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Paul Douglas Lovell

Goodreads Author

Born

in Wolverhampton, The United Kingdom

Website

https://sites.google.com/view/pdlcreates/home

Genre

Memoir, Poetry, Nonfiction

Influences

https://www.goodreads.com/booksarecool23
...more

Member Since

July 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/powerpuffgeezer

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The best word to describe Paul Douglas Lovell is “unconventional” and it makes sense that his author bio would also be far from typical.

Coming from a motherless family of five children, this runt of the litter had to scratch and scramble for any attention he received. In his book, Playing Out: Swings and Roundabouts, the reader finds a young Lovell in the 1970s living on the margins of society. Homelife was always unsteady with the threat of eviction and the struggle to pay for amenities. It was a cold and hungry existence. Petty criminality and abuse further distorted his outlook on life, and he quickly became a problem child.

His time at school was spent on everything, but learning. Empty Corridors: Learning to Fail finds Lovell attendin The best word to describe Paul Douglas Lovell is “unconventional” and it makes sense that his author bio would also be far from typical.

Coming from a motherless family of five children, this runt of the litter had to scratch and scramble for any attention he received. In his book, Playing Out: Swings and Roundabouts, the reader finds a young Lovell in the 1970s living on the margins of society. Homelife was always unsteady with the threat of eviction and the struggle to pay for amenities. It was a cold and hungry existence. Petty criminality and abuse further distorted his outlook on life, and he quickly became a problem child.

His time at school was spent on everything, but learning. Empty Corridors: Learning to Fail finds Lovell attending school in the 1980s, without much change. He was still labeled a problem. His academic knowledge was that of an eleven-year-old, and he left school without a single qualification, struggling to read and lacking ambition.

Yet, within a year, a seed was sown. His practical side knew that a pen and paper would always remain affordable, and, because of this, Lovell yearned to become a writer. Even at sixteen, he knew he had enough fodder for a book, though it would be years before he would commit anything to paper. That required courage and understanding of his past. He tried his hand at fiction, which was a terrible idea. To this day he keeps a sealed envelope containing his first drafts complete with grammatical errors and misused words. One saving grace was that Paul was an empty slate, and, once he moved to London, he spent time gaining whatever knowledge and life experience he could.

In Paulyanna: International Rent Boy, the reader finds Lovell living in London during the 1990s and working the streets, a profession he fell into and one that suited him. While unorthodox, and regardless of ethics and judgments, he felt valued for the first time in his life. Being paid for being himself felt like an achievement.

He was encouraged to take a beginner writing course and a course in media studies. BTec courses were basic and underfunded yet perfect for Lovell who was like a sponge. While some students were able to converse confidently on a wide range of topics, Paul felt unsure of himself and even intimidated. But when he shared his childhood stories and American street tales, he found that he easily captured the attention of his peers.

This ability to spin a yarn whilst at a house party helped him obtain a job in a production and distribution company. Music television was the perfect employer of a wayward soul partial to the odd cannabis joint. In charge of sending out transmission tapes to broadcasters, Paul was also tasked with writing synopses of the concerts to go along with the publicity materials and photographs required for TV listings. Here, Paul could further practice his art. To most, being employed would give a sense of security and perhaps the start of an illustrious career, but not so with Paul. He presumed it was only a matter of time before he would be rejected and fired, so he continued his nighttime activities.

After moving to Switzerland in 2000, a new Paul emerged. This version of Paul was supported by his partner who bolstered his confidence and encouraged his ambition. While employment was difficult to find, funnily enough, he began working two days per week in an international school. Being a classroom assistant in the kindergarten was his favourite job. A smile crosses his face when he recalls the time he covered a class of teenagers for an absent teacher.
He took a moment to enjoy the irony of scrawling “Mr. Lovell” across the blackboard. He told the boistrous children to misbehave more quietly, otherwise, he wouldn’t be asked to cover again, and it worked! The students settled down not realizing that a former class clown and troublemaker stood before them as their teacher.

