20 Free copies for a limited time of my New Book Stanley Banks Devlins Knott

STANLEY BANKS DEVLINS KNOTT

My new book, Stanley Banks Devlins Knott, will be released tomorrow, the 9th of October 2026, so I'm pretty excited, firstly to see if anyone purchases a copy, and then if they decide to leave a review.

I just thought I would pop a link on for any early birds who fancy reading it for free, as there are 20 copies available over on LibraryThing in ebook format. All you have to do is leave a review.

Library Thing:Stanley Banks Devlins Knott

I have learnt quite a bit since I started writing. I mean, yes, I do find it fun and interesting; it takes up a great deal of my time, and once I've started, everything else seems to go out the window.

I'm single-minded and can only concentrate on one thing at a time. I guess that is why my cycling has taken a back seat, and my belly has also decided to join it, so I have become a somewhat middle fat git.

Never mind, the sacrifices we have to make for our creativity... Who am I kidding? I'm just a lazy sod, and had lost my mojo after a prolonged period of not exactly feeling well.

Anyhoo, back to this book, Stanley Banks Devlins Knott. Now, I bet a lot of people will see it for sale and think to themselves...

"By, that Glenn's a reet greedy git. Hev yer seen how much ee's selling it fer?"

Well, let me just correct you on that for a moment. I am offered three set prices for each of the softback and hardback books. I chose the middle-of-the-road one. 

So, considering the hours of work I have put in, not only in writing, but having to edit my own work,  the amount of times I have read through the entire eighty odd chapters, only to discover yet another error of which I am sure there are still some. 

Then of course is the stress of sending everything back and forth to the publisher numerous times, and making sure files are in the correct format and I didn't get them mixed up... Well, making between 93p and £1.07 for a four-hundred-and-odd-page book seems like madness.

The whole cost of the book is in production, something I will never recover, well, unless my story is deemed really original and some publishing house picks it up, or Netflix hear about it and offer me a deal for a film, and then and only then I can retire off to Scotland to maybe carry out my writing.

I mean I am on with another book at the moment which I have named Hired Killer, however after that I will have to have a think if I have another one in me, as so far nothing has popped into my head. This is quite possibly because the characters in Hired Killer are too busy doing my head in with their antics.

I thought I'd share publishing costs below, so you can see. Oh and these don't include the initial price of going through a publisher for the ISBN's, the distribution, and formatting of the book. The price of the book is also bumped up as it contains thirteen images, all of which I thought up, however I know I will get slated by some for using AI in their creation.

No I couldn't have paid a private artist. I just don't have that sort of money. As a self published book if I had paid for editing, proof reading, art creation etc etc, well the story could have been written, but it would never have seen the light of day, as I would probably be looking at over Ten grand to release it, no word of a lie.

These are the softback retail prices and my royalty share:

Retail price of £13.99: royalty share is 45p.
Retail price of £14.99: royalty share is 93p.
Retail price of £15.99: royalty share is £1.41.

And these are the hardback range with potential royalty share:

Retail price of £21.99: royalty share is 59p.
Retail price of £22.99: royalty share is £1.07.
Retail price of £23.99: royalty share is £1.55.

New Book: Stanley Banks Devlins Knott

STANLEY BANKS DEVLINS KNOTT

It's been a tough year; I can tell because we're three-quarters of the way through 2026 and I have only posted twice.

I have only ridden my bike a handful of times and have found work really stressful. All I have done is go to work, then when I am home, stay in. Where I can go without seeing anyone, quite happily, well maybe happily is the wrong word... More like not really bothered one way or the other.

Things are going on in the background; they have been there for a long time, but I don't want to say too much, as well I haven't figured stuff out, so not much good writing about it here.

And that's about all I have to say on that.

One positive of finding myself spending more time alone at home is that I've eventually managed to complete writing another book.

As I recall, I started writing it sometime in 2025, during a period when I was off sick from work, and I got a bit carried away, realising I was at something like 96,000 words. It then suddenly dawned on me that I was maybe only halfway through, maybe a little further, but that it was going to be way too long, and I suddenly stopped writing, having lost my Mojo.

It wasn't until I returned to the story this year that I got back into it, and then spent untold hours working on the storyline and plot.

The book may never be a success; however, I know I am not what you would class as a proper author, well, not in my eyes. I like making shit up, and who knows, when I am gone, someone might pick up something I have written, and may even enjoy it. It's something that will sit on a shelf long after I am gone, yet still be a part of me, as are the characters in my book, or books, as I'm writing yet another.

Anyhoo, if you have read this far, well done, and you may be asking, "well what is this Stanley Banks Devlins Knott all about.

Mmmmmm, well, if I were to summarise, I would say it's about this likeable North East man, from around the Durham region,  who gets diagnosed with terminal cancer. "Whoaaa, I hear you say." Whey had on a bit, man, that isn't everything. 

As you may have gathered, his name is Stanley Banks, and Stanley likes riding bikes, camping out, playing his guitar, and eating Rolo's; oh, and he thinks he can hear his dad in the ticking of his watch.  

