A unique and gloriously nostalgic account of one eventful year in the fire service for readers who loved books such as CALL THE MIDWIFE and TRUST ME, I'M A VET and the brand new ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL. Nothing about the county fire service was quite what Malcolm expected when he joined the watch in Shrewsbury. As the newest member of the service he was first in line when swans terrorised the high street - and when a flock of owls got stuck on the roof of his local pub. Eighteen years old and more than ready to rush into burning buildings to save fair damsels in distress, young Malcolm soon realised he was more likely to be jumping into slurry pits and rivers to rescue any number of unfortunate animals. But for all the embarrassing situations Malcolm found himself in there were heart-stopping dramas too - and tragic farm and house fires. As he learns on the job and begins to win the respect of the old-timers, Malcolm starts to feel that maybe, one day, he just might make it as a fireman. But first he has to catch the eye of the smiley secretary in the office opposite the station ... Funny, moving and gloriously nostalgic, All Fired Up paints a unique portrait of rural Britain - and shows just how surprising a fireman's life can be.

Tales of a country fireman from Shropshire, by the author of ALL FIRED UP and GREAT BALES OF FIRE. A perfect combination of heroism and nostalgia. Ideal for fans of the brand new series ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL It's 1987 and 26-year-old Malcolm Castle is going up in the world. He's made it through eight long years as a rookie fire-fighter and he's become an accepted member of Red Watch in Shrewsbury. The town's glorious medieval streets and the rolling hills of Shropshire look infinitely peaceful. But Malcolm knows they will always spring plenty of surprises. In Going to Blazes the endlessly varied nature of Malcolm's work triggers plenty of laughs, as he comes to the aid of different sorts of animals, vehicles and people in difficulty - and sometimes a combination of all three. Some of the most surprising incidents he recalls include a road blocked with 35 tonnes of turnips, and a call-out to a woman stuck between the floorboards of her upstairs bathroom. But he also faces some of the most emotional rescues of his career. Both funny and touching, Malcolm Castle's book is a unique celebration of the glorious English countryside.

More tales of a country fireman, from the author of ALL FIRED UP. Perfect for fans of HEARTBEAT or the brand new TV series ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL. It's the early 1980s and rookie fireman Malcolm Castle is set to take on the biggest challenge of his life. After three years bouncing around in the back of the country fire-engine, he's about to start driving it! At just 22-years-old - less than half the age of many of his colleagues - he's set to thunder through the narrow streets of one of England's most beautiful medieval towns and speed out across the glorious Shropshire countryside. But while his responsibilities are changing fast, almost everything else in Malcolm's life stays the same. Despite facing his fair share of car accidents, house and farm fires, he still seems to spend an awful lot of time answering a string of unlikely and unexpected emergency calls. He rescues shortsighted dogs from frozen lakes, newborn lambs from flooded golf-courses, a pair of angry cows from a busy dual carriageway - and even a hot-footed hamster from a burning cage. Backed up by a heartwarming cast of fellow firemen, Malcolm's enthusiasm for his job and his life are as infectious as ever. So whether it is cats up trees or trees on cars, follow Malcolm as he takes to the wheel for another crazy year in the country fire brigade. Told with the same gentle humour as his first book, ALL FIRED UP, and full of even more extraordinary real-life anecdotes, Shropshire's longest-serving fireman is back - a little older, a little wiser, and even more convinced he has the best job in the world.