Tag: Inside Fatherhood

Writing a book about fathers showed me why I need my dad

My book just came out.

I should have been celebrating, or better still doing some promotion. But I’ve done nothing since publication on March 23. I’ve barely opened the pages.

Why? I’ve written a guest blog post for the website This Dad Can to explain.

Here’s a sample of the text:

Just as the book was due to be published, my own dad was taken seriously ill. He has spent a long period in hospital and, while now stabilised, has been diagnosed with a major dementia.

I now carry around with me every day the knowledge that he will never get better — only decline cognitively. The irony is not lost on me that, while I was busy talking to men about why dads matter, my own father was slowly fading away.

But I’ve also got a responsibility to the ten men featured in the book to let their stories be heard. They shared their stories with me and wanted a wider audience to learn from their experiences.

So the promotion starts. I’m arranging a book launch in Chester for Thursday, May 17 — sign up here.

And, as we move towards the 80th anniversary of Father’s Day, I’m going to celebrate why we all, myself included, should appreciate the important role our fathers and grandfathers play.

Because dads care too.

Read the full story at This Dad Can.

Why you need to read Inside Fatherhood in 2018

Big news for a new year.

The edit is complete, the cover finalised [see above] and my book, Inside Fatherhood, will be published on March 23.

What’s more, you can now now pre-order a copy direct from BRF here.

Ten ordinary men talk about their extraordinary experiences of fatherhood and how it transformed their lives.

It offers a snapshot of life for modern dads in the year that Father’s Day turns 80 — and some advice for the next 80 years.

Here’s a brief taster of the text:

“The whole way we think about fathers has changed — from the distant Victorian dad to the hands-on, multi-tasking, nappy-changing, work-life-balance-juggling dad of today.

Our gender role as men has changed, too, from hunter-gatherers to nurturing bedrocks of emotional support.

Yet men are still often ridiculed in adverts as hapless and denigrated by society as secondary.”

Watch this space over the next couple of months for updates about launch events and how you can get involved in telling your own story.

Read a review here from amble.

Spotlight: a profile interview for amble magazine

I’m normally the one who asks the questions.

But, this week, I did an interview with amble, the new online magazine for Chester.

It’s strange talking about myself when I’m used to being the interviewer, not the interviewee. It’s for a profile piece about the creative community around Chester.

So what did we talk about?

How to get into journalism. Is print dead? Chester as a place to live and work. Black magic in Cuba. Barbie cruises. Hosting a forthcoming event at the Chester Literature Festival.

Writing a review of the recent Nick Cave gig to mark a quarter century since my first ever published article.

And, finally, a sneak preview of my new book, Inside Fatherhood, coming out in March next year.

Read the full article, Inside the world of a professional writer.