Bringing a Remarkable Life Story to Print: Book title:

"CRACKMASK"

A memoir spanning continents, decades, and a lifetime of reinvention, now ready to be published with your help

My name is Eddie, and after more than seven decades of wandering, performing, surviving, and serving, I’m finally putting my story into a book. Not an autobiography in the traditional sense, but a memoir, a collection of the moments, misadventures, and turning points that shaped an unlikely life.

To publish it professionally, with proper editing, layout, ISBN, bar code, and all the essentials, I need to raise £4,000. This will ensure the book is produced to a standard worthy of the journey it contains.

Life Lived in Every Direction

My story begins in the 1950s, when I was six years old, and the world felt far more dangerous than any child should ever have to face. I won’t linger on those early years here; the book tells that part with the care it deserves, but they shaped everything that came after. What I can say is this: the road from there to here has been long, unpredictable, and often unbelievable.

By my teens, I’d become a penniless hippy sleeping under bridges in the 1960s. In my twenties, I married the woman who would later become ex-wife number one, and together we had two children. Not long after, a serious motorbike crash put me in the hospital for an entire year. That accident ended the marriage and, strangely, opened the door to the next chapter of my life.

When I finally hobbled out of that hospital, disabled badge in hand, I stepped into the world as an itinerant busker with nothing but a rucksack and a stubborn belief that life had to be bigger than the one I’d escaped. That belief carried me farther than I could ever have imagined.

In time, I discovered my calling in the most unlikely corner of the human experience: slapstick comedy. The kind of physical humour that makes children roar with laughter and gives adults a moment’s relief from their own troubles. That simple craft became my passport.

It took me across Europe, into the frozen magic of Lapland, through the deserts and cities of the Middle East, along the chaotic roads of India, deep into Southeast Asia, into the United States, through the vastness of China, and on to countless places beyond. I performed, taught, and slowly built a reputation as an internationally respected physical comedian, often compared to Mr Bean, all under the banner of a belief that has guided me for decades: "WE ALL LAUGH IN THE SAME LANGUAGE"

From Street Performer to Founder of a Long-Standing Charity

Eventually, the laughter grew into something larger. Living and performing in Thailand, I founded a charity registered under Royal patronage that has now supported hundreds of thousands of children and families living in extreme poverty. What began as a simple idea, bringing joy and essential goods to people who had none, grew into a long-established organisation recognised across the country.

Along the way, I’ve been honoured with awards from Rotary International, and I was deeply humbled to be named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London, acknowledgements I never sought, but which affirmed the value of a life spent trying to give more than I took.

Why This Memoir Matters

This book isn’t just about the charity, or the performances, or the travels. It’s about the thread that connects them all: the determination to turn hardship into humour, fear into freedom, and pain into purpose. It’s a story for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. For anyone who has survived more than they ever told the world. For anyone who believes that laughter can be a form of healing. And, of course, it’s a legacy for my grandchildren, and for anyone who might find comfort, courage, or companionship in these pages.

Why I’m Asking for Your Help

Professional publishing isn’t cheap, and I want this memoir to be produced with the care it deserves. The £4,000 will cover:

• Professional editing

• Layout and typesetting

• ISBN and bar code

• Cover design

• Publishing setup costs

• Initial print run or digital distribution

I’m not asking for ongoing support, just enough to bring this book into the world properly. I’ll post occasional updates as the project moves forward.

How You Can Be Part of This Story

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps bring this memoir to life. Supporters will be acknowledged in the book, and those who wish can receive a signed copy once it’s printed.

If you’ve ever laughed at one of my shows, volunteered with the charity, crossed paths with me on the road, or simply believe in the power of a well-lived life, I’d be honoured to have your support.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me turn a lifetime of stories into something lasting. This book is the culmination of everything I’ve lived through, the good, the absurd, and the unspeakably difficult, and I’m grateful for every person who helps it find its way into the world.

"THANK YOU"