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On the completion of his traineeship at the council, which
included BTEC qualifications studied on day release at both Cleveland Technical
College and Teesside Polytechnic, Mel relinquished his unused right to
countersign passport applications and photographs and left local government
for a period of employment in the private sector. This included stays at WS
Atkins, WA Fairhurst and, perhaps his spiritual home, the now defunct Bullen
Consultants Limited. During this period, interrupted by a bachelor’s degree in
civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield, Mel undertook
a lot of modelling work. Three-dimensional ground modelling work to be precise,
Mel's use of isopachyte analysis being now the thing of legend.
A natural engineer, Mel expanded his capability into that of
hydraulic engineering soon forming quite a reputation in the fields of both
storm water drainage and sewerage design, his skills in this area being such
that he soon earned the honorary title of the Shitman. It's no exaggeration to
state that Mel has forgotten more about storm water attenuation than most
people will ever know.
Feeling more inclined to a digital era the modelling shitman left
the world of roundabout entry deflection and balancing ponds to embark on a
career in information technology. Following a master's degree in information
processing at the University of York, he gained employment in the IT department
of a large financial services organisation. It wasn't his fault. None of it.
Honest.
With respect to the written word, Mel's efficient writing style is
perhaps the requirement of both engineering and computer science to communicate
in a concise manner. The comedy in his literary output being more of a function
of a Teesside upbringing. Mel's first foray into the world of creative writing
came in the form of slogans for leading tee shirt retailer Shot Dead in The
Head. Mel's work included the popular” What Part of Theoretical Physics Do You
Not Understand?” and “If You Can Read This You Are Too Close”.
Upping the word count considerably into that of fictional crime
writing, Mel's first printed work Holmes Volume 1 and the imaginatively titled Holmes Volume 2. The reviews for this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes a
dry-witted, working-class northerner plying his trade in current day
Middlesbrough have been amazing. If you would like a copy of these classics
including their cult cover art, act quickly, they will soon disappear to be
republished as The Accidental Detective series in November 2022.
This will include a new volume of stories including The Darlington Substitution.
and two new feature length stories.
And it doesn’t end there. Mel has now turned his writing skills to
music and Project Melv!s. The debut single from this initiative, Provisionally Yours, was released in September 2021 and was followed up with The Perfect EP at the end of 2021. Work on an album of original music is
currently underway. It’s shaping up to be something quite special.
If you would like an email providing updates on Mel’s various endeavours
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Social Media Links –
https://www.twitter.com/melsmallwriter
https://www.indipenned.com/melsmall
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