Dick Francis News

Dick Francis Book Still getting Royalties that Partly Belong to me.

2011-03-21T04:20:00.000-07:00

Dick Francis’s book ‘Come to Grief’ is still on the best sellers list, he is still making money for whoever inherited the royalties after his death. A percentage of these royalties should have been going to me because of his copyright infringement etc against me. You can read more details on this here .

You can read some of the testimonials on ‘Bad Blood’ my autobiography here and if you would like to compare the two books, my real life story
or the Dick Francis fictionography story based on my life an that of my family

You would imagine with all the millions in Royalties that come off the Dick Francis books that whoever inherited the royalties from 'Come to Grief' would do the decent thing and pay me what I am due, but no, ethical behaviour cannot be expected from greedy people!

If you are reading this and you have had a similar experience, feel free to contact me, I can help you get your own story out there in the public domain :-)

voiceforchildren: Make your mind up time.

2010-06-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

voiceforchildren: Make your mind up time.

Dick Francis died on Valentines day 2010

2010-02-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Dick Francis died February the 14th at his home in the Cayman Islands.

No cause of death was reported, but he did have prostate cancer diagnosed in the mid 1990s.

I feel sorry for his family, personal friends and his many fans. I know what it feels like to lose a loved one.

I will not personally grieve the passing of Dick Francis, but I am not a callous person and unlike Dick Francis’s son I do not pass comments such as ‘lots of people die from cancer’ which is the comment reportedly Dick Francis’s son made to a newspaper reporter when taking about my beautiful twelve year old daughter Natasha that I lost to cancer in July 1990.

Dick Francis News Number One on Google .

2009-06-02T02:23:00.000-07:00

I don’t think Dick Francis has any idea how many people know that he ripped me off and see Dick Francis news. Dick Francis thinks in his own little mind that it doesn’t matter if you plagiarize and committee copyright infringement on any member of the general public.

In Dick Francis’s mind if you are wealthy you can do what you like and it doesn’t matter who you hurt in doing so, no one will care

Well Dick Francis I can tell you that because of the internet, people like me can get the word out about other people’s disgusting behaviour. The fact being Dick Francis that I am one of those people who will not let you get away with using parts of my family’s real life events to make millions out of.

I for one will continue to highlight what you did Dick Francis , and the truth is that my daughter Natasha is/was not a fictitious character, she was real and I love/loved her more than life itself. Don’t imagine that people won’t find my website with the details of your dirty deed exposed on it for all to see.

You can see by this morning’s Google Search snap shot below, my site is on top again, and it cost me nothing to do this:

Dick Francis

2007-05-08T01:48:00.000-07:00

Dick Francis should not be ignoring my correspondence to him. Dick Francis wrote the novel 'Come to Crief' basing it on part of my life and that of my family without my prior knowledge or consent. Dick Francis should not have done what Dick Francis did, it shows just what Dick Francis's morels/ethics really are. What does this say about the man to you?

Thank you for reading this information, and have wonderful life!

Dick Francis open video from Linda Corby

2007-03-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

Open video correspondence to Dick Francis

DICK FRANCIS SAGA

2007-03-10T04:21:00.000-08:00

Dick Francis Saga Report
By Linda Corby

That many people have asked me to explain the Dick Francis saga to them that I decided to produce a series of emails to do just that, going through it point by point especially for those who have purchased my autobiography ‘Bad Blood’ or signed my online petition Justice for Natasha

Below is a self explanatory letter Cherry gave me that she wanted to send to Dick Francis's solicitors. I thought it was pointless sending them anything unless they tried taking me to court or doing anything to try and stop my autobiography being published.

Dear Sir
I write to you with regard to the novel by Dick Francis 'Come to grief'. I would like to inform that, as Mrs Linda Corby's personal Editor, I edited her autobiography, and am fully aware of all the facts and events which took place in the Corby's family's lives and which were in her said autobiography already with a publishing House in 1995 before 'Come to grief' was published.
I was also aware that Mrs Corby had previously corresponded with Dick Francis giving him confidential information, and telling him she was writing her autobiography which was her dying daughter's wish.
In fact the majority of 'Come to Grief' is based on Linda Corby's life, and can in no way be called "Coincidental". I was shocked when Mrs Corby told me what had happened. Her distress and disbelief when she announced the awful news were very upsetting indeed.
I am fully prepared to give evidence on Mrs Corby's behalf when this matter goes to court.
Yours Faithfully
C.C. Nichols.

