Alan Archer – Writer
Writer/Author/Novelist
I was born and brought up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. I lived with my wife, Sylvia, in Armthorpe, Doncaster, until her death in 2017 of ovarian cancer. Her 2 cats, Coco (d. 2016, age 16), and Sooty (d. 2017 age 17). They were fr the same litter. When Coco died I learnt cats grieve like we humans. Sooty was meowing at the top of his voice. When told to be quiet I said, ‘He has lived all his life with his sister, now she has gone, and he doesn’t know where. He i s grieving for her because he misses her. At times like these they need to know we humans know what they’re going through, and extra and stokes help them.
I now live in the same house with my stepdaughter, Clare Goult. My stepson, Jason Goult BA (Hons.), lives as an artist in Carlisle, Cumbria. I have no children of my own.
I have an identical twin brother, John, who lives with his wife, Pauline, in another part of Doncaster, UK. John’s son, Neil, lived in Florida, but has just moved to Georgia, USA. John’s daughter, Karen, lives with her family in Doncaster.
My older brother, Cyril, died of a heart attack at his home in Lincolnshire, UK. His wife, Mildred, also died there. Their daughter, Shelia, lives in Lincolnshire. Their son, Martin, lives in Spain.
In 2019 I produced a 32 page illustrated booklet, ‘John Carver & The Pilgrim Fathers.’ This was to sell to the American visitors who had booked to come to England for the 400th Anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers’ Voyage of the Mayflower, 1620. This would be a souvenir for them to take home with them to remind them of their visit. After I self-published these booklets, I had to learn all about how to market, sell, advertise, and promote them.
In 2020 Covid-19 struck and everything was closed down. All the venues I had placed them in were now locked. The only place left to sell my booklets was the markets. Going to various markets I found the sales were slow but began to pick up. In order to pay for the stalls I decided to start selling good quality secondhand books to draw people to the stall. This proved popular but I had to close the market stalls due to ill health.
For the last year I have been working on a course with Cornerstone Literary Consultants. I was given a mentor and 50 hours zoom meetings. There is a lot I’ve learnt during the time. How to write sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. How to plot a story, and reduce a chapter its main basics. Nearing the end of the course I’ve had other requests.
I’ve been working on a book on the Pilgrim Fathers and people are asking about when it will be available. I’ve been working on this and have written one third of the chapters with many notes on others.
There are two novels I’m making notes on.
I worked as an Administration Assistant, Salesman, Warehouseman, and many other jobs too numerous to mention. I’ve had self-employed businesses as a Tour Operator, and a Salesman. I became involved for a time in politics at a local level. This was with the Liberal Democrats.
When not writing, I assisted the charity, Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust Ltd. for fifteen years. I helped as the charity’s Events Manager, and also on the Fundraising Team. My hobbies and interests include writing, current affairs, environmental issues, steam railways, soccer particularly Sheffield Wednesday F.C., reading, travel, and music.
