Like me, Paul Asling is London born and bred and his love of this great city becomes clear from the moment you start reading any of his great novels. 

I first met Paul way back in 1980/81. He was my supervisor for a while when we both worked for the same Gas Fitting company in Wandsworth. I will never forget the day I found a wallet that belonged to a `British Gas` engineer in the toilets of the Gas board depot in Acre Lane, Brixton. As a contractor, I occasionally had to pick up materials from this depot, and the one in the Old Kent Road, so it wasn`t unusual for me to use the available facilities as and when required. As soon as I opened the wallet I found it to be full of cash. It was a Friday and I assumed this was the mans wages so the first thing I did was to check the name on the ID card in the wallet. I then went into the actual office area and asked the first person I saw if they knew where this man was. I was informed he was out working but I was directed to his boss who was sitting at a desk. I showed him the wallet and explained how and where I found it and that it contained a lot of money. He thanked me and said he would hand it over to the engineer as soon as he returned. When I popped into our office, which is a mile or so from Acre Lane, on the following Monday, Paul asked me if it was me that found the wallet. Me being me (I don`t handle compliments or attention very well) and being as a few other contractors heard this, I said, somewhat awkwardly, that it was me. Paul told me that he`d received a phone call that morning from the man at Acre lane and he said he wanted to thank me for returning his wallet, which did indeed contain his wages. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I said it was the least I could do and thanked him for passing the message on to me. I like to think someone might be kind enough to do the same for me if I ever happen to be so unfortunate as to lose something of that value. Not long after that, I moved on to ventures further afield. As the years passed (a bit too quickly for my liking) I tried many different types of jobs, but I still remember that good deed like it was yesterday (I have done a couple more good deeds since then, honest. lol)

Imagine my surprise, nigh on forty years later, as I was nearing the completion of my first novel, I noticed Paul in one of the FaceBook groups I happen to be a member of. He was advertising the publication of his latest book. I contacted him and he remembered me from all those years back. I reminded him of the day I found that mans wages but, even though he sort of remembered it, far too much water had passed under the bridge for him to remember it quite as clearly as I have.

I told him about my writing, and over the last 12 months Paul has been of great help in pointing me in the right direction regards gramma checking software, proof reading, compiling and publishing my book. Thanks mate, your assistance is very much appreciated. I think it is only fair that I share the fact that I have read all three of Pauls books and I can thoroughly recommend them all.

ps I knew his brother Terry for a while from around 1976 till the early 1980s and I still have the guitar Terry sold me in 1977. I have added a link to Pauls Facebook page where you can find lots of info about his novels etc. You can find it by clicking the button below. Also, if you click on any of the three pictures at the top of this page it should lead you to Amazon where all three of his novels are available in Paperback and Kindle. I think you will find they are very modestly priced.

Happy reading.