I have numerous letters/correspondence like this one and I can and will produce them if this ever goes to court, as it is said proof not truth is what matters i a court of law, and I have an overload of proof.

Below is a section of a conversation I had with James M a friend on instant messenger which you might find interesting: Note: It is unedited.

Linda Corby: Hi James How are your today?
James M: fine hun hows u
Linda Corby: Ok, playing with my videos
James M: in what way ?
Linda Corby: Going to produce a new one later today with April
Linda Corby: A five part documentary type thing,lol
James M: whos april
Linda Corby: My teenage daughter
James M: ah i see, whats its about
Linda Corby: Long blonde hair and big blue eyes
Linda Corby: I am going to do an expose documentary to go on my official dickfrancis.co.uk website so people can hear first hand what happened,lol
James M: whats the documentary about
Linda Corby: There is a media block on my information getting out into the world wide media? Or this is what one reporter called it, but I will get all the details out on line so people can see for themselves, so if as many people as possible, just take a quick look at http://dickfrancis.co.uk and you will see what it is all about.
James M: am looking now
Linda Corby: OK Thanks
James M: so dick francis wrote about your family then
Linda Corby: Oh yea big time, the man is a creep!
Linda Corby: Have you signed my petition? It is on that page?
James M: how did that come about though
James M: just read you letter to david cameron, pretty strong stuff but can see why you are pissed about him
Linda Corby: All the details are on the site, if you read through the link copyright infringement, there is a letter from Cherry that puts it in a nut shell
Linda Corby: I have no problem doing strong stuff; I don't need a memory because I am telling the truth actual facts
Linda Corby: So when anyone asks me anything I can reply without stopping to even think about it, lol
James M: its obvious he has been a bit of a dick really ( dick by name dick by nature ) !!
James M: mind you it’s safe to say most authors pinch their ideas from someone else when they sit down to write a book. I think he has gone that bit to far by using yours as its such an emotional thing. I have three kids and I think if it had happened to me and my family I would be just like you
Linda Corby: Yep, what I want to do with the video's is to get everyone to pop them onto their sites so more people get to hear about what happened, eventually something’s got to give, my first one will be a video that I will send it to Dick Francis via his publishers by snail mail recorded delivery as well, lol. Did you read the letters/ He actually new I was writing my autobiography at the time, amazing but true! It is not like he infringed on the copyright of someone who wasn't an author in the first place!
Linda Corby: I actually have my autobiography for sale, published it myself because he had used so much out of part of our lives that it was crazy, in parts it makes our true lives look like a copy from his novel!
James M: never really read his stuff..not my thing really but don’t think I will bother at all now. Just makes you realise you should never speak or talk to writers about stuff
Linda Corby: Not all authors are like this, I'm not, and Harry Patterson isn't (That is Jack Higgins) used to be my next door neighbour, really nice guy!
Linda Corby: Harry wrote 'The Eagle Has landed' and numerous other really great books.
James M: now I like him
James M: great books make great movies
Linda Corby: I really like Harry, still chat when we bump into each other. I have been told that my life story would make a brilliant movie by several film production companies, lol. Had one who wanted to produce it and I wrote the screenplay for it with an American Screenwriting partner that the production company found via their website,
James M: cool....so might see you on real life movie channel
Linda Corby: Goodness knows, that one came to some kind of agreement with Dick Francis to dump me, so I lost half of the 300,000 that I would have had for the screenplay, so Dick Francis has cost me a fortune by his actions
James M: we should have a dick francis book burning day
Linda Corby: What a great idea, I have already burnt most of the ones I had of his
James M: lol
Linda Corby: That could well go into my video, think he would like it?
James M: probably not but when you have already got 60 million you don’t have to be bothered do you
Linda Corby: True, but I could get a good group of people all throwing his books onto the fire, and I don't think he could ignore that?
James M: ah he would, he did it in the first place so he has got no morals anyway
Linda Corby: No I don't think he has any morals, April just said we should do a guy forks with his face on it and send it to the news channels, lol
Linda Corby: She says their should be a sign hung round his neck saying copyright thief. lol

Below is a copy of the letter sent to David Cameron:

Dear David Cameron,

I would like your replies to the questions raised in this correspondence to you. My English friends living in the UK are interested to know what your actions on the issues raised would be if you were in No 10?

