Blantyre Project is publishing THREE books in 2017. I’ve previously mentioned the transcribed version of “The Annals of Blantyre” out at the end of January, but here’s also a sneak preview of a book that I’m tremendously excited about.
“The Squirrel’s Tale” by Paul Veverka is an autobiography of the first 2 decades of my life, heavily illustrated with beautiful family photos. It’s not just about Blantyre, but is about 1970s and 1980s social history, living and growing up in Scotland.
If you don’t know already, you’ll need to wait to read the book as to why it’s named so.
I’ve been able to recall in good detail events of my early life, describe vivid parts of my childhood, thanks to the various cine footage observations, many thousands of family photos and in particular diaries and daily, detailed journals I kept in 1982, 1986 and 1987. Needless to say, friends and school colleagues will love this book!
This has all helped piece together the story of my first 2 decades, and as such is subtitled, “Volume 1”. With those early journals intended even back then to one day become a book, this narrative has been 30 years in the making! Whilst my life may not seem remarkable to others, (I am biased of course), I hope the detailed story of a half Czech growing up in the 1970s and 80s in Central Scotland, crammed with sad, happy and witty stories has an reader appeal beyond Blantyre.
The book draft is well progressed and names have been changed for me to tell the stories in the manner I want to tell them, although family names remain unchanged. There’s not one day goes by when I don’t add a few paragraphs to this draft.
“The Squirrel’s Tale” Volume 1 is out just before Christmas 2017.