Cirrus@Austlit

'This is a novel set in the corridors of power of the British Foreign Office. It is told through the eyes of Felix Manners, the Liverpool born head of a government film unit that employs its black arts to support the British Government in various theatres around the world where it is trying to win hearts and minds. When the Lions are Drinkng is a title taken from an old Thames waterman's saying about the embankment lions along the Thames River which during spring tides often used to have their bronze snouts in the river, an early sign that flooding was likely. Val Wake has used this riverman's story as a methaphor to illustrate the state of the British civil service when faced with the demands of modern politics during the Thatcher era. On the back cover of the book is a reference to Dean Acheson's famous statement made in 1963 that Great Britain has lost an empire but has not yet found a role. The cover blurb goes on to say: " During the postwar period following the Second World War Britain struggled to find that role. It was not until Margaret Thatcher was elected in 1979 that the country began to consider a radical new approach to its future that resulted in a clash of loyalties and values."

The story follows Felix and his band of disparate producers as they attempt to deliver the right media products as prescibed by the Foreign Office to reach their target audiences. Felix becomes deeply involved in the production of a film series designed to support the Mujhideen in their fight to repel the Red Army. One of Felix's producers, Ted Braithwaite was born in the Northwest Frontier when his father was working for the British Indian Army as a medical officer. Ted is an obvious choice as the producer of the Afghan series. Ted makes two filming visits to Pakistan and as a result becomes involved with a local tribal group called the Salamanders. Ted's connections with the Salamanders sparks the interest of the Pakistan intelligence service who suspect that the Salamanders are plotting to assassinate the Pakistan president.

The arrest and interrogation of Ted is a serious embarrassment to his masters in London and results in the whole operation being disbanded. Ted dies in mysterious circumstances and Felix is forced to retire from the civil service.' (Source: Authors website: www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=78603)

'My Voyage around Spray (with apologies to Captain Joshua Slocum) is not only about the author's love of boats and sailing, it is a social commentary about the return of a native son and his re-discovery of Australia after an absence of nearly 40 years. Val Wake describes himself as an itinerant journalist. He worked in Sydney, London, Toronto and Ottawa but spent a lot of time on the frontier learning about making life tolerable in difficult circumstances. He learnt how to survive when the odds were against him.After settling in Port Macquarie, Val Wake found that he was part of a mass movement popularly known as the sea change movement. He was quoted as saying:When we first came to Port Macquarie there was one set of traffic lights. Today there are more than 10 and counting. I'm not saying that development is wrong but when it is forced on a community at the expense of the quality of life I think that something is wrong.Val Wake uses his forensic skills as a journalist to examine a small Australian coastal town. What he finds should provide some useful pointers for a better future for all Australians.' (Publisher's blurb)

'The non-fiction story of one of Australia's first spies and a founder director of the spy agency ASIO.

This is a deeply researched work that has the subject's eldest son discovering things about his father he never knew. Valdemar (Val) Wake travelled to four Australian states and Territories in pursuit of his father's story and even visited the home of the spy agency in Canberra ASIO. Val Wake convinced ASIO to release his father's personal files which have now become a treasure trove for researchers trying to get the dirt on ASIO (almost a cottage industry in Australia.) The story deals in detail with World War Two and Bob Wake's work with the British and Americans. At the start of the Japanese war he was sent on a secret mission to Singapore to try and reconcile differences between the British high command and the Australian high command. Bob Wake served in the Commonwealth Investigation Branch, Military Intelligence, Commonwealth Security Service and ASIO.' (Source: Author's website http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=78603)