Retired Burnley miner who took up writing during lockdown completes fifth book

Peter Booth (62) took up writing during the first lockdown after being inspired by poker partner, friend and prolific Burnley author John Cowell.

Now, the retired miner and delivery driver has completed his fifth, the semi autobiographical "My Grandad the Cuckoo".

He said: "The book is partly based on my life as a child having to go live on a farm with my grandparent. A bit later mum died and dad hit the bottle.

"Granddad had an egg and chicken round and sold on the streets of Burnley. He had a few lady friends around the area, and when I asked later in life he said that they were all left widowed as their husbands died in the war and he felt they all needed a little cuddle. He left his eggs in other nests as do cuckoos, an he felt he had to repopulate the area a little!"

Peter, of Fenwick Street, said he always believed he had a book in him and lockdown provided the perfect opportunity to put pen to paper - with the result being "Boggarts in Burnley", a part fact and fiction tale of his grandfather John Leaver, a tenant farmer from Worsthorne, and his battle against the evil Lancastrian 'dwarfs'.

The second and third books in the trilogy were "Boggarts Help Save Burnley" and "Boggarts in the Burnley Commune", available for sale on Amazon. His fourth book was titled "Twenty True Tales to Tell."

Peter said: "My good friend John Cowell said that as I was isolated due to Covid-19, I should write a book as he has done. I am retired now due to having lymphoma cancer and Type 2 diabetes. So I did, and the 'Boggart trilogy' was born.

"Now I have two more written with another due out in February, 'Coal Blooded Killer'."