Author Tom needs help with charity book launch

Tom Parfitt’s book – Harry Marry and the Tickle of Terror – is about a villain called Harry Marry, who unleashes the devastating Tickle of Terror in his town.

Only one person, called Stinks McGinks, can save the town from the devastating tickle frenzy.

Tom is trying to raise money for research into Twin to Twin Tranfusion Syndrome (TTFS), as some close friends of Tom’s lost their twin sons to the condition.

He said: “I need to raise £2,500 to get my story published. When I have the book in the shops, the first £2,500 made in sales will be donated to the TTTS appeal.

“Unfortunately, I simply don’t have that kind of money. I am a normal family man, working in a call centre with two children of my own to support.”

Tom began working on his book nine months ago and says much of the story is inspired by his own family.

He added: “I started writing as part of a college course I took about 4 years ago.

“The task was just to write a short story, with no pointers on subject, genre etc.

“When it comes to reading, I am a big Stephen King fan, so I set out to write something in that style. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t do it. One night I sat down with a clear mind, started typing, and a childrens story about a duck detective came out. Since then, I have written probably 10 stories about him and his adventures, along with various other stories.

“I had the start of my book written about nine months ago, and I knew how I wanted it to end, but I just couldn’t find a way to bridge the two parts together. I left it alone for a while, and then one day while I was sat at work, a spider ran across my desk. The first thing that came into my head was the story I had written, and I knew exactly how to finish it off.

“Everybody that has read it has been really positive and supportive. I usually only write for my own pleasure, and for my own children, but having other people giving it good reviews gave me the confidence to try a bit more with it.”

To help Tom, visit www.gofundme.com/tickles-for-twins.