The Optimist's Apprentice: Will two strong personalities from different walks of life create success or chaos ...

William Shevlin was born in Glasgow shortly after the second world war. Hungry to learn and make something of himself from a young age he started his first business at the age of 8 selling kindle wood to his elderly neighbours. At 11 he was hospitalised with severe kidney failure for over a year but made the best of it by making beaded jewellery and selling it to the staff and patients. Later he joined several bands as a bass guitarist then moved to London and sold a few songs he wrote to a publisher in Tin Pan Alley. He spent a while homeless, found work and board in a cafe and then gained an apprenticeship as a jeweller in Hatton Garden where he grew a successful business for many years. On top of this he played guitar and sang in a music duo up to seven nights a week with his wife. A series of unfortunate events left him bankrupt and then a major stroke at 47 left him disabled on his right side. Despite these challenges his imagination and creativity thrived and he wrote several manuscripts, The Optimists Apprentice is the first to be published.