Newsletter: Luxury Parcels
Hey, it's a growly, talky version!
A Rare Chance To Hear The Gobshite Speak
Click play on the video above. If it works, you will hear my message! You may need to turn the volume up first as my voice was on the way out. Also, if you pay careful attention to the bottom right corner, you will catch a glimpse of Dolly getting a drink of water.
Last time 86% of you voted that your favourite addition to my hardbacks would be coloured ribbons. Since that is the cheapest and easiest enhancement out of the options given, I will look into adding that to the current and future hardback editions. Currently ribbons are only available in red, black, blue, green, or white. I’ve asked if they could also add yellow, cyan and magenta.
Remember that the hardbacks of my books are only available from my website, not from bookshops (though the paperbacks and ebooks should be available everywhere).
Personally Speaking
I often get lovely emails from fans, supporters and paid subscribers. It’s part of the community that keeps me going when times are tough.
When someone takes out a paid subscription, they have an option of telling me why. Some time ago I received this explanation:
“Support because my uncle’s name was Karl Drinkwater. Karl was in the Navy on a ship that was sunk by a German Uboat in October 31, 1941. He was 19. It is thought by many our family came from Wales but I see you are from Scotland. We came from Canada so it could also have been French Canadian changing the name Boileau to Drinkwater to avoid prejudice. Probably most like is Wales but both possible.” Dick Harding (Paid Supporter)
Always fascinating. We established that we Karls were probably unrelated, except in spirit.
I got in touch with Dick again recently when he bought one of my hardback books. Amongst other kind words he told me:
“I have attached a photo of my uncle Karl Drinkwater taken not long before he was killed. As I had told you before, he was on a destroyer escorting supplies to England when his ship was sunk by a German submarine in October, 1941. We really don’t have many photos of the family, they were quite poor and pictures were rare.”
I have to admit it was with some trepidation that I opened the photo, in case Dick’s uncle looked like me, and it was some spooky thing like in a Cottam book. Here’s the photo:
I'm sure he was brave, and it’s a shame he died young. Which reminded me of my dad, Steve Drinkwater, who was killed in 1981 when I was a little boy. I missed growing up with him, having him see me now, and hopefully be proud of me.
Here’s a photo of him.
It was taken in Urmston, Manchester, possibly 1979 or 1980. The back row, left to right, is my mum; Auntie June; and my dad. Yes, they all have cigs in their hands. In the front I am stood next to my little sister Sarah, the cutest and funniest little sister I could imagine. Note my 1970s brown clothing, but also that the V-neck jumper is the same style as in the video that began this post!
My dad was killed in a Kellogg’s warehouse, which is why I have never eaten their cereals since then.
That’s enough past. The past is painful, though so is the present. It’s why I try to stand up for those who are oppressed or exploited, regardless of background or species. Speaking of which …
My other newsletter, Diary of a Parliamentary Candidate, has a new article I am quite proud of: Patterns Repeating. It was inspired by the brave and peaceful US students protesting against genocide even as the universities get them (and sometimes their supportive professors) beaten, arrested, thrown off campus, and threatened with not receiving a degree. It’s the same violent response as happened when students protested against the Vietnam War, or US support for South African apartheid. Then, as now, the students were right; the government, police and universities were wrong. I know I risk losing fans by talking about justice but I decided that if I lose anyone over it then my books probably wouldn't be for them anyway (especially my works like It Will Be Quick). So when fans email me to say, “Thank you so much for your support for Palestine. What the people there are going through is almost unimaginably horrible. You are really a good person,” it means a lot. Oh, and Karl the politician is also on Facebook.
What have you been up to?
Thanks for reading,
Karl