James Collins

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James was born in England but now lives on the small Greek island of Symi where he writes novels and screenplays. His daily writer's blog, Symi Dream, gives an insight into everyday island life and has been the basis of three very popular books about his experiences of moving to, and living in, Greece. One of these carries a foreword by Anne Zouroudi, author of Bloomsbury's Greek Detective mysteries, who writes: 'James' great talent lies in his careful observation of the absurd and the amusing, the dramas and the difficulties...'

As well as writing non-fiction, James also writes thrillers, comedy novels and the occasional horror. His horror novel, 'The Judas Inheritance', set in Greece, has been adapted for film and filmed as 'the Thirteenth' starring Kurtis Stacey (Emerdale), Richards Syms (Gangs of New York), Rebecca Grant and Wookie Mayer.

Before moving to Greece, James worked in musical theatre, writing and directing several full length musicals, several revues and many cabaret shows. He has won awards for his theatre and fiction writing including an Arts Council of Great Britain Award for creativity. His screenplay 'Shocking the Donkeys' was shortlisted for the London Greek Film Festival 2014.

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Books By James Collins

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Symi 85600 05-Jul-2011

by James Collins

( 10 )

£2.12 £9.17

A collection of writings that present an honest and often humorous account of two Ex-pat’s experiences of living on Symi, a small Greek island. This book also contains extracts from the symidream website and the complete guide ‘How to move to a Greek island or other place in the sun.’ “Even if you are not thinking of moving abroad this little collection will entertain and inform.”

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Symi, Stuff & Nonsense 15-Nov-2017

by James Collins

( 5 )

£2.12 £8.58

Following the success of 'Symi 85600' and his two other collections of thoughts from a Greek island, James Collins takes us further afield with his fourth book.

Part memoir, part observation, this scrapbook of anecdotes and witty observations takes us from Romney Marsh to Greece via a graveyard campsite, an adult film festival, and some unusual wordplay.

What to expect when dining with the Turin jet set, what to learn when moving to Symi, and how to behave when held at gunpoint in Egypt; it's all here along with a few train journeys, some mountaineering, and Symi's first civil partnership.

Oh, by the way, there is a fair amount of nonsense too.

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Village View: A year on Symi 13-Apr-2014

by James Collins , Neil Gosling

( 8 )

£2.12 £11.70

A year living on Symi, a Greek island. James’ blog posts from 2013, edited and set out in printed form with images by Neil Gosling, take us through one whole year living on a small Greek island in southeast Greece. From winter storms to summer visitors, from photo walks to book signings, and from goats to shrimp festivals, Village View gives us an upfront, honest and mildly edited account of James and Neil’s eleventh year on Symi.

“Symi’s charm is in its people and the minutiae of their lives; James’s great talent lies in his careful observation of the absurd and the amusing, the dramas and the difficulties, because nothing in Symi is ever simple, and in reporting what he sees with kind humour and a writer’s eye for the details essential to lively travel writing.” Anne Zouroudi, author of Bloomsbury’s Greek Detective mysteries.

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Saddling (The Saddling Mysteries Book 1) 01-May-2017

by James Collins

( 23 )

£2.16 £9.99

'The Saddling' is the first part of a series. It is followed by 'The Witching' and 'The Easting.'

To inherit his aunt's fortune, Tom Carey must unlock a one-hundred-year-old family mystery. The solution lies on the Romney Marshes where the village of Saddling lives by an ancient Lore. Unknown to Tom, the villagers set in motion a chain of calculated events that will ensure that the winter solstice will witness their last ever 'Saddling' festival.

Unaware that his life is in danger, Tom befriends two village youths. Through the mists of fear and confusion, their friendship forces Tom to confront a secret of his own.

Tom finds himself the unwitting hero in a struggle between superstition and sense, denial and love, with no escape from either.

