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      • Sports & outdoor recreation
        July 2013

        How's That!

        A Layman's Guide to Cricket

        by Tony Whelpton

        This is a newly-revised version of a book first published in paperback in 1998, which was very popular but went out of print some years ago when the original publishers ceased trading. It was later re-published as an e-book, and after it reached the number one spot for cricket books in Amazon's Kindle Store in both July and August 2013 the author decided to publish it again as a paperback. It is a book which explains the game of cricket in a way that isn't over-complicated, takes nothing for granted, doesn't over-simplify unduly and - which is very important - doesn't treat its subject in such a facetious manner as to defeat the whole object. It doesn't pretend cricket isn't a complex game, but it does make sure that you pick up all the pieces of the jig-saw puzzle in the proper order so that everything makes sense right from the start, with every new piece added clearly helping to build a bigger picture and helping you to enjoy the game even more. It is enhanced by lively and charming cartoons drawn by Tim Parker. The Kindle version reached the number one cricket spot again in July 2014.

      • Fiction
        July 2013

        Before the Swallow Dares

        by Tony Whelpton

        Before the Swallow Dares is a story of two former school friends, Ted Bryant and Jim Fletcher, who meet again by accident after a gap of almost fifty years and decide to renew their friendship. It is only later that Ted realises that his friend is married to Dilys, a girl with whom he had fallen in love when they were both only eighteen and still at school – a vivid flashback shows us, how they first met, how matters developed, and, more importantly, how they lost touch. Once they meet again, Ted and Dilys recognise that they still have a great deal of interests in common, and still feel a lot of affection for each other, but they both love their current spouses and there is no question of that situation changing. Nor, however, is there any question of their losing touch again, for the two couples get on very well together too. But there are complications and difficulties to be faced, not least those posed by the maverick behaviour of Ted’s French ex-wife Arlette, but also by the fact that they are no longer in the first flush of youth and they have to cope with the problems which confront all of us when faced with advancing age. There is much humour and light-heartedness in the story, but much pathos too; but among the novel’s many qualities are that it presents characters of advanced age as people who still enjoy life and generally have a positive attitude. The fact that the author himself was a sprightly 79-year-old when he finished writing it puts him in an ideal position to show us what it’s really like…

      • Fiction
        August 2014

        The Heat of the Kitchen

        by Tony Whelpton

        The Heat of the Kitchen is a fast-moving, exciting story: Saint-Pierre-sur-Loup is a little town in the south of France, a popular tourist destination, but with a notorious problem – perpetual traffic jams. Alain Simondi is Mayor of the town, whilst the leader of the opposition on the Town Council is an attractive single mother – who is much closer to the Mayor than her position would imply. Simondi’s proposals for building a relief road split the town, and tempers run high, especially when adverse reports start to appear in the regional newspaper, at the hand of a pretty, young, feisty woman reporter who has caught the compulsively roving eye of the Mayor. Who will gain the upper hand, Simondi or his critics? Whose dirty tricks are the most effective? In a part of France where the heat can transform a traffic jam into a murder scene, and the police, supposedly under the control of the Mayor, are not to be trusted – especially, it seems, when faced with an endemic drug culture among the young people of the region, the heat of the political kitchen is even more intense. The author has used his familiarity with, and love of France and the region where Saint-Pierre is situated, to create a fascinating and authentic portrayal of how French local politics work – or might work if this were not a work of fiction.

      • Fiction
        July 2014

        Billy's War

        by Tony Whelpton

        The date was Thursday 8 May 1941. Billy Frecknall was nine years old, and the country was at war. What could that mean to a nine-year-old? A great deal, not least being the fact that Billy to all intents and purposes no longer had a Dad, because his father had enlisted in the army in the early days of the war, and they didn’t even know where he was. That night saw the biggest air raid Billy’s home town of Nottingham had experienced, and there were many casualties, including Billy’s Mum. Billy survived, but finding his Dad became even more urgent than before. His quest leads him into many adventures and a great deal of danger, but his courage never falters. Billy is a cheerful, intelligent, resourceful boy who has the gift of winning the hearts of most people he encounters – he will probably win yours too!

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