Calvin Niles is a mindful storyteller, guiding businesses & individuals in authentically telling their story. We met a couple of years ago co-presenting in a mindfulness online retreat & a friendship has blossomed. He recently asked me to share my story of spiritual awakening in his podcast – you can find out more in the link below.

So I thought it might be nice to turn the spotlight onto our mindful raconteur & asked Calvin if he would like to share his story of conscious awakening. What a wonderful morning we shared as he spoke publically for the first time about his journey from automatic pilot, unconscious living into a more present consciousness.

I wondered how on earth to do a master storyteller’s own story justice. I reflected on the similarities of our own distinctly unique but also familiar transitions, the catalysts, the moments of clarity & knowing, the shifts that ran as threads through our own stories but also through the story’s of others.

What is a spiritual awakening? I would describe it as a shift in consciousness, or as Marianne Williamson describes it: full recovery from the fractured sense of self. It’s not something you do or something to attain because it is much more about an inner sense of peace, equilibrium, a feeling not a doing.

It’s a different feeling, a different experience for everyone but at some point along the rocky road of life, opportunities will present themselves that open up the door to awareness, acceptance, lessons, learnings, healing & growth.

As children we are really quite present & more consciously aware. This can be conditioned out of us by society or trauma. We can become disconnected from our emotions & feelings because they were intense & frightening, disconnected from our mind body connection, thinking, acting & behaving unconsciously & automatically. We are beginning to understand that 80% have experienced some kind of trauma. That’s a lot of disconnected & unconscious people.

Calvin explained that even though he had grown up surrounded & influenced by the metaphysical texts of his mother’s bookshop he was not consciously aware of it nor was he immersed in this world. And a series of as he describes them, ‘mini traumas’ encouraged him to be less conscious & more disconnected with his own emotions.

Many who experience some kind of spiritual awakening experience a cataclysmic ‘life’ event which is a catalyst.

There’s the thing, The Universe wants us to learn the lessons we came here to & often they are presented gentle whispers & soft nudges so we often miss them. So the next one is a little louder or a more forceful nudge but still we may not heed the calling & so on until something gets so loud & so uncomfortable we have to do something about it: that cataclysmic event, the catalyst for the inner work.

Often these big events centre around a relationship, relationships being a spiritual practice, the playground of the ego & the spirit. For some, like Calvin & myself it was in the acrimonious ending of our marriages. For others a may be a different fractious relationship.

There is a catalyst & finally The Universe has got our attention.

In the wake of this seismic shift often there’s a dark night of the soul experience. For some this is a self-imposed exile, a time to turn inwards, do the inner work & practice, a conscious decision: they go on silent retreat, into rehab. For others is is more imposed upon them. And for many it’s a combination of both.

For Calvin the suffocating & deafening silence of an empty house when the kids spent time with their Mum after being so used to the hustle & bustle of a busy family life & home was excruciating. Something I completely empathize with.

This is when we tend to turn to our practices as sources of comfort, peace, guidance, surrender. And this is often when the magic starts to happen.

Insights, shifts, an inner knowing, a change in beliefs. For Calvin it was a realization he was part of something much bigger. I felt a deep sense of being taken care of. Whatever the words or what it looks & feels like it is a profound connection to Source, God, The Universe, whatever you want to call it.

From thereon you can’t un-know what has been revealed to you. But life tends to bumble on. Sometimes we dip & fall in & out consciousness. Sometimes there’s more work to do. And if we don’t take heed of the whispers & nudges these reminders The Universe or Source will do something else to catch our attention.

Find out tomorrow what was in store for our mindful storyteller.

Listen to Calvin’s podcasts:

1. Stories of Awakening
2. Mindful Conversations

Read Calvin Fiction Spiritual Adventure: The Sun Rises in Eastmoor available here

Facebook: @calvinnilesofficial

Instagram: @calvinniles

Website: www.calvinniles.com

Email: contact(at)calvinniles(dot)com

To listen to Alex & Calvin together please click here: https://youtu.be/q–PivQeINw

I kept thinking as I read that I should know this, know that, know the other. That I should have thought more deeply, understood for myself the depths of a particular point. So thank heavens for Paul Corner’s  illumination of the past for us all, and for highlighting the tricks memory, or the transfiguring of memory plays, leading us into a perilous preferred acceptance of what amounts to a myth.

