What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

I’m very pleased to say that my new book for Canterbury Press, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, is now available. The latest news (Wednesday 13th October) is that copies have now arrived in the Norwich warehouse, after delays that meant we had thought it might not be available until the end of month. At the time of writing Church House Bookshop have it in stock, with other shops hopefully following soon. So, exciting news!

• Buy What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Church House Bookshop
• Buy What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Waterstones
• Buy What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Amazon UK

A bit of background. Every week I draw a cartoon for the Church Times newspaper. I’ve been drawing them every week, with a couple of short breaks, since 2005. Sometimes I take a current issue as my subect, other weeks it is a hot topic from the everyday life of a local church, or something in between. I rely heavily on the help of others, friends, emailed suggestions, and Twitter conversations (thank you, by the way). Sometimes the drawings come easily, but usually I have to wrestle them into shape, and I spend my Monday deadline day questioning my life choices.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong is a collection of these cartoons, originally drawn from 2018 until 2020. The 8th collection for Canterbury Press – who would have thought it. It’s always great to see them gathered together into a book, and I hope you think so too. The contents are arranged as follows:

“In an exciting innovation, this collection is divided into three parts. ‘People, Buildings, Controversies’ recalls the carefree times before the pandemic. Here you will find handy guides to how folding tables work, viewing previous vicars’ portraits, and identifying new bishops. Part two, ‘The Pandemic’, chronicles how churches adapted (or didn’t) to changing the way they did everything. It also reveals what clergy were doing when not on Zoom and rewrites the 12 Days of Christmas and the Beatitudes for lockdown. And in an uplifting final part, ‘The Church Year, Looking Forward’, we return to the simple joys of church statistics, vestment etiquette and donkeys (liturgical use of).”

Thank you to everyone who has contributed in many different ways. In particular my wife, CW, who has to put up with a lot during the creating of the work, and helps me get the ideas into some kind of acceptable shape. Then Paul, editor at the Church Times, and everyone who subscribes to the paper, who allow me to keep drawing. Also everyone at Canterbury Press, Church House Bookshop and Hymns A & M who publish and promote the books and calendars, and all related activities behind the scenes.

I haven’t actually seen the physical book yet, but I’m told copies are on their way to me. Ideal as a present, something to (hopefully) cheer you up when required, or you could pretend you live in a vicarage by putting a copy in the downstairs loo – it’s up to you. I hope you enjoy it!

• Buy What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Church House Bookshop
• Buy What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Waterstones
• Buy What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Amazon UK