Launch Day

Today I achieved a life-long ambition.

Yes - something I have always wanted to do.

I consumed an entire pack of Lidl's 300gm Crusti Croc Cheese Balls in one go!!! Now that is dedication!!!

Yet another picture of cheese balls

Oh - and I also just published my first ever book on Amazon!

"Fortysomething Father" is a collection of all the best bits of my blog, various letters and a fair bit of new material that I have collated together to produce a book that follows me through a year in my life.

It is not just a blatant cut and paste of the blog into book format. The whole thing has been completely re-written in order to create a narrative flow. Lots of things have been taken out, moved around, personal references removed, a lot of repetition removed (didn't realise how often I'd repeated myself). An enormous amount of time and effort has gone into getting it right.

It also required a huge amount of proof-reading. I did not realise how many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors there were in the original blog - though the fact many of the entries were written late at night under the influence of the old vino may have had something to do with that.

So what are we left with? A year in the life of being a dad and running discos. But lots more too, I haven't got rid of all the fun bits. So old favourites like letters to crisp manufacturers and giving Tesco stick are all still there.

Once it was all done there was a cover to design, introduction, dedication and all those other bits that you have at the start of the book, and there it was ready to go.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited and proud I felt when I saw my book sitting in the Amazon store for the first time this morning. This is a true landmark in my life - I can finally call myself a published author.

Now doubtless there will be some out there who would like nothing better than to piss on my chips. I can imagine the sort of comments. "Pah - anyone can stick a book on Kindle, it's not like it's a real published book you can buy in a shop or anything". Or "Probably a load of crap, no-one will buy it other than his mum".

The thing is, none of this fazes me, because even if it does not sell a single copy, the fact of the matter is I have written and I have published it, even if it is only online. That to me is the crowning pinnacle of a lifetime of writing, and an achievement I am proud of. If it doesn't sell, it doesn't sell, but I've still done it.

If you do want to buy the book, it costs no more than you would pay for a pint in a pub, and that's something most of us wouldn't think twice about. If you're not sure you can download the first few chapters for free and see for yourself.

You don't actually have to have a Kindle, there are plenty of free e-readers out there you can download for Android or Apple devices. I have the Amazon Kindle app on my tablet and it's really good.

I'll be promoting the book all over facebook so apologies if you get deluged in your news feed but facebook is like that. How many more requests to play Candy Crush am I going to get this week?

If you are really feeling well disposed towards me and want to help me, you can recommend me to everyone you know, family, friends, work colleagues.

I must also say that none of this would ever have happened without all of the massive support all of you have given me through your feedback and continued reading of this blog, so for that I thank-you one and all.

If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.