Of Life and Motorbikes and Other Stuff

I started writing for myself for two reasons. Firstly, to help me to cope through a very stressful time - my wife's severe illness. I did this mainly through poetry. The second was to share with my friends and acquaintances my motorcycling adventures.It was not until I joined Stroud Writers that I started to develop the skills and techniques of a storyteller. Soon after joining the group, they encouraged me to write fiction, something I always had difficulty with. However, within 16 months of joining, I had written and self-published my first novel. It certainly helped that I wrote on a subject I was passionate about, classic British motorcycles. In successive years, I had another four novels and a booklet of poetry to my name.But there was more to my repertoire than just writing novels and poetry. I found it just as rewarding as an author to write short stories. Indeed, writing a short story, especially when restrictions are given, like a word limit, using particular words, or writing on a specific subject, has made me much more disciplined, and I find the task much more of a challenge. It is also an opportunity for me to demonstrate that I am more than just a one-trick pony.I have been collecting these stories for more than a dozen years, but it was not until a friend suggested that I should publish them, that this book came about.