Shakespeare's Cuthbert

The first book set the scene for the Cuthbert series and this is the link.  http://mybook.to/Cuthbert1.
Shakespeare himself was said to have lived in the valley as a young man and taught at Mandrake Hall where he produced a play which was not very complimentary to Elizabeth the first. Now in the present day there are strangers in the valley looking for this lost masterpiece and the chaos begins...

Percy the Mechanical Genius

Although Percy was a self-proclaimed gardner (man and boy) he also had an accidental affinity with anything mechanical. As soon as two bits of metal appeared in close proximity he would produce an oily rag, smear grease on his forehead and begin to whistle tunelessly in the time honoured traditions of mechanics everywhere. He was also adept at sucking air through his teeth and pushing his cap back on his head when asked how long the job would take.

A knock at the door was never good news in the valley, either for the person inside the house or very often for the person who knocked. You might get Cuthbert answering just as he was preparing a corpse and he had accidentally embalmed his lips so that his expression had an otherworldly quality to it or it may be Percy who had a nasty habit of stirring his tea with a Biro and then sucking the pen whilst deep in thought. This resulted in blue lips which contrasted horribly with the red hair showing from under his cap.

The second comedy in the Cuthbert series features a lady with long red hair who terrorises the district on a mobility scooter, this is Aunt Liza and before you become all politically correct on me she is based on my wife who has in turn been described as 'Basil Brush on speed.' I have been asked whether I was nervous about making fun of a redhead in this way. All I can say is "Absolutely not, but I type a damned sight faster if I think she's around (gulp).
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KVLFGV6

When word leaked out about a set of unknown works by William Shakespeare being hidden in the valley the world suddenly paid attention. Several people came to search and they almost paid with their sanity but as they settled in amongst the locals the edges became blurred and sanity wasn't all that easy to define. Cuthbert himself seemed to be a barrier against all reason and then we are introduced to Percy!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KW47UL6

The commander of the attacking forces gaped at his men as they stood outside the walls of Troy. Throwing down his helmet in disgust he yelled "I don't believe it, all you had to do was leave a copy of Shakespeare's Cuthbert on each watchtower and we would have sneaked in whilst they laughed themselves silly." He picked up a copy recently thrown back over the wall, "This isn't even a translation, it's all Greek to them!" Putting his helmet back on with a resigned sigh he said "Alright, I give in. Start building that stupid great horse."

Working Comedy Into a Book

Writing comedy is not always easy, just because I find something funny doesn't mean that everyone else will. Then it has to fit into the book matching the plot and being relevant to the characters. Cuthbert is a man so irrelevant to life that his reflection doesn't always show up in time for a shave. Percy has invented a role for himself as a 'Gardener, man and boy' and if ever asked an embarrassing question about his whereabouts answers "Gardening." Ronald, one of the many visitors to the valley who simply forgot to leave was a mercenary who never seemed to run out of paper targets but was always sending for new assistants. His brother Henry had been a war correspondent responsible for many scoops, mostly because his brother had either seen the incident, been part of the incident or actually caused the incident. But of course you still haven't met the valley mafia or the other residents of the valley yet have you?

Being married to a redhead is quite an experience too. My wife inspired the character of 'Aunt Liza' and her cartoon character is on the cover of 'Cuthbert-How Mean is my Valley.' Anyone reading the book will soon begin looking over their shoulder for redheads. They creep up VERY quietly.

Oh Lord I would like to thank you for entering me in the lottery of life...whaddya mean I've won a redhead?

The Cuthbert comedy series has three books published so far by Thorstruck Press.
The first is Shakespeare's Cuthbert     http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KW47UL6
The second is How Mean is my Valley    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KVLFGV6
The third is Tee for Two in the Valley    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KVOT7KO
The fourth in the series Cuthbert Death Valley is being edited ready for release.They can be read in sequence or as stand alone comedies but it is better to meet the characters first and watch the eccentricities develop.

UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE!!!

Just to let you all know that Cuthbert and gang live on.  Thorstruck Press is our new publisher and each of the covers is now brighter and bolder than ever before.

If you are a follower of the Cuthbert series, you will recall that each comedy book has its own theme but each contains the same crazy, larger than life characters from the past.

Although the books are part of a series, each can be read as a stand-alone comedy book, so you could just choose which book you want to read depending on the theme.  For example, Tee for Two in the Valley has a golfing theme.

Three books - Shakespeare's Cuthbert, Cuthbert How Mean is my Valley, Cuthbert Tee for Two in the Valley are all available in kindle format and the new release of paperbacks will happen soon.

 We are awaiting the publication of the fourth book in the series - Cuthbert Death Valley.

Best wishes from Patrick (author), Paula (editor/wife), Cuthbert and gang

Sales in the U.S.A.

Our publisher, Thorstruck Press has begun a promo event for us and we have sold seventeen books in America so far today.
They'll be reading in Boston
Pittsburgh P.A.
outside of the White House
and San Francisco Bay
Way down to Saint Louis
and down in New Orleans
they'll be reading Cuthbert
amongst the evergreens.