I suppose these days it’s called ‘my truth’ , which alarmingly is gaining credence as an  explanation of a lie, or something at least which bears little or no relation to the facts. What it does do is fit in with what others are saying, in other words, their preferred memory, in which facts have been ignored.

So, on to the book: an examination of the brutal reality of the Italian dicator’s fascist regime. Well quite.

For some reason Mussolini has more often than not had a better press than Hitler and Stalin. Indeed, there has been a certain indulgence in that yes, he was a Fascist, but a kindly one, or at least a less than awful one. One that certainly was not like ‘the others’.

In Italy, as elsewhere, he is ofte remembered as strong decisive leader, and who did many good things.

Paul Corner argues against this rehabilitation, not shying away from the corruption, inefficiencies, and the violence of a deeply repressive regime, but for me what was most important was that Mussolini in Myth and Memory went some way to discussing the vagaries of memory, the tendancy in so many of us to rework the facts to fit in with what is comfortable for us.

Is this why some citizens still choose dictatorships? Have they created a mythical memory of the past? Gone is the repression, instead the memory of order and peace overlays the reality.  But this preferred view ignores the burgeoning reality of the pressure to conform, to join in group think, to think as others think, or pretend to do so out of fear of ostracisation, cancellation. In the name of this new dogma texts are deemed unacceptable if they refute the group think dictat. Texts are therefore altered, books are burned, the main stream media is biased. From here, the slippery slope to the Totalitarian regime begins. Totalitarianism is not pretty, there might be a strong leadership, strong forces of law and order which rewards  rigid obedience but at what cost?  None of these beginnings into totalitarianism should be remembered through the lens of ‘my truth.’ The facts must be writ, clear and loud.

Mussolin in Myth and Memory is a warning, a revelation, a profound study of the realities of dictatorships which with time, can merge into acceptable and appealing myth.

Buy it: Mussolini in Myth and Memory – The First Totalitarian Dictator by Paul Corner. OUP Hardback £20.00

Paul Corner is Emeritus Professor of Euopean History and former Director of the Centre for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes at the University of Siena

This is a corker of a  ‘ book of the week’ from Joffe who are thrilled with HIDDEN ON THE MOORS by acclaimed author Priscilla Masters. It’s out now for 99p/99c:  a man is seen lingering outside the gates at the local school. Then a five-year-old girl goes missing. The team begin a desperate search for the little girl, but she could be hidden anywhere on these moors.   The clock is ticking . . . Can Detective Joanna Piercy find the girl before it’s too late?

CLICK HERE TO BUY HIDDEN ON THE MOORS BY PRISCILLA MASTERS FOR JUST 99P | 99C.

Silent Death by Volker Kutscher really appeals to me. Priced at £2.99

AT THE DAWN OF TALKING FILMS, A MOVIE STAR IS SILENCED FOREVER . . .

“Ingenious . . . a portrait of an era through the lens of genre fiction.” New York Times“Atmospheric and immersive.” Sunday Herald*Please note our edition of The Silent Death is only available in the UK.

Such excitement:: Beachy Head by Adam Lyndon is coming soon:

BEACHY HEAD, the brand-new Detective Rutherford Barnes mystery by serving police-officer Adam Lyndon is launching next week and is available to pre-order now for just 99p | 99c.

DC Barnes, back on the job after an eighteen-month suspension, is in no position to refuse a case no-one else wants: a one-punch homicide. But soon Barnes’s no-win case becomes something deeper and darker than anyone could have imagined

Joffe Books Publishing Director Kate Lyall Grant says: 

“Adam Lyndon played a blinder with his stunning debut, DEVIL’S CHIMNEY.  But he has surpassed himself with his second novel, BEACHY HEAD. From the tension-fuelled opening scene, I was drawn in right away and held gripped throughout this intriguing, multi-stranded read, with its plentiful twists and turns.  There is one particular twist, about halfway through, which took my breath away, and changed everything I thought I knew about what had gone before.”
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER BEACHY HEAD BY ADAM LYNDON FOR JUST 99P | 99C.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A COVER REVEAL FOR BEACHY HEAD BY ADAM LYNDON.      Readers LOVED Adam Lyndon’s debut novel, which introduced the character of the young and ambitious — perhaps too ambitious for his own good — DC Rutherford Barnes.  Get your copy today and prepare to be hooked! 

