VALLA’s Andrew Andrews, a prolific author for the past eight years, writing under the name of A.J. Kepitis-Andrews, launches his ninth book on 16 February.

‘The Snatching of Susan Bauford’ is a novel the author describes as “a soda thriller with a whiskey punch”.
Andrew spoke to News Of The Area about his latter-life calling to write.

“In 1991 I settled in Valla where I opened up a gourmet smokehouse (Valla Smokehouse) after a lengthy battle with the Nambucca Council, and a mob of noisy protesters who were sure I was about to poison the good citizens of the Nambucca Valley.

“In 2014 I published my first book, ‘Mostly Behind The 8-Ball’, an autobiography I was coerced to write and during ‘work in progress’ I discovered I enjoyed writing so much, for its own sake, that I wrote another eight books and am currently working on two more.

“During the passing of time, I became a tad tired of thrillers where the hero is always a James Bond clone.

“There is an obligatory car chase followed by a martial arts fight where the hero is clobbered with an iron bar but still manages to win the match and of course the plethora of foul language which has nothing to do with the plot.

“I decided there and then, to write a thriller where the hero is a woman, karate and other chops are relegated to the barbecue area, car chases are banned and foul language is mailed back to the Americans.

“The result is ‘The Snatching of Susan Bauford’.

The novel tells the story of a young bride who is abducted from her wedding car on its way to the church and sold into white slavery, ending up in a boutique brothel in a refurbished monastery in the Julian Alps in Slovenia.

“Her ordeal is relatively savage and she wants to escape but as access to the monastery is virtually by helicopter only, the problem is that she does not have a helicopter, and if she did, she did not know how to fly one,” Andrew said.

“She manages to escape in a unique manner (the first one, I think in literary history of escapes) and to track down those responsible for her kidnapping to take her revenge.”

To launch the book Andrew has booked the Nambucca Heads RSL Club for a reception on 16 February, 5.00pm for a 5.30pm start.

“Drinks and snacks are on me, but Porterhouse steaks will have to be self-funded,” said Andrew.

“All interested parties are welcome and copies of the book will be on sale to those who wish
to purchase.”

 

By Andrea FERRARI