"Meticulously imagined in the eerie mists of Romney Marsh. A wonderfully evocative landscape of mystery." Ann Butler Rowlands (Author of 'Heaven')

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Carry on up the Kali Strata 02-Jul-2011

by James Collins

( 9 )

£2.12 £9.17

Carry On Up The Kali Strata is a collection of articles about living in Symi, Greece. Previously written for www.symidream.com and The Symi Visitor, here they are gathered together in one volume. If you've enjoyed ‘Symi 85600’ you will like to read this follow up; if you've not yet discovered Symi island, then this is a perfect introduction.

“Symi’s charm is in its people and the minutiae of their lives; James’s great talent lies in his careful observation of the absurd and the amusing, the dramas and the difficulties (because nothing in Symi is ever simple), and in reporting what he sees with kind humour and a writer’s eye for the details essential to lively travel writing.”

Anne Zouroudi, author of Bloomsbury’s Greek Detective mysteries.

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Eastling (The Saddling Mysteries Book 3) 18-Oct-2018

by James Collins

( 6 )

£2.28 £7.62

"At harvest tide no place to hide as Eastling passes through."

The spectre of revenge stalks Saddling, and the Eastling is hungry for a victim. At some time on autumn equinox night, someone in the village will die.

Tom Carey fights to hold a divided village together while racing to unlock the riddle of a boy long dead. But pages of the Lore are mysteriously missing, and all he has to work with are a looker’s spoketale and a blind woman's poem. As solstice approaches and the vengeful grey-hang thickens, Tom realises who the victim could be. Him.

The Eastling is the third in the Saddling series, following The Saddling and The Witchling.

“Believable characters, gripping atmosphere and tension, all skilfully woven into an absorbing mystery set in the eerie landscape of Romney Marsh.”
(Emma Batten, author of Romney Marsh historical fiction)

Praise for the Saddling series.

"Gripping from the start."
"A real page turner right to the end."
"Just keeps on twisting."
"A compelling tale from the first page."

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Witchling (The Saddling Mysteries Book 2) 22-Feb-2018

by James Collins

( 10 )

£2.51 £7.84

"The sins of our ancestors have committed us to the flames."

Saddling is cursed and dying. The village will be lost unless someone burns at the stake on solstice morning. Six months after the life-changing events of The Saddling, Tom Carey must solve the witchling mystery and risk his life to save his lover.

The Witchling is the follow-on to James Collins' best-selling novel, The Saddling.
Mystery and action combine in a sweltering thriller set on Romney Marsh.

Praise for The Saddling

"Superbly descriptive."
"Gripping from the start."
"Full of intrigue and danger."

The Witchling is a follow-on from 'The Saddling.' You don't need to read The Saddling first, but you will get more from The Witchling if you do.
'The Saddling' took the water element, sacrifice and winter solstice as its background. 'The Witchling' takes the fire element, acceptance and summer solstice. The main characters return, you will meet new ones, but is William Blacklocks really dead? That's just one of the mysteries to be solved as the story hits the parched ground running and doesn't let up until the fire-pile is lit. The question is, who will burn to save Saddling?

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

You Wish! 12-Jul-2011

by James Collins

( 2 )

£1.19 £9.17

"Perfect poolside reading." GScene magazine. A trainee witch, an East End lad made good, an art student and a homophobic gym instructor. Whoever could guess that a chance meeting of these five people could lead to such madness and mayhem, could cause a riot on the Brighton gay scene and almost bring about the end of the world? Well, that’s exactly what happens when each one of them is granted one wish for one day. X-ray eyes, parents back from the dead, sex, wealth and as many wishes as you can manage. But… and there is always a but… for one day of your dreams come true you must suffer three days of the opposite, the downside.

All will become clear when you dip into the strange and hilarious, bawdy and bonkers world of peter, Alan and their mates in this nude, crude and totally rude comedy novel. (Grown ups only - contains bad language.)

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Jason and the Sargonauts 05-Jul-2011

by James Collins

( 10 )

£2.35 £9.99

A mysterious iron chest arrived on the island of Symi, Greece in 1882 and was immediately hidden for its own safety.

