pace? Should you cut that preface? Should the action happen sooner or should the tension build more slowly? Dialogue: Do your characters sound real when they speak? Is your dialogue cluttered with adverbs and beats? Do you use clunky dialogue to move the plot forward? Flow: Is the narrative interrupted by dead-ends and tangents? Is there so much back story that the main plot is dwarfed? Are there missing plot points that would give the narrative greater integrity?
In non-fiction, the principle is the same, but the specific issues are slightly different:
Thesis: Is your thesis relevant? Is it clearly defined or is it lost among marginal issues? Exposition: Are your arguments clear and cogent? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with your thesis? Content: Are all the necessary topics sufficiently dealt with? Are the chapters weighted correctly? Is there superfluous content? Organisation: Is the information organised logically? Are tables and illustrations used appropriately? How many levels of subheads do you need and how should they be arranged? Tone: Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Do you need to eliminate jargon? Is the text accessible? Pace: Are there passages that are bogged down in detail? Do you spend too long on detail irrelevant to the main thesis? Are there areas that need further exposition lest they be skipped over?
Cover Text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we work with you to make sure that these are as effective as possible.
Consistency check
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we can run an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies.
This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation.
It also checks for consistent formatting of numbers and dates as well as undefined abbreviations.
Full Script Edit
The script that you deliver to us will probably constitute what the industry would classify as the ‘Initial Rough Draft’, i.e. a full screenplay written without any other professional input or advice, and probably without a great deal of rewriting. We work through your draft, line by line, scene by scene, and come back to you with a comprehensive set of notes from which you can then work towards the official ‘1st Draft’. Some of our notes will be broad and general, dealing with such areas as the overall shape and structure, pacing, plot and character development; others will be far more specific, with corrections, clarifications and suggested cuts etc. It is of course entirely up to you whether or not to take these suggestions on board, and to what extent.
Subsequent Script Edit
It is very normal and generally beneficial for the script-editing process to go through at least a couple of cycles
i.e. the rewritten draft to be worked through once again by an experienced script practitioner – though this would be entirely at the discretion and behest of the writer.
Ongoing Support
We aim to make your self-publishing venture an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Publishing is a complex business and we treat every book as a separate project.
We explain all of the stages at the outset and we manage the project schedule for you. This will include all of the expert services you have requested for editorial, design, printing, distribution and collection of royalties, keeping in close contact with you throughout the process.
You will be allocated a project-sheet on the YouCaxton website so that you can monitor progress and ensure that all stages are properly completed.
If you would like to see an example of a Project-Sheet…
go to My project on the menu and enter…
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