Introducting...

William Edward Thomas was born in West London in 1925.

He left The Brompton Oratory School when he was 14 and started work as a messenger at the BBC. When war broke out, his mother insisted he left central London and went to work with his father at a factory in Harrow. While still a teenager, William joined the army and was soon recruited in to the parachute regiment. By the time peace had been declared in Europe in May 1945, he had been “dropped” in to a number of key battles and become a much decorated soldier. He was still only 19 years old.

Following the war, William served in Palestine until 1948.

He has always believed passionately that education leads to opportunity. He has studied part time for both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree and was one of the first students to enrol with The Open University.

William has six children. As they were growing up, he was working and studying in shifts as a merchant seaman and an engineer, working his way from factory shop floor to management. In his mid fifties, he decided to work full time as a lab technician at his Alma Mater, The Open University and remained there until his retirement. It was during his retirement that he decided to set himself the challenge of writing a novel. The Cypress Branches is the result.

William's health started deteriorating shortly after finishing The Cypress Branches and he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2006. Shortly after the hardback book's launch in the summer of 2009, his health deteriorated to the point where he could no longer live at home. He is now cared for at a home in central Milton Keynes where he is visited by his wife Sheila and family members daily.

Click here to see photos from the family launch events in 2009 & 2012

Acute Angle Books was set up in 2009 by Mike Harris to publish The Cypress Branches, an epic novel written by his grandfather, William Thomas.

The project began by printing William's epic book as a hardback. Mike worked on the book himself, using his copy-editing, proofreading and creative skills to produce a beautiful book, of which 108 copies were printed. The aim was to allow William to see his work in print before his illness became too bad.

Those books were sold to family and close friends, and that's where I thought the journey would end. But feedback from readers was incredibly positive. It turned out Mike wasn't the only one who loved reading William's books! So, attention turned to releasing the novel in paperback and ebook form.

Since 2009, Mike has been working hard to turn William's panoramic book into a series of shorter novels, transforming it into a trilogy whilst retaining the integrity of William's original concept and vision. Pegasus Falling, part one of the trilogy, was released in 2012 and work now continues to release the follow up, It Never Was You.

Proceeds from sales are being invested back into future efforts to finish the trilogy and promote William's work. The current plan is to release the remaining two instalments in 2013.

This blog is maintained by Mike, and all posts (except where credited) are written by him. The aim of the blog is to chronicle the journey, taking William's work out into the world, the lessons learned along the way, and hopefully pass on our wisdom to others who venture into the self-publishing realm. Sadly, William is unable to contribute to the blog himself because of his illness.

Mike would love to hear from readers, so if you have any questions, if you are a blogger interested in featuring William's work or his story, or you'd like to find out more information, please drop us a line by visiting the main site here.

contactus@acuteanglebooks.co.uk