New book from Devon poet and novelist

Author R N F (Richard) Skinner is publishing a new book, a novella entitled These Years: 1973. Publication date is 15th June 2024.

Set in Massachusetts, he book tells the story of Ruth, a 12-year-old schoolgirl, who develops a crush on Greg, a relative visiting from England. He is a professional artist, and being an aspiring artist herself she dreams he will be so impressed by her talent that he will fall in love with her. School friends tease her, but her family, apart from a sympathetic aunt, are oblivious to the joy and anguish of young love. These few momentous days in Ruth’s life rush to a denouement in the last hours of Greg’s visit.

The story is partly inspired by the Aldous Huxley novel The Genius and the Goddess which features a schoolgirl who has a crush on an older man that doesn’t turn out well. Richard, perhaps curiously, feels that Huxley himself was cruel in creating her in order to be humiliated for the sake of the story, and he decided to write about a crush from a different point of view to try to redress the balance. 

Ruth’s story will continue in two sequels set in 1986 (set in Devon) and 1991 (set in Boston Massachusetts), which are planned to be published next year.

                              R N F Skinner. These Years: 1973 (SilverWood 2024)

                                                                          RRP £8.50

                                                    ISBN 978-1-80042-275-9

         Please order it at a local bookshop. Also available online, as is the e-book version

The author has published ten books of poetry as Richard Skinner (including Colliding With God [Wild Goose 2016], and A brief poetry of time [Oversteps 2017]), and two previous works of fiction as R.N.F. Skinner (the novel Still Crazy…[SilverWood 2020] and a collection of short stories and comedy scripts After All…[SilverWood 2022]). He is a scientist through education, a writer by inclination, and a mental health worker (now retired) for remuneration. While an undergraduate at Cambridge University, he was a member of the famous Footlights club, and he still writes and performs sketch-based comedy.

For further information about his books and performances please contact him at richardskinner.exeter@gmail.com (unfortunately his website has recently crashed and is currently undergoing reconstruction)