CLICK HERE TO BUY DEVIL’S CHIMNEY BY ADAM LYNDON FOR JUST 99P

NEWS

Joffe Books Publishing Director Kate Lyall Grant has signed two novels from bestselling author McGarvey Black, who is joining Joffe Books with two psychological thrillers.

McGarvey studied voice at Manhattan School of Music and was later a theatre major in college. She pursued an acting career but later moved into a magazine and digital media career. During that time, she sold advertising and managed sales teams for companies like Conde Nast, WebMD and worked for brands including GQ, Travel + Leisure, and Allure.

In between, she took a year off and backpacked alone around the world. Later, after having two children, she left media and became an executive recruiter for internet companies. In 2017, she began writing full time and has since published six novels.

McGarvey Black says: 

“I saw a podcast interview of Jasper Joffe and was really taken by his outlook on publishing. He was incredibly positive and normal and I liked his philosophy. He mentioned that Kate Lyall Grant had moved to Joffe Books and when I looked at her background, I thought I want to work with them!  Joffe Books has had remarkable success publishing high quality fiction that include a slew of bestsellers. I’m hoping mine will be one of them.”

Kate Lyall Grant says:

“I’ve never come across an author with quite such a darkly inventive imagination as McGarvey Black.  She comes up the most ingeniously twisted plots which pull you in from the outset and keep you gripped until the end.  I’m absolutely delighted to have acquired her next two books, TRUST ONLY ME and TWICE ON CHRISTMAS for Joffe Books.”

Kate adds: Watch this space and be among the first to read Black’s thrilling new suspense novels in early 2023! 

For more on Joffe’s latest releases – Joffe Books

Set in Caradea, Eastern Europe, in the future, 2030 to be exact. Marta, 34 and single, lives alone on the dingy Goval estate. In spite of her good friends, a secure job, her spirits are flagging as her mother is showing her age. In addition her boyfriend, Arpad is not only often absent, but is drinking heavily. Is it anything to do with the images she has discovered, images  that suggest Arpad is involved in sex trafficking?

Well, frankly, enough is enough and Marta decides to ditch Arpad and find someone she can love, who will give her the solace, and the family she has always wanted. But will Arpad let her go? To make matters worse, Marta agrees to help a widower Michael, with his teenage daughter, who is deeply troubled. Without realising it, Marta sets off a chain of events that threaten not only those she loves, but her own life.

So, we’ve agreed, a great jacket. What else?

Let me reassure all Frost Magazine’s readers. Etherington’s crisp pacy writing swings into action from line one, and we’re off, fully engaged, hauled in by the neck to not only be in the drama, but turn the pages, and wonder quite, crikey, is going to happen, and how can it be resolved?

Etherington won best screenplay at the European Independent Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Wales in 2014, and his understanding of scenic action is excellent. Evocative writing, superb plotting and dialogue, what’s not to like. Buy it, devour it. Bravo Europia, and Etherington of course.

Europia by Anthony Etherington available here

Three cheers, the doors have all been hung – the lads worked over the weekend, the swing doors in the corridor are fantastic. A makeover for any 83 year old is a lengthy task, but just look at these beauties now.

The new brass handles, name plate and a knocker are on order for what will be the best front door in Brady Square and Marion has ordered me to come and see them. I will, I promise. She also says, ‘Corey from CJ Carpet fitters is arranging a date for fitting the new flooring in the communal room and our computer room. Once this is laid, Equan are going to decorate the hub room and install wall units etc. When completed the community can come along and use the computers and tablets.

On a roll now, Marion continued: ‘Did I happen to mention that I negotiated with Stu the Equan boss man to have new flooring laid in our toilets. He asked how much we would charge for the lads to use our facilities during the ongoing refurb programme in Columbia so I suggested we did a deal and we both came away quite happy. Our committee too.’

