What if you accidentally erased the 1984 charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? A warm, sharply funny British Christmas novel bursting with 80s nostalgia, time-travel chaos, and one impossible choice.

Over 60,000 copies sold worldwide.

When 36-year-old Tash and her younger brother Jamie stumble across a homemade ride their Grandad before passing, they don’t expect it to work—let alone fling them back to October 1984.

They arrive on the day pop star Bob Geldof saw the BBC news report that inspired the historic charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? and the global movement that followed.

Except… now he never sees it.

Because of them.

Suddenly, the timeline is broken: no Band Aid charity single, no USA for Africa, no Live Aid.

Jamie wants to find Bob and fix the future.

Tash wants to get home to her five-month-old baby waiting in 2020.

What would you do? Go to your baby… or save a million others?

Their mission sparks a rollercoaster through vintage London, fading pop careers, disastrous disguises, and the kind of sibling chaos you can only get away with in the 80s.

Along the way, Tash and Jamie discover that saving the world is one thing—saving each other is something else entirely.

Readers say:

“I laughed, I cried. Everybody needs this book.”

“Utterly glorious 80s nostalgia!”

“If Netflix hasn’t picked this up by next Christmas, I’ll be shocked.”

“Brilliantly clever, very funny.”

“A nostalgic 80s epic with a ZX Spectrum time machine—what more do you want?”

Perfect for fans of:

Back to the Future–style time travel with a British twist

Richard Curtis (heart + humour + humanity)

Nick Hornby (sharp wit and flawed, lovable characters)

Beth O’Leary (uplifting fiction about family and connection)

About the author

James Crookes is a bestselling comedy author and long-running UK radio presenter/producer. He writes warm, sharply funny stories about family, nostalgia, and second chances. He lives in Sheffield with his family, fifteen pairs of reading glasses, and a sincere belief that wine solves at least 40% of modern problems.

Two sequels are available: Did They Steal a Million Yet? and Wish You Were Here Yet? Plus a standalone novella, Left At Number 17

Audiobooks are also available, read by the author.

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The good news: Eric's inherited his father's pristine Aston Martin DB4. The bad news? Everything else.

When Eric Sibley inherits his father's beloved Aston Martin DB4, he discovers there's an outrageous catch - he must tend to his father's allotment. Every week. For two years. For a London executive whose idea of gardening is buying pre-cut salad from Waitrose, this is nothing short of absurd.

Between cantankerous allotment holders, a catastrophic incident with a mini-excavator, and suspicious herbs that may or may not be illegal, Eric's life is careening towards chaos. His marriage is teetering on the brink, his career is hanging by a thread, and the allotment committee seems determined to make his life as difficult as possible.

Could there be more to this inheritance than just an aging car and an overgrown allotment, or is Eric's father playing one final trick from beyond the grave?

Perfect for fans of witty British fiction and anyone who knows that sometimes the best things in life start with a little chaos.

From Tejas Desai, multiple award-winning, Amazon #1 bestselling master of vividly realistic, thought-provoking and riveting fiction, comes one of the most ambitious and innovative books of the decade: BAD AMERICANS, or The Great American Pandemic Novel.

Inspired by classics like The Decameron & The Canterbury Tales, as well as reality shows like The Bachelor and Big Brother, BAD AMERICANS is a Novel and Short Story Collection IN ONE.

It's Summer 2020 and the Covid-19 Pandemic is raging. New York City has been locked down for months. 12 diverse Americans, lonely and single, are selected via a dating app competition by billionaire Olive Mixer to stay at his ornate Hamptons mansion complex for 12 nights.

During the day, the guests meet, compete, date, dine, flirt and fight. Each night, one must tell the group a story.

Their tales range widely in subject, style, length and decorum. Many stories respond to each other. They trigger passionate debate and fiery resistance. They change how characters perceive each other and affect the trajectory of the frame narrative. They make us ponder the nature of storytelling itself.

More importantly, each story portrays a different aspect of American life in a vivid, accurate, innovative, entertaining and thought-provoking way.

All 12 stories can be enjoyed independently and are being published as eBooks ahead of the publication of the frame novel to be released in two Parts. Please scroll down for the full release schedule.

In BAD AMERICANS: PART I, you'll meet the powerful personalities and read the entertaining stories of: Andrea Mendoza, a front line nurse; Taylor Williams, a conservative former Army Lieutenant; Cathy Wei Quan, an idealistic social work student; Ricard Shaw, a QAnon-influenced biker; Rashan Hall, an elementary school teacher; and Nalini Shah, a privileged lawyer.

In BAD AMERICANS: PART II, you'll hear from: Hayley Clark, a beautiful model; Pritesh Lakshmi, a neurotic engineer; Lisa Applebaum, a liberal blogger; Khassan Murdashev, an Uber driver and part-time comic; Sylvania, a seamstress and former fashion icon; and Angela Diaz, a hair salon operator.

In both you'll experience drama and love unfold between them!

BAD AMERICANS PARTS I & II are the next volumes in the anthology series THE HUMAN TRAGEDY. Kirkus Reviews said the first volume, GOOD AMERICANS, "speaks volumes about the human condition and modern life in America."

Current Publishing Schedule for BAD AMERICANS:

Individual internal stories released as Kindle eBooks:

"On the Frontlines" (aka Andrea's Story, novelette) -- March 15, 2025

"Immigrants Unite!" (aka Cathy's Story, spoken word poetic tale) -- April 15, 2025

"Corona Chaos" (aka Taylor's Story, short story) -- May 15, 2025

"Black Boy's Ballad" (aka Rashan's Story, novella) -- June 15, 2025

"Mason Mayhem" (aka Ricard's Story, novelette) -- July 15, 2025

"Love Liability" (aka Nalini's Story, novelette) -- August 15, 2025

Part One of Novel containing six stories above, in hardcover, paperback, and eBook format:

BAD AMERICANS PART I (frame novel with six stories) -- September 15, 2025

Individual internal stories released as Kindle eBooks:

"Barcelona Blasphemy" (aka Lisa's Story, novelette) -- October 15, 2025

"ISIS Crisis" (aka Khassan's Story, short story) -- November 15, 2025

"A Model Citizen" (aka Hayley's Story, novelette) -- December 15, 2025

"Cape Conundrum" (aka Pritesh's Story, novelette) -- January 15, 2026

"The Manchurian Algerian" (aka Sylvania's Story, novelette) -- February 15, 2026

"Dope Double Ditty" (aka Angela's Story, novella) -- March 15, 2026

Part Two of Novel containing six stories above, in hardcover, paperback, and eBook format:

BAD AMERICANS PART II (frame novel with six stories) -- April 15, 2026

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Book one of THE RACHAEL O’BRIEN CHRONICLES introduces Rachael O'Brien, whose plan to study Art History turns into a laugh-out-loud romp of misadventure. It’s 1986, the era of Pop Rocks, Jelly shoes, and big hair rock bands when she enrolls in a southern college intending to earn a degree, party, and meet cute guys—hopefully acing the latter two. She has barely had time to acquaint herself to the dorm food before finding herself threatened by a jealous She-Devil, fending off the advances of a thirty-something redneck, and stumbling upon an art fraud scheme. To top things off, her parents go their separate ways: her mom to follow a psychic calling; her dad adrift in his midlife crisis.Bad decision-making, law-bending behavior, and surprise romances make freshman year memorable in Paisley Ray’s DEEP FRIED AND PICKLED.