About Me

Who is this blog for?
Answer these questions to see if you fit the profile.

• Do you ever check the team sheets and feel your heart sink when you see the name of your skip?
• Have you ever been castigated or humiliated by your skip during a game?
• Have you ever played with a skip whose body language makes it clear he is not happy with his rink?
• Have your ever wanted to kill your skip during or after a game?
• Do you have a sense of humour? *

If the answer to most or all those questions is a resounding YES then this blog is for you.
Questions accompanied by a * are compulsory.

If you haven’t already guessed Vernon is not a real person – his views do not necessarily represent mine! He is actually one of the characters from my book ‘Jack’s High’ but during my years as an avid bowler I’ve met lots of characters just like him! Originally the idea was to use him to promote the book but he really has assumed a life of his own. I’ve had great fun creating this blog and hope bowlers everywhere will find it enjoyable and not in any way offensive. Most of the people I refer to are real and are happy to be included. As in life, to be a bowler you need a healthy sense of humour in order to survive. This blog is proving a real safety valve.

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My real name is Phil Rowlands, a retired head teacher, avid bowler and author. Although Vernon is rapidly taking over my life I have written about other subjects including a series of educational plays and Math books that reflect my educational background and approach to learning.

'Jack's High' which features Vernon and a host of other characters is one of two fiction books I have written since retiring. Currently I am half way through a children's novel entitled 'Billy and the Pit of Shadows.'

I am also co-editor of the magazine ETO a Welsh-American venture that aims to encourage and publish new writers. We are currently working on our third edition that is published annually. 

ETO 1 & 2 are currently freely available for you to download.

I hasten to add we are not linked to ETO the erotic trade only magazine of the same name - my wife is yet to be convinced!
INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING?
Please contact Ceri or myself at:
americymru@gmail.com
philiprowlands@ymail.com

 Download ETO 1 & 2

As a self published author I have to not only write the books but also promote them. To achieve this I engage with a range of social media, primarily Google+, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and of course via blogs. What I have learnt I share freely with others on my blog Kindle Authors.

I also take a more direct route depending on the subject matter. For example, in promoting 'Jack's High' I contacted bowls clubs and associations worldwide directly. My first book, 'A Christmas Carol Revisited' was featured on Radio BBC Wales - only because I asked! Because it is a modern version of the Charles Dickens classic 'A Christmas Carol' I contacted Charles Dickens' Societies worldwide. As a consequence in December 2012 a staged adaptation of my book was performed in Manhattan by the Entertainment Committee of the City Bar Association for charity and to mark the centenary of the publication of the original. A considerable sum of money was donated for children's charities. 

'A Christmas Carol Revisited' has since been rewritten and now appears as 'A Manhattan Ghost Story: A Christmas Carol Revisited' on Amazon in print and Kindle formats.

Here is a video trailer from YouTube:

Please stay tuned for more from Penypont's Top Skip.