Margaret thinks Marion is terrifying.

It was a week for meetings, chats and donations, bingo, sewing, singing and dancing, exercise classes and a booking for a 5-piece band to rehearse, Columbia Community Association is certainly the place to be. 

The first community visitor arrived and he was so helpful in helping Bob to move the units we are keeping for our computer room. Thanks John, you deserved that cup of coffee.

Bob also started dismantling a notice board left over from the 1939 old dole office. In its place will be the television. The wall might have to be skimmed. Thankfully, Justin and Dave were only too pleased to help with the plastering of the wall on top of the kitchen walls. Which is promising to be as wonderful as everyone hoped.

Dave

Marion said, ‘During the week Shake that Boogie arrived and the centre became alive with music and laughter, leaving the lads from Equan outnumbered and I caught young Michael singing away to YMCA. (gotcha). Of course he denied it’.

Then, surprise surprise, Marion’s grandson arrived. Everything stopped, tears started, and hugs. Marion was so thrilled  because she misses him, but he has a good life in Texas and is happy there. On this visit, he also gifted Bob and Marion some stunning news – she will be knitting bootties for a while. Congratulation from Frost Magazine, Grannie.

FYI Shake that Boogie are starting a Thursday class and the Bingo ladies were ‘at it’ again. Denise from Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance popped in, and is always available for advice.

Denise                                                          Tom

We hear that Tom, has volunteered to decorate the embryonic computer room. In return Marion has to constantly replenish his tea mug. This is a job that must never be given to Margaret Graham, who makes a dreadful cup of tea, her son in law says. Dick agrees. Margaret just says,’Make it yourself then.’ Margaret is BAD.

Pouring rain alerted the team to a leak in Communal Room 2 which was reported to the Council. But, never fear, Equan stepped in and identified the problem (oh lord, a bad one) so back onto SCC for an urgent callout…30mins and they arrived. Temporarily fixed.

Hazel from “Plain N Purl” kindly agreed to display a poster in her shop, asking for volunteers to knit woolie hats for Sister Mary’s beloved Seafarers. Whereupon ‘The wonderful Meg Barber called in to drop some hats off that she had knitted for the Seaman, Sister Mary will be delighted,’ said Marion.

‘How lucky are we in dear old Brady square to be surrounded by such special people.’

Lynn Johnson from Equan came in May with a donation of toiletries for our Ukrainian appeal and she is the person responsible for starting the ball rolling for our new kitchen. Without this beautiful human, Marion told Frost, none of her wheeling and dealing would have been possible.

Lastly, from the Columbia Community Association, together with Frost Magazine, please raise your glasses to our beautiful Queen Elizabeth II, may you rest in peace ma’am.

Frost has featured Tracklements before. We love these amazing preserves. Incredibly they’re still made by hand in small batches at their Wiltshire-based family company.

The reason Tracklements products taste so good is simple – it’s a combination of their recipes and their ingredients. Their ingredients are of the highest quality and are sourced from small companies and farms across England – they even involve school children by arranging for them to  pick their crab apples – giving the kids the opportunity to learn how traditional foods are made together with earning cash for school funds.

Tracklements use traditional recipes – some even from the 17^th century – but every now and then they treat us with a Special Edition, and I was delighted to test their Date and Tamarind Chatni. Chatni is an Indian word for chutney and the blend of sweet dates with the distinctive sourness of tamarind works perfectly. I tried it with cheese and it turned a simple snack into something very special. The makers recommend spreading it on top of white, meaty fish and steaming, or slather over pork chops and grill or even dollop into a Lamb Tagine for tremendous flavour and texture. It’s vegan and gluten-free, so no dietary issues.

