Ok, this is where the dark façade drops…or is a more jovial one erected? When I work out the answer, I’ll let you know.  

Unlike most of the other topics I take an interest in, humour is probably the one that comes naturally to me. I make connections, plays on words, spontaneous innuendo and sparkling wit without thinking about it. It’s a curse…in the same way as winning the lottery would be. As my good friend described it, my sense of humour is “abstract”. What else could you call someone who designs a psychopathic Easter bunny?  

There are three sources that I would like to blame – or maybe that should be thank – for this disease I have. The first would have to be a combined effort from Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin, who were probably the first humorous authors I encountered. Second would be The Goon Show along with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, who’s insane form of parody and comedy has definitely been a constant in my work. Finally, for giving me a true idea of sardonic wit, of meticulously manufactured monologues and cleverly crafted crafty wordplay, it has to be the late, great Ronnie Barker.   

Ok, slavering and arse-kissing over, it’s confession time. I haven’t written anything for this section…except…

Working in a Customer Services Department, and in Project Management, I had the opportunity to put my sense of humour to work in two distinct ways. One was the promotion of another department (more details can be found under the Art section), the other was in the company newsletter. With two articles entitled “News At 10 & A Half”, then later changed to “Tales From The Back Side”, I was able to create fantasy from the everyday running of the company. Unfortunately I didn’t get paid any extra for it, but I got to do something that I love – turn everything that was familiar on its head. As the icing on the cake, in a vote on all of the regular newsletter articles, I am the most popular written article in there – although I was beaten into second place on the overall ranking, by 4 points. What amazing entry could knock me from the top? One word – Dingbats, that wonderful little game of working out sayings, films and people from a series of pictures. I laughed for hours about that.

Out of the Tales From The Backside series, I have also found a knack for producing my take on some classic stories. Similar in humour to Spike Milligan’s According to series, these are the books that have become my first published work.

The first of this Retold series, is Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, and is now available to buy through the Store page or through the Tales Website.  Taking the well known story and incorporating my own humour into it, this is Dickens as it was never meant to be seen. Including missing thumbs, hungry ghosts, and a host of thieves and swines, this will have Dickens somersaulting in his grave. Other stories that will soon be coming to the series are Dracula, The Wizard of Oz, Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde, Oliver Twist and The Jungle Book.

Click on the Logo below to visit the Tales From The Back Side website for exclusive content.

Works In Progress

Grim Reaping

The life of Death is never simple, but when little green men are rumoured to be plotting his demise things can get oh so complicated.

Welcome to the Business of Life, the company responsible for existance, run exquisitely under the ever watchful, all-seeing-eye of Johnny B God.

Welcome also to the diaries of Grim Reaper, equally well known as Death. Grim has been the collector of souls since the Days of Creation, which followed many millenia of brainstorming and graph analysis, but he has never come across a situation where a soul he collects apparently died while digging a grave for him.

Who would want to kill Death? Men in green lycra apparently which would suggest a lack of both common and dress sense.

Aided and hindered in equal measure by a verbally-challenged demon, the Devil himself, and a multitude of vapourous but colourful collected souls, Grim finds that his life was much simpler when all humans had to say was "Ugg."

A comic fantasy about Death, life, love, annoyance, violence, depravity, green lycra and just a little Grim Reaping.

Read the first quarter of Grim Reaping for free at Harper Collins' Authonomy website by clicking the link below.