121 years later and Jason is working as a holiday rep for SARGO holidays. When his grandmother turns up as one of his guests she brings with her a locked cigarette case, left to Jason by his recently departed grandfather and given to him on Symi in 1944. The case is opened and reveals a piece of music, but the music is not what it seems and Jason and his small group of pensioners soon realise that they have stumbled on a secret that has been kept hidden on Symi all these years. A secret both dangerous and valuable.

Jason and the Sargonauts is a contemporary comedy adventure full of fun and mystery, ‘A comic, camp and musical romp.’

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Remotely 12-Sep-2016

by James Collins

( 15 )

£2.12 £9.99

'Remotely' pokes fun at British reality television.

Britain's newest and most pointless TV talent competition is coming to Middlestone-On-Sea. 'So You Think We're Remotely Interested?' has taken Friday night viewers by storm as it streams live variety shows from remote, provincial theatres across Britain. The theatre with the most audience votes wins regeneration and revival, and lord knows, Middlestone-on-Sea needs both.

The dying seaside backwater rests its hopes on the performance of two ex-best friends, gay Gary and straight Stag.

The visiting celebrity judge, the mysterious and timeless Miss P, knows that for all to be well, they must mend their broken friendship. But there is no success without trial. She magically swaps Gary and Stag into each other's bodies. Secrets are learned, comedy ensues, and yet the community remains divided.

Rifts must be healed, differences accepted, and bodies swapped back before the season grand finale in four days' time otherwise Middlestone will lose everything.

"Once you start on James Collins' coming of age, body-swap comedy, you won't be remotely interested in putting it down." G. J. Mugwatch MP

Some Amazon reviews for James Collins

"Brilliantly observed and a wicket wit."
"Lots of laughs and loads of page turning moments. Yes, it was hard to put down."
"Another unputdownable book that had me engrossed from beginning to end, and chuckling."
"Finished this book yesterday and oh so amusing, would love to see it as a film."
"More, I want more! I truly could not put this book down."

Other Formats: Paperback

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Honestly: A Miss P Novella 25-Jul-2017

by James Collins

( 7 )

£0.99

Having cured Shakespeare of writer's block, Miss P finds herself in the 20th century attending to a similar problem in a small fishing village. The timeless and slightly magical Miss P knows that the only way to solve the problem is to cause a friendship, and the only way to do that is to cause the whole village to speak honestly. As you can imagine, comedy ensues.

If you have read James Collins' body-swap comedy, 'Remotely' you will enjoy this, the first Miss P novella. If you've not read 'Remotely', 'Honestly' is an excellent way to get to know its most endearing character.

includes VAT*

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Zauberberg für Anfänger: Roman (German Edition) 05-Jul-2016

by James Collins , Ulrich Hoffmann

( 1 )

£5.19

Jedes Mal, wenn Peter Russel ein Flugzeug besteigt, glaubt er, dass etwas passieren könnte - nein, kein Flugzeugabsturz. Etwas, das sein Leben von Grund auf verändert. Der aufstrebende Wall-Street-Geschäftsmann, der mit Zahlen blind umgehen kann, ist nämlich ein hoffnungsloser Romantiker.

Eines Tages, auf einem Geschäfts-Flug von New York nach L.A., passiert genau das, wovon er immer geträumt hat. Die Frau seines Lebens setzt sich neben ihn. Sie heißt Holly, sie ist wunderschön, und sie liest Thomas Manns "Zauberberg". Einschüchternd! Peter weiß kaum, wie er die Dame ansprechen soll.

Doch dann spricht Holly ihn an, und die beiden verlieben sich so heftig ineinander, wie das auf einem Fünfeinhalb-Stunden-Flug möglich ist. Als Holly ihm ihre Telefonnummer auf die herausgerissene Seite des "Zauberbergs" schreibt, ist Peter der glücklichste Mann der Welt. Wenige Stunden später ist er verzweifelt: Die kostbare Seite ist verschwunden!

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

includes VAT*

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