TEN stories that with tongue firmly in cheek romp along the border of fact and
fantasy dipping into crime, romance, wistful adventure, celebrity spookery and
hospital spoofery.
Each tale is self contained but inhabits the same half-woken dreamscape. Where a
Tudor Queen with a fatal attraction brings slaughter to a country wedding; Oscar
Wilde and Jim Morrison raise spirits in a Paris cemetery with a storming duet; Keef’s
pet puppy brings chaos to a Stones’ concert during an escapade of sex, drugs and
rock ‘n’ stroll; and a pill designed to perk up giant pandas is doing wonders for the
love lives of folk festival fans.
The trail continues with a stop off in London for a tour of Shakespeare’s old haunts.
Alas poor guide, they have been hijacked by musical hall turns. Then it’s off to
France to join in Reynard’s retirement dream of busking, armed with a squeezebox
and just one tune.
An a la carte menu with a generous portion of humour and a sprinkling of parody.
Those with a distaste for vain politicians, town planners, and profiteering hospital
are also catered for.
Ardent royalists, poetry purists, folkies with a finger in their ear, and local
politicians who own white dinner jackets may find it unpalatable.
Written by journalist Steve Chilton, the stories feature several locations in his
native Midlands, including Coventry Cathedral and Kenilworth Castle.