Category Archives: News

Hyde – Remembrance Service Reading

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I’m extremely honoured to announce that my poem, Hyde, is going to be read at the Remembrance Service at the Hyde War Memorial, in Werneth Low Country Park, by the representatives of the Hyde War Memorial Trust.

My poem, Hyde, recounts the memory of those who did not return from the war to the small village, just outside Manchester.

My thanks, especially, to Jane Durkin, Chair of the trust. Video to follow.

Hyde is one of twelve poems featured in my new publication, Windows of Time.

A unique and fully illustrated collection of twelve poems to educate and entertain those interested in history.

Featuring tales of fascinating and fierce women, such as Mary Ann Bevan, Susanna M. Salter, Mary Church Terrell and The Mother of Angola.

Poems telling of the cruelty of the Romans and the collaboration of two disabled men of different faiths.

The survivor of a bizarre accident, Phineas Gage, is also remembered, alongside macabre events such as The Mary Celeste and poems that honour those lost in World War I and World War II.

Presented in a metal-coil bound, with laminate front and back, A4 printed colour edition or as an eBook. Available to order here.

Out NOW – Safe Place

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Is it still a safe place, when the dead don’t leave?

Inspired by true events.

The new owner of a house experiences a series of bizarre and supernatural events, leading to the uncovering of a terrible secret from the past and a terrifying presence that must be faced to restore peace to the home.

Out now – available here.

F1 – The Movie – Review

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F1 – The Movie. Certificate 12A

Before I saw this movie, and having possibly been influenced by seeing Tom Cruise at the premiere with Brad Pitt, I expected a “Top Gun – Maverick” set in the world of Formula 1.

My expectations of a story where a “mature” expert comes back to the fold to convince a young rookie that he can achieve greatness weren’t disappointed. It’s a familiar story but what is achieved in F1 – The Movie (not quite sure why it needs the “The Movie” subtitle, as everyone would know it’s a film!) is a little different to what I initially thought the film would be.

Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a wandering racer who seeks the thrills and spills more than the money, joining forces with a fledgling Formula 1 team, APX [Apex] GP, to save them with a limited number of races to go before the end of the season.

Damson Idris plays the rookie, Joshua Pearce, who is torn between marketing his image and winning races and who – with the help of his mother, Sarah Niles – manages to stay on the right side of arrogance and remain humble when it’s necessary.

Kerry Condon is the inevitable love-interest for Pitt, playing Kate McKenna, touted as the “first female technical director in Formula 1”, who magnificently holds her own against the huge egos and testosterone.

There are plenty of likeable characters in lesser roles, most notably the pit-stop tyre changer, Callie Cooke as Jodie and Javier Bardem as the troubled owner of the Formula 1 team and Hayes’ long-time friend.

Fans of Formula 1 will delight in spotting their heroes, of which there are several, from the 2023 and 2024 seasons during which the movie was filmed, along with familiar commentary from Martin Brundle and David Croft.

Throughout, the capture of the excitement of racing cars at 200-300 MPH, including an excellent opening set-piece at Daytona, is stunning, nail-biting stuff! Not many films make me vocalise my feelings during them, but I was forced to utter “Wow!” at one point.

The direction from Joseph Kosinski is assured and the editing by Stephen Mirrione is top-notch. This is a film that’s best seen in a movie theatre, namely because the sound, along with Hans Zimmer’s blistering soundtrack, is incredibly good. The “thump” of the sounds of the cars as they pass is something unlikely to hit you in the chest if viewed at home in the same way it does in an auditorium with a decent sound system.

Access Denied available as an Audiobook!

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Access Denied available as an AUDIOBOOK!

Available from Amazon

Listen to the astonishing true story.

David meets Meg. They fall in love and, despite a turbulent relationship, have a child together fulfilling David’s dream to be a father.

After they separate, David has to fight the mother and Family Courts to see his daughter and also battles against the incompetence and lies of the Child Support Agency who seem hell-bent on ruining him, emotionally and financially.

A must-read for ANY parent.

For anyone who has had to deal with the CSA/CMS and the Family Courts, this is compelling reading. Thought-provoking, honest, extraordinary, revealing. A damning indictment of the Child Support Agency and Family Courts.

If the measure of a good book is it’s after burn, Access Denied is a great book.

When you’ve nothing left to lose, what else can you give?

A quite extraordinary true story.

“Thought provoking but brilliant read.” – Vanessa
“I couldn’t put it down!” – Lisa Roberts (CSA Rip-offs Support Group)
“A well told, quite extraordinary true story that stays with you.” – Jane Austin
“Amazingly jaw dropping story!” – Linda Conlon
“Captivating Story.” – Lanre Oke

Don’t buy my books in Paperback on eBay!

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I’ve discovered that several companies are listing my books for sale at vastly inflated prices on eBay.

Whilst this practice may not be illegal, it’s clear they’re either making illegal copies or purchasing the books from Amazon and then selling them on, making a huge profit on each. I have ONLY authorised Amazon to sell paperback copies of my books. Copies bought from eBay may well be counterfeit.

