Shropshire Council chairman Malcolm Pate publishes debut book at 69
Swashbuckling tales of derring-do complete with pirates, storms and stowaways are not what you would expect of a politician.
But while Shropshire Council chairman Malcolm Pate, 69, who lives near Albrighton, hasn't found inspiration for his first book within the confines of the Shirehall, he feels he knows its characters inside out.
"If they walked through the door, I would know exactly who they are," said Malcolm, who is celebrating the publication of his book, called Voyage to the World's End, by Amazon,
"I spent months writing this book on their adventures, getting to know the characters and seeing where they took me. I had to research the book intensively as it is set in the 17th century.
"I wrote 87,500 words in four months and did an enormous amount of research to make sure it is as authentic as possible. I would suddenly get an idea at three in the morning so I'd get up and write it in.
"I learned as much as I possibly could about things like public transport, food, what people wore and so on. So it was a real labour of love and one I thoroughly enjoyed doing."
While the 380-page book may seem a strange departure for the life-long politician, he has spent 25 years sailing, been a one-time scuba diver and is hooked on rock collecting. His boat is currently moored in Cherbourg where he and his 68-year-old wife Susan visit as often as they can.
"I have been through Force Nine gales in the channel, where the boat surfed down the waves. I didn't do it deliberately but it did give me an insight for the book," he added.
Mr Pate has already started on a new novel. He is writing a Stephen King-type horror novel set in 1950s Kansas.
