Books
Blue Army
'Bout time I bought one of the new scarves eh?
As a rule I only put books on this page when they are published. Blue Army should be available to buy in late autumn. It's here now to allow those of you intending to put your own stories in the book to find out about the project and how it works.
Blue Army is a celebration of the support of Carlisle United, it gathers stories of triumph, tragedy and those unique experiences that make following Cumbria's only league team so special. I'm looking for supporters to e-mail me their own stories. This can be done by using the 'contact' option on the left hand side of this page. This will set up an e-mail. You should mark your e-mail 'Blue Army.' I'll send you a Word document with details of each chapter of Blue Army and some ideas of the stories I'm looking for. I could also use some photographs taken in crowds, at games and wherever else you may have found yourself as a member of the Blue Army.
I'm afraid I can't pay for each contribution, but as a way of making sure the project benefits the club I have agreed with John Nixon (no relation) that half of the proceeds will go to United's Football in the Community scheme, which is now a registered charity. As they say in competitions: 'the editor's decision is final.' I'll try hard to include as many different authors as possible. In the case of written contributions you can submit your work by returning the Word document. In the case of photographs you can submit jpg files. Together, we can create a monument to a support that has been a credit to Carlisle United.
BOOKS WRITTEN
We'll stick to the ones that sold well and the ones that satisfied me most.
Carlisle United: Blueseason 2007/2008
The obligatory cheesy cover blurb says:
This is the story of a season in which Carlisle United made history. Starting with the first Carlisle player in forty years to make an international appearance, working its way through three managers, taking in a record breaking run of home wins and ending with a deflected ball, a despairing dive, and a play-off goal that broke Cumbrian hearts, this is the story of all the games, the goings on and all the and the gossip of a season that took Carlisle United to their highest league finish in 22 years. Written by Neil Nixon (Singin' the Blues), this is a book no self-respecting member of the Blue Army will want to be without.
The book is already available online from the link below and can be yours within a few days if you order directly from the publishers. I'll change the link in July to allow you to buy from Amazon. By which time the book will also be available from Cumbrian bookshops.
Link: http://www.lulu.com/content/2359637(Opens new window)
WORKINGTON DYNAMO
Stanley Manly's latest outing, Workington Dynamo, was launched on the world early in 2008. The cover blurb reads: Full-on fist, football and - occasional - f***ing action in seventies West Cumbria. Young Dougie Grimton dreams of being in with the right crowd, inside his buxom cousin Kerry and proving himself where it really counts....in a fight! Greyhounds are kidnapped, tramps totalled in car accidents, cigarettes are smoked, a herd of pigs get used as an opposing team in football training and all the time, the nearby nuclear power station leaks a grim poison that grabs the local lads, by the balls.
So it's a safe bet that it won't qualify for any major literary prizes.
Review: RAUCOUS, relentless, rampaging tales of fights and lust
— West Cumberland Times and Star
BUY IT(Opens new window)
CARLISLE UNITED; BLUESEASON 07/08
A joint venture with photographer Mark Fuller chronicling one complete season
in the life of Carlisle United. The highs, like the 5-0 annihilation of Gillingham,
the lows, like the depressing habit of the better players only appearing
together in the treatment room and the week by week gossip and news. All
recounted here with some great photos by Mark. Hopefully, the start of an
annual writing job. Hopefully the first of many chronicling good seasons, great
moments and a classic period in the club's history.
Link to Blueseason's page on the publisher's site(Opens new window)
SINGIN' THE BLUES
The account of my life long love affair with all things Carlisle United. The first edition of this book sold out in 14 weeks and its availability has been the subject of more e–mails than almost anything else coming from this site. At long last it's coming back. This most unique of football memoirs returns in time for the first home game of the 2006/7 campaign. Fully revised and updated, predictably outspoken on the Knighton years and heading towards a happy conclusion with a well managed club winning games on a regular basis. At least they were when this copy went to the webmaster.
BUY IT(Opens new window)
DREAMS WANDER ON
I worked over 12 months with a group of patients and carers at The Heart of Kent Hospice to produce creative writing. This book is a compilation of our work. To describe this as one of the 'best' or most 'successful' things I've ever done feels dishonest. It was so much more than that. None of us at the outset had any idea we'd produce a book so life affirming. It's strong enough to stand on its own as a meaningful collection of creative writing. It's also a challenge to notions that a limited lifespan means limited ambition or quality of life.
