Columnist Pete Pheasant has been writing about everyday life for decades. But now he’s put some of his favourite funny articles into a book called How A Mozzie Burnt My Bum.
Mr Pheasant, of Ilkeston, has written his book after 47 years in local journalism. Despite retiring he continues to write a weekly column for The Nottingham Post and Derby Telegraph.
His debut book will be published on Wednesday, June 1, where Mr Pheasant talks about everything from fruity cheese and plastic packaging to tattooed pensioners and DIY. The father of two says one of the main motivations of his book is to make people smile as “there’s too much misery in the world”.
Read More: Excitement over plan for Ilkeston's old Ritz bingo hall after town 'loses 15 pubs'
Mr Pheasant said: “It’s been a huge privilege to have my own newspaper column for so long and, as well as commenting on serious issues, I’ve really enjoyed serving up my odd brand of humour from time to time. Readers have often said I should put some of these light-hearted pieces in a book, so here it is.
“I think it’s the sort of think you might take on holiday with you, to dip into for a few minutes and then put aside.” He added: “I poke fun at all sorts of people and situations but mostly myself.”
The book has been dedicated to Mr Pheasant's former English teacher, Alan Harries, who inspired him to pursue a career in writing. He said: “He used to nag me to ‘write what you know about’, which is how I learnt to spin 500-word pieces out of situations like finding my lost specs in the bread bin or being unable to buy a Twix from a vending machine because there’s a Bounty in front of it.”
After Mr Pheasant left Eastwood Hall Park Technical Grammar School, he worked as a door-to-door encyclopaedia salesman before joining the Ilkeston Advertiser as a trainee reporter. He eventually became the newspaper’s editor before joining The Derby Telegraph, and then later became the night editor of The Nottingham Post.
How A Mozzie Burnt My Bum and Other Comic Shorts is being published by the Beeston-based company JMD Media, and it is available to pre-order online from jmdmedia.co.uk for £14.95.
To read all the biggest and best stories first sign up to read our newsletters here.
