Biography

It was the start of the new school year. I was excited. I was now really old, I was eight, which was nearly double figures. However, as I joined my...

I am alone, watching TV after a tough day at work. Mrs Oblong is out, being hilarious somewhere (she’s a stand-up comic). To help me unfurl, I remove...

Set in the gritty, subculture-clashed streets of North Watford in the early 1980s, this story is a visceral coming-of-age memoir centred on the rise of the Leavesden Wild Cats. The narrative follows Stuart Rodgers, a thick-set sixteen-year-old whose life is measured in school yard scraps and the rhythmic thrum of rockabilly. Alongside his best friend and "architect" of the gang, Peter Carter—a wiry, pompadoured leader with a predatory gaze—Stuart navigates a world where identity is forged through leather jackets, "brothel creeper" shoes, and a fierce territorial loyalty. Author’s Note: Originally compiled as a collection of short stories in 2025, this project has been reimagined and expanded into a full-length memoir following critical acclaim. This edition incorporates new material and refined narrative arcs based on reader feedback.

I first got married on Valentine’s Day. That massacred the commercial celebration for me forever! I’m not bitter, but perhaps I should explain… It’s...