I sent a petition to John Major when he was in Number 10 Downing Street, and the same petition to now Prime Minister Tony Blair, to bring in a law preventing what Dick Francis did to us being done to anyone else in the future, neither of them has done anything. In fact not only did they do nothing, but John Major let Dick Francis into Number 10 Downing Street to have a good look around.

I also notified the now Late ‘Queen Mother’ and the Royal Family of what Dick Francis had done to us, as did a Film Production Company. Now what I personally found morally totally unacceptable was Dick Francis being honoured with a CBE in June 2000 when the Government and the Royal family knew full well what he had done to us. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/793874.stm

I find it hard to understand why the newspapers put all that crap about big brother on their front pages, and don’t say a word about what happened to us? It makes no sense at all, let’s face it I wouldn’t have thought that Dick Francis is small fry, he has made in excess of 60 million out of his books, it has been in the papers that it was probably his wife who wrote most of his book, doing all the research and editing for him. It isn’t a case of my suddenly becoming an author; I had written several books before doing my autobiography. The only explanation I can think of that the papers are publishing purely because of public interest, and going on the number of complaints people are making by email, telephone or in writing.

Do look at the evidence I have put on line and the open letter I sent to him via his solicitors (which he has ignored?) Receipt link from his solicitor is included on the page.

http://dickfrancis.co.uk/dick_francis_infringed_my_copyri.htm

http://dickfrancis.co.uk/to_dick_francis_via_his_solicito.htm

Would you ignore an open letter like the one I sent to Dick Francis if you were in the right? (Maybe you’d like to ask him that one as a reporter? I’d love to know the answer!) I know I wouldn’t, the only reason I can think of is that because he knows I can prove my life, and that you cannot call the number of factual events he has used out of my life (out of my correspondence to him, even in the copy of my last correspondence to him alone, were he even got the title for the novel!) coincidences that are actually factual to our lives, which I have proof of. I have attached a PDF file with a copy of Jersey Evening post articles, ref: The horse-box arson one, there was a lot more than the paper reported on. Shortly after this article came out I had a miscarriage due to tripping over a tripwire that was put in my field by the water butt.

I suffered attacks like those in this article from 1983 to 1988, now I don’t keep any horses.

If you read the Dick Francis novel ‘Come to Grief’ you will find what he has done is use our lives for the basic storyline, apart from plagiarizing straight out of my correspondence, I feel he must have (or someone on his behalf) researched us and our lives. Now one of the incidences that occurred was not in any of my correspondence to him, and was not reported on in the newspaper, and apart from myself, a policeman (who has said he would come forward), and one individual who had no horsy connections what-so-ever, yet it came out in his novel, coincidence or did he or his researcher speak to and get the information from someone who was/knew about who had committed the crimes against us? Makes one wonder doesn’t it?

Dick Francis split my character in two.

1) The woman Linda with the child with cancer who had horse vandalisation/attacks committed against her/her family, pets and property.

2) The horsy investigator who investigated a crime against a best friend. Yes I can prove this as well. I was the investigator for the biggest horsy fraud committed in Jersey, I have the court transcript to prove this, and I can also prove I represented Horse Watch, both before he published ‘Come to grief’!

Obviously there are a lot of things in my autobiography that Dick Francis had no way of knowing or finding out, thank goodness, God knows how many novels he could have based on us if he had? So my autobiography is more than a little extreme!

