Funnyman, journalist, stalker, bunny, saucepan

But former Hemel schoolboy Mark Stillman is no stranger to an eclectic approach to life, and his first book is no different.

And he hopes that his book - titled Stalker, Bunny, Saucepan - reflects that approach to life.

Mark, who has previously lived and worked in Milton Keynes, Luton and Toddington, said: “I’ve been looking at writing this for three years, but in a way it’s been something I’ve always been working towards.

“I’ve spent decades as a journalist, I’ve had a bit of a following as a columnist, I’ve helped to found newspapers and even set up a publishing firm.

“And now I’m a novelist!”

Mark, 50, grew up in Hemel Hempstead, and his parents still live in the town.

But the former Grove Hill School and Dacorum College student has lived an eclectic life, working as a journalist and then a professional stand-up comedian, and he has carried with him lessons from growing up in Hemel.

He said: “Grove Hill’s Pauline Ellis and Dacorum College’s Reba Gibb, Ian Buckley and Robin Brumby all filled me with a great love of the English language.

“I just hope my book can do justice to their inspirational teaching.”

He added: “Everyone who reads the book says how different it is. But I always have stories in my mind, and I’ve got a five-year plan. Next year I’ll be releasing a book of weird short stories, and in 2017 I’ll be re-releasing The Memoirs Of A Failed Stand-Up Comedian which was originally published with a foreword from Piers Morgan.”

> Stalker, Bunny, Saucepan is available now from Keep Human Books.

Copies cost £7.99 plus postage and packaging, from www.keephumanbooks.co.uk