Tracklements Special Edition Date & Tamarind Chatni RRP £3.50 for 250g, is available from fine food delis and farm shops nationwide and from their website – I can seriously recommend you give it a try.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Tuesday 30th August at 8am the lovely Donna from Haven Wellbeing Centre in Columbia kicked off a brilliant week, Marion tells us, when she arrived with a donation of a new Dolce Gusto coffee maker and pod stand, sandwich maker and food dicer. Sadly, due to the current climate they are having to close down but on a positive note they will be using Columbia  Community Centre to deliver certain sessions. ‘We are grateful beyond words.’ says Marion

Liam and Stu are here to prepare and re-hang the doors. They will need to be primed and painted and new hinges. The lads were so full of life, singing and dancing to the music while working , that Marion had the cheek to wonder if Liam had been sipping the wine he won on the Hamper Raffle.  Gasp! Then, a bit of bad news: CCA’s treasurer Pauline has tested positive for Covid. Another gasp, and wishes for a quick recovery from the team at Frost.

It seems all the free crockery has gone, thanks to social media. Red Shoes Bob will be moving the fridge and freezer before Thursday, though the kettle will remain in the office as it’s always on the boil for anyone who pops in. Beautiful pottery was created by the children who received free bags courtesy of Andrew Leach from MBC Arts Wellbeing.

Marion wanted Frost Magazine to emphasis tthe CCA’s gratitude that so many wonderful people have come into the CCA’s lives, – each and every one of them has been the cream of the crop, and:  ‘Every one of them will remain our friends for life and always welcome at the centre. Our christmas card list will stretch from here to Newcastle by the end.’ Marion says. ‘ Oh, and by the way, Dianne is on Library duty ensuring that the fabulous novels we have for hire by Margaret Graham are all accounted for, as they are being borrowed like hot cakes. That’s great, as long as you say where Marion can find you and ‘Margaret’.

Margaret, author, BAD girl, and editor of Frost Magazine, says, ‘I will be up with more books, some by me, but as I review books by other authors I have these to share with the CCA too.’

At last, Thursday arrived, and danger -“Men at work”. Liam and Justin did a  mighty good job of dismantling the kitchen, and Phil the Plumber did what Plumbers do and it’s service with a smile.

Marion is so delighted. ‘We have waited so long and at last it’s all happening around us and we are all so happy. Bingo ladies are having a day off today, they tell me they wouldn’t be able to hear the numbers shouted out for the noise but they would have enjoyed the eye candy – Girls that’s naughty (but nice)’

Marion tells us that the CCA have nothing but praise for these lads from Equan, they haven’t stopped all day,  even washed the floor all ready for the joiner the next day. Then with the smooth came the rough. The emergency lights came on in the midst of a power cut. But why the power cut? After several phone calls a charming chap called Chris (Marion tells us – what is she like?!) telephoned to say he was on his way. It transpired the RCD had tripped. Now Marion knowswhat to lookout for if it happens again, so frankly, says Margaret. Marion won’t have to call out the charming Chris, so very there.

Marion reports that new kitchen is fabulous and so much is down to the skill of the men doing the refurb, plus – dare she says they are all so easy on the eye. She also says that ‘Margaret Graham will say I am Bad but Margaret Graham is not here but I bet she wishes she was. (She does) Then along came Ross to help with the handles.’

Liam                                               Ross                                            Supervisor

‘Linda arrived with delicious home baked Lemon cake (now the work has stopped)’ Marion said, ‘But they deserve a treat.’

‘That’s a rap,’ said Marion. ‘Roll on my next report, as we show off our doors and new kitchen.’

.Information: Columbia Community Association  Columbia uk Community Forum

Memories of Brady Square

Joffe is delighted, on this the publication of the 100th digest, with our readers’ superb support for all their wonderful authors – who are very much part of the Joffe family, and they so  look forward to introducing many more in the years to come.

Joffe’s book of the week is the latest absolutely unputdownable crime thriller from #1 bestselling author Cath Staincliffe — DESPERATE MEASURES which is out now for the special launch price of just 99p | 99c.

It would be a shame to miss out on DCI Janine Lewis’s last case. Ever . . .   Respected GP Dr Don Halliwell is discovered brutally murdered and his colleague Dr Fraser McKee goes missing. Then McKee walks into the police station: ‘Somebody’s trying to kill me.’ However, he and Halliwell had been seen screaming at each other right before Halliwell’s murder.

It’s up to Janine to separate the murky truth from the lies.

