Paul Ferris – författare

From the highly acclaimed author of Infidelity comes a haunting novel based on the real-life romance between American author Stephen Crane and Cora Stewart, an exceptional woman of her time who made a profession out of love and deception.By the time Cora meets Stephen Crane, she has begun a new life in Jacksonville, Florida, after a turbulent marriage spent in late-Victorian London from which her husband refuses to release her. She is owner-manager of the Hotel de Dream but, like Cora, the hotel isn't what it seems: it doubles up as a high-class brothel.Back in England they live together as man and wife, but Crane is as fixated with war as he is with Cora. His wanderlust soon has him in Cuba, reporting from the front line, leaving his mistress abandoned in Surrey, desperately trying to survive in a world with rigid ideas of propriety, and terrified he may never return.Meanwhile, stubborn Detective Inspector Fred Hooper is on her case and tries to unravel her past, all the time fighting the dangerous allure Cora holds for him and the truth she makes him realise about himself.

'Unmissable: please read this extraordinary book.' - Daily Mail'A triumph ... A worthy follow-up to The Boy on the Shed.' - Jeff Stelling'All men should read this book - important and brilliantly written.' - Alan Shearer'Genius... A difficult, deeply personal story beautifully told.' – George Caulkin, The Athletic----From the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, The Boy on the Shed, comes a powerful tale of grit and resilience, told with great humour, openness and profound bravery.Former Newcastle United winger Paul Ferris was 51. He had successfully forged a post-football career as a physio, barrister and then a CEO, and his award-winning memoir, The Boy on the Shed, was just about to be published. But then he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This honest, sometimes brutal and frequently funny book tells the story of what happened next.Prostate cancer. It’s a phrase that strikes fear into the heart of every man. It’s the most common male cancer, but treatable if it’s caught early enough. Paul doesn’t shy away from describing that treatment. And neither does he hold back on its life-changing consequences – from harrowing surgery, humiliating procedures and excruciating consultations – as he strives to become the man he once was again.The mental challenges and psychological impact of living with this acute condition are explored in Paul’s revealing and riveting narrative that represents rare male honesty, but this is never a ‘poor me’ book or not in any way self-pitying. Courageous, inspirational and beautifully written, The Magic in the Tin is a rare thing: deeply moving yet rich in humour, written by a true sportsman in every sense of the word.A brutal and poignant account of one man's journey through prostate cancer.

'Unmissable: please read this extraordinary book.' - Daily Mail'A triumph ... A worthy follow-up to The Boy on the Shed.' - Jeff Stelling'All men should read this book - important and brilliantly written.' - Alan Shearer'Genius... A difficult, deeply personal story beautifully told.' – George Caulkin, The Athletic----From the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, The Boy on the Shed, comes a powerful tale of grit and resilience, told with great humour, openness and profound bravery.Former Newcastle United winger Paul Ferris was 51. He had successfully forged a post-football career as a physio, barrister and then a CEO, and his award-winning memoir, The Boy on the Shed, was just about to be published. But then he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This honest, sometimes brutal and frequently funny book tells the story of what happened next.Prostate cancer. It’s a phrase that strikes fear into the heart of every man. It’s the most common male cancer, but treatable if it’s caught early enough. Paul doesn’t shy away from describing that treatment. And neither does he hold back on its life-changing consequences – from harrowing surgery, humiliating procedures and excruciating consultations – as he strives to become the man he once was again.The mental challenges and psychological impact of living with this acute condition are explored in Paul’s revealing and riveting narrative that represents rare male honesty, but this is never a ‘poor me’ book or not in any way self-pitying. Courageous, inspirational and beautifully written, The Magic in the Tin is a rare thing: deeply moving yet rich in humour, written by a true sportsman in every sense of the word.A brutal and poignant account of one man's journey through prostate cancer.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2026 – SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR‘Very entertaining… A lot fun.’ HAWKSBEE AND JACOBS, TalkSPORT‘A must-read for any Newcastle fan.'ALAN SHEARER‘A triumph... Beautifully written.'LES FERDINANDFASCINATING CHRONICLES OF AN UTTERLY UNIQUE LIFE IN FOOTBALL AND 18 YEARS AT NEWCASTLE UNITED.Once Upon a Toon offers a unique perspective on life behind the scenes at one of England’s most famous football clubs. No other individual has had the immense privilege of working at Newcastle United in the capacity that Paul Ferris once did: as a player between 1981 and 1986, as a physiotherapist between 1993 and 2006, and finally as a key member of Alan Shearer’s management team in 2009.This is a light-hearted, often hilarious and sometimes unbelievable retelling of the events Paul experienced and characters he encountered. His numerous, otherwise forgotten, tales from the bygone era of 1980s football include the likes of Kevin Keegan, Jack Charlton, Arthur Cox, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, George Best and more. Ferris’s chronicles from 18 years at Newcastle United also feature managers such as Graeme Souness and Sir Bobby Robson, the tumultuous 1993–2006 period and Alan Shearer’s ill-fated short tenure.If you are a Newcastle United supporter, football fan or loved The Boy on the Shed, this book is the ultimate way to revisit the club’s precious glory days of football.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2026 – SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR‘Very entertaining… A lot fun.’ HAWKSBEE AND JACOBS, TalkSPORT‘A must-read for any Newcastle fan.'ALAN SHEARER‘A triumph... Beautifully written.'LES FERDINANDFASCINATING CHRONICLES OF AN UTTERLY UNIQUE LIFE IN FOOTBALL AND 18 YEARS AT NEWCASTLE UNITED.Once Upon a Toon offers a unique perspective on life behind the scenes at one of England’s most famous football clubs. No other individual has had the immense privilege of working at Newcastle United in the capacity that Paul Ferris once did: as a player between 1981 and 1986, as a physiotherapist between 1993 and 2006, and finally as a key member of Alan Shearer’s management team in 2009.This is a light-hearted, often hilarious and sometimes unbelievable retelling of the events Paul experienced and characters he encountered. His numerous, otherwise forgotten, tales from the bygone era of 1980s football include the likes of Kevin Keegan, Jack Charlton, Arthur Cox, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, George Best and more. Ferris’s chronicles from 18 years at Newcastle United also feature managers such as Graeme Souness and Sir Bobby Robson, the tumultuous 1993–2006 period and Alan Shearer’s ill-fated short tenure.If you are a Newcastle United supporter, football fan or loved The Boy on the Shed, this book is the ultimate way to revisit the club’s precious glory days of football.

*Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year**Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award**The Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year* *The Times Sports Book of the Year* *Telegraph Football Book of the Year*Readers love The Boy on the Shed'A journey full of emotion . . . Spectacular' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Honest, insightful and shows how football really has to sort itself out' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Paul Ferris writes from the heart, a wonderful book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Exceptional' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Ferris's wonderful memoir represents a twin triumph. He has endured every kind of setback in life but has invariably reinvented himself; and his writing is a pure pleasure.' The Sunday Times 'Enough depth and humanity to make your average football autobiography look like a Ladybird book.' Telegraph'A masterpiece' Brian McNally 'Football memoirs rarely produce great literature but Ferris's The Boy on the Shed is a glistening exception.' Guardian 'Fascinating and stylishly told.' David Walsh, bestselling author of Seven Deadly Sins __________The Boy on the Shed is a story of love and fate. At 16, Paul Ferris becomes Newcastle United's youngest-ever first-teamer. Like many a tricky winger from Northern Ireland, he is hailed as 'the new George Best'.As a player and later a physio and member of the Magpies' managerial team, Paul's career acquaints him not only with Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Bobby Robson, Ruud Gullit, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer but also with injury, insecurity and disappointment.Talented and carefree on the pitch, shy and anxious off it, he earns a tilt at stardom. His first spell at Newcastle turns sour, as does his return as a physio, although obtaining a Masters degree shows him what he could achieve away from football.Written with brutal candour, dark humour and consummate style, The Boy on the Shed is a riveting and moving account of a life less ordinary.__________

On Glasgow's meanest streets life started well for the young Paul Ferris. How did he become Glasgow's most feared gangster, deemed a risk to national security?Arthur Thompson, Godfather of the crime world and senior partner of the Krays, recruited young Ferris as a bagman, debt collector and equaliser. Feared for his capacity for extreme violence, respected for his intelligence, Ferris was the Godfather's heir apparent. But when gang warfare broke, underworld leaders traded in flesh, colluding with their partners - the police. Disgusted, Ferris left the Godfather and stood alone. They gave him weeks to live.While Ferris was caged in Barlinnie Prison's segregation unit accused of murdering Thompson's son, Fatboy, his two friends were shot dead the night before the funeral and grotesquely displayed in a car on the cortége's route. Acquitted against all the odds, Ferris moved on, determined to make an honest living.They would not let him.The National Crime Squad, MI5, the police and two of the country's most powerful gangsters saw to that. A maximum-security prisoner, Ferris is known as 'Lucky' because he is still alive.This is one man's unique insight into Britain's crime world and the inextricable web of corruption - a revealing story of official corruption and unholy alliances.

Cormac is a Junior Government Minister who returns to Ireland after a 22 year absence. He comes face to face with the fiancee he abandoned and must also finally confront the dark secret from his past that not only threatens his very existence but could also destroy the hard won peace in Northern Ireland. The story focuses on Cormac's attempt to rekindle his relationship with Bernadette, whilst in the background lurks the menacing figure of Liam, his deranged former friend, who is hell bent on revenge for what he sees as Cormac's betrayal of him all those years ago.