Stirling writer lands top spot with debut book
Added: (Fri Mar 08 2019)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A retired engineer from Stirling has finally lived down the humiliation of being ridiculed by his English teacher.
Ian Workman has just released his debut novel, The Fisherman’s Daughter, to both critical acclaim and a place in Amazon’s highly-competitive historical thrillers top five.
But the grandfather of two admits picking up the pen took some prompting after his early-years classroom embarrassment.
Ian said: “My school English teacher, Mr Prowles, pronounced in front of my class of 40-odd that we were to take English Language O-level a year early.
“He then picked me out and said and I quote, ‘Workman, you won’t be taking it. It would be a waste of everyone’s time’.
“It was the most embarrassing and humiliating experience and I will never forget or forgive him.
“For some reason the decision was reversed and I did in fact take and pass it by the skin of my teeth but from then on I felt I couldn’t sensibly put two words together.
“I was obviously useless, I must be, he said so and he’s the English teacher.”
It was Ian’s wife, Clare, who turned him to reading after they married.
Following his retirement at the age of 57, she also convinced him to start writing.
Ian explained: “Clare, trying to end my retirement grumpiness, persuaded me to join a local creative writing class.
“Difficult initially but it was the key that opened my writing brain and I haven’t looked back since.”
The Fishermen’s Daughter tells the compelling coming-of-age story of the eldest girl from a large Northumberland family, who becomes a leading light in the Suffragette movement.
Set during the early twentieth century, Ian’s novel is both gripping and thoroughly entertaining.
Since its recent release, The Fishermen’s Daughter has earned five-star reviews from thrilled readers.
It has been described as ‘a page turner’, ‘excellent’ and ‘wonderful’.
Reader Elizabeth Alexander added: “I couldn’t put it down.
“It was also very informative, I learnt a lot about how hard these times were and how difficult it was for the suffragettes.”
The Fishermen’s Daughter, which ends as the First World war draws to a close, is the first part of a planned trilogy.
For more details, visit Amazon and search for Ian Workman, where the paperback and Kindle formats of The Fisherman’s Daughter are both available.
Notes to the editor
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