We all receive “freebie” newspapers. Some are not too bad, some are dreadful!

We  are lucky in my area to have one local paid-for paper the Stratford Herald, and as one may anticipate for the home of the bard this Stratford-upon-Avon and district paper has one of the best Arts and Literature sections I have seen in a local paper.  I was therefore very proud when they sent along a photojournalist to Waterstones when I was signing books.
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What a chaotic couple of weeks.  It started with Smooth Radio in Birmingham which was great fun.  Done very much on the lines of Desert Island Discs, with patches of interview interspersed with my chosen music! This was recorded on the Wednesday with the programme going out on Thursday at 6pm.
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If I had written this about Ashthorpe Magna I would have been accused of fantasy – “It could never happen, Maurice”! But happen it did.
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On Wednesday 3rd September Maurice has been invited to be the guest on the Nigel Williams 6@6 show on Smooth Radio (105.7) from 6 – 7pm. The one hour show features 6 tunes chosen from a long list by the guest, and the “star” is certainly showing his age by the choices:

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Last Thursday, August 14th., Maurice was the guest on John Holmes’ Afternoon Show on Radio Nottingham from 3 – 4 pm. The broadcast seems to have gone down very well, and many calls of congratulations were received.

Certain aspects of the book, which John had clearly read in depth, fascinated the interviewer, notably Petanque, Courts Leet and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and he questioned Maurice quite thoroughly on those subjects. Also coming under scrutiny was Maurice’s several years at Becket School in Nottingham, and in the interview he did admit that it was the rowing crews which had a greater appeal than the academic side!

In the past Maurice was a regular contributor on BBC Radio Solent and it is this background which helped generate such an interesting show, and of course John Holmes himself is one of the BBC’s longest serving regional presenters.

Not sure whether Will actually signed copies of Hamlet at Waterstones in Stratford-upon-Avon, but Maurice certainly will be on Saturday 6th September from 10am to 4pm – signing copies of Big Days in Ashthorpe Magna not Hamlet!

Leaflets based on the book cover will be distributed by Waterstones for a couple of weeks before the event, and Maurice is hoping to generate interest through local press and radio.

If any readers of this website are within striking distance of Stratford-upon-Avon please come along and meet Maurice.

I had a most enjoyable Sunday this week which could well have come straight from the pages of Ashthorpe Magna!
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This week Maurice, along with his friends and “unpaid helpers”, Peter and Dianne, went to Ashby-de-la-Zouch to discuss his 2009 book on Captain Frank, and an exhibition at the museum to coincide with the launch, with the curator Kenneth Hillier. To his surprise he was asked to first go next door to the Tourist Office, and was met there by staff who had just had a meeting about Big Days in Ashthorpe Magna.
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Sunday 8th June 2008 saw soaring temperatures well into the 80’s, and hundreds of visitors to the Annual Court Leet Street Market in the little town of Alcester where Maurice lives. He and his family stood in the burning sunshine for 6 hours whilst the author signed many copies which were purchased.
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On Sunday the 8th of June it is the Alcester Summer Street Market, certainly the biggest in Warwickshire and one of the biggest in the Midlands. Ashthorpe Magna has taken a stall and the Author will be there all day signing books.  £1 for each book sold will be donated to the High Bailiff’s Charity which is a fund destined for local good causes.