AN ELLESMERE resident has dipped their toes into the world of novel writing by publishing their first book.

Peter Jones, known to many as Jones the Boats, has published his first novel, Scarlet Feather.

Over the years, Peter has been a taxman and a teacher at Ellesmere and St Martins, then spent a few years running a successful boat trip business taking passengers across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Peter says he has always been at home with a pen and paper, writing sketches and pantomimes for Ellesmere Amateur Dramatic Society.

The book itself has been in the works for some time and although it had been written a while ago, Peter had not ventured into print.

Lockdown gave him the time to go public and it is now available as an eBook on Kindle, with a paperback available to buy on Amazon.

The book has been published under his middle name, Hilton Jones, as he explains.

"There are so many Peter Jones' about, I had to think of something different," said Peter.

"It's an action adventure which takes place in Mid-Wales.

"The unlikely hero is a school caretaker who was invalided out of the army and who tackles a fanatical insurgent group single-handed."

"Why Scarlet Feather," added Peter. "You'll have to read the book to find out."