John Morey, author of feel-good fiction & modern western romance
John Morey with his nephew, James, taken one happy family occasion at Turf Locks on the River Exe.
"Me and my best mate since we were 6 years old.
Here's the Wigston canal (the 'cut') from which I pulled Melv from the ice. It's all in my books.
And we still talk about it!
Mrs Cherry's sweet shop on Sycamore Street - but before Mrs Cherry owned it.
The centre of Blaby village in 1931. The George Inn is now the Fox and Tiger, but a previous landlord - back in the day - allegedly took part in bare-knuckle fights held on Sunday afternoons behind the pub up the road, The Bulls Head.
You can see The Post Office on the corner and, opposite to that but out of camera shot to the left of the bloke standing in the road, was the original blacksmith's forge.
Church Street - with Blaby Infants School, left.
I started at this Blaby C of E School at five and a half years old. We lived about a mile outside of the village, on Hillview Nurseries, a market garden my dad founded after the war. He would take me to school on the cross-bar of his postman's bike until I was deemed old enough - at seven - to walk to and from school on my own.
The headmaster was Mr Backhouse who had also taught my elder sisters, 7 and 12 years earlier. He was over six foot tall, rode an enormous push bike which still looked too small for him, and he was ancient.
Next year he'd retired, to be replaced by Mr Dixon.
My first teacher was Miss Shields, young, blonde and beautiful. My lasting memory of her was picking my mum up to drive her in her red open-top sports car to vote (!).
Then came Miss Basham. (No, I'm not making it up.) She had a gruff voice and wore sensible shoes. Not sure who was next, but Mr Buxton came after him. He put me on the right wing in the school soccer team.
The Ford off Mill Lane - where I used a tin bath as a boat, and it sunk!
Scene of 'Finding Rose'
About J S Morey - and writing as K W Sercombe
John Morey is a British writer of literary fiction dedicated to crafting feel-good storytelling that serves as a modern escape.
Writing under his own name and his pen name, Kenneth William Sercombe, John blends a passion for wholesome revisionist Westerns and contemporary romance, taking you to your happy place.
From the rugged Wyoming grasslands and ranch-life of the 'Wild Hearts' trilogy to the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany in 'Those Italian Girls', John’s work focuses on love, hope, resilience, and the pioneer spirit addressing life's challenges.
Unique to his creative process, John allows readers to fully immerse themselves in the world of his characters. Whether exploring Romani heritage or the modern American West, his mission remains the same: to provide a sanctuary of classic storytelling for the modern reader.
Who is K W Sercombe?
Kenneth William Sercombe Morey was John's father and a major influence on his writing style and fiction genres.
The pen-name K W Sercombe was created to draw distinction between the writing style and creative process - especially for research - of the latter, compared with that of J S (John) Morey.
John reveals events that shaped his writing
Best mates for over 70 (seventy!) years
To mis-quote that famous line from "Me and Bobby McGee", here we are "Looking just as faded as my jeans".
Well, the faded picture still survives, taken some 60 years ago at Melv's wedding to Sue - and still going strong. The "other person" - to the right as you are looking at it - was and still is - my best pal, Melv. He's a well-established poet in his own right, with a trio of poetry collections available on Amazon.
I just remember we had so much fun. Forgive me if I've forgotten most of the detail but, some of what I do remember, can be found in 'The Black Rose of Blaby' and 'Finding Rose'.
Other characters in my book are totally fictitious, composites of several people who did - and in some cases still do - exist. It was something that the Leicestershire village in which I grew up seemed to foster - in a good way.
Real locations bring real life to a story
Like Blaby, of course - a real village in Leicestershire. It has three claims to fame (apart from home-grown soccer stars):
1. It fed the nation with fresh home-grown tomatoes during World War Two - thanks to 'The Blaby Special' variety being the only source - available at Shoults' Tomato Farm.
It's central to The Black Rose of Blaby.
2. Just down the road (Grove Road) from The Tomato Farm, in neighbouring Whetstone, was the factory 'Power Jets' - later to be English Electric and then GEC - where Frank Whittle developed the first jet engine.
You can enjoy a purely fictional account of something that never happened, in 'The Blaby Chronicles'.
3. In the opposite direction as you leave Blaby lies Glen Hills where the (other!) famous author - Sue Townsend - was born.
I never met her despite their similarities in many ways. Notably:
She was inspired to create Adrian Mole after her fascination with Ronald Searle's character Nigel Molesworth. Whilst I was a regular visitor to the school library at lunchtimes to read this irreverent title, I wonder if Townsend did the same?
She and I both went to the same South Wigston High School. She went to the 'Girls' school and I, of course, went to the adjoining 'Boys' school, but at the same time, given that we were born within two weeks of each other!
Neither of our families seemed to be well-off during that period, so each of our father's had second jobs. Both as postmen. Did they know each other? We will never know.
'Finding Rose' - and finding my creative voice
Moving on...
I left Blaby in 1970 - eventually settling in Devon near to where my father and grandfather were born - but my birthplace has never left me.
The Sign of the Rose and, especially, The Black Rose of Blaby are the result of the spell of Blaby cast over me ever since. Both are works of romantic fiction, but there is some truth in both of these 'New Adult' parts of the four-book saga.
I do hope you enjoy them as well as Books 3 and 4 - Finding Rose (actually my first book ever) and Rose: The Missing Years - enough to tell your friends. Both take place in the Leicestershire village of Blaby, before travelling south to Teignmouth, Plymouth and St Ives - all part of the 'Love should never be this hard' series.
I began writing romantic fiction novels at the insistence of my wife at the age of 74 and rewarded her by appointing her my copy-editor. Ha! Serves her right. Right?
Taking romance and adventure to a modern Wild West
More recently I have chosen revisionist westerns as my genre, but without the violence depicted in The Wild Bunch and subsequent films. I'm more Heartland (Lauren Brooke) with a touch of Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry).
I focus on the myth, legend and culture of the Lakota Sioux and in a sympathetic manner - a celebration - partly because my great grandfather met their most revered leader, Chief Sitting Bull.
I'm still writing - over a dozen offerings in the first three years - but in a style I call 'feel-good fiction' - trying to balance this approach against so much misery on the world stage.
Wish me luck.
John Morey - Storyteller (well, author is a bit 'stuffy'
I found No. 10 The Parade in Exmouth where my grandfather's tailor's shop once was, some 125 years ago.
I have been inside, stood in the same spot as my grandfather, and his father and - strange as it may seem - Chief Sitting Bull had also stood.
What did they talk about?
My grandfather died before I was born, so I will never know.