User:1998jjb/sandbox

Shelby Locke was born and raised in Southampton, UK where he still lives. Educated in the state school system, he confesses that his schooling was nothing more than ordinary. Although he enjoyed his time there, he declares, “Going to school was, for me, sometimes problematic. Looking back I believe, in life, it is what you learn beyond this point that makes a difference. The disparity I am talking about is based on the much quoted school of ‘hard knocks’ and how to survive them beyond today”.

Being dyslexic, and hard knocks aplenty, he survived not knowing the alphabet until the age of nineteen! Once he understood the basics in English he then turned to word puzzles. His first attempt at crosswords helped him understand words and how they fitted into sentences. Somehow, he expanded his understanding of literature and soon began to experiment with poetry. Poetry was quickly left behind in favour of conventional stories.

Now, at the ripe old age of 58 he has turned to Novels. He has written his first, based on local history and what turned out to be a well-documented international disaster. The ill-fated liner Titanic features strongly in his first novel ‘Stepping’. Using a combination of fact and fiction, he has been able to put together a ‘rip roaring story’, which takes the reader through an ‘amazing journey’. Using his imagination, he has come up with a ‘unique yarn’ combining several time lines. Some names will be familiar to the reader, others are either real or a combination of names he merely liked the sound of… who knows; you might even know them! This is where the use of names ends, since nobody in his books resembles their Alta ego. He further explains, “Indeed, it was following a conversation with somebody involved, that I had to clarify that it was my character driving that particular car and not him! Although, I knew he wouldn’t be seen dead driving that type of vehicle the story dictated that his namesake did!”

‘Stepping Back’, is the final instalment of the set and, although linked, the story takes you on a completely separate path. This path links directly to some of the characters in ‘Stepping’ by showing how things could be different in an alternative everyday life.