Author - Tim Roux

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"(Just like) El Cid's Bloomers" - e-book

(Built around 19 Joe Solo songs - maybe the world's first musical novel developed specifically for an e-book format - to order the e-book version, click here. You can also order the paperback from Amazon - click on picture).

Jake Pembleton is a Hull-born singer-songwriter who once killed a man. This doesn’t make him the East Riding folk-singing Yorkshire Ripper of CrackTown’s famous song, but it still plays on his conscience.

Now he is in real trouble. Ever since returning home to his wife and kids to find his suitcases parked outside his front door, Jake has been holed up in that wild and lawless part of Hull known as 'The Avenues' with a springy nineteen year old groupie who is so sexy that she nearly gives him a heart attack each time she steps out of the shower.

Jake’s only hopes are Harry, his wife’s new boyfriend who keeps her sane, and that he will never meet his Kirkella-dwelling parents-in-law again. Beyond that, he just sits there clutching his guitar, writing his songs, loving his girl, and praying for better days and relief from a day job he is too ashamed of to talk about.

Comment from Joe Solo, the composer of the songs used in '(Just like) El Cid's Bloomers': it tells the story of one Jake Pembleton a Hull-based singer-songwriter who just happens to sing my songs. Thankfully that is where the similarities end, as Mr Pembleton's private life I would not wish on anyone!

Comment from Ruth Francisco, author of 'Amsterdam 2012': I really loved this. A lovely melancholy tone, a gentle humor, a ballad for the folksinger who never made it big, who laments selling his youth to make a living, and is in over his head with his nubile young girlfriend. I kept on hearing Garrison Keillor's voice, even heard him strumming on the guitar. Would love to hear this read on the radio. Entertaining, quirky, funny. A little gem.

Comment from T.L. Tyson, author of 'Seeking Eleanor': I was horribly sad when Joe Strummer died. I loved him, and not just the stuff with the Clash, his solo stuff. 'Streetcore' was an amazing album. I also love Otis Redding. What I am trying to say? I fell in love with your book when you mentioned this part. It was bumping along at a good pace and I was enjoying the read. Funny, quirky, endearing. But when you hit upon these artists, I thought, I dig this. I moved onto the next chapter giddy as a school girl. I love it when I find a book up my alley.

Comment from Mairi Graham, author of 'The View From Errisbeg': That Jake is a softie is given away by his one love song, that he has a great ‘voice’ is given away immediately, even if his larynx is a little rough sometimes. Of course this is very funny and the references to television ground it very firmly in time and space. Not just television though. One of my favourite lines so far is “If they stuck their arses in aspic they couldn’t be more Coronation chicken’ .... the memorable phrases just keep piling up, and all of them perfectly apt. That Jake seems to have produced a life with the title track missing is beautifully set up but he comes good in the end, as promised, in his own little glorious revolution. He deserved what he got.

Comment from John Booth, author of 'Shaddowdon': To really like this you have to like the lyrics and I love yours. Much of it is a monologue and a great deal of it made me smile. You have a way with wry observations, and believe me, it's a good way.

Comment from Jim Darcy, author of 'Serpent's Blood': I have so been to places described in this, and met your characters too!

Comment from Jane Alexander, author of 'Walker': I know a heck of a lot of old wannabe rockers who would love it to bits.

Comment from B.J. Winters, author of 'The Ghost Writer': Dang it Tim -- every time I turn around you have another book that makes the rest of us look like amateurs.

To view an extract, click here.

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"Missio"

Stevie Francis lost his dad when the Hull trawler, The Gaul, disappeared without trace somewhere on or around 8 February 1974 while fishing in the Barents Sea. Its owners, British United Trawlers, had nicknamed it ‘the unsinkable’.

Speculation at the time was that The Gaul had been captured or sunk by the Soviet navy because there was a British government spy on board, or that its fishing net had become entangled with a passing Soviet submarine, or that it had simply become overwhelmed by heavy seas. The wreck of The Gaul was located in 1997 and the remains of four of its crew were retrieved in 2004. A more recent suggestion is that The Gaul suffered from significant design faults.

Walking the rundown streets of his dockland neighbourhood searching for his cat, Stevie meets The Great Macaroni, a children’s magician who spends his time trying to persuade his young audiences that his real magic is mere trickery.

He teaches Stevie that nothing in this world is as it appears, that teaspoons can fly, and that the future is never set even if it has already happened.

What he cannot tell him about are the two years of his life that Stevie will spend in absolute darkness.

