Well the long wait is over with now!
The book was published while I was in a tent in the Moremi Game Reserve , Botswana.
I had to wait until I was visiting my family in England to see a real copy of the hard cover book for myself.
Whilst I was staying with Nathalie, Matt n Daisy Boo, two local newspapers interviewed me, it was quite exciting for everybody. It was made special that I was there for my daughters birthday and Daisy Boo's too! Not to mention seeing the new arrival of Daniel and Lucy's for the first time - my first sighting of the young (very young - 14 weeks premature to be exact!) Otis was in his incubator.
I am blessed !

GONE TO PUBLISH!

It won't be long, now! Everything has gone up to the publisher except the manuscript and Gibbo's photos. You will soon be reading this moving life story that has taken over two years to write. The book will be published in hard cover, paperback, and e-book and will, within a few weeks after publication, be available on Nook and Kindle. Please congratulate Gibbo by signing on to the blog and leaving him a comment here from time-to-time.

            Through tears of remembrance, Gibbo relives the pain of loss that sends him spiraling into despondency as childhood dreams are dashed on the rocks of bereavement. He takes to the soccer ball that is his bastion, to the game that identifies him, learning that there is eventually a reprieve and he must make the exchange of beauty for ashes if he is to move on in life.

Follow Gibbo as he coaches and teaches soccer in the Black Country of England, in America, and with his soccer camps the world over, including Coaching for Conservation in Botswana, Africa.

But far more emotional than Gibbo’s trials and triumphs in the world of soccer is the thought of his grandchildren a continent away, growing older and taller by the day, and he is not there to see it happen. He learns a man’s worth is not measured in dollars and cents or in British pound but in a job well done whether in Europe, South Asia, Africa, or the USA, and that the icing on his cake is an annual trip to The Black Country of England to strengthen the ties that bind.

Jane Bennett Gaddy

Writer for GIBBO

DAISY BOO—

—the lovely little gift from above, newest and youngest of Gibbo's granddaughters! If there is anything more precious, Coach Gibbo doesn't recognize it. He has four beautiful granddaughters. Some folks wait a lifetime to get that many girls in one family. Gibbo is blessed beyond mention.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Eyes big and blue and liquid as the ocean

Lips, sweet and red as a summer's rose

Cheeks awaiting Mama's kiss

A million baby thoughts stirring in that

infant-precious head.

Mischievous, cunning, brilliant—

All the blessings of Baby Boo!

She will soothe the harshest day,

Relieve the pain of the longest night.

Is there anything, anyone, can take her place?

Oh, nothing, no one!

God makes no mistakes.

He gives the good and perfect gift,

The gift of life and love and laughter and a million

days of endless pleasure.

Jane Bennett Gaddy
Writer for GIBBO
Trinity, FL

OUR GIBBO

 

Crafted with enormous appeal, GIBBO is a moving account that sweeps the reader into the world of a young lad born and raised in the Black Country of England in the shadow of The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion, Gibbo’s football team then and forever. He finds refuge among the legends of England in the halls of its School of Excellence there in the West Midlands, a place rich in history and steeped in the glory of medieval times.

COMING SOON! 

You will finally be privileged to hold a hard cover 

copy of GIBBO and read his life story from beginning to end, a story certain to be read over and over again.

Jane Bennett Gaddy
Trinity, Florida USA
Writer for GIBBO

Posted 16th November 2011 by Jane B. Gaddy

 

ABOUT LIFE—

FROM GIBBO

You can, if you have the greater desire, teach someone

how to do a thing so well that you give them your passion.

You can light their fire and then you can stand proudly

alongside them while they show the world 
what they’ve learned about team.

About heart. 
About power. 
About success. 
About life.

Paul André Gibbons

Jane Bennett Gaddy, Ph.D.

Writer for GIBBO

World Class Soccer Coach 

WELCOME HOME, GIBBO!


Our globetrotter is finally home from India, Botswana, England and other ports of call—a full summer, indeed; and with one more read and edit, we will be ready to publish this book! Now is a good time to do so before summer comes to a close and Gibbo gears up for the fall, gathering his soccer teams around him and bearing down in another year of great teaching and learning experiences in the world of footy.

A huge highlight of the fall season, as Gibbo has announced, is that Alex Tesevic with Racing Club de Strasbourg will be guest coach for soccer camp at Leighton Park, Palm City, Florida again this year, August 8-12. 

Paul refers to Alex as The French Lad in terms of endearment, always happy to have this great friend, great coach, fly in from France to join him in the love of their lives—Football! Gibbo has promised that I can get to meet Alex this time, and I plan to hold him to it. Just maybe he will bring him over to the Nature Coast if he can pull himself away from his beloved Martin County for just a few hours. I’m counting on that! 

I hope you are as excited as we are about publication. I’ve just learned that our publisher will not only offer the book in paperback and hardcover, but in format for all electronic devices, such as Nook (Barnes&Noble), Kindle (Amazon), Sony, Android, iPad, PC, Mac. Basically, any device to which a book can be downloaded. We want you to plan to purchase a hard copy (whether paperback or hard cover) because Gibbo wants to autograph it for you. We will be having lots of book signings on the East Coast and West Coast of Florida. Hopefully, Gibbo will be able to sign copies and offer them in India, Botswana, and England.

I have discovered the urgency

of cherishing every moment,

of loving intensely,

and of making sure my life counts for more than me.

~Paul André Gibbons~

Jane Bennett Gaddy, Ph.D.
Writer for GIBBO

Trinity, FL

Posted 29th July 2011 by Jane B. Gaddy

 

NEXT STOP—BOTSWANA!

 
Can it be? 

A year has passed since Gibbo slid down the globe and boarded a prop jet in Johannesburg for the two-hour run to Botswana, where his life would change forever. You can't take a trip like that and not have a heart change and a life change. It's not the thrill of a trip to a foreign country. Gibbo has visited many countries in his lifespan. (Not that he's old, mind!) He never stops traveling from country to country, and who knows what the future holds for him. So what is it?

Lesley Boggs, Director of Coaching for Conservation (C4C), said it best after Gibbo's last year's visit to a village called Maun.

Not everyone gets it. But Paul, in a quiet, caring, and gracious way, simply fell into step and put into place the pieces of the puzzle that were missing to make the parts of the whole come together. His eyes give away his warm heart. . .  We look forward to next July already to hear the chants of  Gib-bo, Gib-bo— 

Well, it's time!

The children of Botswana will soon hear the voice of their hero once more, and we can hardly wait to read the story when he returns. 

Speaking of reading the story—we are almost there. And I'm being as positive as I know how, in consideration of my client, a certain Mr. Gibbons. Yes, we have written the last word of his story. Paul is reviewing the chapter I just sent him; we will meet on the Nature Coast when he returns from Africa; and it will be off to an agent or a publisher. I cannot wait to get this book out there to his fans (and mine). We will be making some announcements soon, and I hope you are as excited as we are.

Thanks for staying with us on this blog. We know we have many readers out there. I see the stats every day, and it is amazing the countries that hit our site on a daily basis. Please take a moment to respond right here and sign on so we can come to know you. You are the reason we do this.

The blog will continue for awhile until Gibbo gets so "world class" that he will leave this writer eating his dust. It has been a grand almost two years, a long time coming, and 82,000 words later, we are bringing it to a close so you can get your hands on it.

Thanks, again, for reading. It has been a most interesting ride for this southern girl, writing life story for "the little Viking"! He's our hero.

Jane Bennett Gaddy, Ph.D.
Writer for GIBBO

Posted 11th June 2011 by Jane B. Gaddy