Andrew Hicks

I remember that on this thread some time ago members were almost fighting to get hold of second hand copies of Jack Reynolds out of print novel of 1956, "A Woman of Bangkok". Well, the good news is that this is now actually available from Monsoon Books as a book and an ebook. It really is one you shouldn't miss and his description of Vilai, the money sucking lady of the night is a classic, proving that nothing ever changes. Ebooks are a great breakthrough for expats and readers of obscure books that are hard to get hold of and I've also just issued my own books as ebooks. My romantic novel (an affair with a masseur on Koh Samet) subtly entitled, "Thai Girl" is now available as an ebook, as is, "My Thai Girl and I", the story of my own disreputable life in the land of cynical smiles. Enjoy! Andrew.

Yes, Monsoon Books is trying to obtain the rights to reissue "A Woman of Bangkok" but as always it's complex. Jack's widow, an elderly Thai lady, is still living and as she is a part copyright holder, anyone who pirates the book is depriving her of something that is rightfully hers. For its portrait of Vilai, the nineteen fifties dance hostess, this novel is a great piece of writing, both with a contemporary impact and as a period piece describing Bangkok of sixty years ago. I am researching the life of its author, Jack Reynolds, and hope to produce a biography and a collection of his other more ephemeral writings, in particular his accounts of the rel;ief work he did in China in the late forties with the Friends Ambulance Unit. You can see pictures of Jack in old age and read more about him and my plans if you scan down my THAI GIRL blog at www.thaigirl2004.blogspot.com to several posts at the end of 2009 and early 2010. Why am I doing this? Could it be because like him I have written a single romantic novel about Thailand and then totally disappeared?! Andrew Hicks