Chance meeting for two Cheslyn Hay writers has led to friendship and their first author event
When Stefan Wild and Rebecca Guy started chatting at a book club meeting, little did they know they had more in common than solely being published authors.
They first met in February this year after being invited to WS6 Book Club in Great Wyrley as visiting authors. And the pair, who both live in Cheslyn Hay, bonded over books and the challenges of self-publishing despite their work being very different.
Stefan has written a fictionalised biography about his time serving in West Midlands Mounted Police in the 1970s while Rebecca writes ghost thrillers with added twists of romance and psychological suspense.
But it wasn’t until Rebecca read Stefan’s book that it was revealed that there was another connection between these new friends.
To protect the innocent – and the not so innocent – Stefan has changed both the place and character names in his book Longest Way up, Shortest Way Down. But there was something about the stories and settings that sparked memories for mother-of-three Rebecca.
Her father PC Geoffrey Collins had also served with West Midlands Police in the 1970s but was sadly killed on duty while he participating in an advanced motorcycle training course when she was 10.
After quizzing Stefan further on his book, it transpired that he had known her father well and they had both worked at the same station for a while. “He was a nice man and a popular man. Everybody was shocked by what happened,” recalls Stefan, aged 67.
Rebecca doesn’t remember much about her father except wearing his police hat from time to time and the smell of boot polish and the scrape of the brush as he polished his shoes every night.
“My mum and dad were divorced so it wasn’t something that was talked about through my childhood. In those days, you just had to get on with it,” she explains.
“When I read Stefan’s book, I had a feeling it was a Black Country book, but I was thinking it was somewhere in Sandwell like Tipton. He told me it was Bloxwich and I told him about my dad and he told me he knew him.
“It’s been nice because it’s filled in some gaps. I also went to school with his daughter Claire. It’s strange that we’ve got these intertwining connections,” says the 46-year-old.
Stefan, who was born in Wednesbury, served with West Midlands Police from 1975 until 2005, including more than a decade with the mounted branch. He started writing his book during the Covid lockdown and described it as fulfilling a ‘bucket list’ dream.
Rebecca first put pen to paper in 2015 and her first thriller was published in 2019. “I decided to write the book I wanted to read because I couldn’t find it,” she says.
Love, loss, suspense and chills are the main ingredients of Rebecca’s books and her fifth book book, titled Ivy Cottage, is due to be published on November 30.
Now the friends are working together to promote their books and motivate and encourage each other with their writing.
They have also organised a ‘meet the author’ event, titled Fact Meets Fiction, at the Museum of Cannock Chase in Hednesford on November 29 where they will talk about their books.
“It’s a new experience, I’ve never done anything like before. I’ve always played down what I do but Stefan has encouraged me to be more confident and to be proud of what I’ve done,” says Rebecca.
Stefan says his new friend has spurred him on with writing the next instalment of his fictionalised memoirs. “She’s great fun, vibrant and she’s given me the kick I needed to get on with my second book,” he tells Weekend.
“We’re also going to work together on getting our first audio books out into the world.”
Tickets to Fact Meets Fiction cost £8, which includes tea/coffee and homemade cake. Contact the museum on 01543 877666 or visit inspiringhealthylifestyles.org/events/fact-meets-fiction to book a place. For more information about the books, visit www.rebeccaguy.co.uk or tales-of-stefanwild.uk
