Shrewsbury police officer writes novel to help cope with grief and heartbreak
A serving police officer says his new novel was born out of a desire to come to terms with personal tragedies in his life.
Richard Jones, from Shrewsbury, who also runs Horton Farm, has released Chasing Crows after landing a deal with Austin Macauley Publishers.
He says he started to write the book after the untimely death of his father Eric in 2013.
He had also faced the slow demise and death of his mother, Jean, through dementia.
And, having served in the army, touring Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, he said the book also helped him reflect on his own experiences.
"I've never written a book before," he said. "As a cathartic exercise, I started writing and the result is Chasing Crows.
"I was very close to my father and when he died nine years ago, I found it tough, having also lost my mother. My dad shielded our mum's dementia from us. He took it all upon himself and it impacted on his health.
"The book is inspired by both of them and it was also a really useful exercise for me to deal with my own PSD, having served in Afghanistan and Northern Ireland as a platoon and company commander.
"A lot of the things in Chasing Crows call on my military life experience, putting it on paper has helped me deal with things."
The book, which flits from present day to historical times, is described as an uplifting look through the eyes of an old Shropshire farmer, focusing on love, life and loss.
The book provides a colourful jog through World War I and II as well as a trip back in time to the Korean War and Cuban Missile Crisis.
"A lot of the chapters are based on true stories but with a bit of colour and fiction added in," Richard said. "It is set in rural Shropshire so I hope that it will chime with many readers."
