In 1973 Peter Clawson co-wrote a book “Blond Genius” with J T Edson who became famous for writing about cowboys (Western novels). Edson came from Worksop Nottinghamshire and lived in Melton Mowbray Leicestershire. I spoke with Peter Clawson about Blond Genius when we last met in Grantham. The concept of the book Blond Genius was all Peter Clawson’s idea.
He told me that the 1980 film THE WILDCATS OF ST. TRINIAN’S, took a lot from the book Blond Genius but there was no credit given to them. The first two or three chapters of Blond Genius are pretty well copied in the film. They were paid £1,000 by Border Films for the option.
British broadcaster Esther Rantzen featured Peter Clawson and JT Edson on her television programme That’s Life. Peter said the programme set up “Special Gunfight at the Melton Corale” Peter says he beat JT Edson to the draw but they wouldn’t let him win. He had to do it again and lose for television!
All 30,000 copies of Blond Genius sold out.
He’s just published a new book, “Smash and Grab”.
Peter Clawson, a former Grantham Journal reporter, has published a new book ‘Smash and Grab’ available on Amazon
It is a tale of “crazy things” that starts in a Tesco car park, where a man is waiting for his girlfriend, but all of a sudden, a naked girl appears and demands he drives off in a hurry. They then go through a whole series of escapes and it ends up with them trying to sink the Isle of Man,” said Peter, 84, who still lives in Grantham.
“It all began when I was 12 years old. I said I was going to do everything once in my life and my biggest mission was to get a book published.”
“I was also part of the Grantham Writers. In the 1990s, we had a section for novelists and we had to write a chapter every month. I would have these pictures come into my head and then they would become the story.”
Peter worked with Phil Kerry, from Corby Glen, who helped to publish Peter’s book.
“Phil and his son said my book was written by a genius”
“If people just want to completely escape from the awful realities we have in the world, then read my book.”