This week we had the pleasure of meeting celebrity entertainer recently turned author Jeri Lane, on what can only be described as his whistle stop tour between Britain, Spain and New York. We asked Jeri why he had now turned his talents to writing, not only his first book “Beyond Repair, The shocking Truth” a childhood autobiography but a second book colourfully titled “Benidorm Bullshit, Backstabbing and Bitches” and a third book and stage play in the planning. To our surprise Jeri was extremely frank, honest, open to the point of jaw dropping as we discussed the past eighteen months of his very troubled life, Jeri said “Writing is something I have always used to express my feelings, I suppose as a sort of emotional release so after a particularly dark time when I found myself alone after a brutal break up, penniless, homeless, jobless and also bullied by people I thought to be close friends and in desperate state of depression I tried to take my own life”. Jeri continued telling us that the moment he awoke after his suicide attempt was the darkest moment of his life, realising he was still alive and had to face the world again. He described in an eloquent way his huge feelings of abandonment which stemmed from his sexually abused childhood which began at the tender age of six, by a close friend of his parents and as only Jeri could he described how he became “A very special little boy”. The hospital doctors suggested that he seek counselling, a road Jeri was not keen to walk, having been close to the profession by default. Eventually a wonderful female therapist agreed to see Jeri and so began the long journey, a sad, disturbing, fascinating and sometimes incredibly amusing journey that led to Jeri writing all of his memories and feeling down as part of the recovery. Soon the diaries were three hundred pages long and almost a finished book, the synopsis was sent to a well know American publisher and the results will be available to buy from stores and online in approximately April. The one thing Jeri was very adamant to point out was that he has never seen himself as a victim through those early years, Jeri said “ Many people tell you because you have suffered sexual abuse as a child you must be a victim, were as I refuse to be a victim and tell a story, my story, how something like this can be seen from a different way, a shocking way, the truth is always shocking, but never the less a different way”. I then went on to ask about the second book “Benidorm Bullshit, Backstabbing and Bitches” and asked if I needed to what it was about, Jeri roared with laughter and said can’t you guess?? He then told me, “ After living here for more than a decade, working in showbusinness, having had very successful stage productions with some very well known people and a highly regarded radio chat show, I have seen and heard things both nasty, vile, funny and totally unbelievable which you could not make up so I thought why not write it as it really is here, the title was easy, although for legal reason all of the names and some of the locations have been changed, to protect the not so innocent, “he said with a wink” ,people will certainly know who they are, most will be flattered, some will want my head, but you can’t escape from the truth and believe me the truth is better than “Faction” thank god I will be living out of the country when its published” he laughs his very infectious laugh out loud. We wish Jeri well, he really his a survivor. I for one cannot wait till Jeri’s books are published.
