Who am I?

In Norfolk, many people knew me as someone who was usually willing, and mostly able, to help a charity or social enterprise replace grant income with earned income. At times I even managed to find the money to pay my fee, although I never charged as much as I should. I had a reputation for achieving the almost impossible and had a national network of people whose help I could call on.

But I deliberately left all of that behind when I moved to Suffolk, where I plan to focus on writing. My latest book, Where are the Fellows who Cut the Hay is now almost fully funded with crowdfunding publisher Unbound, so will shortly go into production. I hope its publication will prompt invitations to speak at book events, and I’ve already been invited to speak to the Brooke Society, in the village where writer George Ewart Evans, whose work my book builds on, lived when his wife retired.

In Leiston, where we are now living, people know me as Michael Easy’s son-in-law, because Michael, his father, uncles and grandfather all farmed here. Michael was always willing to lend a hand and so would plough allotments, deliver loads of muck and cut hedges with his tractor. He also took me under his wing when I was a troubled teenager and it was from him I gained my fascination with rural life.

Being known for something other than the work I used to do is helping me adjust to my chosen way of life and I am grateful to Michael for being so widely known and well liked.