Forward by Tamara Forrest-Smith

It was one of those warm April afternoons in London, and our first official date. Alan picked me up from the hotel conference room where I had been invited to train a small group of business owners. He told me he had made reservations at the vegetarian restaurant in Hammersmith. As we left the hotel, I asked him casually,

“So, I hear you’re one of the UK’s top copywriters?”

“Oh, is that so?” he replied with a smile. “Not sure if others say so I’ll accept it.”

‘But I am a writer’ he continued 

‘I see things, I observe then I write my observations, but I love playing with words, that’s my thing.’ 

Alan had many successful careers, but when I met him, he was a writer, not yet an author. We lived together for 14 years. It is a long enough period to observe many details about the person. You witness the collection of their thoughts, but also their inner and outer persona.  Over those years, he wrote and published number of books, stories and manuscripts, always drawn to philosophy and its revelations. Observing the world and capturing it through his unique lens, he called it “My thoughts, my ramblings, my revelations and my philosophical take on a world peeled back and uncovered.” 

If we were not out somewhere drinking strong coffee, watching the world pass by, Alan was in his writing studio, typing his thoughts onto the page. Many who knew his work believed he reached the peak of his writing in those later years. His style evolved, moving from pure philosophical reflections into fiction, creating characters that were rooted in real life—people he observed whether it was through the media, within the family dynamics, or in quiet moments over morning coffee at a local café.

In 2020, as the world came to an unexpected standstill, as a writer, Alan was inspired to document events as they unfolded. Through his observations, he captured the moment with clarity and a unique perspective, using both words and graphics to convey his point of view, free from judgment, yet deeply insightful.

In Jeriatrika, Alan draws from the upheaval of the pandemic to imagine a "What If" scenario: what if unforeseen consequences emerged from the vaccines years later? He transports us a few years into the future, envisioning a world reshaped by a new world governed by the organisation called Forum. Here, the main characters’ lives intertwine, driven by a shared quest, moral dilemmas, and a struggle for power and survival. Themes of greed, awakening, and purpose thread through a complex narrative that explores how a single shift can alter the course of society.

Alan completed Jeriatrika in spring 2024, but, sadly, he passed away that summer before he could publish it. In September, I took up the manuscript, determined to finish the editing and publish it in the year Alan had intended. As I worked through the final draft, I found myself continually returning to Alan’s guiding vision, the writer he aspired to be: the observer of the world who offered his reflections to inspire, challenge, or simply invite a moment’s pause. I hope readers will find in these pages the depth and insight he so carefully crafted.

Tamara Forrest-Smith

Jeriatrika is available for pre-order now 

All orders will be dispatched on the 6th of December 2024

Published through Master And Man Books