Ron Whatley

Biography

Draughtsman, Serviceman, Reporter, Inquiry Agent, Credit Manager, Island Dweller, Refuse Collector, Canal Worker, Bricklayer, Carpenter, Free-lance Journalist, Poet, Artist, Graphologist, Boatman, Store Shelf- Stacker, Amateur Musician - just some of Ron’s occupations spread over five decades. Tongue-in-cheek, he says: “I was always restless and liked different challenges.”

Born 1936, in South London, he witnessed some of the horrors of the German aerial bombardment of London during World War Two. Then he suffered the somber aftermath of food rationing and shortages. “It taught me how to survive though,” he says.

Deemed academically bright he secured a place at Strand Grammar School. There he met a kindred spirit, Joe Tibble, also born in in 1936. They shared an interest in humour, music and the arts and became lifelong friends.

Ron says: “Writing has always been important to Joe and me. Over the years our skills developed and although we went our separate ways in life we kept in close contact.”

Hard Road and Rainbows came about by chance. “In 1996 Joe and I were in retro mode, talking about the past. We decided to put pen to paper - a joint venture - and write down some of our memories. This book, a comedy drama evolved from our musing. But we didn’t stop there. Enthused, we wrote two further books, using the same characters. However, we might just have about exhausted the subject.”

What of the future? “Are you kidding? We’re now mature guys: should be content to relax in the slow lane of life. But, you never know, we might be tempted to co-write again. After all, as the song goes - “It’s only rock and roll but we like it…”

Books

Hard Roads and Rainbows
Price: $3.75 USD. Words: 102,300. Language: English. Published: January 27, 2010 by MHT Publishing Co. Categories: Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European
The girl with red hair and hazel eyes sits up, raising herself from under the bed clothes. She doesn't say anything: a person of few words and a soulful expression. I don't say anything either; I am dreaming and reminiscing a little. We were having a debate on the origins of rock and roll. I knew no more than anyone else about the subject but what I did know was more than I knew about philosophy

Ron Whatley's tag cloud

1950s    drugs    london    rock and roll    sex