You tell me why a Film Production Company in Copenhagen, who wanted to produce a feature film based on our lives, including the Dick Francis saga, would drop me like a ton of bricks after making coming to some sort of agreement with Dick Francis. Especially after the Film Production company had advertised everything all over the net? Taking into account that the average feature film payment for a screenplay is approximately £300,000, and please takes into account that the film production company also advertised to find me a screenwriting partner on their website, this can be proved, the screenwriting partner they found me was Cathy Jourdan her email is cathyjourdan@yahoo.com feel free to ask her, she also spoke to the owner of the Film Production Company Arnie, S. Harthimmer, as I did because he telephoned us both on numerous occasions! I was also on Copenhagen Radio talking openly about what Dick Francis had done to us, at the express request of Arnie Harthimmer. This was not just a wrong done to me but also a wrong done to my screenwriting partner, we both put a lot of work into the screenplay.

I cannot even begin to express how I feel about all the above, and to top it off over the years several reporters have taken all the details and just done nothing with it, Jason Lewis and his photographer Greg of The Daily Mail were the first, they came to Jersey took photographs the lot. I feel there is some sort of block on what happened to me being released by the media, but I will keep going no matter what my daughter Natasha is not a fictional character and our lives are not fictional.

Now I cannot understand with all the information I have put on the net why the media has a problem, as I have already made the facts worldwide common knowledge, and the book is available worldwide, from the bookshops and the net, so how could they have legal action taken against them when I have already published the facts first?

Can you think of an angle to get the facts of what happened to us mainstream media coverage? I have even put an open letter on the net to CNN and been ignored, here is the link to it http://dickfrancis.co.uk/open-letter-cnn-1-1-2007.htm

I mean just what do I have to do? The answers are limited by my lack of funds, I sold everything I had of any real value when I was losing Natasha to cancer or I would have gone and confronted him at his last book signing, preferably with a camera crew, and yes I do mean that! What I wouldn’t do is physically attack anyone that is below me but verbally and without bad language I can hold my own with the best, especially as I am telling the truth. Would I go to jail to prove my point, yes without a second thought, no one is going to make me take down my websites, because every word on them is the truth, and the same applies to my autobiography.

I feel that Dick Francis won’t take me on because he doesn’t want people to know the truth. What kind of person does this to another human being that has lost their child, and profiteers out of their grief?

Dick Francis’s actions have prevented me from making any profits out of my autobiography; doing the things Natasha wanted me to out of its royalties, because I cannot get any real media coverage.

When Dick Francis’s latest book ‘Under Orders’ came out it got massive free media coverage right left and centre, which felt so unfair under the circumstances. If it is true that his wife wrote his books, plus I have seen comments on the net insinuating that maybe his son Felix wrote the last one and I write my own, this cannot in all fairness be classified as non-discriminatory, it makes me feel that the press for some reason known only to themselves that they have some bias towards me. Like they are saying ‘how dare she expose Dick Francis, this well loved British Author.’ Perhaps what Max Clifford said on Morning TV about publicists being able to keep news about their clients out of the news as well as get them publicity is the reality of the situation, what do you think?

Dick Francis is sticking his head in the sand, he knows what he did; he knows that he owes me for the copyright infringement; he knows I cannot afford to take a court case against him. So as long as the media refuse to cover this news they are protecting him from being exposed for what he did and it doesn’t matter for what reason they are aiding and abetting a copyright infringement, more to the point they are ignoring the plight of a mother who cannot bare for her lost child to be thought of as fictitious.

.

Ask Dick Francis:

Why he chose to use part of my life and that of my family to base ‘Come to Grief’ on.

Why he is ignoring my open letter on the internet, I have given everyone that I sent it to him via his solicitors on the website page of such.

What agreement did he come to with Arnie. S. Harthimmer of The film Production Company (I can send you copy of what the film production company put on their website, and Cathy Jourdan can confirm everything I have told you, and probably fill you in personally on what Arnie. S. Harthimmer told her in their conversations or by email.)

Dick Francis’s publishers, ignore the fact that their author has committed copyright infringement, plus plagiarism so blatantly?

One of Dick Francis’s son’s Felix or Merrick told a reporter from ‘The Times’ that and I quote ‘Lots of people die from cancer’. What do you think of this comment?

Please consider signing this petition. Thank you from within my heart!

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/justicenatasha

Thank You.

I will await your reply with interest, have a great day, Linda Corby

As you can see I am not afraid to tell people the truth warts & all. Thank you for reading part one of The Dick Francis Saga. I hope it helps you to understand the background of what happened.

