Fiction
It Cracks Like Breaking Skin
Strides
Are You With Me?
Non-Fiction
She Stood There Laughing
The Book of Lists: Football
Walking Ollie
Along Came Dylan
From Working Class Hero to Absolute Disgrace (an 80s Memoir)
…And She Laughed No More (Stoke City’s [First] Premiership Adventure)
US Editions
Walking Ollie (Amazon)
Walking Ollie (Barnes & Noble)
Fetching Dylan (Amazon)
Fetching Dylan (Barnes & Noble)
E-Books/Editions
She Stood There Laughing 2011
Walking Ollie
Along Came Dylan
Stephen Foster's Blog 
Hello Stephen,
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading ‘She Stood There Laughing’, actually read it three years ago but it inspired me to have a go at writing myself and I’ve since had two books published on following Coventry City (who as you quite correctly wrote, are mostly crap!) which are memoirs of my 34 years of suffering. Would it be ok to send you a copy of my second book ‘It’ll Be Different Next Year:More Life In the Football League’ for a review/opinion, only 120 pages so wouldn’t take you too long! If its not possible I won’t be offended and good luck with ‘And She Laughed No More’, i’ll be buying it!
Regards
Steve Phelps
Thornbury, South Gloucestershire
Good work The Mr Steve Phelps.
Uncannily, my home from home is down in the wee village of Kington, darn rowd from you in Thornbury. Also found Foster’s books a mighty giggle, esp when the banter imparts on the four legged friends.
Surely now safely away from the black country you find candour in joyful visits to The Gate amongst sobbering walkies around thorbugs, Oldbury and the Severn.
Since moving East last year, Stan and Will have to make do with the sticky ploughed flat fields of Norfolk. Despite rather desperate support, the footer team are a shocker. Though the coast is good for play.
Drink up ye cyder,
W & S
Hi Steve: enjoyed your book very much, will be thinking about you fighting for the remote control tonight (or are you going?)
Is it worth me putting a tenner on a Coventry win?
(Have lost your email, of course)
all best, S
Confession time.. I’m one of the bad brigade who judge a book by it’s cover so, when I was looking for something to read from my’ to read pile’,until last weekend, I’d always deferred reading your book ‘Are You With Me’ as a lighter read(although highly recommeded by my teenage son) Absorbing – yes, Brilliant – Yes, Refreshing – Yes. Lighter – No. That’ll teach me! Looking forward already to reading some of your other work and leaving it in his room.
typo ( recommended )
Hello Han and thanks so much for that review: I’d be very interested to know which cover it was – the trade paperback with the motorbike and heart was a jacket I loved, the mass market ‘misery’ with the boy and dog on the other hand I loathed, but I could not make the publishers change their minds…
Stick with me kid … all best wishes, S
You were right – ‘fraid it was the mass market.
Of course, that was the problem for me – there was not much correlation between the imagery of that cover and the words inside…
Still at least you got past it, and good for you for that…
Is Fetching Dylan the same as Along came Dylan, just for America, or is it different?
It’s the same book with amended Americanizations on spellings but also including an afterword about the passing of Ollie…
Hi there,
Having started with your ‘FWCHTMCD’ – I can say that I am on my third book of yours. I am also a Potteries exile and live in Sleaford – I guess coming from Norwich way you will have sampled the McDonalds at the Holdingham roundabout on the A17!
How come someone from Tunstall supports Stoke? I was born in 1963 and was growing up through their ‘glory years’ (beaten semi finalists – my old man said that they were cheated by the Arse on both occassions) 72 winners – Greenhoff, Ritchie, Smith etc – and yet I never felt the urge to get behind them – even though Waddington was a top bloke……Anyway enough rambling, I’m now reading your latest SCFC propaganda. You know what if I ever get down and depressed I always have a look at the ‘oatcake’ to brighten me up. B good – Kev
Welcome to the blog Kev. I am not the only one – there are plenty of gloryhunters from the north of the city – the esteemed editor of the Oatie himself is from Fegg Hayes! 🙂
Hi Stephen,
After reading “She stood there laughing” a few years ago, I’ve loved your writing style. Your squeal “And she laughed no more” doesn’t just have one of the best book titles I’ve ever known, but it surpasses your original Stoke book. You encapsulate what it’s like to support an unfashionable club. I’ve been a season ticket holder at my local side Hinckley United for ten years (Blue Square North, one level below Blue Square Premier and two below League Two) and have always had to endure being ridiculed like the fat kid in the playground by the Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal “fans” at work. This bearing in mind I work in Leicester and most of these “fans” have never been to manchester or wherever!
Anyway, I’ve just ordered another of your books “From working class hero to absolute disgrace” and I’m looking forward to reading it when I’m on my night shift next week.
I really hope you come out with another Stoke City tale to complete a perfect hat-trick. Any plans too?
Also would you be able to sign my copy of “ASLNM” if I sent it onto you? Cheers matey, and more power to the Pulis Hating Wankstains!
Thanks for taking the time to send this Lee, it’s most appreciated. I’ll post you an address to send ASLNM to for a ritual signing by email.
I hope you enjoy the WC Hero, and good luck to ‘The Knitters’ in their promotion push : )
As I said in another post, I absolutely loved ‘She Stood There Laughing,” and I am so delighted to hear that there is a sequel. I didn’t read SSTL until after Stoke were in the Prem so reading your bafflement at what Pulis was doing those early days made me smile! As the other bloke said, you inspired me to write about soccer as well. Of course I have the distict disadvantage of being an American soccer fan. However, I wrote about the high school team I coached in rural America (i.e. the land without soccer) and a fictional book about professional soccer in America (if you think the FA does stupid things, you’d just love the MLS).
Anyway, I’m looking forward to reading more of your works.
Rory From the Middle Of America
Hooray! …And She Laughed No More came in the mail today, just in time for a small ice storm and likely two days off work! Now if I can just figure out a way to keep the wife and kid quiet for a couple days….
Also, I’m not a dog person so forgive me for my stupidity, but what breed are your dogs?
There is only Dylan now Rory, he is a Saluki; Ollie (left on header) was a lurcher; half Saluki, half greyhound. Good luck with that book…
Okay, a local university has a Saluki as a mascot but I don’t think I’ve encountered a real one before. I thought it might be one from the other links on your page, but like I said, I’m not really a dog person.
Southern Illinois Salukis’ logo:
