A Melksham man has swapped a career as a systems analyst for literary success, becoming a published author shortly after retiring.

Alan Barrett, 63, of Woodcombe Avenue, has enjoyed positive feedback and strong initial sales after his debut novel, Shadows, was published at the end of January by Olympia.

Mr Barrett, who was working for the Ministry of Defence, and then Boeing, said: “For a man who’s been around books for most of his life, this is quite a dream.

“I think everyone out there has got a book in them, but what we don’t do is sit down and write it.

“I’d wanted to write a book since my mid-30s, but life gets in the way, so when I was approaching 60 I thought I’d better sit down and write it or I might not.

“It’s taken me three years to write, because I was still at work, so it’s been a long journey, and it’s a bit hectic at the moment.

“The initial aim wasn’t to get it published, but to see if I could write a book and be able to sustain it.

“My two daughters love reading and got hold of it and said it was good enough to send it off.

“My daughter has become my agent and she’s arranged radio interviews and book reviews and all sorts. I’m busy, but it’s a good busy.”

The dark crime thriller, set in a fictional town in the Midlands, tracks the investigation into a serial killer who is on the loose.

The cover artwork was drawn by Melksham artist Amy Fletcher.

Mr Barrett, who is married with two daughters and one grand-daughter, said: “It’s fairly gritty.

“What I wanted to do was to grab and hold the reader’s interest, right at the start.

“It’s set in a large run-down housing estate with all the drug problems and anti-social behaviour, and from within that emerges a serial killer.

“Also within the story is a man wrestling his inner demons.”

Mr Barrett said he was now thinking about a follow-up, and has written several chapters of two new books, one a sequel to Shadows, and one something completely different.

He has yet to decide which to concentrate on.

Mr Barrett will be at Swindon’s Waterstones store on March 31 from 10am-4pm for a book signing.