Comment from Bob Ellal, author of 'By These Things Men Live', a stunningly-written account of recovering from cancer four times: Got up very early this morning and read 'Missio' straight on through--I absolutely could not stop! It is brilliant and grand--I can't think of a better word than 'grand.' It is an utterly compelling and fascinating read--I think you have outdone yourself! It works on so many levels--an amazing sense of place and 'times;' the metaphysical aspects, the core of the story, are so subtly drawn, so convincing that one need not "suspend disbelief." Plot, characters, dialogue--everything works perfectly.

Comment from Danny Birch, author of 'Clipped': I loved this book. Loved the story, think it's great, but more than that I love the speech. It's the conversations which are so realistic, especially to people from 'up 'ere', as they say. I think most people in Hull could pick up your story and relate to it. It's great that a writer can finally capture the way of life and speech of our area, having people in my family associated with going to sea all of their lives, it was a must-read for me, because i grew up hearing the stories and listening to them talk the talk.

Comment from Andrew Wright, author of 'Sanctuary's Loss' about a boy who wakes up with a dragon on his bed: This is flipping brilliant, what a great beginning. No introduction, no preamble, smash, straight into poor Stevie's world. You are a great writer, extremely accomplished. I read it through, a great story, a great main character, intriguing, mournful, honest and cleanly written.

Comment by David Brett, author of ‘All These Are Memories Of My Voyage’: At last, someone who enjoys playing with the craft of story-telling. I really enjoy the excursions into script-writing and documentary. Your story-telling voice - actually, of course, Steve's voice - says more than it tells. Is Felicio the best cat in recent fiction? As for the boy named `Oss....we all have these stories wandering about in our past, I think! I am glad to see this fun story-telling seems to be getting a real public.

Comment from Francesco Scannella, author of ‘Sicilian Shadows’: A compelling tale which although told in a sharp, factual way flowed perfectly.

Comment by T.L. Tyson, author of ‘Seeking Eleanor’: I like the voice of Steve, I do. This reads so factual at times that it sounds true-life, which really is what drew me in. I thoroughly enjoyed the tone behind your MC's voice, he is a wee bit jaded it seems and I love the humor in his observations. I don't know much about trawling but I found this interesting. There seemed to be a ton of information and I wondered if this was set around real events, though not the magician part but all the info that you supplied. There was a lot of narrative but you do such a great job, the voice is so clear and strong that I really found it engaging and not boring, which I often find with excessive narrative.

To view an extract, click here.

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"Blood & Marriage"

"Blood & Marriage" is the fictionalised version of the more-or-less true stories of a family arriving in Hull from Germany in the 1880s, settling initially in Coltman Street.

They are told in a tapestry of first person narratives and commentary (in a sort of retrospective "vox pop") and relate the experience of ordinary lives to extraordinary times, including two world wars and the first genocide of the 20th century - the massacre of the Hereros in Namibia in 1904/5.

To view an extract, click here.

The 'Strange World' series:

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"The Blue Food Revolution"

She was a girl from an alpine village where she tried to murder her sister.

He was a bank clerk from Reading whom her sister tried to murder.

Theirs was a marriage made in heaven…..

….but would they ever meet?

Comment from Sue Edwards, author of 'A Boy Called George': Where on earth do you lot get your imagination? This is great. I was totally engrossed.

Comment from Elisa Williams, author of 'Reckless Scarlett': I simply find this delightful. It does transport me to another place as any good book should.

Comment from Elizabeth Jaspar, autor of 'A Bed Of Knives': This is like being in a surreal, half-waking, half-sleeping dream where anything can and does happen. Just as you think you are about to wake up, off you again into another sequence. Well-written, very imaginative and a real treat.

Comment from George Polley, author of 'Grandfather & The Raven': Where can you find this delightful book? I found it on Amazon.com, and even on Amazon.com.jp (I live in Japan). You’ll find Tim Roux’s other books there, too. Get your copy now; it’s one heckuva read!

Comment from Bob Ellal, author of 'By These Things Men Live': You have the rare ability to create realities at tangents to our own apparent reality without placing your characters on planets in the Pleides dressed in silver space bikinis, as so many unfortunately do. You do it effortlessly, yet with great precision. The parallel worlds you create are entirely believable; no suspension of disbelief is necessary. As one becomes engaged in the story traversing among the dead seems entirely natural. And much more fun. I have to tell you, you have both great storytelling ability and a facility with the King's English that I admire to the point of envy. Your imagination is a catalyst; I always think of new ideas to pursue while reading your works. It brings out the thief in me!

Comment from Shannon Ouellette, author of 'Sex On A Beach': It was very surreal reading and put me in mind of both the Dark Tower series by Stephen King and the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, which is a weird comparison. Hmm. But reading your work put me in the same mood as I felt when I read these books. I was intrigued, and I didn’t understand where we were going, but I was interested in making the journey. (I was also certain when we got to the end of the journey, I would not understand where I had been.)

