JANUARY 2025

January 2025

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I’m at my desk looking out on a cold morning. There’s a hard frost in our village and the stooped people walking by look like figures from a long ago Lowry painting. This is my first monthly news page of the new year and a busy time awaits. First of all best wishes to all my readers out there for a happy and healthy 2025.

I’ve just returned from Australia where I watched the remarkable Sydney Harbour Bridge firework display from my hotel window on New Year’s Eve. It seemed strange celebrating the dawn of 2025 eleven hours before the rest of my family in the UK. The difference in temperature on returning to England was a different kind of surprise!

After the fifteen novels in the Teacher series the second novel in my new University series, UNIVERSITY CHALLENGES, was published last year. Set in higher education in 1989 and based on my experience of working as a university lecturer during those times, this novel continues the adventures of my new main character, Tom Frith, a 33 year old lecturer. I do hope readers of my Teacher series will enjoy this new venture.

The third novel in the series is completed and currently with the copy editor prior to publication later this year. So this is the period of calm when I decide what to do next.

I’ve had several requests for speaking engagements and many of these will coincide with the launch of the new novel. The list of engagements will be published on the Events page of this website.

In the meantime, thanks to readers (and listeners) from all over the world who have purchased a copy of LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, the fifteenth and final novel in the Teacher series, along with the audio version,. I’ve also received many positive messages concerning the audio version of UNIVERSITY TALES and UNIVERSITY CHALLENGES which I’m told many of you have enjoyed.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch to say how much they have appreciated both the Teacher series and the new University series and amount of enjoyment they have experienced while reading my gentle tales.

With best wishes for the coming year,

Jack