Paul eventually left teaching and now spends his time writing. ...more

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Combine Editions
Paul Douglas Lovell’s books

Average rating: 4.21 · 48 ratings · 24 reviews · 5 distinct works

	Paulyanna International Rent-boy 4.06 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 2013 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Playing Out Swings and Roundabouts 4.57 avg rating — 7 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Empty Corridors Learning to Fail 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Switzerland Inspired: Haiku and Senryu Poetry it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Playing Out: Swings and Roundabouts 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Paul Douglas Lovell's Blog

About: Empty Corridors: Learning to Fail

About: Empty Corridors: Learning to Fail follows Paul, a troubled child, through the streets and school corridors. Set in the 1980s, this piece of creative fiction based on true events can be viewed as British social history.

Being raised on state benefits by a single-parent father, alongside four elder siblings, makes existence into a battle. There are no luxuries to soften the hard edges of dail Read more of this blog post »

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Published on August 13, 2021 06:27 • Tags: coming-out, crime, drugs, eighties, gay, memoirs, outcast, puberty, school, working-class

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Paul Douglas is Currently Reading

Paul Douglas Lovell is currently reading

Jude the Obscure

by Thomas Hardy

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Apr 09, 2026 03:01AM

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Paul Douglas’s Recent Updates

Paul Douglas Lovell rated a book really liked it The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Yeah it was okay... all his books are up to a certain high literary standard, one I can learn from. Story is great... I suppose, but I judge them on the mood they create and writing style. People die so easily, that's my biggest gripe. ...more
Apr 09, 2026 03:02AM · like · see review
Paul Douglas Lovell is currently reading Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 09, 2026 03:01AM · like
Paul Douglas Lovell rated a book really liked it The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Yeah it was okay... all his books are up to a certain high literary standard, one I can learn from. Story is great... I suppose, but I judge them on the mood they create and writing style. People die so easily, that's my biggest gripe. ...more
Apr 09, 2026 02:59AM · like · see review
Paul Douglas Lovell joined the group The Universal Book Haven
Mar 10, 2026 03:34AM · like
Paul Douglas Lovell is currently reading The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 05, 2026 02:26AM · like
Paul Douglas Lovell rated a book liked it The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm becoming a bit fussy - story is great thought I'd really like more dimensions to the female personalities. I suppose there's been a lot of changes in women since the days when they actually died of shame... ;-) Or maybe they are killed from indec ...more
Mar 03, 2026 03:09AM · like · see review
Paul Douglas Lovell is 50% done with The Mayor of Casterbridge The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 25, 2026 02:47AM · like · see status
Paul Douglas Lovell is currently reading The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 06, 2026 06:31AM · like
Paul Douglas Lovell rated a book liked it Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Story is okay BUT after reading several of his books I'm getting annoyed because all the women have the same personality. Every one is swapping and changing their minds constantly, caring so much about image and they drop down dead, so easily. Timid ...more
Feb 05, 2026 03:21AM · like · see review
Paul Douglas Lovell rated a book it was amazing Le collier de la reine. English by Alexandre Dumas	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dumas always tells brilliant stories. I recommend the Author, regardless of the book and my opinion should count for something because I've read so many of them. The Queen's Necklace is a great piece of historical fiction. ...more
Jan 14, 2026 02:41AM · like · see review

More of Paul Douglas's books…

Polls

Which book should the YA LGBT Books group read for our September 2014 Book of the Month?

Supermassive

by Nina Rossing

21 votes 31.8%

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me

by Julie Anne Peters

18 votes 27.3%

One Man Guy

by Michael Barakiva

11 votes 16.7%

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children

by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

8 votes 12.1%

Without Chance

by Christopher Bailey

6 votes 9.1%

Paulyanna International Rent-boy

by Paul Douglas Lovell

2 votes 3.0%

66 total votes

5 comments

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