It’s always a real pleasure to discover new to me authors and books and so I am delighted to welcome Peter Scholes to Linda’s Book Bag today to stay in with me and tell me about his second novel.

Staying in with Peter Scholes

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Peter and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I have brought along my second novel, Once Upon A Time There Was A Man.

We have had a year of upheaval, sadness and uncertainty. I wanted to share something to help bring that feel-good factor back. Something that will make you collapse in the chair with a smile on your face and a tear of happiness trickling down your cheek afterwards and just think, “Wow!”

That sounds EXACTLY what we need. I love that cover too Peter – makes the man seem universal. What can we expect from an evening in with Once Upon A Time There Was A Man?

The book blurb is brief on purpose. I suppose the mystery starts with the blurb. The plot follows the antics of a rather self-centred but arrogant young private investigator who records his case findings in his trusted diary. His routine cases fill his days and his bank account and then, one day, he receives a letter asking him to find a man.

What follows is the pursuit of quite an extraordinary individual. The book is about love, relationships, friendships and sheer determination. I have been quite overwhelmed by the reviews so far. To know the book has had such an effect on so many people has been quite humbling.

I certainly love the concept and what you’ve told me so far Peter. How does it make you feel?

To know your book is being read and enjoyed is worth far more than royalties. In fact, I have given away more than I have sold via email to anyone who requested a copy. An example of one such review was:

“I don’t know where to start, firstly I need to clear away the tears streaming down my cheeks, never have I read such a moving and inspirational story as this. If only there were more Ernie Grimshaws in this world, it would certainly be a wonderful place. I will recommend this book to all my friends as it is a heart-wrenching tale of heartache and sheer determination but so heart-warming. A definite 5 out of 5.”

How wonderful. That’s really made me want to get Once Upon A Time There Was A Man onto my TBR as soon as I can.

As well as that glowing review, what else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I have brought along Paul Brunskill’s diaries, a comfy armchair to place in front of a log fire, a strong cup of coffee and a box of tissues. I would also bring along a photo album of every person who has ‘starred’ in the book – alive or alas not. If possible, I would like to invite Ernie along too just to shake the man by the hand and offer him a huge ‘thank you’.

Well thank you, Peter, for staying in with me and telling me about Once Upon A Time There Was A Man as I think it sounds fabulous. I’ll just give blog readers a few more details:

Once Upon A Time There Was A Man

Private investigating should be an exciting, interesting career, but for Paul Brunskill it was pretty mundane work. When a letter arrived seeking his expertise to help find a man it looked like more of the same. But this was no ordinary man. The job was to take him on a mission like none he had ever embarked on before…

Published by Bruntonwood on 11th December 2020, Once Upon A Time There Was A Man is available for purchase here.

About Peter Scholes

As a primary school teacher by day and a single parent the rest of the time, it is a wonder Peter manages to find any writing time at all, but he does, and when he does he gets lost in his own little world and that is a lovely place to be. Peter’s first novel, Conscience was completed about ten years ago and sat in a box under the bed waiting for him to share it with the world. He eventually got around to it and discovered Amazon’s self publishing. From that point, there was no stopping him. Peter has also managed to upload his series of children’s books (the Beyond The Hill series), write educational resources for schools and also complete poems, plays and screenplays which are all ready to be snapped up by an agent or publisher should he or she ever feel inclined. They wouldn’t regret it.

For more information, follow Peter on Twitter @scholes_peter. You’ll also find him on Facebook.