Alan J Hill

The Yarns of Sid Seven-Legs

Sid’s life hung by a thread!

Left with only one sister Jayne, and seven legs after an encounter with a neighbour, Sid the spider’s life is turned on its web when Jayne is whisked into a house after an incident with a crow. Sid embarks on an epic adventure to bring his sister back and whilst in the process meets a host of colourful characters who live in The Edge.

Can Sid overcome the slave army; King Rod (short for rodent); Baggy the Cat and Mad H to bring his sister home? And, who can he trust?

A madcap fast-paced yarn unspools as Sid Seven-Legs attempts to rescue Jayne. Along the way we find out that there is a lot more to spiders than we could ever have imagined...

Alan J Hill lives in Christchurch, Dorset and is a semi-retired finance professional after working in the industry for over forty years. He most recently worked for Autism Wessex as a Finance Director, and continues to dedicate himself to the non-profit sector. Alan has been involved in community sport all his life and has won awards for his coaching. He is also the author of A Boy Called Arsenal, the eye-opening biography of Arsenal Whittick.

A Boy Called Arsenal

A Boy Called Arsenal is an honest and emotional true story about a man who, after a life-long battle with mental and physical problems, finally became diagnosed with autism at the age of forty-nine in 2011. The catalyst for his diagnosis was his daughter's attempted suicide, which drove this troubled man to finally get the help he needed. 

Arsenal grew up in Liverpool and became obsessed with Arsenal Football Club as a young boy. At the age of twenty-three, he changed his name by deed poll to Arsenal Whittick. 

The book is based on a series of recordings of conversations between the author and Arsenal as well as discussions with his ex-wife and his two daughters. Using extracts from a variety of sources including medical letters, personal letters and football reports, A Boy Called Arsenal is a heart-warming and triumphant story of a life-changing diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Under the Stairs

At a stately home in Burnley in 1936 a young girl is employed as a maid in service to the lord and lady of the house. She falls in love for the first time, ultimately having to deal with the consequences of her love in a manner she never imagined.

A young man in the British Army in 1959 wrestles with his own identity and keeps secrets – some of which he will hold for the rest of his life.

St. Helens in the mid 1970s and a young boy faces his father with legal documents he doesn’t understand that he finds in a shoe box under the stairs.

Based on real events of one family’s search for the truth, Under the Stairs is an aching saga told across time, told through the generations of one family; their unconditional love for each other and their determination to answer the question we all want to know the answer to – Who am I?

Alan J Hill lives in Christchurch, Dorset, and is a semi-retired finance professional after working in the industry for over forty years. He most recently worked for Autism Wessex as a Finance Director and continues to dedicate himself to the non-profit sector. Alan has been involved in community sport all his life and has won awards for his coaching. He is the author of A Boy Called Arsenal, the eye-opening biography of Arsenal Whittick, and the children's bookThe Yarns of Sid Seven-Legs.