As he is ill, he knows his next ride out may be his last.

Meet Stanley Banks

This is where Devlins Knott comes in and the other part of the title. It's a local-ish wood where Stan meets a strange man and makes a deal.

This leads to another fella, that I am guessing readers will love to hate, and a chance for Stan to move up to Scotland and live out his dream of running a business up there.

Stan makes lots of new friends, on his journey, including a wee border terrier, who is actually taken from my little dog Neville, who becomes Haggis in the book. Stan also makes quite a few enemies. 

Tasked with a job he doesn't really want, he doesn't really like children, but he has no choice and ends up babysitting a troubled child.

While all this is going on, he falls in love; however, it's not all roses and roses, as his life isn't what it seems from the outside, and while he is an honest, genuine man, he is trapped in a lie.

The book has lots of Geordie dialect and swearing; it's dark, romantic, funny, and a touch supernatural. It's unlike anything else I have ever heard of or read, and it it took a considerable amount of thought to get the plot to work.

I guess time will tell, and 'readers' verdicts will too; it's not going to be for everyone, just like a cookbook isn't for me.

Oh and as I mentioned I am on with another book, about 56,000 words in about a serial killer, again from the North East. I thought I would mention it, as I gave my dad a rough draft to read and was chuffed to bits when he was almost crying with laughter at a certain chapter. So if I can bring some laughter to my dear old dad, that's approval enough for me. Maybe he will be the only one who buys a copy Lol.

Who knows when I am back, but for now, thanks for reading and if you're interested, watch out for

Stanley Banks Devlins Knott.

Meet The Local Hero - REVISED as I will explain

So the bones of this revised post. What is written below is true. This afternoon I discovered in a telephone conversation  with Dragos the director and producer of Meet the Local Hero that he did not upload the film on to Youtube, "No I didn't put the film on Youtube",  he said when I excitedly informed him it was on the platform. 

Obviously it has been put on there by someone who has gained access to a private link and has therefore committing a copyright infringement".

Dragos has since been intouch with Youtube to attempt to get the film removed, as it is only fair after all of his hard work and lets not forget money.  This is Insomnia owns the rights to everything involved in the making and distribution.

You see I got a phone call from Dragos yestyerday morning, however I was at work so couldn't answer my phone. As we had discussed releasing the film only a week or so ago when I checked Youtube and saw it was being hosted I automatically thought "Ahh that is why Dragos tried calling me yesterday, so I excitedly started sharing the film to various people I thought might be interested ( to some lovely feedback I may add thank you)

So now I have gone from an excited "Yes" to an "Oh crap," all in the space of one day.

I am not sure I can remove the links I posted, so thought I would revise my earlier post, with the assurance that the film will become available once more, but through the correct channels and not someone that doesn't own the rights, has had no input into the creation of the film and is accepting views for something they have essentially stolen.

Aplogies hope this all make sense I have decided to remove the link from this post, however as soon as I get a new one I will blog and write a whole new story.

Roughly three years ago I was contacted quite out of the blue and invited to take part in a short documentary. This was to be a story describing a part of my journey through life. 

 

A year went by where I remained in contact with the director sending across relevant  bits and pieces of information and a rough story board was designed

The following year a date was set and a small team of what I was to discover were wonderful people arrived coming to.my home town of Stanley. Filming began over the course of 4 days in various local locations.

The footage was then edited, and become the short documentary which was named Meet the Local Hero.

The wee film then travelled the globe being screened at various Independent film festivals and went on to receive a number of awards. We even had a small select screening at Newcastle hosted at Zerox where I felt a little out of my depth as my friends and family gathered and gave some lovely comments.

Well that was roughly 2 years ago, and it feels like a very distant, yet enjoyable memory.

Quite a few people have since asked where they can view the film as up until now it has not been released.

The film is only 22 minutes long and if you get the chance too watch it, well it would be lovely to hear your feedback.

Oh and on that note last year I wrote and self published a book, inspired in many ways from the film, naming it Lost2bFound. The book is written in a geordie dialect and recounts many of my childhood memories, following through to as I got older and the various challenges of life. 

Link to Amazon and my book

I have been told it's a good read, something that has had people in tears of both laughter and as they empathise  at my various hardships and challenges through some dark periods.. 

What I am most proud of I guess is it's honesty and the fact I come across as being just a ordinary genuine lad.who hopefully can inspire others not to give up.

It is not only incredibly difficult in the writing and editing of a book, but also in getting it out there as an unpublished name so I have to rely on feedback and reviews. So all I ask is if you do happen to grab a copy leave me a review from where ever you bought it.

Anyhoo a final thank you to everyone involved, not only in the making of the film, but all those people contained within my book that have supported and inspired me.

Now that all that has been done I am finding myself at a bit of a loose end trying to figure out what to do next. 

Take care and best wishes

Glenn

Abarth 124 Spider and the nightmare of fitting an Orra Racing Intercooler

My first blog of the New Year 2026, and just a heads up, I'm immediately going to start whining. I will let you decide if you think I have a fair reason if you choose to read on.

