A MARITIME artist in Corsham has just published his first novel - thanks to generous comments from a proof-reader.

Who Shall Be Noah? is a story about a pleasant walk in the countryside around Bath that has ended in a nightmare for its heroine Tanya Beckwith.

The author, Simon Fisher, of Broadmead, Corsham, is internationally-renowned for his original paintings and drawings of the great ocean liners and warships of the 20th century, including Titanic.

Mr Fisher, 75, said: “I published this science fiction novel in January with New Generation Publishing, a very respected self-publishing company who help new authors get their novel into a very demanding marketplace.

“The story follows the incredible adventures of a young woman possessed of special powers which are suddenly and brutally taken from her by a ‘thing’ that has lain dormant in a beech wood for millennia.

“Written in three distinct ‘books’ within the novel it tells of her quest, in company with an American she meets after her encounter with the ‘thing,’ to regain her lost gift and try to save the world from impending destruction.

“The novel came about as a result of a comment by the proof-reader I hired to get my art book The maritime paintings of Simon Fisher corrected and formatted ready for publishing.

“He was taken by my writing style for the book and asked if I had done any other articles or books.

"When I mentioned the nearly complete manuscript for a yet-to-be titled novel he asked to read it and, a couple of weeks later, said that he felt it had good potential for a ‘very good science-fiction novel’.

"On his enthusiastic response I set about revising and completing it. A process which took, unbelievably, over seven years!

"The original manuscript ran to around 50,000 words and could be described as a novella. By the time I had finished with it I had written nearly 300,000.

"I then had to set to and carry out a strict pruning job to reduce it to a manageable size. Even so, the manuscript ended at a meaty 230,000. Reaction to the novel has, so far, been very favourable.

“Unfortunately, some promotional work has had to be put on hold due to the present crisis with bookshops and outlets in lockdown, with book signings out of the question for theforseeable future.”

Mr Fisher, who was born in Bath, started his career in Bath and Bristol advertising studios while at the same time attending drawing, art and design classes at the West of England Academy of Art in Bristol. He has been a professional artist for nearly 30 years.

Who Shall Be Noah? is available from www.simonfishermaritime.com, on e-books, Amazon and local bookshops