AN AUTHOR has expressed his excitement in the lead up to publishing his first novel.

Peter Parsons, 61, of Old Road, Frinton is recently retired following a lengthy career spent in the claims sector.

Through Austin Macauley publishers, he is releasing an action-adventure thriller entitled The Last Wish.

Peter said: “I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a child, it’s a form of escapism for me and it helps that I’ve got an overactive imagination.”

The book follows the fictional and humorous adventures of a bereaved son trying to honour his father's dying wish to find his lost wartime love.

The story moves from London and Dublin, before reaching its conclusion in Rome.

Peter was born in London towards the end of 1960, the second son of an English father and Austrian mother.

His parents met in Graz, Austria towards the end of the Second World War, when the allied forces turned up in that part of Europe.

He now lives in Frinton with his wife Tracy.

He added: “My father’s death inspired me to write this book, shortly after he died I was sent to Rome on business, it struck a chord because he was stationed in Rome during the Second World War.”

Peter began writing the book 20 years ago and had no intention of publishing it.

He said: “I wrote it to fill my days and make myself look busy, other than showing it to a few friends and family members, it just sat there gathering dust.

“During the first lockdown my wife was watching This Morning and they spoke about unpublished written work.

“I was very dismissive at the time, I personally didn’t think the story was good enough or finished so I left it with her.”

“She sent the book to the publisher and they were very complimentary, we connected from there and it will be published on March 31.”

Peter retired in December and now has the time to pursue a career as an author, he has decided to work on the book’s sequel, which picks up where the Last Wish ends.

For more information and to pre-order the book, visit amzn.to/3ujnDHT.