Professor Alan Carr, University College Dublin: “A coming of age novel with a difference… ‘Crossing the Water’ begins against the backdrop of the Irish civil war when two boys are caught in an incident which will change their lives forever. They take different paths, but their lives remain linked in distinctive ways as a tale of friendship and conflict, loyalty and emigration, love and war unfolds. The novel spans three continents (Europe, America and India) and three decades (1919-1946) during which the central characters and their families experience the joys of life but also struggle with the realities of separation, trauma and loss. Ian’s background as a clinical psychologist informs his descriptions of both the problems that befall his characters and their resilience and coping methods. However, what makes this an exceptionally memorable novel is his empathy for his characters and his thoughtful storytelling … a masterpiece.”

Chris LLoyd, the Northern Echo: “weaves a dramatic story from his wife’s family, about the murderous machinations and strange secrets of life during the Irish troubles, with other exciting tales from the second world war era…”

Anita Atkinson, Editor, The Weardale Gazette: “The most gripping and memorable story I have read…I thoroughly recommend it to everyone…”

John Foster, BBC Radio Tees: “An amazing book… a fascinating story”

Elizabeth Taylor, Librarian: “Describes the journey of two Irish lads from the trouble torn Ireland of the 1920s to the end of the Second World War; plus, the decisions they must make in loyalty and love. A great read for book groups.”

Link to AMAZON REVIEWS

Some of you will be looking at this after reading about my childhood in Weardale in the ‘great daily of the North’ – and it is a paper I enjoy myself, which has survived and even thrived against the odds by remaining consistently relevant, a great mix of regional and national news, balanced and unbiased, and pitched at a level that can be read by people of all backgrounds. I hope my books do the same…

If you want to read some extracts from my book and reviews of it, look at the Makri press site The site also has some poems, quirky articles, and bits of psychology under ‘free stuff’
On this site, the ‘Voyages of discovery’ series tells the story of how I decided to become a publisher and my efforts to reach out to possible readers! (More to come on this later – thanks for visiting the site today)