The author has drawn on his own varied life experiences, having been forced to go into an orphanage at the age of 7 after he lost his father in a motorcycle accident.  Finding solace in writing, illustrating and making his own books, he used any materials he could find, even cardboard to make the covers.  This was when the very first ideas about  ‘Ambrose and the Mermaid’ came to him.  Don's passion for writing took him straight to a profession in journalism.  The war was in progress and by late 1941 Don was in the army.  Deep in the Burmese jungle, he would keep his spirits up by formulating more of the story of ‘Ambrose and the Mermaid.’  Once war service ended, he would start to write in earnest, thus Ambrose’s voice was born.  Having started writing the book in the late 1940s, it had to be put aside to attend to the pressing need of earning a living.  Fearing he might forget his inspiration, it was carefully recorded in a set of shorthand notes entitled ‘The Underwater Ballet.’  Don worked for many press agencies and Fleet Street newspapers before moving to Southampton (UK) to work for The Southern Evening Echo.   Picking up writing the story again many times throughout his lifetime, ‘Ambrose and the Mermaid’ was completed by 1978, with changes still being made up until 1982.  Don is also known (along with his brother Roger) for writing the romantic comedy cinema release:  ‘What The Butler Saw’, made in 1950 by Hammer Films. 

Written in the style of times gone by, it has a timeless appeal which will warm your heart.  This book has everything:  love, war, life, death, right, wrong, romance, failure, achievement, consequences, the power of communication, but most of all it carries a message of hope - for its ‘human’ readers.  No one will fail to be moved by the life lessons portrayed with great humour, so charmingly set beneath the sea, depicted by colourful characters, all with memorable names.  Everyone will have their favourite!   Young, old or somewhere in-between, written for all ages, this is a story you will come to love!