Shiraz Jones Marine Rescue Mysteries

South Pacific Shenanigans: Fun memoirs from Simon's adventures

Historical memoir of 1940s New York

One family.
Nine countries.
And a search for a giant mouse.

When the Prior family dash through Europe and Japan on the trail of a capybara, they’ve no idea they’ll stay in a Liechtenstein brothel, flee an Edinburgh plague doctor, join a dystopian society in Tokyo and attempt to break the German land speed record.
As they sleep on the pavement, live on Nutella and dress up as cartoon caterpillars, will they succeed in their capybara quest, or will the European Christmas markets, Scottish bagpipers and the impossibly complicated Japanese train system defeat their holiday goal?








When English city boy Simon follows his girlfriend across the world to her family farm in remotest New Zealand, he has no idea he’ll be force-fed a meal of beetle larva, get pushed off the road by half a house, and be inspected by indignant penguins and flattened by a giant leaf-blower.
As he poisons the milk, dive-bombs the bulls, and loses the herd of cows in a river, will he ever learn to be a farmer, or will he have to stop impersonating a country boy, and return to London?

When Simon embarks on an around-the-world quest to find the perfect engagement ring, he has no idea he’ll re-enact a celebrity double murder, check into a Chinese torture facility, star as James Bond in an underwater movie and take part in an opium den toilet-paper hunt.As he fights off Cantonese Pavarottis, Chihuahua-brandishing socialites, dodgy diamond dealers and hen-pecked secret agents, will he ever persuade his girlfriend to accept his proposal, or will he have to abandon his plans and remain a bachelor forever?

When London boy Simon dreams of becoming a New Zealand rock star, he has no idea he'll duet with a suspected murderer, model for posters with a dairy cow, accidentally present the weather on the radio and be upstaged by an apple crumble.
As he struggles to impersonate Elvis, forgets the most important birthday song and scares away a hen party, will he ever realise his rock star ambitions, or will he have to pack away his guitar and abandon his dreams forever?

When Simon and Fiona embark on a quest to track down the Queen of Tonga, they have no idea they’ll end up marooned on a desert island.No idea they’ll encounter an undiscovered tribe, rescue a drowning actress, learn jungle survival from a commando, and attend cultural ceremonies few Westerners have seen.As they find out who hooks up, who breaks up, who cracks up, and who throws up, will they fulfil Simon’s ambition to see the queen, or will they be distracted by insomniac chickens, grunting wild piglets, and the easy-going Tongan lifestyle?

Have you ever wanted a first-hand glimpse into post-war 1940s New York?When 21-year-old John Miskin Prior travelled by ship to New York in 1948, he had no idea he was going to meet and dine with the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. No idea he would be among the first ever to see ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’. No idea he would witness Truman’s election victory, so unexpected, the newspapers were reprinted.This eyewitness account of an English student living in New York for the incredible year of 1948 – 49 has been collated from his letters discovered after his death, a unique account of the time.

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Signed Paperbacks

All signed paperbacks AU$24.99Postage
AU$6 Australia
AU$12 New Zealand
AU$20 USA, Canada, UK
An invoice will be sent on receipt of your order. Many thanks! Simon.

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