THE CLUTTERBUTT AND FLUMPKIN APPRECIATION SOCIETY – Colin Ridyard

OUT OF PRINT

The Clutterbutt and Flumpkin Appreciation Society is an adventure fantasy and young adult novel that tells the story of Guy Foulkstone, a spoiled rich kid, whose father has tried unsuccessfully to send to Tremerwick Towers. He, instead, attends Eleven Hills High with his friends Emma, Diana and Will, and while he keeps out of trouble and gets good grades, his father is happy. But strange, supernatural things lurk behind every corner…
Forced to face up to these unexpected events, Guy quickly comes to realise the truth and, in doing so, discovers some rather unexpected things about himself, as well. Are magic, witches, fairies and spells real? Come and join Guy on his journey and decide if magic is truly real or just smoke and mirrors.

Colin Ridyard spent his formative years in the idyllic foothills of the Snowdonia Mountain Range attending schools in both Caernarvon and Bangor. Very much a country boy at heart, he has fond memories of catching trout in the meandering mountain streams, gathering nuts and berries from overladen trees and bushes and drinking ice-cold, fresh water from the hillside springs. An accomplished academic as well as a novelist, Colin applied his love of nature to obtaining his PhD at the University of Exeter, where he used whole cell microbiological techniques to investigate ways of synthesizing novel antiviral active pharmaceutical ingredients. Then, after a stint working as a research chemist in manufacturing and a trouble shooter in the NHS, he went to work as a researcher in clinical trials at various universities. Working as a Research Fellow, Colin divides his time between writing novels and children’s stories and working across various academic fields including randomised clinical trials, database design, data mapping, methodological development, and infection control. His research has resulted in several journal publication contributions and conference talks in the fields of paediatric intensive care and Type 1 Diabetes. In his free moments, Colin continues to train for his 2nd Dan in Shotokan Karate, spend time with his family and walk in his beloved Snowdonia Mountain Range.