CLICK HERE TO BUY DESPERATE MEASURES BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR CATH STAINCLIFFE FOR JUST 99P | 99C.

The Guernsey Ferry Murders by Pauline Rowson 99p/99c

Detective Inspector Andy Horton is in Guernsey when he receives an urgent call from his friend, Inspector John Guilbert. ‘A woman’s been found dead on the ferry which sailed from Portsmouth this morning.’Renegade detective Horton dives headfirst into his investigations, where dark secrets lead to destruction . . . 

A Future Murder b Linda Mather  99p/99c

MEET JO HUGHES, YOUR NEW FAVOURITE PRIVATE DETECTIVE.  Jo Hughes goes undercover to investigate Flora Howell. She tells Jo she’s looking for a missing friend and almost immediately afterwards she gets knocked off her bike in a hit-and-run accident. Then Flora’s friend is found dead. It’s up to Jo to read the signs and uncover the truth.

Murder at the Roman Baths by Jane G Goodhind 99p/99c

Amateur sleuth Honey Driver is attending the funeral of one of her mother’s friends. But before the deceased can be laid to rest, another body is found in the grave.The victim is C.A. Wright, renowned hotel reviewer with a nasty reputation and some even nastier habits. Wright was known as a leech, a lecher and a venomous cockroach by most people who crossed his path — including Honey Driver . . .

Such great great news:

Coming soon from Joffe Books — BABYLON BERLIN by Volker Kutscher. These truly are wonderful novels. I love them, love love love them. (You get the picture)
Joffe are not unnaturally delighted to be publishing Volker Kutscher’s award-winning series of Gereon Rath historical crime mysteries set in pre-war Berlin do not miss them. Do buy them.

The series of five historical thrillers, notable for its atmospheric portrayal of Weimar Republic Germany, has sold over a million copies worldwide and was recently adapted for television by Sky Atlantic, with the critically acclaimed Babylon Berlin TV series.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER BABYLON BERLIN BY VOLKER KUTSCHER.
“Atmospheric.” Peter James  “Gripping.” Mail on Sunday “Splendid and chilling.” Crime Time   “Conjures up the dangerous decadence of the Weimar years.” The Sunday Times

Joffe Books Publishing Director Kate Lyall Grant says:

“We are thrilled to have acquired digital rights in the remarkable Gereon Rath series, which brings the seedy underworld of 1920s’ Berlin to vivid and memorable life.”

NEWS

Now for a fulsome tribute on this, the celebration of Joffe’s100th digest, to honour Joffe’s beloved author Roy Lewis, creator of the Arnold Landon and Inspector Crow mystery series, who recently reached the impressive benchmark of over half a million books sold!

Joffe Books were delighted to receive a testimonial to Roy from his son, John,  which they wanted to share with Frost Magazine readers.

Roy was born in Ton Pentre, Rhondda, South Wales on 17/1/1933. He died on 18/8/2019. He probably started writing as a teenager.    In the late 1950s he contributed a number of short stories to an Australian publication, Man Magazine (and possibly also Adam). Suffice it to say that these publications mostly consisted of photos of young women in bathing suits with some articles and stories thrown in! 

He was first published by Collins in 1969, John thinks, and stayed with them in their Crime Club series for many years. He took inspiration for his books from what he saw around him, from his early years in the Rhondda, through his years as a Further Education college lecturer, college inspector, and the places where he lived — Wales, the North-East, Spain and France. He also travelled widely in the Far East, which features in his writing as well. Archaeology was of particular interest to him, as was mediaeval history (e.g. the Knights Templar), which is reflected in the Arnold Landon series of books

Joffe Books Publisher CEO Jasper Joffe on Roy Lewis:

“For a long time I wanted to publish Roy Lewis’s excellent crime novels. We used to speak occasionally on the phone and I always really enjoyed the charming lilt of his voice and his warmth.

I am very proud to publish his books and that we have sold over half a million of them, reaching a whole new generation of crime lovers. There’s a little sadness that he’s not alive to see the new-found success of his titles, but his books live on for his many loyal readers and I am so happy that we are his publisher.”

For more information: www.joffebooks.com