A Macfarlanes partner's diary of his sabbatical is being published in the UK and the US.
Sick of "responding to emails until midnight every day of the week", litigation lawyer Geoff Steward decided to take a three month jaunt round the US. The result is In Search of Nice Americans, a comic record of his first travels in 24 years ("one of my sperm has grown into a motorist in the time it has taken for my wanderlust to re-emerge"). Back in 1992, he writes, he returned home hoping to become a musician, artist or writer. But instead, "I truly found myself. And I found that, disappointingly, myself was a lawyer".
But interest in Trump's America saw Steward's book land squarely in the zeitgeist, and instead of reading aloud on street corners to realise his childhood dream, the timely In Search of Nice Americans is appearing in actual bookshops. And (yes, RollOnFriday is gifting him a plug) online.
Steward's travelogue, which at various points sees him cowering before a trigger-happy cop and conning his way into an appearance in Fast & Furious 8, is being distributed by Biteback publishing, which is owned by Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft. Specialising in spicy takes on contemporary culture ("Something for the Weekend: Life in the Chemsex Underworld") and politics (a LOT of Brexit books), Biteback's biggest seller by far is pig fuckery fest Call Me Dave. Perhaps Steward can outdo it. The trial lawyer has already had a children's novel published, The Lost Grandad, which "outsold Anthea Turner's autobiography published the same week, as did all other books published that week". And a textbook on brand protection. On page one of In Search of Nice Americans, Steward promises, "this should be better than both of them".
It should also be better than certain other partners' efforts at taking the Palin crown. However, despite earning a rave from the Daily Telegraph ("light-hearted and very, very funny"), Steward told RollOnFriday, "For the avoidance of doubt, I haven't given up the day job".
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Sick of "responding to emails until midnight every day of the week", litigation lawyer Geoff Steward decided to take a three month jaunt round the US. The result is In Search of Nice Americans, a comic record of his first travels in 24 years ("one of my sperm has grown into a motorist in the time it has taken for my wanderlust to re-emerge"). Back in 1992, he writes, he returned home hoping to become a musician, artist or writer. But instead, "I truly found myself. And I found that, disappointingly, myself was a lawyer".
But interest in Trump's America saw Steward's book land squarely in the zeitgeist, and instead of reading aloud on street corners to realise his childhood dream, the timely In Search of Nice Americans is appearing in actual bookshops. And (yes, RollOnFriday is gifting him a plug) online.
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The old reverse-Bill-Bryson gambit. |
Steward's travelogue, which at various points sees him cowering before a trigger-happy cop and conning his way into an appearance in Fast & Furious 8, is being distributed by Biteback publishing, which is owned by Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft. Specialising in spicy takes on contemporary culture ("Something for the Weekend: Life in the Chemsex Underworld") and politics (a LOT of Brexit books), Biteback's biggest seller by far is pig fuckery fest Call Me Dave. Perhaps Steward can outdo it. The trial lawyer has already had a children's novel published, The Lost Grandad, which "outsold Anthea Turner's autobiography published the same week, as did all other books published that week". And a textbook on brand protection. On page one of In Search of Nice Americans, Steward promises, "this should be better than both of them".
It should also be better than certain other partners' efforts at taking the Palin crown. However, despite earning a rave from the Daily Telegraph ("light-hearted and very, very funny"), Steward told RollOnFriday, "For the avoidance of doubt, I haven't given up the day job".
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