GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #38 - Paul Flewitt

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Paul Flewitt

The Past

Who here (if you’re from the UK, that is) remembers the Brittania Music and Video Club?

This was a scheme that would send out catalogues of records (remember those?) and videos that were recently released. One of my earliest and most vivid memories was leafing through that catalogue with my cousins. I couldn’t have been very old. The catalogue was split into sections; western, romance, horror… This was the 80’s and the horror section was one that I would return to, just to look at the pictures. One image that was branded onto my memory was that of a mean looking dude with nails driven into his head. That one image gave my little-boy nightmares, but it was an image that has stuck with me for a long time. Is it strange that I now view the Hellpriest as one of my best friends?

But … I’m getting ahead of myself here (as writers are often wont to do). The story really begins here…

Books and reading have always played a big part in my life from such a young age that I can barely remember a time in my life when I haven’t had a stack of books, waiting to be read.

My father, throughout my childhood was a hobby-writer, penning short stories and poems whenever the mood took him. He was an avid reader and had a large collection of books which I would routinely raid myself. It’s my dad that can probably take responsibility for my writing, because he would encourage me to imagine.

English was always my subject at school. I could read books beyond my years from a very young age and grasped the many vagaries of the English language with relative ease. Hardly surprising, given that there were times in my childhood when we didn’t own a TV and a games console was but a dream and fantasy for me. There were times when books were literally my only form of entertainment.

The first books I remember as receiving for my own were a box set of Beatrix Potter classics, bought by my parents for me. I have to say, they all provided literally minutes of entertainment before I’d read them all, but I return to them even now with my own children. I love the innocence of them and the quite obvious life-lessons they provide. My personal favourite; Squirrel Nutkin, I could read over and over… and have.

SHOW-OFF AND TELL #33 - Paul Flewitt - Poor Jeffrey

#33 in the Show-Off and tell is Poor Jeffrey by Paul Flewitt.

This book is unique for a couple of different reasons. Firstly, it was the first signed book given to me in person. I met Paul recently at Emcon in Nottingham and he was extremely eager to promote his books with whoever would listen.

Refreshing to see someone prepared to do anything to self-promote and get their stuff out there.

Also, this is the first thing I have read by Paul. I only vaguely knew him through Facebook before Emcon and that was only fleetingly. I didn’t even know he was an author to be honest.

During a couple of smokes outside a rather dreary Emcon, we got chatting about writing and reviewing and how hard both can be and Paul promised me a copy.

True to his word, as soon as we were inside, I got my copy.

This is it:

REVIEW: Paul Flewitt - Poor Jeffrey

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Shawthing Publications

Publication Date: April 2016

Pages: 181

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Poor Jeffrey was given to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Paul Flewitt in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Shawthing Publications.

The way in which this review has come about is a first for Confessions. I met Paul Flewitt for the first time at Emcon in Nottingham earlier this year. We got chatting and he asked if I had read his book. I admitted I hadn’t. I didn’t admit I knew nothing about him or his book. He very graciously gave me a copy of his book to give it a go. He told me a little about the style of the book and signed it for me. That was it.

I loved the cover on this one but if I’m being honest, I didn’t put much urgency on reading it. It kept waving at me from my pile though so I picked it up to give it a go.

I think I should have paid attention to the waving earlier.

Poor Jeffrey. He has had a life of ups and downs. Now he has been killed in a freak accident. His friends, Tommy, Chloe and Jade miss him so much they decide to bring him back.

Using ancient, dangerous methods, they embark on a ritual to bring him back to life. Jeffrey would have rather stayed dead.

At the same time there is a killer on the loose in their town. Everyone is determined to catch him but when he interferes with the friends, all hell breaks loose as they try to help Jeffrey, and stop a killer.