A TOWN man has written and published his first book ‘A Kidderminster Tale’ which takes the reader into nine different worlds and times, cultures and traditions.
Robert Zantis moved to Kidderminster almost four years ago – his wife is a Brummie and wanted to be closer to her family who live in and around the town.
A week before they moved, he got seriously injured during a football match. His wife had to handle all the removals and, in his words ‘he was basically useless for a full three months’.
With all this time on his hands, he decided to channel his energies into writing the book.
Robert grew up on a council estate in Corringham, Essex, and ‘went to a fairly rough school’.
He praised his English and maths teachers who, he said, he owed so much.
His dad was a soldier in the British Army in the Second World War and, when Greece was liberated from German occupation, his mum got a job ironing British Army uniforms.
His dad worked at the same base and took a liking to her.
Robert obtained a degree and has undertaken a host of jobs – from engineering to 30 years with Essex Police where he became a senior detective, investigating a multitude of serious crimes.
In his final two years, he worked for the Home Office, which gave him opportunities to work in Brussels on behalf of the British Government, and to travel to South America on behalf of the UN.
Robert’s inspiration
Robert always wanted to write from the age of around five or six – as soon as he learned to thread words together.
“I planned to write at secondary school but, somewhere along the line, got derailed from English A-level and pursued an engineering career instead.
“I got distracted for about 50 years and, finally, I worked up the courage to do it.
“The stories, most of them, whilst fictionalised, are ‘borrowed’ from real life.
“My own, the life of friends and loved ones.
“Love, pain, loss, making mistakes that cannot be rectified. Watching mistakes that result in fatal consequences, and being powerless to stop anything.
“For example, in one story, a friend on a Greek island had buried her terrible experience for nearly 20 years, relating to a friend with an abusive husband who ended up killing her and her whole family. She’d made a certain promise to her friend, and finally, through telling her story, that promise has been honoured.
“Another story is an honest account from a friend recalling the measures he took to take his own life, when the most unpredictable thing happened to stop him doing so.
“I am so glad too, he is such a generous, funny, and lovely man. One reader told me it gave her hope.”
He said he found the writing process a challenge as he ‘never thought it was good enough’.
“Then, when you go to print, you see what you could have done better.
“I am sure my next book will be even better for that. I am on course to publish two in 2026.”
The stories
One of the stories tells the tale of a man whose family life goes to ruin when his wife joins a religious group.
Another one recounts a quadruple murder and suicide on a Greek island that no-one can stop.
There is also a heart-stopping story about a reckless swim in a dangerous ocean.
Robert uses his well-chosen words to help the reader visualise his characters and places and forge deep connections to the heart of them.
The stories lead to reflection, sometimes outrage, and other times intrigue.
The tales also tantalise and have you heading for the computer to do extra research to find out more.
Every story is crafted so it has a different texture, every conversation has a different rhythm and the tension in the stories builds and recedes or builds and overpowers.
The book takes the reader on a fascinating journey.
Robert said he had been ‘floored’ by the positive feedback he received from friends and strangers who had read ‘A Kidderminster Tale’.
A particular memorable testimony came from his niece who is only 20 and called him out of the blue to say how much she loved it.
One man read it in a week and asked when the next one was coming out.
Robert said: “The idea that a story I penned could transcend a few generations gives me chills.”
A Kidderminster Tale by RA Zantis is available here from amazon.co.uk – priced at £8.99 in paperback and £3.99 on Kindle or click on the QR code below.
