I have often been asked about my book Jackets. Seven of them are art works by my friend Joseph Burke who sadly passed away and is greatly missed. Joe specifically designed the jacket for my first novel: The Summerhouse, and gave me permission to use other of his paintings. I have continued to use his art for two reasons: it's good, and secondly it keeps his work alive. Actually the statement, "you can't judge a book by its cover", may be true; in my case, it's all down hill after the jacket!

I sincerely hope that through my scribblings you are encouraged to seek out more information about Joe's art. If you appreciate Joe's art, then I can highly recommend looking at Barry White's website (see link). Barry was both Joe's friend and inspiration. 


   

My words carried you here

 

My words carried you here
Where passionate thoughts
Sound through lengthening years,
From a world that could have been

Had we but had the vision to see,
A world, of you and me
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           A flicker of candlelight

 

The rain lifts its veil and takes flight

As the sky pushes down, darkly,

Gently lowering velvet pillows of night,

The last remains are held within silver

Beads hung on silken threads

That shimmer in fading light.

And stillness of lake is broken by tips of

Raven’s wing, of rising oar and plank-ed

Prow through glass flat waters, glides,

As nature casts its eventide shadows

And silhouettes, day, resonant as bow upon

String, now to whisper fades.

And morning dew, held in blades of grass

Where I lay, no longer holds its shape, its form

My thoughts of you gone into silence

Like the hushed beat of butterfly wings,

But as night descends, for a moment,

I see some reflect, a glimpse of you

Caught in a flicker of candlelight.


 

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Copyright © Philip Wickham.

All moral rights have been asserted. CIP catalogue records

for all titles are available from the British Library.


 The British Library Catalogue


                                       

                              www.bl.uk

           

And so then…from the moment I sat down and for the first time, typed Chapter One, in The Summerhouse, I have been inspired by many things; amongst them are good friends, places, muses, spontaneity and many cast off sentiments, "a thought came to me the other day, I’ve no idea where it came from? I think it came from somebody who had just thrown it away!"

  To be a writer is to dwell in a strange otherworldly existence: the emotion, passion, obsession, agony, frustration, excitement and unquestionable and absolute belief in your characters, is truly unfathomable and utterly bewildering to people that orbit around your everyday life. It can be both pleasurable and a curse. To most people you can appear to be as mad as a box of frogs. But one thing you can say about writing is that once it begins to pulse and flow through your veins and arteries, there is not a damn thing you can do about it.

 

 


                       

               New novel for 2014
 
Beyond the Green Shuttered Room

 
Set in Brooklyn, Paris, and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. Covering the 1930s & 4
0s.
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                        Other Links


                     Paintings by Barry White   

                           www.barry-white.net


                        Judy Taylor Sculpture

                       www.judytaylorsculpture.co.uk

              

                      Paintings by Glenn Clarke

                                      www.glennclarke.co.uk







  

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Paul Barclay Illustrator and Artist  

www.paulbarclaydesigns.com 

  Brian Patten  Poet and Novelist  

www.brianpatten.co.uk


 

The Avital Shroud


 What then does fate hold for mankind at the Convergence...


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Collected poems, Philip Wickham 2009

    Collected poems, Philip Wickham 2009
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                        Spring Morn


            The song thrush moved frantically

         Through its repertoire, as if searching

         For a cryptic melody; a key that would

         Unlock the response to mate


         Within a heartbeat, the air was filled

         With sweet symphonic birdsong

         As they perched on telegraph wires

         Like notes upon staves.


             Collected poems, Philip Wickham 2009

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   Amazon Review

By Jazzman Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond the Green Shuttered Room (Kindle Edition)

Once again Philip Wickham takes his readers on a cracking global journey but this time an adrenaline fuelled adventure set in the early 20th century featuring music, motorbikes, and the odd mysterious character along the way ( surely all good novels should have these three elements? )
Against a background of unfolding world events the main characters’ life, and larger than life, personality unfolds.
The reader certainly clocks up some miles - getting to see the world, with some surprising locations described in the well researched detail we now expect from a Philip Wickham book. However, I must point out that if the World Health Organisation had existed at the time they would definitely not have approved of the amount of alcohol ‘units’ consumed at what seems like every port of call!
This is a story not just about the cards that life deals, clearly painful at times, but also about living life to the full ( more physically painful – but clearly fun! ). The formative, and gripping early life stories of the main characters are revealed as the main story unfolds, giving us an insight into why they may find themselves on their own particular life journeys.
One of the fascinating characters whose appearances are woven throughout the story does have a controversial, misguided, and consuming belief about the life of one of history’s most influential and enlightened figures. I had to stop to remind myself that he is a fictional character - and read on with interest as the story took on a another unexpected new turn.
It’s also a book about the complex nature and value of friendship and how it is sometimes found in the most unlikely places.
Needless to say for anyone who has read his other books the 'journey' undertaken by these engaging characters is also a very personal and sometimes complex one.
The surprising finish leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction mixed with regret about how major world events can impact on peoples lives.

 

 

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                         The taking


At last she’s left me,

And taken everything I owned.

From the king-size double bed,

To the state of the art

Mobile phone.

She even took the quilted

Toilet rolls,

And the oranges and lemons

From the dish.

I knew she was capable of

Many things,

But not taking the pith!

 

          Collected Poems Philip Wickham © 2009

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Amazon Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable read, 16 Jun. 2015
By 
Mr S - See all my reviews
This review is from: Marshmallow Moon et Fleurs de Lumière (Kindle Edition)
I could not put this book down; I found it: intriguing, absorbing and funny.
The main protagonist is Henri; an artist and inventor, whom is sustained by his friend and companion Duval; a cultured and well-read hamster. It is a surreal narrative with equally bizarre and oddly interesting characters. One of the many strong characters is Elise; the mysterious actor of the piece whose life, is unknowingly, yet intrinsically intertwined to another in the story.
It is set in a curious mix of avant-gardism and vintage; where the two epochs coalesce in a seamless and timeless period: a time of escapades, otherworldly people and adventures. It contains: humour, surrealism and adventure......with an added love interest. The conclusion and close of the book is well thought out and cleverly written.
If you like the idea of pure escapism, strong plotlines and surreal, yet interesting characters; then Marshmallow Moon et Fleurs de Lumiere is a must reading.

Editor's Choice

To Walk in Blue Light

 Devon Life Magazine March 2016

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Lauren Zara Brown Storyboard Artist & Illustrator


                           www.Laurenzarabrown.com