Cee Tee: A masterful storyteller who transforms life’s twists and turns into books filled with humour, insight, and heart.
From Banking to Bestsellers
Cee Tee shares his journey from banking to writing, blending humour with heartfelt storytelling in books inspired by personal experiences, pets, childhood, and survival, showcasing his unique perspective and optimism.
Colin Tee, better known to his readers as Cee Tee Jackson, is one of those rare authors who brings a unique combination of wit, heartfelt sincerity, and keen observation of life’s peculiarities to the page. With a career path that has taken him from banking to pet care, and finally to becoming the acclaimed author of delightfully humorous works, Cee Tee’s life story is every bit as engaging as the books he writes. His ability to find humour in life’s unpredictable twists—whether it’s the antics of four-legged friends, the challenges of surviving a cardiac arrest, or the hilarity of a childhood mishap involving a space hopper—makes him a truly remarkable storyteller.
From his debut release, Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee, which drew from his pet care business, to the poignant yet comical No Laughing Matter … a short tale of death & how to survive it, Cee Tee’s unparalleled knack for blending humour with real-life reflections shines brightly. His work isn’t just about laughter; it’s about connection—whether through the relatable nostalgia of growing up in the ’60s and ’70s in A Space Hopper Killed My Hamster, or the compassion found in his observations of Goa’s street dogs in Give the Dog a Home.
Now, having retired from his successful pet care business, Cee Tee continues to demonstrate his versatility as a writer by delving into the world of light-hearted fantasy. But naturally, retirement hasn’t slowed him down. Whether exploring new creative avenues or competing in pickleball, life, for Cee Tee, is always an adventure—one he’s gracious enough to share with his readers.
In our conversation with Cee Tee for this issue, we dived deep into his journey as a writer, the inspiration behind his works, and his approach to bringing humour and heart to even life’s most challenging experiences. It is with tremendous pleasure that we lend the pages of Reader’s House to an author whose stories remind us that life, while often messy and unpredictable, is always worth laughing about.
Cee Tee’s ability to craft funny, heartfelt stories from life’s unpredictability makes him a truly remarkable and relatable storyteller.
What inspired you to transition from banking to pet care, and eventually into writing?
The short answer to that would be, redundancy; redundancy from branch banking after twenty-eight years, and again from a supposed friend’s business, eighteen months after investing in it.
I wouldn’t say there was a particular ‘transition’ into the world of an author. It was always the plan to write a book, for no other reason than to prove to myself I could.
Novice authors are frequently guided to ‘write about what you know.’ So, inspired by my small petcare / dog walking business, I self-published, ‘Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee.’
Your books often blend humour with heartfelt themes—how do you strike that balance in your writing?
I suppose they do! Really, I’d never thought of it that way, other than with ‘No Laughing Matter …’ It’s not an intentional ploy.
I seem able to compartmentalise Life’s big events, and despite being a grumpy, moaning old so-and-so from west of Scotland (it’s in our DNA, you know) I’m naturally optimistic.
I simply write as I feel.
‘A Space Hopper Killed My Hamster’ draws heavily from your childhood—how much creative licence did you allow yourself with these memories?
** Spoiler alert! ** Other than no hamsters being harmed in the naming of this book, there was no creative licence utilised at all. Everything you read in ‘A Space Hopper Killed My Hamster …’ did happen.
Although the book focuses on my own experiences of growing up during the 1960s and 1970s, I didn’t exaggerate anything so readers, wherever they spent their childhood, could identify with the experiences and adventures.
What was it like writing about your cardiac arrest experience in ‘No Laughing Matter’, and why did you choose humour as the tone?
Strange, really. Being one of only 8% to survive an ‘out of hospital’ sudden cardiac arrest I realized how lucky I’d been.
I’d seen on various social media groups how other survivors were struggling both emotionally and physically with what happened to them. Yet, despite feeling very sore from having all my ribs broken during CPR and ultimately an ICD (defibrillator) fitted inside my chest, I felt elated!
I wanted to mark the event in some positive way and place on record my thanks to all who saved me – my wife, the two police officers and all the wonderful hospital staff who cared for me over the following sixteen days.
I was keen to show readers there WAS life after ‘death;’ that survival of this nature is something to rejoice, and not to question.
And what better way to do that than with a touch of humour?
I did feel guilty and was a bit concerned that some may regard my wee book as being flippant and frivolous. It did receive good reviews, but I must concede the tone probably didn’t sit comfortably with everyone.
How did your time in Goa shape your perspective on animals and storytelling in ‘Give the Dog a Home’?
‘Give the Dog a Home’ was an extension of ‘Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee,’ but focussing on the plight of the stray beach and street dogs in India.
I think it fun to give animals anthropomorphic qualities, and the dogs of Goa lend themselves particularly well to this.
I also wanted to acknowledge the selfless work done by the caring individuals who give up their time and money to feed and medicate these strays.
Many of your stories are rooted in real-life events—do you ever worry about how people you know might react?
I’m not out to shock, annoy or sensationalize in my writing. I don’t think anyone mentioned in my books could take offence. There have been the odd times where I’ve exaggerated situations for comedic effect and really hoped the people involved didn’t read the story. Like when I reversed into a client’s (already rickety) garden hut,
This was the same client in whose letterbox I jammed my arm, trying to retrieve my car key which I’d accidentally posted through with their spare house keys after I’d finished the job.
(I didn’t learn if they read the tales or were offended, as I didn’t receive any more bookings from them. Make of that what you will.)
With your current light-hearted fantasy project underway, how different has the writing process been compared to your previous books?
Oh, way different! All four of my other books are comprised of short, stand-alone chapters. As such, they were as ‘easy’ to write as they are to read. They do of course follow some sort of order, but attempting to write this novel requires so much more planning.
Not only that, I feel I need to be in a similar mood each time add to the story. The book’s been a few years in the making (I’m easily side-tracked) and often when I pick up after a break, it’s obvious from the tone and style that certain sections were written at different times.
Finding that consistency, placing myself in this fictional world and inside the heads of several diverse characters is the big challenge.
It’s fun, though.
What advice would you give to other authors looking to turn personal life events into engaging and humorous stories?
Simple. Be yourself.
Keep it subtle is my suggestion.
It all goes back, very conveniently, to the start of this piece: ‘write what you know.’
