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About Ian SnowballPete McKenna

Ian Snowball - Born and raised in Kent. Ian has an admiration for music and cult writers such as Pete McKenna and John King and tends to read any books with musical connections. An early fascination with music kicked off after having bought his first 7 inch record That''s Entertainment by The Jam. From here on there was a musical discovery that included Northern Soul Reggae Ska Punk House music and such bands as The Jam The Small Faces The Prisoners and The Who. Ian began writing books in 2008 and had his debut novel Long Hot Summer published in 2009. His next project was a book about British youth cults called Tribe: Made In Britain which he co-wrote with Pete McKenna. Ian and Pete then collaborated on a crime fiction novel about Mods and East End gangsters that was set in 1967. The book called In the Blood was published in 2012 the same year as Thick as Thieves (Personal Situations With the Jam)-co-written with Stu Deabill of which Paul Weller said was `the best book on The Jam and its audience I''ve ever seen''. 2013 then saw the publication of Supersonic (Personal Situations With Oasis) and From Ronnie''s To Raver''s (Personal Situations in London''s Clubland) which were also co-written with Stu Deabill. And in November that year Ian and Pete had their northern soul fictional short stories book called Nightshift/All Souled Out published. In 2014 Ian had three books published. His book about Ocean Colour Scene called Soul Driver was published one month after his book on Dexys Midnight Runner''s called The Team That Dreams in Caffs which he co-wrote with Dexys band member Geoff `JB'' Blythe was published and finally that year Ian''s other published book about the Medway garage and punk scene was called the Kids Are All Square. In 2015 Ian co-wrote That''s Entertainment ( My Life In The Jam) with The Jam''s drummer Rick Buckler. 2016 also saw the publication of Ian''s book Keith Moon: There Is No Substitute with an introduction by Pete Townshend and a foreword from Clem Burke. This was Ian''s third best-selling book. McKenna is a Blackpool born writer living between Spain and the UK. His published books include Nightshift the first book on the 70''s northern soul scene in and around Wigan Casino Soul Club. A fictional crime novel Who the Hell''s Frank Wilson?. Co-writer of Made in Britain which is a history of UK street cultures from the 60''s to today. Maradona Good ; Pele Better ; George Best - a personal tribute to George Best and his latest Tinseltown - A childhood memoir of growing up in the 60''S and 70''S in London and Blackpool. Current projects are Jerusalem - a semi fictional insight into the slashed and torn social and moral fabric of contemporary Britain seen through the eyes and mind of the main protagonist Johnny Hodges an ageing skinhead who after release from prison quickly discovers that Britain is no country for old men prompting him to embark on a final apocalyptic mission of revenge. Holocaust Past Present - a factual comparison of the sixty seven year old Jewish persecution of the Palestinians and the Nazi persecution of the Jews in world war two. Beyond the Firm - the hard-hitting humorous harrowing autobiography of George Dorling who went from being a 1980''s casual soccer hooligan and petty criminal to an elite Parachute Regiment soldier serving time in the Paras own Special Forces unit The Pathfinders. Autumn Leaves- a dark stylish fictional crime novel set in the 60''s about an old tarnished haunted jazz tenor saxophone and the mysterious disappearance of the young man who owned it. Dead Mans Journal - a fictional novel in diary form of the final year of a former Mod diagnosed with pancreatic cancer who goes on a final journey determined to sample as much of life as possible before he dies. A Summer in Provence - a factually based fictional story of the unfolding events when a stranger with a dark past settles in the hills above Menton hoping for a quiet life but for some men their past is inescapable. The Arkitekt - a factually based fictional narrative of the life of Kurt Hoffmann beginning in post-world war one Germany to the edge of the abyss at the end of the Second World War. Obeying Orders- a study of the personal profiles of some of the worst Nazi war criminals during the Second World War.