Essex granddad’s 5-star book on pioneering computer days
Added: (Fri Dec 11 2020)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A retired IT operator from Essex has gone back to his early days behind the keyboard to bring some much-needed joy for readers.
Paul Tidy has used his own experiences from working on the earliest computers to hatch the chaotic plot for Maniacs at the Mainframe.
The 63-year-old grandfather’s hilarious debut novel has already been greeted with a string of five-star reviews.
And the reaction to his computer-room romp has also inspired him to start working on a sequel.
Paul admits much of his comedy masterpiece came from what he witnessed at his own workplaces.
He said: “The book didn’t require much research as a lot of it is from memory.
“I always thought the experiences I’ve had and the many very funny people I have worked with would make a great book.
“Maniacs at the Mainframe is about a lively group of work colleagues and the antics they get up to both at work and in their leisure time.
“A major part of the story revolves around a day trip to Lincolnshire where the friends enjoy a tour of a local brewery and cause mayhem at a beer festival before an eventful train journey back home.”
Maniacs at the Mainframe has been described by reviewers as ‘high-jinks meets hi-tech’, ‘a fantastic read’, and ‘great fun’.
Reviewer Graham Nash stated: “Those were the days when individual computers filled huge rooms and had less processing power than today's phones.
“But Paul's book captures perfectly the sub-culture of the shift operators that manned the things round the clock and were, virtually, a law unto themselves.”
Paul’s nostalgic debut novel looks back at an era when pranks and micky-taking were a major part of working life.
Maniacs at the Mainframe perfectly captures the years when tomfoolery was as vital a part of an employee’s skillset as their qualifications and experience.
Paul, who lists Tom Sharpe and PG Wodehouse among his favourite authors, hopes his novel will bring cheer during these dark days of the pandemic.
He added: “There was nothing that inspired me to write Maniacs at the Mainframe, it just happened.
“I do hope people laugh at an era when things were so different from now – a time when there were less restrictions, and nobody was all that serious about everything.
“People who have read Maniacs at the Mainframe so far have been very positive – they have loved the chaos.”
For more details, visit Amazon and search for Paul Tidy, where the paperback and Kindle formats of Maniacs at the Mainframe are both available.
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