PHOTO: Colin Jackson, author of memoirs infused with wit, heart, and life’s unexpected turns, captured in a moment of warmth and reflection.
Memoir Humour Animals And Heartfelt Tales
Colin Jackson reflects on his journey from banking to pet care and writing, weaving humour, honesty, and optimism into stories drawn from childhood, animals, and even survival after sudden cardiac arrest.
Colin Jackson writes with warmth, wit, and a keen eye for the quirks of everyday life. Whether recalling his own childhood in A Space Hopper Killed My Hamster … amusing tales of growing up in the ’60s & ’70s, finding humour in the chaos of dogs and muddy walks in Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee, or even reflecting on the life-changing experience of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest in No Laughing Matter … a short tale of death & how to recover from it, his voice remains unmistakably his own—light-hearted, candid, and deeply human.
His journey into writing came after a long career in banking and later in pet care, two very different worlds that each gave him stories worth telling. What began as a desire simply to “prove he could write a book” soon unfolded into a body of work that blends memoir, humour, and a kind of unpretentious honesty that immediately draws readers in.
Colin has a gift for finding comedy in the ordinary and even in the unexpected gravity of life’s turning points. His books are rooted in lived experience, never forced, and always underpinned by an instinctive optimism—even when told with a grumble from his west of Scotland sensibility.
Now, in retirement, he continues to write while discovering new passions such as pickleball, showing that his sense of curiosity and playfulness is far from slowing down. With each book, Colin reminds us that stories—whether of animals, childhood, or brushes with mortality—can offer both laughter and a gentle reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.
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 mysmall 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 oldso-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 feelingvery 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.’
