East Anglia Collection
During my time living in the East of England and commuting from the Cambridgeshire Fens to London I wrote a series of verses and satirical sketches which were also published by Cambridge News. I also produced a series of travel reports that were broadcast by Anglia News. I further wrote my first full-length novel here, based on the North Norfolk Coast.
Now retired and living on the western side of the country, I write fiction based around my new home in Worcestershire. There will also be a 'companion volume' of Verses from The West.
Now retired and living on the western side of the country, I write fiction based around my new home in Worcestershire. There will also be a 'companion volume' of Verses from The West.
verses from the east
I lived in East Anglia for nearly two thirds of my life. My earliest memories are of walking along riverbanks and ancient droves, occasionally also venturing to the neighbouring village – Helpston – and tramping over heathland once surveyed and recorded so poetically by John Clare.
Later – and for 25 years - I became a commuter into London. Inspired by my days back in the Fens, and observations of characters and scenes taking place inside and outside of railway carriages, this is a collection of freeform verses that – no matter where my mind or body roams – continues to take me back there; and perhaps many of you for the first time!
Verses include The Ticket Collector who inspected my regular tickets for railway journeys from Cambridge to London; No candlelight in the morning about my late grandfather's journey from his tiny Fenland village to the Western Front; Sense about a little boy clinging to his mother’s hand as they are on the move again, their destination seemingly unknown to either of them, and For Charlotte, riding high about a little girl who drowned in a tragic accident in the Ramsey Forty Foot drain.
Hopefully these verses will capture the loneliness, but also the hope contained within this vast flat and watery landscape.
You can buy this book on Amazon. Just search for the title or 'Mark Rasdall' in any Amazon store and the title will appear. You can download the digital version to a Kindle or Kindle app on PC, iPad, iPhone and other devices.
The book is available in Kindle Unlimited too.
The print edition is also available from all good bookshops, worldwide.
ISBN: 9798311477444
Later – and for 25 years - I became a commuter into London. Inspired by my days back in the Fens, and observations of characters and scenes taking place inside and outside of railway carriages, this is a collection of freeform verses that – no matter where my mind or body roams – continues to take me back there; and perhaps many of you for the first time!
Verses include The Ticket Collector who inspected my regular tickets for railway journeys from Cambridge to London; No candlelight in the morning about my late grandfather's journey from his tiny Fenland village to the Western Front; Sense about a little boy clinging to his mother’s hand as they are on the move again, their destination seemingly unknown to either of them, and For Charlotte, riding high about a little girl who drowned in a tragic accident in the Ramsey Forty Foot drain.
Hopefully these verses will capture the loneliness, but also the hope contained within this vast flat and watery landscape.
You can buy this book on Amazon. Just search for the title or 'Mark Rasdall' in any Amazon store and the title will appear. You can download the digital version to a Kindle or Kindle app on PC, iPad, iPhone and other devices.
The book is available in Kindle Unlimited too.
The print edition is also available from all good bookshops, worldwide.
ISBN: 9798311477444
Railway Lines: Views from a commuter
In 1993 we moved as a family out of London and back to my country roots in Cambridgeshire. Born and brought up in Peterborough – on the other side of the county – I had been used to train journeys down the ‘main line’ from home to King’s Cross. Cambridgeshire ‘boasted’ some of the most densely packed commuter trains in the country and yet Littleport station, when I first used it, was little more than a concrete platform with a tiny waiting room which was always closed and locked. I never did see any bodies in there, but there may have been…
These sketches are borne mainly out of frustration with railway travel but also a fascination with seemingly limitless English eccentricity. Railway officialdom, passengers and unexpected situations are described in satirical fashion including ludicrous questions asked at the ticket office; the commuter who insisted on setting up a mobile office environment; the eating habits of a bearded explorer, not to mention former actors, high-powered executives and ladies who lunch on each other's weaknesses.
Some of these stories were first published online in Cambridge News.
This title was published in February 2025 in both print and Kindle formats and available in all amazon stores. Just search for this title or Mark Rasdall in any amazon store and the titles will appear. You can download the digital version to a Kindle or Kindle app on PC, iPad, iPhone and other devices.
The book is available in Kindle Unlimited too.
The print edition is also available from all good bookshops, worldwide.
ISBN: 9798309675203
Volumes One and Two are also available individually on Amazon as digital downloads only.
tales from waxling beach
Unlock the Mystery of the Past in This Gripping Tale of Secrets, Love, and Discovery
Set in the summer of 2007, Tales from Waxling Beach follows a televised archaeological dig near the lost village of Waxling on the North Norfolk coast. Over 19 days, a team of experts unearths something far more elusive than ancient artifacts—a mystery that seems to span generations, linking the present with the area’s haunting past.
As an ominous flood looms, the people of the region are torn between their fear of nature’s wrath and the fragile relationships that could break down once again. For PR executive Nick Golding, this unease is deeply personal. A sense of loss haunts him, one that stretches back to a childhood summer in Norfolk in 1967—the legendary ‘Summer of Love.’
Will Nick uncover the truth behind his unsettling feelings and discover the long-buried secrets of his past? Can he be reconciled to his personal history and save his marriage, or will the investigation into Waxling's mysteries tear it all apart?
Set against the backdrop of the technological revolution reshaping the world, Nick’s journey is one of truth, transparency, and self-discovery. As his London agency, Prindle Massey, faces massive changes driven by the rise of social media, Nick must confront not just the past—but his own future.
Tales from Waxling Beach is a gripping exploration of love, loss, and the quest for answers in an ever-changing world.
This title was published in August 2017 in both print and Kindle formats and available in all amazon stores. Just search for this title or Mark Rasdall in any amazon store and the titles will appear. You can download the digital version to a Kindle or Kindle app on PC, iPad, iPhone and other devices.
The book is available in Kindle Unlimited too.
The print edition is also available from all good bookshops, worldwide.
ISBN: 9781975712983
Set in the summer of 2007, Tales from Waxling Beach follows a televised archaeological dig near the lost village of Waxling on the North Norfolk coast. Over 19 days, a team of experts unearths something far more elusive than ancient artifacts—a mystery that seems to span generations, linking the present with the area’s haunting past.
As an ominous flood looms, the people of the region are torn between their fear of nature’s wrath and the fragile relationships that could break down once again. For PR executive Nick Golding, this unease is deeply personal. A sense of loss haunts him, one that stretches back to a childhood summer in Norfolk in 1967—the legendary ‘Summer of Love.’
Will Nick uncover the truth behind his unsettling feelings and discover the long-buried secrets of his past? Can he be reconciled to his personal history and save his marriage, or will the investigation into Waxling's mysteries tear it all apart?
Set against the backdrop of the technological revolution reshaping the world, Nick’s journey is one of truth, transparency, and self-discovery. As his London agency, Prindle Massey, faces massive changes driven by the rise of social media, Nick must confront not just the past—but his own future.
Tales from Waxling Beach is a gripping exploration of love, loss, and the quest for answers in an ever-changing world.
This title was published in August 2017 in both print and Kindle formats and available in all amazon stores. Just search for this title or Mark Rasdall in any amazon store and the titles will appear. You can download the digital version to a Kindle or Kindle app on PC, iPad, iPhone and other devices.
The book is available in Kindle Unlimited too.
The print edition is also available from all good bookshops, worldwide.
ISBN: 9781975712983