John’s novel, ‘Bittersweet Revenge’, is described as a drama, with a bit of humour and adventure thrown in too.

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“I always wanted to write a novel, and had done some ghost-writing when I worked for a large newspaper company in Sydney, but life got in the way and I didn’t find the time to write until I retired to Tea Gardens,” John told NOTA.

“When I did retire here, my wife and mates kept encouraging me to write, so I finally did it, then printed the book myself and sent out 90 copies to people locally, in Sydney, even Queensland, and am getting really good feedback.

“Some tell me it’s a page-turner, and a few shops, including the Tea Gardens Post Office and newsagents at Hawks Nest, and even Green Hills, have taken it on to sell, but the whole object is to get it out there and get more feedback.

“The protagonist is a young bloke who grew up through fairly tough times, and found out to his dismay that he was not who he thought he was, nor were his parents who he thought they really were,” John explained.

“He comes to understand why he was treated the way he was growing up, among other harrowing facts of life.”

Like all good writers, the story started out based on the author’s own experiences, but it transmutes from fact to fiction as the characters evolve and age.

John, who read all of Ian Fleming’s 007 James Bond books by the age of fourteen, added, “The interest is in the read itself, and the imagination, you can paint your own picture of the characters and who they are.

“Films often turn out totally different from what you imagine.”

To any others out there who are harbouring their own humdinger, John’s advice is clear and salient.

“Do it! Life is not a trial run, and if you don’t write it now, you never will.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE