A little self-promotion this morning following a review of my book, ‘Bobby’ which appeared on Amazon yesterday – the review, I mean, not the book. That’s been out for a few weeks.
‘Bobby’ is the biography of my godfather, written by me based on interviews where he told us his life story. I started on this project 20 years ago, but only this year was I confident enough in the fact checking to knock the thing together and put it out there.
This is the story of one gay man, born in 1919 in Tooting. Bobby’s colourful life crossed paths with King George VI, Sir Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Shirley Bassey, David Bowie, Quentin Crisp, Ruth Ellis, and numerous other crowned heads, politicians, entertainers and leaders of society. However, he came from the underclass of the homeless, drag queens, and illegal lovers. There at pivotal moments of the gay 20th century, this previously unknown gay man’s richly fascinating career has previously slipped under the radar but is now getting the limelight it deserves.
Here are some excerpts from the latest review: Lovingly crafted, exceptionally well written and well researched. This is a startlingly interesting read, with a wealth of beautifully observed detail of ‘ a time past’, yet it has a contemporary voice that quite entranced me. The descriptions of Bobby’s early life have all the resonance of the memoirs of the Scottish writer Molly Wier, and at times capture these lost days and ways as succinctly and as pungently as Flora Thomson did in the ‘Larkrise’ books. More than 5 stars required. (Thank you, Dr Gardner.)
Thanks also to everyone else who has taken the time and trouble to read the book and leave a review. As usual, my serial stalker has been out and about and bunged up a three-star rating, but at least this time it was a three and not a one. I don’t know who this person is, but they make me laugh. No sooner do I put a book on Amazon than they’re there, often before they’ve even had time to read a page. I imagine a jealous and frustrated oik who thinks he can do better but never does, so satisfies himself by giving other writers one and two star ratings without even reading the book.
Anyway, none of that matters when you have words like Lovingly crafted, and exceptionally well written in your reviews.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can find ‘Bobby, a Life Worth Living’ via this universal link that should take you to your nearest Amazon outlet for the Kindle version or the paperback. It’s on Kindle Unlimited too.
