New chapter opens for accountant Tim

His debut novel The Dog Of The North, published by Macmillan New Writing, combines loyalty and betrayal, homeland and exile.

The book is set in the imagined world of Mondia, a world of political intrigue, sorcery and warfare on an epic scale.

"It's a medieval kind of world," explains Stretton, who lives at Bosham. "That's the broad level of technology we are talking about.

"People go around under their own power, and compared to a lot of fantasy fiction like The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter there is very little magic in it '“ though there is a certain amount.

"Macmillan thinks of it almost as a historical novel, but a history of somewhere you have never heard of. It should appeal to an audience wider than just fantasy fiction readers."

For the full feature, see the West Sussex Gazette issue dated September 17