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Leo Harrison

Goodreads Author

Born

in London, The United Kingdom

Website

https://leoharrison.com

Genre

Humor and Comedy, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Member Since

July 2020

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About me - I was born in Hampstead in 1966 into a home with zero mod cons and even less disposable income. However, throughout what was undoubtedly an unorthodox childhood, my parents introduced me to a series of bizarre and eccentric characters. So, to mum and dad (both RIP) I give my thanks for a tendency to drift off into a world of my own imagination.
By day I've had a varied career: antiquarian bookseller, digital marketing agency founder and I even launched a business which went from a valuation of nearly £20M to bust in the space of 18 long months. Consequently, I live a reasonably modest life with my lovely family up near Alexandra Palace.The yacht will have to wait, not that I'd ever want one anyway.
So, a little background on my fir About me - I was born in Hampstead in 1966 into a home with zero mod cons and even less disposable income. However, throughout what was undoubtedly an unorthodox childhood, my parents introduced me to a series of bizarre and eccentric characters. So, to mum and dad (both RIP) I give my thanks for a tendency to drift off into a world of my own imagination.
By day I've had a varied career: antiquarian bookseller, digital marketing agency founder and I even launched a business which went from a valuation of nearly £20M to bust in the space of 18 long months. Consequently, I live a reasonably modest life with my lovely family up near Alexandra Palace.The yacht will have to wait, not that I'd ever want one anyway.
So, a little background on my first book, which might be of interest...
Back in 2017, I found myself immersed in a project that had started as a germ of an idea but grew into an obsession. I wanted to tell the story of 1985 through the eyes of youngsters stumbling through this momentous year. I was eighteen at the time and religiously kept a diary through the year - short entries so not much insight into the depths of my soul, but more a series of recollections - places, people, happenings, some of which provided the broad brushstrokes for the fiction within these pages.
I recalled a place, pre-social media, where we weren't ever-connected and pressured to be always available; a time when many of us searched for any escape from the oppressive politics of the day. We were jokers, dreamers, scammers and charlatans - a cast list whose story just had to be told.
Authenticity was critical and much of my time was spent researching the period. Music, films, TV shows and timings, concert set lists, adverts, technology, sport, current affairs, land and cityscapes were recalled in detail. I shared beers and laughs with those who had communed in Hackney's squats, had travelled in the Peace Convoys and had been present at the infamous Battle of the Beanfield (one of the largest mass arrests in English legal history). Finally, a collage of flashbacks was pieced together by those of us who remembered the wettest and most depressing Glastonbury in history followed three weeks later by the sun-baked elation of the Live Aid concert. It felt like it had all happened yesterday.
I've been scribbling away with ideas on the subject for years, and it was always a deep ambition to complete this novel. '1985' just felt so right, as the parallels and stark contrasts between that era and our own, both culturally and politically, kept bubbling to the surface. The process has been incredibly rewarding and I do hope I have created a compelling read that will not only resonate with my own generation, but also offer a younger audience an entertaining insight into the mid 1980's and how that period proved to be a catalyst in shaping the country we live in today.
I learned pretty quickly that it's a hard slog getting to the finish line. And even then, what should be a moment of celebration is actually filled with self-doubt. I'd love to continue to tell the stories of my main characters though, and have outlines worked out for sequels 1999 and 2016. Let's see what happens... ...more

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Leo Harrison’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 183 ratings · 6 reviews · 66 distinct works • Similar authors

	1985 - Road to Nowhere: A riotous tale of trying to grow up in the mid 80's (The Telling Times Trilogy Book 1) 4.09 avg rating — 173 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	1999 - Steal My Sunshine: Book Two in the Telling Times Trilogy 3.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	1985: Road to Nowhere it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	TENNIS: THE BASELINE BLUEPRINT: The Step-by-Step Guide for New Players to Build a Solid Game from the Ground Up 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	TENNIS: THE BASELINE BLUEPRINT: The Step-by-Step Guide for New Players to Build a Solid Game from the Ground Up 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Adventures of the Eco Guardian 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Adventures of the Eco Guardian 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	English Vocabulary By Topics For Daily Conversation: Unlock 69 Essential Topics and Talk Like a Native Speaker in Any Conversation. by Simon Clarke, Leo Harrison (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	English Listening And Reading Comprehension: Master Deep Listening & Reading, Implicit Meaning, and Decode Any Text or Conversation. by Simon Clarke, Leo Harrison (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Advanced English Made Simple: Master Native-Level Conversations and Deep Comprehension in Record Time. by Simon Clarke, Leo Harrison (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Leo Harrison finished reading 1999 - Steal My Sunshine: Book Two in the Telling Times Trilogy by Leo Harrison (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 21, 2025 05:49AM · like
Leo Harrison made a comment on their review of 1985 - Road to Nowhere: A riotous tale of trying to grow up in the mid 80's (The Telling Times Trilogy Book 1) " Thanks so much for the review! Second book in the series is out today. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ...more "
Mar 13, 2025 01:56AM · see review
Leo Harrison made a comment on Dave’s review of 1985 - Road to Nowhere: A riotous tale of trying to grow up in the mid 80's (The Telling Times Trilogy Book 1) " Thanks so much for the review! Second book in the series is out today. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ...more "
Mar 13, 2025 01:55AM · see review
Leo Harrison made a comment on Mr M J Wells’s review of 1985 - Road to Nowhere: A riotous tale of trying to grow up in the mid 80's (The Telling Times Trilogy Book 1) " Thanks so much for the review! Second book in the series is out today. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ...more "
Mar 13, 2025 01:55AM · see review
Leo Harrison made a comment on Alun M Stewart’s review of 1985 - Road to Nowhere: A riotous tale of trying to grow up in the mid 80's (The Telling Times Trilogy Book 1) " Thanks so much for the review! Second book in the series is out today. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ...more "
Mar 13, 2025 01:55AM · see review
Leo Harrison made a comment on emma taylor’s review of 1985 - Road to Nowhere: A riotous tale of trying to grow up in the mid 80's (The Telling Times Trilogy Book 1) " Thanks so much for the review! Second book in the series is out today. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ...more "
Mar 13, 2025 01:55AM · see review
Leo Harrison wants to read 1999 - Steal My Sunshine: Book Two in the Telling Times Trilogy by Leo Harrison (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 13, 2025 01:39AM · like