For those of you who don't already no my main beef is the fact that Dick Francis used the memories I have of my daughter Natasha who we lost to cancer. Take a look at the slide-show of photographs of Natasha on , and you will understand my
feelings.

I wish you all the best for the future, and look forward to hearing from you in the future. Linda

Note: Feel free to re-post or link this anywhere you like provided it stays as is inclusive of links. Thank you Linda.

copyright: Linda corby. All rights reserved.

Dick Francis open letter from Linda Corby

2006-11-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

To Dick Francis via his Solicitors Taylor Joynson Garrett at: http://www.taylorwessing.com/website/generator/taylorwessing/pages/contact/contactPage,CmPart=com.taylorwessing.website,CmLocale=en,CmPage=72.4030.html
C. C. To other interested parties.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Without Prejudice:
Dear Dick Francis,
I have just posted this open correspondence for you on the internet; it is disgraceful that you have not apologized to me for your actions. I have tried my best to come up with a reason as to why you did this to me as I actually didn’t want to think badly of you.
You cannot do what you did to us and expect to get away with it without as much as a simple apology. The facts speak for themselves and I have the proof to back them up, if I hadn’t do you really think I would have plastered the details of what you did on the internet for all to see or anything else I have done? Of course I wouldn’t, there would have been no reason to!
The fact is that ‘Come to grief’ is based on my life and that of my family; you know it as I do.
Don’t you think it is time you came clean about it? Even if it was down to your late wife you are still responsible and sooner or later everyone will know the truth, a lot already do.
If you believe that ignoring the situation will make it vanish you couldn’t be more wrong. I will not have my daughter Natasha’s life and our memories (facts of our lives) be thought of as fiction by anyone.
People are not stupid; they know that you cannot manipulate/copy a fiction novel into a factual true life autobiography, whereas everyone knows you can make part of a true life autobiography into a fiction novel. So if you think for an instant that people won’t buy my autobiography and put two and two together you are living in’ cloud cuckoo land’ they already are. If you are wondering if I have named you in the book for what you have done, the answer is yes I have, and I have every right to tell the truth, the truth cannot be considered defamation and is not libelous.
Well it is up to you what you now do
Justice happens when your wants and needs come into balance.
I am a person with moral sensitivity a strong sense of compassion/fairness. I feel empathy for other human beings, who always try to be fair-minded treatment of other beings.
Because of the above mentioned I find myself looking for reasons as to why Dick Francis used part of my life and that of my family as the basis for his novel ‘Come to Grief’, at the end of the day it is Dick Francis’s name as author of this novel, consequently as such it is legally his responsibility that my copyright has been infringed upon within its pages.
Having said the above I have a but, my but is the fact that it is openly reported in the tabloids that it may well have been his late wife Mary Francis that might have been responsible for the contents in ‘Come to Grief’ , for she was his researcher and draft copy editor for his books at the time.
Now I know my but is not an excuse for what Dick Francis did, and the fact is that his correspondence to me was signed by him and not his late wife. However, how many times do people sign correspondence without even looking at it when they get thousands of people corresponding with them, when others they trust sort these things out for them; they have been known to sign without even looking at what they sign?
All I asked Dick Francis for when I found out what he (As the acknowledged author of ‘Come to grief’) had done was a simple apology, nothing more nothing less. I did not and do not feel this was unreasonable under the circumstances. I hadn’t even considered the fact that I could sue for copyright infringement or anything along those lines, I was still in terrible pain/grief from losing my daughter Natasha, and to find a huge part of her life/our lives fictionalized in ‘Come to grief’ was so horrendously painful and such a shock to me that I am still traumatize from it to this day!
There was/is no disclaimer in the book I purchased of ‘Come to Grief’ by Dick Francis as to it not being based on any person living or dead.
Our characters nor the real events that occurred in our lives are fictional creations, the word coincidental equals accidental or by chance not the 150 supposed coincidences that are used in the first 50 pages of ‘Come to Grief’ that directly relate to our characters and events that occurred in reality in our lives. The basis of the story-line in ‘Come to Grief’ blatantly fictionalize the facts of what we actually went through, and are so thinly veiled that it is utterly preposterous.
I have the proof for everything I say. Birth/death certificates, Police records, newspaper articles, TV. appearances, whatever, all pre the publication of ‘Come to grief’. Dick Francis or his late wife? Even used my first name as the mother of a child with cancer the fact is my daughter did have cancer, this mother Linda (me) also had another baby at the same time, fact I did, and it just goes on and on to the point of being completely outrageous!

