Author archives: Douglas Walker

Recently I realised a dream I have had since childhood – to be a writer. With the help of SPP I produced a small volume of poems entitled “They Slipped Away”. Most of the poems were written in the last 20 years, while a few date back to the 90s. They cover many topics, from […]

Yes, you CAN self-publish in a crisis! This is my second book and my first self-published book. The reason for choosing to self-publish was that I was on a tight schedule to get this book out for VE Day to commemorate 75 years since the end of WWII. I did not have time to approach […]

This is the second book I have had published by Self-Publishing Partnership. My first book was a collection of poems called, ‘Life’s Journey through Poetry.’ This is my first novel. Written from a selection of memories, my mother’s, some from my childhood and some as a parent, I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Through some […]

“This is my fourth book – my second with SPP. It is hard to describe the joy and satisfaction of first seeing and handling the beautiful cover, which encapsulates the soul of the book. Then opening, flipping through the pages that please – to see well placed drawings aligned to their accompanying text, sustaining interest, […]

Dr William Frankland sadly passed away on 3rd April 2020. His fascinating life and incredible work with hayfever patients are told in his biography ‘From Hell Island to Hay Fever.’ Below is a BBC News article covering his history. “Dr William Frankland, a British immunologist who transformed the world’s understanding of allergies, has died aged […]

Five Tips For Self-Care During Self-Isolation Tips from the author of My Super-Compact Self-Care Script, pilates and yoga trainer, Neeta Oza (www.neetafitness.com) Books by Neeta Oza, published by Hashtag Press (www.hashtagpress.co.uk), available to buy online in all major bookshops: My Super-Compact Self-Care Script My Fun-Filled Fitness Folio My Mini-Micro Mindset Manual My Back-to-Basics Business Bible […]

“I’ve written many a book review here on Penstricken before, but this is a first for me. Most books I review here are written by authors whom I have little or no prior relationship with but I consider Nancet Marques, author of Chino & the Boy Scouts, to be a personal friend, as well as […]

On the 1st July 2005, Rick E Crawford left his five-bedroom house in Greenwich, London, for his monthly gambling trip to Soames Casino in Manchester city. For many months Drick had run up debts of about £3 million in different Grosvenor casinos and hotels. Everyone knew Drick: he always said money is no problem, and […]

I have spent a lifetime telling stories about my time in the Army and then the Police. I wanted to commit those tales to print before I had forgotten them. Ten years ago, I sent a 10,000 word draft to my eldest son Peter. I told him that if it was complete gibberish to delete […]

Old men write autobiographies, and I had a story to tell, having been a fashionable designer in the swinging ’60s, friends with David Hockney, working in Paris and London (Annabels, the Art Nouveau Wiltons restaurant, and the Art Deco dressing room at Drury Lane for Ginger Rogers). In 1968 I ‘dropped out’ like many, and […]