The ONLY places you can buy paperback copies of my book at the price I set (which is much, much lower than what these charlatans are charging) are via Amazon or via www.davidegates.com (purchasing from the the latter, the books will be autographed).

Adolescence – Review

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Netflix Series (4 Episodes – 1 hour each (approx.) – Rated 15

Adolescence tells the story of a 13-year old boy accused of murdering a classmate and the events that unfold as part of the police investigation and evaluation by a psychiatrist and the impact the accusation and events have on the members of the boy’s family and friends.

Starring Stephen Graham (Snatch, This is England), Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and newcomer Owen Cooper as the accused boy, each episode is filmed in a single take resulting in some astonishing and slick-looking filming as it follows the actors through their scenes. It’s quite remarkable how some scenes – with the aid of drones – have been pulled off and the acting, particularly from Cooper whose performance is nothing short of spectacular, is highly commendable.

I watched Adolescence without knowing anything about the incident(s) that apparently inspired the story. As a result, I didn’t get anything that the wokies are going on about it being anti-white, racist, etc., and just saw it as a moving story with incredible technical effects and brilliant performances, which lent itself to a commentary on how kids, any kids, black or white, can be so heavily influenced by social media, bullying, and “influencers”.

At the end of the day, it’s a work of fiction and people (even this God-awful Labour government) are jumping on the “documentary” aspect of it quite wrongly in my opinion. But then people nowadays seemingly have to read something into everything without just enjoying things for what they are and something that might not be deliberate on the part of the film-makers.

I watched this series and, as I said before, not once did I think about race during it. Not once did I consider it to be propaganda. It was an interesting story with great performances and incredible technical expertise in pulling off one-take per episode. Yes, there are parallels with real-life situations but you could literally take any television show, series or movie and draw a parallel with real-life events. Myself, I’d just rather see it as entertainment than worry about woke-this or woke-that.

As the copyright slogan goes, “Any resemblance to persons, either living or dead, is purely coincidental”.

The Horror of The Hebrides

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The Horror of The Hebrides – An Unbelievable Omonolidee True Story!

Way back in 1985, I, along with a friend, embarked on a camping/hiking olidee, walking across the Outer Hebrides to visit some stone circles. What ensued was a series of incredible and unbelievable events which beggared belief and led to why I never went camping ever again.

From the Hebrides, to the top of Ben Nevis, onwards to Alton Towers and various points in-between, enjoy this unique and unbelievable journey with David E. Gates.

Available as an eBook and autographed printed version from David E. Gates Book Store

Halloween Freebie – FREE SHORT STORY – Dark Dreams

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As it’s Halloween, here’s a FREE short story for you to download. ONLY available until MIDNIGHT!

Dark Dreams was inspired by a true story.

Dark Dreams – David E. GatesDownload

For more Short Stories, check out the following from my bookstore:

The State We’re In

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They claim there is a “big black hole”,
Of which, they were ne’er tole.
But, we know, of this they lie,
“It’s the fault of others”, they cry!

And so, a vote is being done,
Whereby the rich, decide the outcome.
To make the poor, more poorer still,
To make the sick, even more ill.

They say cutting fuel payments is due,
To fill this hole, nothing else will do.
Whilst they spend billions abroad,
On a phony war and climate fraud.

Some will abstain, afraid of losing the whip,
They’ll lose more than dignity, aboard that ship.
The people have memories, strong and long,
And time will come, when those MPs are gone.

Those same MPs claiming expenses for fuel,
Whilst taking away from others is cruel.
Whilst two-tier Keir, jails everyone quick,
For simply stating the people are sick.

Sick and tired of the endless mire,
Of broken pledges and this liar.
Who said many things, before elected,
All of which he’s now rejected.

Never stopping the boats, letting illegals in,
Housing them all, it really is grim.
Releasing prisoners, halfway through term,
This PM is nought but a germ.

A charlatan, a weasel, a public disgrace,
I don’t know how he can keep a straight face.
Starmer the traitor, the backstabbing cunt,
He really does have some front.

The quicker he’s gone, the better for all.
When that happens, we’ll have a ball.
He won’t be missed, is what many confess,
As he continues to perpetuate this mess.

©Copyright 2024 – David E. Gates.

For more unique poetry, check out the following:

David E. Gates featured on Shepherd’s “Best Books”.

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I am delighted to announce that I have been selected to have a feature on Shepherd’s “Best Books” website. The site aims to create an experience that is like wandering the aisles of your favourite bookstore. When looking for a new book online, it can sometimes feel soulless.

In it’s founder, Ben Fox’s, own words:

“A book is an experience, and the process of finding a book is part of that experience. 

I love wandering around bookstores and letting random books capture my attention. Nothing will ever replace the “bookstore experience,” but I want to reimagine online book discovery with more serendipity and delight. 

To start, I’ve asked 9,000+ authors to share five of their favourite books around a topic, theme, or mood and why they love each book. This infuses each book with magic and meaning.

To read about the five horror books I’ve chosen, and how they changed my life, click here.