A BRICKLAYER turned writer from Hanworth, who thought up the title for a book 12 years ago, has released it as a collection of short stories.
Gary Troia, 51, of Broadlands, has self-published A Bricklayer’s Tales, which touches on real-life experiences in the building trade, as well as dealing with drink and drugs.
He began his lifelong dream of writing when he moved to Spain three years ago, where he also wrote his first book, Spanish Yarns and Beyond, a group of stories that give a humorous account of life in a new country.
Mr Troia said: "I started off as a bricklayer. I had left school with no qualifications but wanted to be a writer. I finally ended up going to university studying philosophy and Spanish and then got work teaching brickwork.
“I then gave up education and went to Spain. My first book, Spanish Yarns and Beyond, is about life living on a little mountain in Andalusia, where I started writing.”
The 107-page A Bricklayer’s Tales was released on July 17, with stories including Angel Dust, the peculiar story of a man whose new life in America leads to conversations with Ancient Greek philosophers; Mrs. McClintock, an absurd farce in which a Glaswegian couple retire to Spain; and A Bricklayer’s Tale, the story of a disillusioned, alcoholic bricklayer.
After returning home to the UK, and settling into his Feltham home with partner Marina, Mr Troia signed up to a course at Richmond College – ‘How to write a novel in a month’.
Now he is well on his way to fulfilling his passion of writing with a debut novel coming soon, with the first draft completed just this week.
Without giving too much away, he said ‘there is a bit of a supernatural thing – it’s the idea of good and evil.”
? A Bricklayer’s Tales is available to buy at Amazon for £5.95, or on the Kindle at £2.05. Spanish Yarns and Beyond is also available for £2.97 (paperback) or £1.02 (Kindle). For more information, visit www.garytroia.com
