Tony’s first novel

Posted: December 6th, 2018

FORMER Sunday People journalist Tony Bassett began writing books three years ago after more than forty years in journalism, and has just had his first novel published.

Smile of the Stowaway concerns an English couple, Bob and Anne, who discover a stowaway beneath their motorhome on returning from holiday in France. Instead of handing him over to the authorities, they provide the friendly stranger with shelter and find him a job. Then their new friend is arrested by police and accused of murder. Anne turns detective to uncover the truth.

The idea for the novel came to Tony following reports in the national dailies about a family who found a stowaway beneath their vehicle when they returned home to Kent. In the real-life incident, the man was handed to the police.

Tony, a divorced father of five, said: “I’d wanted to write novels for years but waited until I was financially stable. Now I’m retired and have my pension, there’s nothing to stop me.

“I thought the dramatic discovery of a stranger beneath your vehicle when you arrive home would prove an interesting starting point for a book, and it developed from there. It took me about three months to write.” Since producing the Stowaway book, Tony has written three other novels which he hopes will be published soon.

Smile of the Stowaway is published by the Conrad Press in Canterbury, and is also listed on Amazon.