Heaven’s Above! is a gripping read: 13 short stories which at times connects to and expands on the narrative from the earlier publication Whittling our Niche: at other times they travel in alternative directions, exploring new and exhilarating horizons. Dream sequences bookend the compendium, but many of the tales in between are brought to the page as dreams of the author, carefully crafted, and given life. An intriguing blend of fact and fiction, imagination and humour, Heaven’s Above! delivers a volatile mix which stretches across the spectrum.

This common saying alludes to the possible illusion that after the tumult of our allotted time on earth, our final resting point is somewhere above, beyond the clouds. The first tale in the collection follows that Beyond the Clouds supposition. Some will agree. Many may not.

The thirteen stories in the collection, range from down-to-earth and factual, through to off-the-wall fabrication. Some stories sit in between the two, based on fact but seriously embellished into a sort of faction concoction. The first tale – also titled Heaven’s Above! - is a dream sequence, very much in the fiction genre.

As a writer, the short story format intrigues me greatly, challenging my capabilities while at the same time opening up brilliant opportunities to wander in all directions. Those instigating thoughts which emerge from a wide variety of sources – a conversation at the bar, a dreamy download during the night, a remembered friendship, a sign on the wall – each can provide that initial stimulus, the kick-start to a gripping tale.

Wherever possible, I have tried to include a liberal quotient of humour within most stories, whether obvious and up front, or more hidden and disguised. And while a number of tales take a leap back to the past, such as Jonny Balozi negotiating his personal trials in Melbourne, during those halcyon days of the 1970s, others are set much more in the here and now. Many relate to my life as I now find it on the tropical coast of Kenya, while there are a number which stray way outside this isolated paradise.

There are some connections made between my first book (Whittling our Niche, from the Tree of Life) and this one, which readers of the earlier book may identify, while many of the tales are stand alone, and not related to the first book in any way.

HEAVEN’S ABOVE! provides a wide-ranging compendium of stories, which together deliver a degree of information and intrigue for all readers to enjoy. I am anticipating publication later in 2026, so please look out for it on the bookseller’s shelf, or from Amazon.

NB: The term Tree of Life is used for this and the previous book, as a descriptor for the manner in which each one of us carves our own miniscule splinter from Life’s Tree: an enormous sequoia, inhabited together with the other eight billion humans on Planet Earth.