Comment from Helena Duggan, author of 'A Load Of Rubbish': A different story indeed. It is very random but brilliantly so and I had to wonder what you were smoking at the time. I have to say I genuinely love it, I love the daftness of it but I don't think it is all daft. I think there is a meaning to a lot of what you write but I can't quite grasp it at the moment.

Comment from Derek Huxton, author of 'On The Square': Great fun, an epic, a true roller-coaster in space and time, a masterpiece.

Featured extracts:

The 'End of the World Sextet':

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"Blood & Marriage"

To view an extract, click here.

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"Little Fingers!"

In the fictional village of Hanburgh, which claims to be near Manchester, but which is in fact modelled on Welton, two sexual predators vie to cause the most havoc, and ultimately the biggest tragedies - Tom Willows the womaniser, and Dr. Berringer the paedophile. Enter, stage left, the murderer who believes it is time they were brought to justice, whatever the police might think. Enter, stage right, Inspector John Frampton, intent on avoiding a blood bath which could threaten his career.

Comment from Danny Birch, author of 'Clipped': The story takes many different turns as the pieces get put together in an excellent fashion in this well written, supremely thrilling, book.

Comment from Bob Ellal, author of ‘By These Things Men Live’: So refreshing to find someone who can write! What I love about your writing is you allow the reader, or any intelligent reader, to make the connections. No draining, intricate descriptions. You write as the mind experiences life. One line of dialogue and anyone who is not stuck on the Horatio Alger series understands.

Comment from Stuart Aken, author of 'Breaking Faith': Tim Roux writes with imagination, style and aplomb. The characters who people his books do so as if they were real men and women, sharing their intimate secrets, their darkest desires, their deepest emotions, their dreams and hopes and thoughts. The story unfolds mostly through the words of Julia, a character unique in fiction. Clever, manipulative, hedonistic, obtuse, consistently inconsistent, courageous, beautiful and elusive, Julia lies, exposes injustices, avenges, loves and hates as she takes the reader through the series of events that lead to a series of murders. This is not a crime novel, though it deals with murder, rape and paedophilia. This is not a romance, though love, sex, seduction and fancy play their parts. It is a literary novel, but not in the inaccessible way of so many such labelled works. There is courage in this writing. Ideas are aired. Emotions are explored and justice is examined. Some of the characters are wicked, some basically good, some indifferent and others passionate but all have their flaws and all have their reasons for who and what they are. There are no stereotypes here, no cardboard cut-outs. Flesh and blood populate these pages and will make the attentive reader smile, laugh and cry, agree and deny, gasp and hope, and turn the pages till the end is reached. I heartily recommend this novel. A damned good read.

Comment from Tim Chambers, author of ‘Chili Con Carnality’: This is a fascinating read. A very cleverly calculated and constructed post post-modern fiction. One that continuously surprises as the layers are pulled back or piled on. It makes for a very tasty stew.

Comment from Mike Gilliland, author of ‘The Free’: This is great writing. I enjoyed Julia's version and her relation with Mary is beautifully done. As a whodunit I would never have guessed why or who.

Comment from N. Lalit, author of ‘Femme Fatale’: There is definitely a Hitchcock feel to it. This is great writing. Loved some of your phrases. This will go a long way.

Comment from Camille Singleton, author of ‘The Curse of The Golden Fly’: I really enjoyed the voice and the pace. For some reason I was getting a Hitchcock feel to the story.

To view an extract, click here.

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"Girl on a Bar Stool"

When Adam Melton, the ambitious brand manager of Petrovsk Vodka went out on the town that night, he was hoping to pick up a beautiful girl and a few hints and tips from his target market, the vodka-swilling ladettes of Reading.

Meeting the sultry Yasemin at the bar in one of his favourite haunts, he got all that he was hoping for, and ominously more. Now he has been condemned to save the world.

Comment by David Brett, author of ‘All These Are Memories Of My Voyage’: Another book by Tim Roux. How many is he writing all at once? As before, intense sense of the fun involved in telling a story. A louche, idealistic angel. Good on marketing, too. I believe every smooth word of this book. It is not fiction; the Labour party meeting was incredibly funny. I wish I could think these up!

Comment from T.L. Tyson, author of ‘Seeking Eleanor’: I do love your writing. This is a number of great things rolled into one; different and fun. I loved your style. It was interesting and chalked full of wit and wry. Really enjoyable.

