Drew Gummerson

A flamingo neon light in the corner of a living room.

A parrot shaped lamp stand with a blue shade in th kitchen.

Tonight’s lighting is brought to you by parrots and flamingos.

Making a Gummerson flat a Gummerson flat TM.

On fly tipping, sharing good news, some good news and a book festival. Someone has dumped a fridge outside my flat.

New substack is up.

On fly tipping, sharing good news, some good news, and a book festival.

#IndiePublishing
#Books

substack.com/@drewgummers...

In bed, drinking coffee, writing Tom and got an email acceptance for another story, Frank. Now waiting on answers for Wilbur, Rodney, Mickey, Dave, and Kurt I need to send off. This is my ‘Men’ collection.

In bed, drinking coffee, writing Tom and got an email acceptance for another story, Frank. Now waiting on answers for Wilbur, Rodney, Mickey, Dave, and Kurt I need to send off. This is my ‘Men’ collection.

Where does inspiration come from? Yesterday at work a member of staff told me she goes to the zoo every week. That’d be a great story. Do you mind? Give me a man’s name, I said, I’m writing a series of stories, each one about a man. Tom, she said. So now I’m sat in bed drinking coffee writing Tom.

On mania and creativity. I have some new glasses.

On Mania and Creativity.

New substack up.

Written before work, dogs staring at me, wanting walk. The usual.

open.substack.com/pub/drewgumm...

On mania and creativity. I have some new glasses.

On Mania and Creativity.

New substack up.

Written before work, dogs staring at me, wanting walk. The usual.

open.substack.com/pub/drewgumm...

Islanders' Book Club • Join Bob Inasip • 29 Apr 2025 • O Drew Gummerson's previous novel, Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel was a laugh riot. My sense of humor is quite strange so, generally, a book which is said to be funny and makes me laugh once is a feat. Seven Nights had me going on continuously. I'm glad to say that Saltburn, Drew Gummerson's latest has made me do the same. As an added bonus every single page just had me going on non stop. That's not only a good sign, it's a near miracle. The second I read the line about a group of kids covering themselves in ketchup in order to pretend that they have suffered from radiation burns set me off.

Saltburn is a collection of interconnected short stories. All take place in the aforementioned actual town (and a couple in France) Although each story features a different character. lots of details crop up, Namely a ruling business family called Evans, a carnival, an aquarium and a gift shop where the store owner displays an ever shifting list of prices. In the meantime you have seals, mermaids, an endless amount of surreal TV shows, one particular is called You Can Beat it - which consist of people running naked in a forest. Suspicious fishermen, Muppets and deep sea divers. I'm just skimming the surface. This is the kind of wall to wall wackiness seen in Voltaire and Isabel Waidner.

However. like the two authors above, there is a method to Drew Gummerson's madness, Underneath the yuks (and some yucks) there are some pretty serious topics being examined. The first story may be a surreal coming of age story but there are weighty topics like gay aversion theory, parental loss and mental illness. Other stories will focus on mass consumerism, homophobia, social class and media manipulation. As l mentioned though, these issues are heavily disguised under dollops of slapstick. This is first class satire. Saltburn is an absolute pleasure to read. I cannot help but mention the humor but it does take a lot to make me laugh, and yet this was done so effortlessly. I've always stated that humour, when used properly, is a powerful weapon. In this case Drew Gummerson has created one bazooka of a book.

As Saltburn’s 1st birthday approaches here’s a pretty fine review.

“This is the kind of wall to wall wackiness seen in Voltaire and Isabel Waidner.”

renardpress.com/books/saltbu...

A tiny woollen flamingo stands on a shelf holding a sign. Positive Flamingo I may be a tiny flamingo, but 1 believe in you! Go do your thing Stand Tall and Be Flamazing

"Drew Gummerson is one of the funniest writers around - the PG Wodehouse of the flophouse. Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel is a riot. A crazy pink tribute - the most under of underdogs." Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul ٨٠٨ "A gut-wrenching masterpiece of booze-sodden tragicomedy and a genuine cult classic. Drew Gummerson is an incredibly skilful and versatile writer, coming across in Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel like the ghost of Charles Bukowski with a rainbow flag hanging out of his arse pocket." Stu Hennigan, author of Ghost Signs "Probably the most original, exciting and creatively invigorating book I've read this year - like On The Buses meets lain Banks." Jamie Mollart, author of Kings of a Dead World DREW GUMMERSON SEVENNIGHTS# FLAMINGO HOTEL "This is it. You are awake. Hotel Flamingo's resident dishwasher."

If you missed it the first time, the flamingo is back.

Be more flamingo.

Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel

Bookings open:

www.beardedbadgerpublishing.com/online-store...

Ay up me ducks!! We’ll be kicking off our 2026 pop-ups with an appearance at the brilliant market at The Garage in Chilwell this Sunday.

