By Julie McLaughlin
A local author has recently published his third book, which is his first book of short stories. Annalong resident Charlie Graham has previously written and published two children’s books, The Giraffe with the Chocolate Bellybutton and Missing Monkeys, but this summer his first book for adults was published. It is called Did I Ever Tell You and features a variety of short stories and poems.
“Some, nearly all in fact, have been drafted and re-drafted over the years. There’s humour, joy and sadness and surprise. And there are poems aplenty too,” Charlie said.
The book will be launched at a special event at 1.30pm on Saturday, 13 September, at Páirc na Mara, Annalong. The books will be for sale for £10 each, and refreshments will be available to purchase in the café at that time. Charlie said that all money raised from the sale of the book will be donated to Save the Children.
“With the government having drastically reduced its foreign aid budget, it seems the onus is now on the public to pick up the slack, as it were,” he said. “With that in mind, 100 per cent of the proceeds of the sale of the book will be given to the Third World charity Save The Children. With 500 books printed, I’m hoping to raise £5,000.”
The book is named after the phrase Charlie’s father would use when telling one of his “yarns.” He hopes that the book is equally entertaining to his readers. Charlie said the book is mostly for adults, but children may enjoy some of the stories too.
“Really they’re for anyone who likes stories,” he said.
He said that most of the stories are “thought-provoking.” “Some are humorous, others serious. And all hopefully well-constructed. There are 18 stories and eight poems, 128 pages in all. Some are autobiographical, some semi-autobiographical, and others pure fiction, unless, of course, you believe in the wee folk, which you should,” he said.
There are a variety of themes across the book. “There’s a story about a giant. It’s an allegory about how we tend to categorise people – put them into boxes,” he said. “‘Genesis Revisited’ does exactly what it says on the tin. Again, it’s an allegory. We don’t know what we’ve got ’til it’s gone.”
“‘The Storm of 1843’ heralds the offshore tragedy when, on Friday, 13th January 1843, 74 fishermen were drowned off the County Down coast,” he said. “Other stories are either purely or partly fictional. Many are either biographical or semi-autobiographical. But they all stem from ‘the truth.’”
Charlie and his wife Glenda Graham enjoy living in Annalong, but will be moving soon to County Armagh to be closer to family. “We moved to the coast here in County Down some 12 years ago and what an adventure it has been,” Charlie said.
Before becoming an author, he taught for many years and served as the principal of Bridge Integrated Primary School in Banbridge for 17 years. After retiring from this role, he did some voluntary teaching in Ethiopia and Kenya before coming back to south Down.
“With the mountains behind us and the sea in front of us, we’ve been blessed. And the tranquility has afforded me the inclination to write – when the spirit moves me,” he said. “I’m not a prolific writer, but I do get ideas now and again.”
Charlie said that he writes his books out longhand. “I tend to write freehand and papers are sometimes indecipherable. Then it’s Glenda to the rescue with her keen eye and undoubted typing ability,” he said.
Charlie said that he was first motivated to write after experiences he had as a young person. “In my youth, I attended a boarding school in Fermanagh and, although I was expelled, that experience along with other ‘scrapes’, encouraged me to write, and allusions to some of those incidents are registered in this book. Some allude to my teaching days. There’s definitely another book there – sometime in the future,” he said.
When he is not writing or spending time with family, Charlie is a member of the Anchor Ukes and the Newcastle Harbour Swimmers. He plans to have a wee get-together with friends from both this month prior to moving. He said it will be a way “to give thanks for 12 great years here on the shore in Annalong. So many happy days and so many good people.”
For those unable to attend the book launch event next week, the book will also be available to purchase at some local shops. It can also be purchased by emailing Charlie directly at charliegraham29@msn.com.
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