Scenes from the local area have helped to inspire a new book of short stories.
John Millard, (pictured right) who lives in Westbourne, says around half the tales in his collection – The Cloud Forest and Other Stories – have settings that local people will enjoy spotting.
A couple of the tales are set on the author’s regular cycle-commuting route around Langstone Harbour.
Another, about a black panther apparently sighted in a village, takes place in a pub not dissimilar to John’s local – the White Horse in Westbourne.
One is set on the beach at Prinsted, and is based on a bizarre experience the author had when a woman asked him to help her move a dead dog.
Another, about troops enjoying a concert in camp before invading Normandy in 1944, was inspired by the remnants of military buildings in Hollybank Woods, near John’s home, that were used before D-Day.
“Before the pandemic I would cycle to work in Portsmouth and back, putting stories together in my head,” says John, 60. “Naturally, the local landscape and places you know come to mind and suggest themselves as a backdrop.
“But once you let your brain roam free, you never know where you’re going to end up. One story takes place in the Costa Rican jungle, one at a séance, and another follows a couple of con-artists on the run in the home counties, Bonnie and Clyde style.”
That last story developed from an incident in which John spotted a tweed-clad “gentleman criminal” bolting from a Southsea hotel with police in pursuit, and ended up giving chase himself.
John says: “I’m fascinated by people – how they talk and what motivates them. Quite a few of the stories are about chance meetings and ordinary people getting into odd situations. Some of them are quite dark and others are funny, but most of them have that oddness, or quirkiness, about them. I think life is pretty odd.”
John, a former national newspaper and magazine journalist, moved to the area more than 20 years ago to work on The News in Portsmouth. He is now an editor and communications officer at Portsmouth City Council.
“I must have written millions of words over the years, but producing a book of short fiction was always my ambition. I can’t believe I’ve finally achieved it at 60.