Pipe Dreams

Over more than twenty years working as a plumber, Nick has shared thousands of mugs of tea with hundreds of fascinating people. Here he gives his plumber's-eye view of society in a series of entertaining, amusing and outrageous beneath-the-kitchen-sink dramas. While fixing pipes, Nick was also looking for characters to write about. In his toolbox, in addition to spanners, he had a notebook, which wasn't just for jotting down measurements. And 'the secret plumber' has some great stories to tell, about people who might just be your friends, family or neighbours. There's the frankly terrifying high-court judge, whose wife calls the shots; the divorcing woman, using him to help her build a rather bizarre botox business; and all the wonderful people he meets when his number is posted on Grindr as an LGBTQ+-friendly plumber. This book is Tales of the Unexpected - in overalls. It shows London as it really is: one of the most diverse places on the planet, ranging from downright dangerous to preposterously posh. To Nick, London is a melting pot, filled with an extraordinary variety of fascinating people, who have one thing in common - they all need a plumber! AUTHOR: Nicholas James has a degree in law and politics, which he hated, though he did notice that the lawyer with the best story usually won the case. Having met his wife while they were both working in marketing, he quit his job with the aim of becoming a writer, doing a crash course in plumbing to earn some money on the side. But the plumbing soon became a thriving, full-time business, so writing had to take a back seat. On the plus side, he always had funny, nail-biting plumbing stories to tell. Over twenty years of working as a plumber, Nick has amassed a wealth of material; the pandemic lockdown finally gave him a chance to write his stories down, and Pipe Dreams is the result.