Leaves

Description

No Life ordinary. There's always mystery . . . Ophelia Street, 1970. A street like any other, a community that lives and breathes together as people struggle with their commitments and pursue their dreams. It is a world we recognise, a world where class and gender divide, where set roles are acknowledged. But what happens when individuals step outside those roles? An observer amid Ophelia Street watches, writes, imagines, remembers, charting the lives and loves of his neighbours over the course of four seasons, revealing the flimsily disguised underbelly of urban life in all its challenging glory. As the leaves turn from vibrant green to vivid gold, so lives turn and change too, laying bare the truth of the community. Perhaps, ultimately, we all exist on Ophelia Street. Praise for Leaves: "Provides a trip down memory lane to 1970's London." "A beautifully written book." "A story of humanity and community." "Beautifully written, lyrical, but what it depicts and explores is often poignant, and sometimes horrifically violent."

A distinguished career as a brand consultant has turned into a parallel life as a novelist in recent years. John was a director of Interbrand where he created the brand discipline of tone of voice, working internationally with some of the world's most famous companies. He became a freelance writer while establishing two organisations for writers - 26 and Dark Angels. For Dark Angels, named after John's book on writing creatively for business, he continues to run writing workshops that have become legendary. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Falmouth for 'outstanding contribution to the creative sector'. John's first novel Leaves was originally published by Urbane in 2015, having been in his head since university days. This quickly led to Spanish Crossings, with the Spanish Civil War and a family story as background. His third novel The Good Messenger is set on Armistice Day 1918 and on either side of the first world war. Above all John believes in the power of storytelling.