So, as many of you will know, I enjoy modifying my cars, which can be an expensive pastime, and for that reason, I like to find out as much as possible before committing to doing stuff.

After much research, with some advice from various people from the Abarth scene, I decided to opt for an Orra Racing Intercooler. This was a follow-up from other mods, as I slowly progressed towards bigger, more expensive ones to boost my car's performance.

Abarth 124 Spider Orra Racing Intercooler

After speaking to Orra Racing via WhatsApp and using Italian translation, I completed the order request online for my Abarth 124 Spider, choosing Red silicone hoses to go with the larger performance intercooler. I also asked if they could supply a 135-degree bend for one of the pipes, as I had read on a forum that this would help with fitting the intercooler between the alternator and steering rack on a right-hand-drive UK car. My order was placed on the 13 th October 2025, and I paid 919.64 Euros...choosing to pay via PayPal in 3 instalments.

The weeks passed by, no contact from Orra... I waited patiently, then on the 11th December, I contacted Orra with a message, "Please could you tell me how things are going with my order?"

I then got a reply, "Hi, your order is ready. We will arrange shipment tomorrow. I will notify you with the tracking number."

Move to 16th December "Good morning, your order is ready. I'll send you the tracking number now." "Unfortunately, we only have the Black silicone hoses available. Is that okay?"

I replied, "Hi, how much longer would I have to wait for the Red ones?"

"Unfortunately, the shipment will arrive at the end of February; there are some delays."

I thought to myself, Well, I have waited this long, what's another couple of months, so I replied

"If posssible  I'd prefer to wait, just the other parts of my car are completed in Red."

I was then informed, "We have already organised the shipment... and keeping the package stuck for more than 2 months becomes more complicated."

So stupidly, I accepted that the intercooler was coming... The first BIG disappointment.

The intercooler arrived within a few days. I had already arranged to have it fitted at my good friend Kurtis's workshop, over at Wolf Performance, with an agreed fitting price and a day to drop my car off.

Big Disappointment Number Two

After a couple of hours, Kurtis from Wolf performance calls me,

"Err, Glenn, there is a problem. Could you come down and have a look, and I can  show you and better explain."

So,  Ern and I go to see Kurtis, where he points out to both my dad and me the problem with the pipes/hoses and the plumbing up of all the required parts whilst my car is up on the lift.

Orra Racing Alloy Pipe - checkout the angle

Orra Racing Alloy Pipe - Can you see a issue ?

 

As Kurtis discovered and I now realise, whilst the intercooler itself is fitted snugly, there was no way the combination of pipes/hoses was going to connect up.

As I stated when I ordered the intercooler from Orra Racing, "My car is a right-hand drive." I had read on various forums about the alternator and steering rack being an issue. This seems to be a problem when European suppliers provide their intercooler with pipes and hoses that they claim will fit.

I just want to make it clear: we tried every combination of the provided pieces, and there was no way the various bends were going to fit between the alternator and the steering rack.

One of the only temporary solutions was to use the standard pipe where the alternator/steering is located. The thing is, once you start adding more joints to a system, the greater the chance of leaks, and it can lead to a bastardised job. All I wanted to do was buy a bit of kit, have it fit, work and move on to my next addition to my car, not this headache, especially when a company says it will fit and it obviously doesn't.

Kurtis then came up with a solution. He knew a guy who could potentially make an alloy pipe designed from the original, which would be a solution moving forward. The thing was, he didn't know how much this bespoke pipe would cost until he saw the fella.

My gob almost hit the floor of my dad's car on the way home as Kurtis rang me back...

"Glenn, mate, that pipe will cost £360 to get made. What do you want to do?"

I replied after a little thought, "Aye, just get it sorted."

New Custome Pipe

New Custome Pipe

New pipe

Anyhoo, my car has now been off the road for a week. It's taken the alloy-welding guy a bit of time to design and weld up the new pipe, and for Kurtis to fit it and test my car. Hopefully, I'll be picking her up soon.

So, I would advise anyone heading up this route to get and fit a larger, performance intercooler to do your homework. Don't just assume something will fit. 

Oh, and the best of it is that upon contacting Orra Racing, they were adamant that the fault of the intercooler not fitting was at my end. They assured me, "We even sent the 135-degree bend, and this has been supplied to another UK user who fitted it with no problem."

Orra Racing has since stopped responding to my WhatsApp queries. When I asked to see the blog post this other user had posted, they did not reply. Oh, and the video and images they sent me are for a left-hand-drive car. 

It's my fault I agreed to the black hoses after they were already shipped out, or it was too much hassle to keep my shipment until the correct ones arrived.

Anyhoo, those in the know can take a look at the images I have posted. Maybe you can explain how you would have solved the incorrectly oriented angle of the supplied alloy pipe.

In ending would like to say a huge thank you to Kurtis over at Wolf Performance for trouble shooting anddoing everything he could to get my car sorted.