A man who was bullied at school has had a book published after being inspired by his English teacher.
John Peterson's crime novel 'For Queen and Contraband' was self-published on Amazon but later picked up by Olympia Publishers who have now widely released it.
Its about four distinguished RAF men whose lives are changed after a chance meeting while two of them were on holiday in Spain and all later become involved in drug smuggling.
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John told the ECHO: "Characters are loosely based on real people I met growing up in Liverpool and during my time in the RAF, but it is a work of fiction".
Joking about his time in the RAF, he said: "I’ve done 14 parachute jumps on a military course at a base in Germany. I went through 14 pairs of underpants while on that course".
John attended Smithdown Primary School, close to home in Liverpool 8, above a hairdressing shop that his mum ran.
Aged eight, John moved to Gilmour Springwood County Primary, after moving home, and was two years behind other pupils academically when he started.
Mrs Pritchard, his English teacher, took him under her wing and gave John extra English lessons, which carried on after leaving primary school, which changed his life.
His interest in writing crime stories started at an early age, John said: "My uncle was a thief, his speciality was safe cracking.
"He was successful and a lot of the time not. This resulted in him spending most of his adult life in and out of prisons.
"During one incarceration at Liverpool's Walton Prison my mother used to secretly take me to visit".
John's father, a Liverpool Docker and an honest man, hated his brother's ways and wanted very little to do with him.
During many strikes at the docks in the mid 1970's money was hard to come by.
John said: "My uncle was very good to my mother when he had pulled off the occasional successful job. He gave my mother money to make ends meet and put food on the table.
He added: "My prison visits frightened and fascinated me at the same time.
"Later I began wondering how the men I saw and later, as I visited a couple of my friends, had got to a place in their lives where they were prepared to put their freedom on the line".
The book is dedicated to his mother Rene and Mrs Pritchard, he said: "Two women who had faith in me and showed me encouragement in life".
John said: "My book asks the question of the reader, ‘What would you do for money?’ Would they sacrifice hard earned careers and become criminals?’
"I leave it to readers to decide.
“The message is ultimately no matter how much money is involved, crime doesn’t pay or there’s a terrible price to pay if it does".
Sarah Marshall, John's partner said: “Has always been passionate about literature.
“I’m very proud of John fulfilling his dream and writing his own books”.
John's book is available from Waterstones, WH Smith and other outlets.
