Brian The Story
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s of to work we go. Yes, that is me in the picture hard at work on dialysis writing my many self-published books, all of different genre. When I was forced to retire from the sport that I loved Fishing because of the loss of feeling in my hands, caused by 25 years of constant dialysis, [4 sessions of 4 hours every week] add to that the 1 hour drive back and forth to the hospital, life has not been easy, saying that it could have been a lot worse, especially after 2 failed kidney transplants, both many years ago now and a distant memory.
Some of my friends say that I have had a crap life, but to be honest I would not have changed a thing, what with my beautiful wife of 42 very happy years, 2 wonderful children, both of which I am extremely proud, 2 grandchildren [Clementine and Beatrice] who are my life, and in a way saved my life. I will explain!
After 30 years of charity work, in which I not only raised a lot of money for such charities as, St Richards Hospice, K.P.A, Air Ambulance and many local charities. I was a singer, stand-up comedian, charity drag artist performing such artists as Tina Turna, Dolly Parton, Barbara. Streisand, Shirley Bassey and Freddy Mercury and more, but my personal favourite has to be Marylyn Munroe complete with the dress and the fans, brilliant! I had a lot of fun along the way, especially when I would get dressed up in top hat and tails, take hold of my cane and visit the old-people’s homes, to do 40’s nights, singing the old songs, watching the residents linking arms and singing along, what’s not to like!
Back to my books, the first book that I penned was *A Walk with Grandad* this book was created at a very dark time in my life, after many years on dialysis and my first failed transplant, I was in a place where I had given up on life, and after a very difficult conversation with my family, I had decided to stop going to dialysis, there fore ending my life, but before I reached that stage I wanted to leave something behind for the grandchildren that I would never see, so I wrote the above mentioned book. The whole process took a couple of years, I finally had 40 copies printed for family and friends.
Then came along my second failed transplant, I spent a long time in I.C.U. and was looked after by a Nurse called Katy May Harris to whom I will be forever grateful, we spent many hours talking, crying and holding hands and by this time, I had had enough, I made the decision that enough was enough, I just wanted to go home to die. After saying good-by to all the lovely staff that had looked after me for those long painfilled years, my wife and daughter Stephanie came to take me home, once back in the car, my wife had gone off to return the wheelchair, that was when my lovely daughter uttered these words “I’m Preggers dad”
Those 3 words saved my life, and now here we are today, what 10 years later, happier than ever and an author of all these wonderful books, WOW!
A Lifetime of Match-Fishing
Match Fishing is a drug that, once sampled, will stay with you for a lifetime. Once you’ve had your first dose of competing, you can’t live without it. The next match consumes your every waking moment. You get to the point in life where you need your fix and want it more and more.
As in every sport there are super stars and these angling maestros have memories, some good, some bad and some outright funny.
This lovely book contains stories from some of the country’s, not only much loved, but well-known anglers. Each personal account found in these pages has been written in their own hand.
My book began life when my good friend, Leigh Morris, suggested I write about my ten most memorable match wins. Then I was asked to write a book on hemp fishing at Evesham. How did I learn about watercraft? And so on. From those few humble suggestions this book has taken on a most gratifying life of it’s own. I’ve added some thoughts of my own and in doing so I hope I’ve answered some of the very interesting questions I’ve been asked.
I had the bright idea one dat of asking a few close friends to contribute with their own match fishing memories. Now, well over a dozen of the biggest names in our wonderful sport have all shared their own angling recollections in this most entertaining of books.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
A Badsey Boy
Imagine this, a loaf of bread costing the equivalent of 5 pence in today’s money, beer costing the equivalent of 8 pence a pint, fags costing the equivalent of 25 pence for 20, petrol costing the equivalent of 33 pence a gallon, you could buy at that time a new car for £2.500 pounds and Sir Bobby Charlton costs £8. 50 in transfer fees. It was back then in 1960 that this book begins, I was a thin 7 years old country boy. We had 1 telephone box in the whole of our small country village, like most villages at that time we had our very own village policeman and nurse, and it was nurse Davies that decided whether you went to see a doctor or not. Our small friendly village of Badsey is situated just a couple of miles from the market gardening town of Evesham.
I began writing this book as a sort of biography when I was forced to retire from top flight match fishing, because of my many health issues. These many true tales in this book begin with my earliest memories of peace, harmony and being a good boy, too, well, let’s just say that the village bobby used to know where I lived, and he was a regular visitor. School and myself didn’t go to well, I would rather spend my days honing my angling skills down the local brook, and this shows in my lack of education. I left school at 15 and went to work on the land to bring money into the house, because my father and brother were both on strike at the time, and had to rely on strike pay to survive.If you know me, then you know that I find it difficult to take anything seriously, and I always have a funny story to tell. And this book is full of stories that I guarantee will make you smile, short, sharp tales from a lifetime of village life, fishing, shooting, poaching, getting into trouble and raising lots of lovely money for many worthy charities. I did this manly by performing very silly comedy drag all over the midlands, singing and doing stand up comedy using stories from this book.
When this book first came out I donated all profits from it’s sales to St Richards Hospice, I had at that time 400 copies printed and sold every one, with only one complaint, and lots of praise, so I was more than happy with that outcome. Don’t get me wrong there are a few sadder tales in these very readable pages, but then such is life. I have made a few changes in this book from the original, but the stories remain the same.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
Zolem
A long time ago, in a small village, far away, hidden in a dark forest , a large silver backed male wolf, known as Zolem, as tall as a pony, was terrorising the locals, devouring livestock and villagers alike. Zolem was cunning and silent as he made his regular deadly visits. All efforts to trap and kill the massive wolf had failed.
Teams of hunters had tracked the beast for days, but his tracks always seemed to disappear as if by magic. Igor, a self-confessed coward had a visitation from his dead father, who hinted at a plan to trap and kill the beast. Would Igor have the courage and cunning to carry it out?
Would he conquer his fears and claim the prize, the hand of the Chief’s second eldest daughter. Or would Igor become the beasts next victim?
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
The Ghosts of Level Nine
This is a book of death and retribution, fast pace with plenty of twists and turns and full of ghosts from the beginning all the way to the end, but ask yourself this, are they all good ghosts or very bad ones. Kevin West is superficially timid, an introvert. Not good looking.
He is thin, slight bodied, almost bald, and wears goldfish bowl glasses. His wife Madge is a complete contrast. She is six foot and grossly obese. She is so domineering that in the end Kevin believes he has no choice but to do away with her. Having made all of his arrangements beforehand, he steals a lot of cash and goes on the run. He takes refuge on the top floor of a derelict, soon to be demolished hospital. He had been warned about the supposed ghosts which he laughed off.
That is, until he finally meets them face to face. The dead sisters are friendly.They tell him their deathly secret. Together they track down and take drastic revenge on their murderer. Other dead victims come forward. Kevin and his friends then become unexpected vigilantes and do a lot more tracking and taking revenge.
After the demolition, life for Kevin and his deceased friends takes an unusual turn which pushes them in a direction that they could never have foreseen.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
Thumbprint In The Dome
For John Stratton, an officer of the Metropolitan fraud squad, the day starts much as any other. He bids his new wife goodbye as they both set of for work, little realising that it would be the last time they were to see each other for more than two years.
He finds himself held in a futuristic village known as the dome, to which he has been lured by sinister, unknown forces. Over the ensuing months he slowly works out why he has been chosen and the tasks expected of him.
His time there, eventual release and subsequent adventures offer a roller coaster ride, told at breakneck speed and populated with larger the life characters.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
Philomena And The Stolen Kiss
In the oldest forest in the land, lived the oldest oak tree, and in that ancient tree lived Philomena the good fairy. Philomena and her sister Helena were woodland fairies and had lived for many lifetimes in the depths of the old Forest, both of them knew how to communicate with the trees, woodland animals, pixies and elves.
Helena was the naughty fairy. Using her magic wand, she was always getting into trouble with someone. She made people fall over, burst out laughing or do other silly things. She would hide in the tree tops and laugh at others misfortune. But this time it was Philomena that was in trouble, serious trouble, because she had used her magic for her own ends, and that was strictly forbidden for fairies, especially woodland fairies. Philomena selfishly stole something very personal from a handsome Prince, and she did this whilst he was under her spell.
The good fairy thought that no-one had seen her commit the crime, but someone had!Would they keep the secret to themselves, or would they tell the King of the elves? If they did tell, Philomena would be in big trouble, she would be arrested and have to stand trial for her crime.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
Philomena and the Sleeping Princess
Philomena springs into action when she hears from the oldest tree in the forest that the king’s daughter has been kidnapped.
With the help of Merlin the magician, the pair set out to help rescue the beautiful Princess, who they find out is being held deep inside a dragon’s cave. Merlin has to use all of his magical powers to change Philomena into a tiny butterfly, so that she can then fly unseen into the cave, and then spy on the kidnappers.
Will the good fairy be seen by the evil men inside the cave, will she be captured before she can tell Merlin that the Princess has been drugged, and sleeps the sleep of the dead, and may never wake?
Will Merlin, with the help of Philomena and the goblin soldiers, be able rescue the Princess before she is taken to France, where she will be forced to marry an unknown Prince against her will?
If they do rescue the Princess, how will they wake her from eternal sleep? Who holds the key to saving the kings only daughter?
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
The Naughty Gnome
Mary Giddyup and her Golden Labrador Billy, just happened to be walking along the roadside when a small red racing car drove past.
The passenger in the car threw something colourful out of the car window and called out, “Good riddance!”Mary tutted to herself at the sheer lack of respect for the countryside as she watched the car disappear into the distance.
As she neared the place where the item had been thrown out of the car, she came upon a small round object that was green in colour, lying in the middle of the path. She stopped and gave it a tap with her toe as it rolled over and over down the path, Billy the Labrador pounced upon it and picked it up.
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The Naughty Gnome Book 2
Paddy may be the smallest gnome made out of stone in the world, he may only be 3 inches tall, but he once helped to save a trapped fairy’s life. To say thank you, the grateful fairy cast a spell over the garden gnomes, the magic then allowed the gnomes to do magical things.
Paddy soon learned that if he concentrated very hard, he could not only talk, he was also able to climb down from his plinth, and walk around.
With his new found skills, Paddy began to explore, where he would use his new found naughtiness to cause lots of problems. In this book Paddy goes walkabout into his neighbour’s gardens, where he is very naughty indeed.
Another day, Paddy single-handily manages to ruin the local garden fete. The next day he escapes from the front garden whilst the other gnomes sleep, he stows away on a tractor, not knowing where he’s going and ends up on a magical farm. Once there he meets someone who is even naughtier than he is.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON HERE
A Walk With Grandad
This beautifully illustrated story is of a walk with a grandchild I thought I would never have. After a second failed kidney transplant I was at the point of giving up on life, simply because of the dark place I found myself in. I wrote this book so that I was able to leave something behind for my as yet unknown grandchildren to remember me by.