Comment from Andrea Levin, author of ‘Last Days of the Transitional Objects Institute’: First off: wonderful title. And: wonderful voice - brash, sharp, tired-of-being-the-cleverest-fellow-in-the-room, informative, utterly obnoxious, self disparaging and - clearly - ripe for a life-changing event.

Comment from L. Anne Carrington, author of ‘The Cruiserweight’: Great cover and amazing premise. This is a fun way to learn about something as usually humdrum as marketing. Humor, biting sarcasm, impressive story and characters.

Comment from S.D. Gillen, author of ‘Eve’s Tear’: This was a very interesting read. I learned a lot about marketing (in a fun way). I also liked the voice in this story. I like the humorous sarcasm. Great stuff! I enjoyed this immensely and you write very well.

Comment from D.A. Seaby, author of ‘BADD’: Being one of those sad people who realise they would probably not succeed in the task of selling £10 notes for a fiver, I was enormously impressed by this. I am seeing into a mind that is clearly a master of the art of persuasion. I also loved the twist at the end.

Comment from Katherine L. Holmes, author of ‘The Swan Bonnet’: This is brilliant in that the narrator presents some very intense strategy and office scenarios and can be fascinating. The vodka campaign, Adam's insurance background, the numbers, the ladettes and the people he works with were convincing and very informative for me - even if I did get a little lost with it at times. That you could make the particulars entertaining along with the challenge of the vodka issue says a lot for your style and your portrayal of characters. The sections with Yasemin and Adam's mother are a delightful respite - good dialogue! I enjoyed this insider's view of the ads that affect us and the finely honed style and wit.

Comment from Almuth Wren-Dohle, author of ‘A Trip To Normsville’: This is a curious blend of office, marketing, life and beliefs and I liked the clever ideas and analogies. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on artists and animals to define the character of the product (ch6). Your dialogue is excellent.

Comment from Tony Freeman, author of ‘Life Bringer’: I like the ads about the vodka - and the naked girl would get most men’s attention. The use of a catch phrase if it gets known is a winner. I had a friend who was in advertising and did a catch phrase for milk. I know not so sexy but it pushed up sales tremendously. You had me hooked and I was very interested to see ‘How does a branding guy spend his day.” This is a great witty story. It is well written and just flows along.

Comment from Sarah Mansfield, author of ‘T-cup and The Dream Team Fairies’: This really was a most unusual read and not the normal sort of angel book I have read before. Very refreshing and very good.

Comment from 'a book a day' book reviewer Puss Reboots: Of the two Tim Roux novels I had the pleasure to review, Girl on a Bar Stool was by far my favorite. It's a nice mixture of social satire and metaphysics.

Comment from Nicholas Boving, author of ‘Warlock’: Very competent and flowing writing, very slick.

Comment from Mel Comley, author of ‘Unicorn’: You certainly have a way with words, I think you forgot to list 'comedy' in the genres. This is extremely polished.

To view an extract, click here.

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"Shade+Shadows"

Alan Harding is an alternative healer with a particularly unusual basis for his therapies, who marries the former wife of a controversial ambassador who survived an assassination attempt by Middle-Eastern terrorists. When his wife, Jane, is kidnapped as retribution for her husband's crimes, everyone assumes that the kidnappers are referring to the ambassador's activities.

However, the good doctor has his own dark secrets ........

Comment from Bob Ellal, author of 'By These Things Men Live': Absolutely brilliant! I was captivated from the get-go, and the story intensified with every page. Gripping, with completely unexpected plot lines which culminated so neatly. As expected, the writing was flawless and I love how you used dialogue to propel the action. Amazing command of the English language, which you explore but never as an end in itself.

To view an extract, click here.

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"Fishing, for Christians"

“When the horror has stopped, when you have watched your beloved children being ripped limb from limb, when your friends have rotted before your eyes, when you yourself have crumbled into dust, snapping and cracking as you go, you will return to this earth as eternal beings in the flesh, your days will be endless, your joys countless, your love infinite. At least, that is the theory. I think that there are a few technical issues to sort out in the meantime. If I were an engineer or an accountant, I would promise you nothing at this point. If I were a salesman, I would promise you the earth. What do you want to hear?” (Testimony of the Archangel Michael)

Comment from Miguel Connor of the Aeon Byte Gnostic Christian website: Man! Your beginning is as good as any Gnostic creation narrative I've read.

To view an extract, click here.

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"The Ghoul Who Once"

Ghosts don’t just come back to haunt you.

When the bones of a murdered girl are discovered in the garden of a French holiday home one at a time, the non-stop party-goers up at the nearby Château de Freyrargues start to bet on which one will turn up next.

However the stranger thing is that when her bones are forensically tested, they are found to contain no DNA whatsoever.

To view an extract, click here.