Under Orders by Dick Francis

2006-09-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Under Orders by Dick Francis

I was put under orders by Dick Francis’s solicitors not to infringe on the copyright in anything out of his book ‘Come to grief’. This was because Dick Francis used part of my life and that of my family as the basis for ‘Come to Grief’.

The situation is just the opposite! Dick Francis in doing this has infringed on my copyright, and if you want the copyright law that covers this it is under (The designs & Patents act singularity of letters.) Dick Francis actually used information out of my correspondence to him; even using the fraise ‘Come to grief’ for the title came out of one of my letters! If this law is good enough for Prince Charles, then it should be good enough for me.

Of course I haven’t copied anything out of ‘Come to grief’ in my autobiography ‘Bad Blood’, how could I my life is real, and his book ‘Come to Grief’ is fiction, but if you read and compare the two books you will find ‘Come to Grief’ is based on facts out of part of my life and that of my family.

Below is the press release I sent out.

*Release Source: Linda Corby

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday September 9th 2006— Linda Corby is a ‘No Holds Bared author’ who has released her autobiography ‘Bad Blood’ using Lulu provider of print-on-demand books.

Linda Corby completed ‘Bad Blood’ at the request of her daughter Natasha before she died from cancer at the age of twelve. She used Lulu because she wanted to be in control of the publishing process and found Lulu’s print-on-demand tools to be fast, easy and, most importantly, free. ‘Bad blood’ is available for purchase at:

ABOUT AUTHOR
Linda Corby has a number of published works and screenplays. Please email if you require her brief bio. Thank you.

MEDIA CONTACT: Linda Corby, 6 Dorset Mews, Dorset lane, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands, JE2 3FH
Tel:(44) 01534 747039 Mobile: 07700360796

NEWS FROM DICK FRANCIS.CO.UK

2006-05-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like some news that apart from being on the net, having sold some copies of my autobiography and my having been interviewed live on radio, has not been released in the media. Yet that is for it is only a matter of time. In fact even my local newspaper hasn’t done a review of my autobiography, presumably because of its hot content?
In my autobiography there is a huge exposé on the famous ex jockey Dick Francis, which is why I thought you would be interested. I can send complimentary download version for reporters to review at request. If you have any questions I have put my address etc on this email. You are welcome to quote from the autobiography, or from the contents on my websites, just let me know if you do and forward me copies of any publications for my records.
I can prove everything in my autobiography, as they say proof not truth is what matters when or if anything goes into a court of law, and I have that by the bucket load, which is in my opinion why Dick Francis hasn’t tried that one on me! I had a few threatening letters from his solicitors a few years ago, but it appears they are relutant to take me on! Possibly because they fear what i will be able to prove in court
I am publishing this blog release to notify the media in general, Have fun, Linda Corby

http://lindacorby.co.uk/

http://dickfrancis.co.uk/

http://www.lulu.com/lindacorby

Dick Francis News

2006-05-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Dick Francis is an ex British Jockey, turned famous author. It was suggested in an unauthoried biography by Graham Lord that it was Dick Francis's deceased (in the year 2000) wife Mary who actually wrote his books.

Dick Francis is about to release another book called 'Under Orders' (which is a racing term for the start of a race when they are subject to starter's orders) in Septemeber 2006, his son Felix Francis who is his manager, and was his research assistant on the new book. It will be interesting to see if his style has changed since his last book came out?
If you are a Dick Francis fan you might like to know the truth about his book ‘Come to Grief’, it isn’t nice so if you don’t want to be disappointed don’t click on the link to my website.
Thank you, have a great life. Linda Corby

http://dickfrancis.co.uk

Another blog http://Jerseylinda.blogspot.com

My book store http://www.lulu.com/lindacorby