I have had many different jobs in my life including paratrooper, postman and (briefly) poultry stuffer.  This last was in the kitchens of the prestigious Sydney Opera House which was certainly the nearest I ever got to a career in music.  The job I loved best however was the ten years I spent working in the Halls of Residence at a Scottish University where I got to know so many young students from all over the world. Whilst I've never been to university myself and am almost entirely self educated, I've always enjoyed writing poetry and short stories so after I retired, with more time on my hands, I decided to have a go at writing a novel.  My wife was very supportive of this project, I suspect partly to keep me out of her hair now that I was around the house all day. When thinking about subject matter for a book it seemed natural to base the story on one of the happiest, most interesting and enjoyable times of my life.  And so I wrote a novel set in a students' Halls of Residence.  Although none of the characters in my book are based on real people, the inspiration for this story was provided by the many wonderful young students I was privileged to know in my ten years of working as Halls Assistant.  Along with my family, this book is dedicated to them.

Want to buy the book?  You can order it from the Lulu website. If you'd like to get in touch, please e-mail me.

John heads off to London on book promotion tour ... (Just click on any picture to enlarge it).

Trafalgar Square awash with fans         Crowds in Picadilly Circus watch the book promotion

Odeon, Leicester Square - will a film producer drop by?       Soho - Wholesome entertainment for sale!

John narrowly avoids being interned in the Tower of London ...       In an imaginative move to drum up sales at Tower Bridge, John strips off and balances on the nose of a dolphin

John gate-crashes the Edinburgh Book Festival...

Glesga man dares to pitch his book in Embra!

John steals the show

John is interviewed by a Norwegian TV crew

Big Celtic Star Shunsuke Nakamura meets Big Celtic Fan John...

"Hey Shunsuke, read any good books lately?"

John and a Celtic fan at John's beloved Celtic Park

Full steam ahead for book sales in Glasgow

John gate-crashes the Glasgow 'Harry Potter' launch... (Just click on any picture to enlarge it).

Potter fans are drawn to John's "magic" book     Looking for a good book?

John's book charms Potter wizards       Been there, done that, worn the T-shirt

"One day, all this could be ours..."       Still working the crowd on the way back home