Now available as an E-Book. Go to http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/irishrover
Truly a great story if you decide to buy, you will not regret it. A wonderful gift for Christmas and other occasions.
Although a memoir, it is definitely not stuffy or boring, as one might, at first think.
I often hesitate picking up a book that is a memoir as it’s usually written by some retired politician, claiming if he hadn’t been cheated, would have become a great leader. My story is about real people in the real world and I can guarantee you will find it hard to put down. Below is a list of three of the many reviews I have received to date. One is from a friend, two are from people I have never met. I leave you to judge from their comments.
In Brief
This is a true story of the first sixteen years of my life. Before reaching my first birthday I’d lost my mother and the world was again at war. The book follows my journey through the Belfast blitz, to Scotland. The adoption by my sister and husband. Losing everything but our lives in one of the first V1 rocket attacks. In post war Britian, constantly moving and changing schools takes a toll on my education. Lily’s mental and physical abuse erodes what little confidence and self esteem I had. As I grow older, my resentment feeds a need to return to my father and family in Ireland. This is a very sad and yet sometimes funny story that will keep the reader turning pages.
CHAPTER TEN
IS IT GOING TO RAIN. (Excerpt)
I soon discover a new and strange phenomenon. I became very concerned to find my penis was often erect Apart from anything else it was difficult to pee. I was completely unaware the problem was natural. It didn’t hurt, nevertheless I was sure something was wrong. Rather than asking Lily I approached Ben in the yard one evening and explained my quandary. He readily explained in the usual sexual educational methods of the times. “Erection is normal” he says. “It just means its going to rain”. I accept his answer without question. The next morning I find myself with another erection, but the weather is dry and sunny. I decide to explore the issue further, surely a school chum will know. At the bus stop I see Tony and Agnes two of my classmates already there. I take Tony aside making sure Agnes is out of earshot. Tony who knows everything immediately confirms the question of rain. His mother told him the very same thing months ago. I’m still not convinced and pose the question, what about girls? How do they know? Tony admits he can’t answer that one. Neither of us knew much about the female anatomy, but are pretty sure they didn’t have a penis. Tony says lets ask Agnes, then shouts, hey Agnes Eric wants to ask you a question. Blushing and stuttering I ask “er .how…ur do you know..er when its go go ing to rain. Just like everyone else you stupid boy. Well er.. yes I know that Agnes, but how can you tell?.
MY SECOND BOOK
The Royal Navy & Me.
This is a story told through the eyes of a young sailor who joined the Royal Navy in 1955 as a Boy Seaman 2nd class, the absolute lowest rank in the Navy. Follow his induction at HMS Ganges, the toughest boy’s training establishment in England, if not the world, and his first assignment to HMS Cockade in time to visit Australia for the opening of the 1956 Olympic games. This is a thoroughly amusing tale, tempered with dark moments of despair, as he visits islands in the South Pacific, tours Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, passes through the Suez Canal en-route to Malta and Gibraltar, helps to capture an Icelandic boarding party during the Cod Wars. He dives in a submarine to play cat and mouse with our Cold War adversaries, surfaces through the polar ice at the top of the world, feel the tension in the submarine as it sinks toward crush depth. Laugh at the antics of his fellow sailors and the strange situations they found themselves in. Learn the meaning of the acronym PASAHB, and sympathize with this naive young sailor as he falls for one of the oldest tricks in the book.
Whether a sailor or a dreamer of the sea, this is one voyage not to be missed.]
How to Buy
“Lily & Me” ISBN 1-55430-019-3 is a 396 page paperback novel.
‘The Royal Navy & Me’ ISBN 1-4392-5452-4 a 208 page paperback novel.
They are available on-line at amazon.com,
Also available in the UK at all WHSmith Bookstores. It is distributed by Baker & Taylor internationally and can be ordered by any bookstore. A signed copy can be ordered by contacting me. The price for Lily & Me is $16.99 US.
The price for ‘The Royal Navy & Me’ is $14.99 US
Some reviews are listed below.