BUY IT(Opens new window)
A page on this site commemorates the project:
POCKET ESSENTIAL – CREATIVE WRITING
A punchy round up covering skills and background knowledge. Chapters on developing your talents, examples from the great — like Wordsworth and Steinbeck — the popular — like Coronation Street — and the deranged — like Stanley Manly. A perfect primer and a work already adopted by teachers of Creative Writing.
Review: Nixon is very encouraging and, if you are interested in becoming a writer, either professionally or as a hobby, this is a great introduction to finding and developing your skills. It may just prove to be the start of an exiting new chapter in your life.
Justine Speller — Evening Standard, 25 Nov 2002
BUY IT at Amazon.com (Opens new window)
VISIT THE PUBLISHER of Pocket Essentials (Opens new window)
POCKET ESSENTIAL – UFOs
A compact history of UFO sightings from prehistory to the present day taking in The Bible, strange events in World War Two and current conspiracy theories. Famous cases like Roswell and Rendlesham Forest are discussed alongside some cases never before covered in UFO literature. I share an experience of being chased by MI5 on a lonely Kent road and look at some of the most amazing stories ever told in the public arena. Chapters on Astounding Tales and Cautionary Tales compare the most amazing and amusing events in UFO history. All of the major ideas put forward to explain away the UFO mystery are discussed.
Reviews: There is much to be said for Neil's approach… …How refreshing to see someone stand up for the witness or experiencer rather than simply dismiss them out of hand. I applaud this form of constructive and objective approach.
Graham W Birdsall — UFO Magazine — June 2002
Neil Nixon's little round up of the long–running UFO controversy in the Pocket Essentials History is both authoritative and stylish. He is a clear–eyed enthusiast.
Brian Case — Time Out — May 8–15 2002
The Pocket Essential UFOs is well written and I think there are enough interesting ideas interlacing the historical data to hold the attention of most readers with much interest in the subject. …This book is good value for money and I recommend it.
Daniel Transit — Globe In Transit — June 2002
BUY IT: at Amazon.com (Opens new window)
VISIT THE PUBLISHER: of Pocket Essentials (Opens new window)
SINGIN' THE BLUES
The longest love letter I've ever written. An honest and uncompromising account of a lifetime supporting Carlisle United. The good, the bad and utterly nerve–shredding delivered with a dose of grim humour and a few diversions along the way. From the legends of the past, to the mind–numbing excursions to the fringes of the GM Vauxhall Conference this is the way I saw it and the people I met along the way. Sold out in record time on its first printing this book is currently out of print. Watch the site for details of an impending update and re–launch.
Reviews: Excellent, bloody excellent. By turns hilarious, tragic and chillingly honest, just possibly the best book about one man and his team since Fever Pitch.
Steven Wells — NME
This is the best book about one man and his team since Fever Pitch. It's also the most inventive football memoir you're ever likely to read.
Cassie D'Avoine — X–treme, Sept 2000
This book needed to be written, buy it.
Al Woodcock — Carlisle United Online — August 2000
BUY IT: at Amazon.com (Opens new window)
REVISE GCSE MEDIA STUDIES
The ins and outs of the subject with chapters on all major areas of course–work and the differing approaches of exam boards. Used by teachers of the subject over a number of years and — currently — the best selling book of my writing career.
BUY IT: at Amazon.com (Opens new window)
GNVQ INTERMEDIATE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS
I only wrote a quarter of this, chapters 1 and 2 are mine. A round up of the course, the ideas behind it and the things you'll need to know to pass all of your units. Produced in a series covering a range of subjects at the same level.
BUY IT: at Amazon.com (Opens new window)
UFOS AND OTHER CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Book for children on UFOs and other strange things seen in the skies. Written for Ladybird Books' US operation. Colourful illustrations throughout, and a mixture of the best known and most bizarre cases. A round up of 'Amazing facts about UFOs' and Glossary are included at the end. One of a series of three books on strange phenomena, written for the same publisher. This is by far the most successful of the three titles. Occasional copies still crop up for sale on US Amazon and similar book selling sites.
STRANGE POWERS AND MYSTERIES OF THE MIND
Book for children on strange powers of the mind. Written for Ladybird Books' US operation. Colourful illustrations throughout, and a mixture of the best known and most bizarre cases. A round up of 'Amazing facts' and Glossary are included at the end. One of a series of three books on strange phenomena, written for the same publisher. Nowhere near as successful as the UFO book.
