For my latest children’s book I went back to my childhood in the back streets of Birmingham. I remembered going to buy my family’s fish and chip supper on a frosty autumn Friday night and queuing outside the shop with friends and neighbours. Because everyone went to the chippie on a Friday night.

The first thing I came up with was the title and then I imagined what would happen if I – and everyone else – was being robbed of my precious hot newspaper parcel (fish and chips were always wrapped in newspaper in those far-off days). Who were the robbers? It had to be two hooligan brothers from the Rough End of our street. They were wearing masks and armed with powerful water pistols. When I refused to hand over my fish and chips I was squirted in the face.

I needed someone to help me track down the thieves and created a clever schoolfriend called Anita. She is smarter than me and decides the best thing to do is to look for clues. Her keen eyes spot a trail of hot chips leading through the dark and dingy back alleyways. We follow the trail…

What we find is a regular thieves kitchen in the ramshackle house of the Rotter family. How do we get my fish and chips back? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Like many of the books I publish on Amazon this was originally in a letter I wrote for my two grandchildren, Maddy and Max. If they enjoy my stories I turn them into books. It’s not the first time I’ve plundered my childhood for story ideas and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

To order ‘The Great Fish and Chips Robbery’ and the rest of my books on Amazon go to my Author’s Page.