The (mis)adventures of young Michael Quigley continue in Childhood without a Helmet, the companion to Stump City. Set in the predominantly Irish-American section of Skaneateles Falls, New York, it roughly parallels the same time period, focusing on Michael's interactions with his friends and neighbors. Mike and friends take us back to the days of daredevil sledding, learning to ride a bicycle, and cooking up Halloween pranks. When left to his own devices, the young Michael never fails to both amaze and amuse. Throughout the story, parents and other adults are present and engaged, never far...

Are you a Baby Boomer, child or grandchild of one? STUMP CITY will either jog your memories or give you better insights about life just after WWII and up to 1960. Imagine living without indoor plumbing, a television, or telephone in a time period where a general store sold just about everything you needed and Wal-Mart didn't exist. STUMP CITY shows how a family grows in size through the eyes of a young boy who is troubled by a father who drinks too much and a mother who is beset with too many children and too much to do around the house. The boy meets memorable characters or hears stories...

The adventures of Michael Quigley take a turn towards fantasy in Predicament Pit. The now-grown Michael has a family of his own and has settled comfortably in a well-wooded lot that he has, over the years, transformed by his own hands and that he knows like the back of them. But those woods hold a secret - one that Michael has been aware of since childhood, but could not name. This secret propels him into another existence, separate from our own but yet very much a part of us, where Michael is called upon and tested in ways beyond that which his 65 years have asked so far. The Gentle Ones -...

An essential guide to the future of work in Australia.