GHOSTS AND TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL
Book for children on ghosts and supernatural mysteries, including famous hauntings and strange events, like sightings of legendary creatures. Written for Ladybird Books' US operation. Colourful illustrations throughout, and a mixture of the best known and most bizarre cases. A round up of 'Amazing facts' and Glossary are included at the end. One of a series of three books on strange phenomena, written for the same publisher. About as successful as the Strange Powers and Mysteries of the Mind title.
STUDY GUIDE GCSE MEDIA STUDIES
Earlier version of the Revise GCSE Media Studies title. Significant — to me — as my first published book.
BOOKS AS CONTRIBUTOR:
There are more titles than I can usefully count here if you take into account every collection that ever used a small piece of my journalism and the adult humour comic annuals that reprint the work I did for them over the years. Here are a few examples.
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO ROCK
Rock encyclopaedia. I started working for this title in 1995. The Guardian advert drew a massive response, all were invited to apply by writing an entry to their specifications. I knew I wanted this job badly when Wildman Fischer turned up on the list of potential entries — something you don't see in the average rock reference book. I wrote about the wildman, got a job and managed to include several other favourites in the entries I was asked to tend.
The guide is now on line. My own favourites amongst my entries include the Amboy Dukes, America, Man…or Astro–Man, Medicine Head, John Otway and ZZ Top. All of whom I managed to capture in terms of character as well as career.
Link to Rough Guide Website (Opens new window)
BUY IT: at Amazon.com (Opens new window)
THE GUINNESS ROCKOPEDIA
Another rock encyclopaedia. Bigger and glossier than the Rough Guide, I wrote around 60 of the entries here taking in a few other long time favourite acts, Prefab Sprout, Alice Cooper and ZZ Top again.
I spent half a decade working as a 'sit down' comedian. Two or three nights a week threading a blank piece of paper into the typewriter — this started in the eighties after all — and thumping out gags, insane stories, comic strip scripts and anything else that came out of nowhere. The results filled pages of around a dozen 'adult humour' comics, radio air time and — briefly — the act of a stand up. They were compiled into several books. This title is one example. Jimi Hendrix is alive and well and working at 'Chicpan' in Carlisle etc.
Great days, good laughs, surprisingly good money.
Another lengthy gig. The Fortean Studies series of books ran from the mid nineties into the present century. Fortean Studies compiled serious research and opinion on a range of paranormal and conspiracy related issues. I contributed more words and more papers than most, five papers in all. To the best of my knowledge the series has never been declared officially dead. This is Forteana after all, so if they kill it off officially it'll only come back to haunt us in some form we can detect only fleetingly.
The title printed the names of those who placed the first advance orders, revealing that the select and dedicated few who felt a rush of anticipation at the arrival of a new edition included the odd member of the aristocracy and TV prankster Jeremy Beadle.
Personally, I was thrilled when Jenny Randles, who talks and writes more intelligently about UFOs than anyone else alive, gave my Fortean Studies writing rave reviews.
'If you have not read his writings, start'. — Jenny Randles
HUNT DOWN THOSE HARD TO FIND COPIES:
Link to Fortean Studies page on Amazon.com
My own contributions are:
Fortean Studies 2 — 'UFOs and the Media: The Cover Up That Never Was?'
Paranoia versus pragmatism and the free market. Is there a cover up of monumental truths the government don't want us to know? Personally, I doubt it.
Fortean Studies 3 — 'Media Triangles and Flying Triangles — The Construction of Belief'
A head on collision of Media theory and the symbols of UFOlogy. More fun and more accessible than it sounds.
Fortean Studies 4 — 'In the Wake of the Comet — Heaven's Gate Examined'
Why a mass suicide occurred and musings on the overlap between 'organised' religion and religious beliefs around UFO sightings.
Fortean Studies 5 — 'Ufology, A Qualified Success?' — John Brown 1999
Twenty years on from the ground–breaking and award winning study 'The Failure of the Science of Ufology' I ask whether the UFO community have dragged their subject up to the level of a respectable discipline.
Fortean Studies 6 — 'They're Not All Lunatics on the Fringe' — John Brown 2000
Based on my 1999 Unconvention presentation. Why some of the people regarded as insane may be happier and more fulfilled than most of us.