Me and Mickie James is out

'Me and Mickie James' by our very own Drew Gummerson is now out and available for purchase.

ABCtales Editor, Tony Cook, reviews it here:

First of all I should declare an interest. I am thanked in the back of the book – as is ABCtales – for our assistance in the creation of ‘Me and Mickie James’. It makes no odds. If I thought it was a poor book, I would say so. Happily I won’t.

When Drew first wrote this story on the site it was a snapshot of a pop group which consisted of the narrator and his hunchbacked friend, Mickie James. They came to London seeking fame and fortune and had lots of sex amongst other adventures.

In the final edit that now appears in fine Jonathan Cape paperback, price £11.99, the narrator and Mickie James still come to London – but they don’t seem to have so much sex. That is a bit of a relief. Or not. As the case may be.

Me and Mickie James is first and foremost very funny. It’s original, witty and sharp. Written in short sentences, it takes you through the extraordinary tale of the pop duo, Down by Law. They live in a disused room at the top of St Pancras station in London. They get signed up by a porn baron with a pink hat. They get gigs that don’t exist. They work at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens and go down a storm. They get a ruby and meet Gus, the giant who clambers over the roller coaster at night to check for flaws in the track. They go to Iraq and Japan and Vietnam and each time all is not as it seems. They suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and misfortune – and then, well, that would be telling.

What I find extraordinary about this book is just how much I like the narrator and Mickie James. We actually find out little about them but they have such a way with them that the reader very soon is so absorbed in their world and how they think and so genuinely cares about the outcome.

There’s little pause for breath as the adventure unfolds. The action moves swiftly along but Mickie James still worries about his hunchback and the narrator still seeks fame and fortune for their unique blend of pop music.

I cannot urge you sufficiently to buy this book. It will make you laugh, gasp in shock and maybe, if you are in that sort of mood, cry. It’s intensely human and completely accessible. I am proud that ABCtales gave birth to such a fabulous tale.

You can buy it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Me-Mickie-James-Drew-Gummerson/dp/0224082442/ref...