Background:

When I was a small child, I missed my Mother terribly when she went to work at the TL & R Club in the evenings. My eyes burned brightly, and my sadness temporary, for I knew my Angel would return to me when she could. This inspired me to write my very first verse.

I had early success in publishing poetry in my adolescent years, namely, Mr Justice, The Ignatian, 1978; and The Cell, in Look Now magazine, 1979.

I had also written several cause poems, including Friends of the Earth, & The Enfield Independent, concerning the felling of a two-century year old Cedar tree, Edmonton.

Another cause poem was published, opposing the closure of Camden Town’s listed building & Arthouse Cinema, The Plaza. My poem & narrative were voted letter of the week, North West London Newspapers, 1994.

I gained a Masters in Writing at NUI, Galway, August, 2015, attending Over the Edge poetry open-mic readings, at Galway City Library, & took advanced poetry classes. I also attended Ireland’s premier literary event, The Cuirt International Festival of Literature, Galway, in April 2015.

In 2015, I had several poems published in the Galway Review; Creative Writing.ie, 2014, 2015, flash fiction & poetry; Interflora’s Little E-Book of Romantic Verse, 2015; brain teasers & poetry, Sin Newspaper (NUI, Galway), 2015.

Percy Panda:

I am thrilled that Percy Panda, a children's first, chapter book, was published on 23/03/2024, by Kindle/Amazon. The target audience is 6-10 years. Purchases in paperback and e-book, available in the USA, UK, EU, Mexico, Canada & Australia.

Originally inspired by my wife, Laura, who owned a small, toy panda bear, when she was a young child, I wanted to create a magical story, bringing Percy Panda to life. My manuscript took several years to draft and revise, before it was finally critiqued and edited by Doug Watts, giving Percy Panda more polish and character.

Finally, I decided upon self-publishing, encouraged by Kindle/Amazon.
To date, this is my greatest, published body of work. I hope my readers enjoy Percy Panda, as much as I loved writing it.

Percy Panda: Child's Play Toy Store lay home to a magical story, where a small, black and white toy panda bear was granted life by his Fairy Godmother. Wondering if he was still sleeping, and feeling disorientated, Panda fell off the shelf, hurting his head.

The very next morning, Panda met a magnificent looking rocking horse, called Rocky, who was intrigued, yet doubtful, when Panda explained to him about the visit by his Fairy Godmother. Both Panda and Rocky often spoke about finding a new home.

One day, a well-dressed lady and her excitable daughter bought Rocky, and although this was a happy occasion, Panda now felt sad when he looked at the space Rocky used to occupy.

Shortly afterwards, a kind, grey-haired lady bought Panda for her granddaughter, Laura. Panda was now beginning to feel like he belonged. Panda met his new family members and after much discussion, named him, 'Percy Panda'. The large, fluffy cat, Ginger, took an immediate dislike to Percy. Although they would never be best buddies, Ginger eventually warmed to Percy Panda.

Percy Panda and Laura became inseparable, and went on many adventures together, including Laura's first day at school, where Percy Panda managed to get lost, participated in wild dressing-up-games, exciting birthday parties, and the time Percy Panda encountered a spider for the first time.

After living with the family for many years, it was decided that as Percy Panda was now looking worse for wear, he should be thrown out during a spring clean. He was placed in a black bag with the rest of the rubbish. Luckily, Percy Panda was rescued, and ended up at Cartwright Castle. It was there he met up with a new family and was reunited with an old friend.

Meanwhile, and after searching high and low, Laura became increasingly upset when she discovered that Percy Panda was nowhere to be seen. Although Percy Panda was happy at Cartwright Castle, he missed Laura terribly. He often wondered if he would ever see her again. So, after careful planning, Percy Panda decided that he needed to return home,
with some help from a friend.

Making their way home was to prove most difficult, as an ancient enemy lay in wait, and it would only be a matter of time before a battle ensued between good and evil. If Percy Panda wanted to see Laura again, it was a battle he needed to win!

Biography

Anthony Gapper from London, resides in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. Published poetry widely including: Look Now magazine, poetry, 1978, The Ignatian, 1979, poetry; Arrival Press, 1993, 1997; Poetry Now, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997; Anchor Books, 1995; North West London Newspapers, Letter of the Week & poetry, 1994; Enfield Friends of the Earth, 1995; Bookmark Publications, 1997; Creative Writing.ie, 2014, 2015, flash fiction & poetry.
In October 2014, recited short story/poetry at Books Are My Bag event (Charlie Byrnes Bookshop, Galway), & recited poetry (Over the Edge Open Mic Readings), Galway City Library. The Galway Review, 2015; Interflora’s Little E-Book of Romantic Verse (Top 30), 2015; Brain Teasers & poetry, Sin Newspaper (NUIG), 2015.

Notably, I achieved an M.A. in Writing, at NUI, Galway, 2015. The Enfield Independent, poetry, 2016; The Book of Remembrance: The Salvation Army, 2021, Mother, Mary Teresa Gapper, poetry, The Salvation Army: The Memory Team: Uncle Peter Gapper & Lifelong friend, Pauline Rouse, 2021, poetry, The Daily Haiku, poetry, 2023; Kindle Direct Publishing/Amazon, Percy Panda, children’s first, chapter book, target audience, 6-10 years, 2024.

https://www.facebook.com/tony.gapper/