Guy Sheppard has always had a passion for writing. After graduating from Oxford University, he joined the family business in Cheltenham which meant his literary career was put on the backburner. After retiring six years ago Guy has been able to dedicate his time to pursuing his passion and has released two books, with a third release in the pipeline.

Guy’s debut novel was ‘Countess Lucy at the Curse of Coberley Hall’, a gothic ghost story inspired by the real life, and death, of Countess Lucy. The follow-up was released last year - ‘Sabrina and the Secret of the Severn Sea’. The book tells the story of the murdered Welsh princess turned water goddess and guardian of the River Severn. “Both my books are based in the south-west, a place I’ve spent most of my life,” Guy said. He continued: “I started dabbling with writing just before I started studying at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. I wrote for the university magazine at Oxford but when I completed my studies I joined the family business back here in Cheltenham so writing rather went out of the window for a long time.

“I retired six years ago which has enabled me the time to research and spend more time writing. I’ve always wanted to write books set in Gloucestershire. I’ve spent countless hours reading and researching things for both of my books. Writing a book requires complete focus and dedication so retirement has enabled me to concentrate on my writing. I’m often asked what advice I’d give to aspiring authors, I sympathise with anyone trying to make a career out of writing, the landscape has changed so much during the last couple of decades. It’s not easy to get work published so I’d suggest anyone hoping to do so really dedicates themselves to producing books that are original.”

Having written two books, Guy’s attention now turns to his next release, another story set in Gloucestershire. He added: “There’s another book in the pipeline that I’m really looking forward to writing. It will be based in the Forest of Dean and be similar in theme to my previous two releases, a mixture of history and legend. I can’t reveal too much at the moment, all will become clearer in due course!”