'˜I've already got a sequel' says debut novelist

Tony Foot, 73, published his first novel on April 28, but already has the second book ready to go.

His first – The Fortunes At War – is loosely based on his grandfather’s experiences in the Crimean War, which took place from 1853-1856.

Tony says that the inspiration for the story came from his retracing of his family tree, which gave him some surprising results.

He said: ‘When I left my job as a teacher – and subsequently retired – I found myself in the same situation as many others where I was looking for something to do.

‘I got into tracing my family tree and managed to get all the way back to the 1700s. This is where most people going through their family tree tend to get stuck.’

Tony said that while going through his family tree he was able to learn more about the story of his grandfather in the Crimean War.

Tony explained: ‘My grandfather was heavily involved in the Crimean War – a conflict that, perhaps ironically, served as a premonition to what the First World War would turn out to be like.

‘The novel concerns the adventures of two members of the Rifle Brigade and their missions into Sebastopol during the Crimean War. These men both come from the same Hampshire village but are socially poles apart. They are however both related to each other, but this fact is known to just one of them.’

Tony says that the second novel is ready to be publishes and has an idea for a third, but has been told by his wife ‘to slow down for a few weeks’.