“My Ironbridge Summer” — OUT NOW!
Tall Summer Tales with the Light of my Life
As Sunday 8th December tiptoed, as it must, into Monday 9th of a December month in the year of our Lord 2024, my nine self-published books to date became ten with the official self-published release of “My Ironbridge Summer” and I’m incredibly proud of her.
Here’s a flavour from the reverse cover:
“Father, Son and Holy Goat. An eccentric and cantankerous old soul with a heart mainly of gold who lives in a time warp with the ghost of my heroes Hunter S Thompson and Salvador Dali. Wearer of retro football shirts, this is the fourth in my “Rambling Musings” series of books and my tenth publication to date”
“It was early afternoon as we made our descent into Ironbridge. “Creep” by Radiohead had replaced the majesty of the Stone Roses earlier and idle thoughts were easy to come by on this glorious summer’s afternoon.
Of course it was easy to fall in love with someone so beautiful, someone who seemingly lived within her own aura, her own bubble, her own place of happiness.
The world she lived in was a magnificent place to be.
Facing the window and playing casually with her long auburn curls she sure knew all the words to “Creep” I reasoned and I could watch this ethereal human being blow smoke rings until the end of time.
But falling in love?
That was too crazy even for this old fool”.
Welcome to Volume Four of “Rambling musings and other balderdash”
"My Ironbridge Summer" - link to Amazon
If you were to click on the Amazon link above and then the “Read Sample” tab you can read the opening 25 pages for free together with the book ending “Afterword”. If you’re a member of Amazon’s “Unlimited” club you can also read the Kindle version for free too. Available also in both paperback and hardback (I must admit here to preferring the old school tangible feeling of a book in one’s own hands), 175 total pages will greet you and from February through October, my birthday through to a surprise meeting with my oldest childhood friend in Ironbridge, in between you’ll find an elongated Summer of writing where my spiritual home, a self-titled “Toy Town”, the oldest iron bridge in the whole world (self-titled “Grand Old Lady”) was my only destination, time and time again, for fish and chips on the banks of the River Severn, picnic breakfasts in the park with my son (including many defeats at cards as he cheats!), the colour of the May “World War II Weekend”, the tradition and heritage of the August Bank Holiday “Coracle Regatta”, and whilst it’s mainly about me the book is really about my love for my son (to whom the book is dedicated) and the silly and crazy times we had in the (occasional) sunshine of Summer 2024.
I asked my son for his opinion on the cover and book as a whole as presented on Amazon and he said, in his deadpan manner, “It looks good”.
Oh to be the parent of an autistic child!
Many chapters begin with music and songs that have kept me company through the years. Many also disappear away on tangential trips of fancy, fantasy, memories and tall tales. There’s also a mid-section of purely fictional writing tied to Ironbridge and a favourite piece of writing in recent times.
Oh, and there’s a Basset Hound called “Bruce”, a pug-dog named “Bear”, a Welsh Englishman by the name of “Jeremy” (who owns the tiniest and greatest Old Fashioned Sweet Shop in all the world) and there are two swans I’ve named “Fred” and “Mary” who may, or may not, be serial killers.
All in all it was a pleasure to write over the Summer and a smile inducing few days of memories compiling this all into a book I’m immensely proud of.
I’d be honoured if you took a chance on an indie writer’s creation sometime and if you’re sorely tempted, please take a chance on the paper published version of the book as we MUST keep the poetry of reading physical books alive and well.
Peace.
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering, and the right way up in an upside down world.