Q&A with author John Bleasdale

Welcoming new author, John Bleasdale to talk about his debut book "Scotland's Swedish Adventure".

Hi John welcome to So Many Books, So Little Time.

Q1. Thanks for taking time out to chat with us. Tell us a bit about you.

I’m a 41 year old married man with two sons. I’ve always had a passion for writing and studied journalism at college then university, but dropped out of Uni because I didn’t like the direction it was heading in. I’ve kept my hand in though by writing for the Famous Tartan Army Magazine and Scottish Football Forums, the latter of which I co-host a podcast for.

Q2. What happened that you decided you wanted to write a book & why specifically this type of book?

I had read Neil Doherty’s book World Cup 1998: Scotland’s Story before last years delayed Euro 2020 Finals and it gave me inspiration to do one of my own. I’ve always been fascinated with the Euro 92 story, particularly how it is grossly under appreciated compared to other finals Scotland have appeared in, and my aim was to bring the story to light.

Q3. Apart from Scotland do you follow any other football team? If so would you consider penning a book about them?

I am an Aberdeen fan for my sins. Yes I would definitely consider penning a book about them, or even help one or two of them pen an autobiography.

Q4. What research did you do?

I knew most of the story through memory but watched YouTube highlights of qualifying and finals matches to remind myself of certain incidents, and went down to the Mitchell Library to get further detail of the squads that were picked for certain games. Most importantly though, I conducted zoom interviews with seven of the 20 man squad, Manager Andy Roxburgh and his assistant Craig Brown, journalist Hugh MacDonald, commentator Jock Brown, and 15 fans through a combination of zoom or email. Their accounts are what make this book special.

Q5. How did you go from the idea, to the writing, to getting published?

The process took me seven months, which in itself is remarkable given a lot of authors take a year and a half to two years. Add to that, I have a full time job and two kids, so I’m really proud to produce a quality product in such a short space of time.

Q6. How easy or difficult did you find writing this? What if any obstacles did you meet?

The biggest obstacles were when my youngest son, Henry, got not well on two occasions, and I lost a week each time of writing and research. Fortunately, I had a great publisher in Pitch Publishing behind me, who were so relaxed that they were accommodating and put no pressure on me. The actual writing didn’t phase me as it’s one of the few things I have full confidence in, but I still sought advice from friends by letting them review a chapter each to see that it read well. I am fully grateful to each of them for their assistance.

Q7. This is your debut – do you see you writing another book?

Yes, I’ve got the bug now. I’ve got one or two ideas floating around in my head but, right now, I’m going to let the dust settle on Scotland’s Swedish Adventure, enjoy my upcoming summer holiday with Suzanne, Callum and Henry before I start planning the next one.

Q8. Are you doing any or have you done any book events? Where can fans find you (social media etc)

My launch day was at the Scottish Football Museum, Hampden, which was a Q&A session hosted by Hugh MacDonald and attended by Craig Brown, Jock Brown and Dave McPherson. It was a fabulous day that was well attended and well received by those who were there. There are no upcoming events planned though I am open to any venue who will have me! Fans can find me on Twitter @jbleasdale81, on instagram @jbleasdale1981 or by listening to the Scottish Football Forums podcast through the usual platforms.

Q9. Where is the best place for people to buy your book? What if they want a signed copy?

They can go to Amazon, Waterstones or Pitch directly to buy a copy, or if they want a signed copy to message me directly. My DMs are always open and I do respond quickly – on a normal day!

Q10. Anything I haven’t asked you want to cover/answer?

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to promote Scotland’s Swedish Adventure.

Rattle by Fiona Cummins

Rattle by Fiona Cummins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days on and off

Pages - 352

Publisher - MacMillan

Blurb from Goodreads

A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter.

He has planned well. He leads two lives. In one he's just like anyone else. But in the other he is the caretaker of his family's macabre museum.

Now the time has come to add to his collection. He is ready to feed his obsession, and he is on the hunt.

Jakey Frith and Clara Foyle have something in common. They have what he needs.

What begins is a terrifying cat-and-mouse game between the sinister collector, Jakey's father and Etta Fitzroy, a troubled detective investigating a spate of abductions.

Set in London's Blackheath, Rattle by Fiona Cummins explores the seam of darkness that runs through us all; the struggle between light and shadow, redemption and revenge.

It is a glimpse into the mind of a sinister psychopath. And it's also a story about not giving up hope when it seems that all hope is already lost.


My Review

Jake Frith is a special little boy, he has a medical condition that means he needs to be extra careful and not hurt himself. For this reason he has come under the watchful eye of "The Bone Collector" a ruthless killer with one purpose in mind and nothing will get in the way of his goal. Etta Fitzroy is investigating abductions and soon finds herself in a cat and mouse game with a dangerous killer.

For a debut novel this book really packs a punch, we explore a rare medical condition, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) and it is evident how much research the author has sunk into that aspect of the book. I love fiction where you learn something and with anything else, if I come across something I don't know or don't know in detail I will go off and read about it so that ticks boxes here. The object of the killers desire is bone malformation and in this tale, two particular children fit the bill which will make some readers feel uncomfortable. There is also animal abuse mentioned, abuse to children and some of the scenes are very dark, creepy and chilling to say the least.

Etta makes for a great character as she has many flaws, she is determined to get the job done and will do whatever it takes to get the results she needs. I think this really brings the character to life and it shows a writers strength and ability to lift characters off the page. Cummins is definitely worth keeping an eye out for, I hope to see more in the series and look forward to her next offering, 4/5 for me this time.

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