TEN stories that with tongue firmly in cheek romp along the border of fact and fantasy dipping into crime, romance, wistful adventure, celebrity spookery and hospital spoofery.

Each tale is self contained but inhabits the same half-woken dreamscape. Where a Tudor Queen with a fatal attraction brings slaughter to a country wedding; Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison raise spirits in a Paris cemetery with a storming duet; Keef's pet puppy brings chaos to a Stones' concert during an escapade of sex, drugs and rock 'n' stroll; and a pill designed to perk up giant pandas is doing wonders for the
love lives of folk festival fans.

The trail continues with a stop off in London for a tour of Shakespeare's old haunts. Alas poor guide, they have been hijacked by musical hall turns. Then it's off to France to join in Reynard's retirement dream of busking, armed with a squeezebox and just one tune.

An a la carte menu with a generous portion of humour and a sprinkling of parody. Those with a distaste for vain politicians, town planners, and profiteering hospital are also catered for. Ardent royalists, poetry purists, folkies with a finger in their ear, and local politicians who own white dinner jackets may find it unpalatable.

Written by journalist Steve Chilton, the stories feature several locations in his native Midlands, including Coventry Cathedral and Kenilworth Castle.