It’s a superb market - loads of great vendors… so if you’re in or around Notts on Sunday and at a loose end… come and pop by!! 😊📚📚📚📚📚

#books #indiebookshop

A tiny woollen flamingo stands on a shelf holding a sign. Positive Flamingo I may be a tiny flamingo, but 1 believe in you! Go do your thing Stand Tall and Be Flamazing

"Drew Gummerson is one of the funniest writers around - the PG Wodehouse of the flophouse. Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel is a riot. A crazy pink tribute - the most under of underdogs." Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul ٨٠٨ "A gut-wrenching masterpiece of booze-sodden tragicomedy and a genuine cult classic. Drew Gummerson is an incredibly skilful and versatile writer, coming across in Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel like the ghost of Charles Bukowski with a rainbow flag hanging out of his arse pocket." Stu Hennigan, author of Ghost Signs "Probably the most original, exciting and creatively invigorating book I've read this year - like On The Buses meets lain Banks." Jamie Mollart, author of Kings of a Dead World DREW GUMMERSON SEVENNIGHTS# FLAMINGO HOTEL "This is it. You are awake. Hotel Flamingo's resident dishwasher."

If you missed it the first time, the flamingo is back.

Be more flamingo.

Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel

Bookings open:

www.beardedbadgerpublishing.com/online-store...

And not even started cleaning. Just made a coffee. But of course the story has to be which son he would choose to throw out of the balloon in case of an emergency. (I’ve been reading a lot of Etgar Keret and this is perfectly Keret.)

Story sent off. Read it again. Still made me cry. Next up is a new short story, Zack, about a man who has a hot air balloon and four children all from different women. That’s all I’ve got but I’ll come up with a story as I do the cleaning this morning. Bought Genesis Greatest Hits on vinyl.

🤣😳

Dunelm!

A lamp in the shape of a parrot.

Pay day. Bought a lamp in the shape of a parrot. Booked a weekend in Scarborough (my home 50 years ago). £40 return on train. Sat in bed this morning editing last week’s story. Made me sob all way through. Good sign. Happy days.

Having finished it last year sent my Tom Cruise collection off. That’ll be its 1st submission. It contains 13 published stories. A prize winner. A Pushcart nomination. And in other news the chipolatas are going out of date today so it’s sausage and leftover curry for tea. Celebration.

Nile Hilton Incident was good. Egyptian noir 👍. Wrote a new story in bed this morning. 2000 words. 4 coffees. Walked dogs. Now to clean bike for 1st of seven shifts starting tomorrow. Then circuits. Then dinner. Bed. No wine.

It was great. Brilliantly directed. And the biggest nose in movies. I want to watch Roxanne again.

The similarity hits me too.

Picture from sofa of floor - Dogs flamingo toy dehumidifier rug Keshed book.

Dogs, slipper, flamingo toy, dehumidifier, Keshed @stuhennigan.bsky.social - you’re on top of James Kelman’s Not Not While the Giro. Do you know The Bevel? That’s such a great story. Enjoying Keshed!

It’s a line in Sting’s song about Crisp so I knew that well.

“I don’t drink coffee, I drink tea my dear.
I eat my bananas with a knife and fork.
I’m an Englishman in New York.”

New substack is up. Featuring a Maximo Park concert, a book launch @kevinboniface.bsky.social @davidcollard.bsky.social and some thoughts on short stories, Elvis and bananas.

substack.com/@drewgummers...

New substack is up. Featuring a Maximo Park concert, a book launch @kevinboniface.bsky.social @davidcollard.bsky.social and some thoughts on short stories, Elvis and bananas.

substack.com/@drewgummers...

Ah yes, the Nile rises in Stockholm 🤣

It’s 0550 on a Sunday morning. I’ve walked the dogs. I’m in bed with a cup of tea about to go through the story I wrote yesterday. I admired Neighbouring Sounds but I didn’t love it. Tonight the Nile Hilton Incident. Some Egyptian noir.

mubi.com/films/neighb...

Today. Been through the story twice. Wrote a new one. Just 300 words. Tonight Kleber Mendonca Filho’s Neighbouring Sounds.

Did someone say Fargo?

Fargo (1996) | MUBI A car salesman plans to wipe out his personal debts by hiring a pair of colorful crooks to kidnap his wife and have her wealthy father pay the ransom. The haphazard scheme turns sour during a routine ...

Thirty years after it came out, the best crime movie ever made. The Coens’ masterpiece. Loved it. Of course. Only improved with age.

mubi.com/films/fargo/...

So that’ll be seven this year. But six in the series. I want to get up to 50. The best thing. I get to read stories every day. Today was some Etgar Keret, Eva Wyles. Tomorrow I’ve got Simon Crump lined up, James Kelman. You write short stories, you read short stories. That’s the deal.