Gethyn spent 30 years as a producer, presenter and journalist – primarily in BBC local radio and latterly in commercial radio and community TV. He's an accomplished songwriter and producer, having been part of JUGG Music which provided music for a variety of BBC and ITV programmes, back in the mists of time.

He is also an experienced web designer and has run his own company since 2005.

Revitalised and inspired by new audio technology – after a long period of dormant creativity, in 2018 Gethyn hatched a plan to combine his diverse skills. He started work on the trilogy, Fatal Equation – a music album, TV drama proposal and novel.

* * *

“Hands up – it was never a dream to write and publish a novel. But here I am, with pride, brandishing my first – Fatal Equation.

“So what happened to change my mind? To be perfectly honest, expediency. A means to an end, whatever you want to call it. As a songwriter and producer I was disillusioned with the way the music industry had changed – effectively closing its doors on emerging talent.

“Despite this uninspiring backdrop I continued to write songs, a couple of which I released as singles that, needless to say, disappeared without trace. After a couple of years I'd collected quite a few decent tracks, professionally recorded with great musicians, many of them friends – and fully mastered, ready to unleash.

“But what was the point? Without the backing of a major record label I had a better chance of winning the Euromillions jackpot.

“At this point in 2018, an actor friend (Ian Bartholomew*) recognised a cohesion running through the songs I'd produced. After listening patiently to my moans about the futility of releasing them, he suggested creating a unique context for them; building them into a story that could possibly form the basis of a TV drama.

“Fired by this revelatory idea and ignorant of the likely reception such a project would get from the TV industry – I set about writing a TV treatment. It took over a year and when completed, I soon learned that the TV world is even harder to penetrate than the music biz. No one wants to hear from you.

“Once again, fate intervened. After getting advice from an established TV scriptwriter I was told that having a published novel might add more weight to what was now turning into a multi-media project.

“What happened over the next eighteen months was extraordinary. The whole experience became an obsession – and very soon a complete delight. To boot, the process of writing was, to my surpise, arousing deep emotional rumblings.

“So ... a simple means to an end developed into a journey that was unplanned but turned into one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I hope you enjoy reading about Ali and Laura and their beautiful relationship that is tested to the nth degree. And no, there's not a dead body in sight.”

Dibble

“This is Dibble, my minder. He is my constant shadow and is sitting at my feet as I write this. Ever-vigilant, he's on permanent patrol.”

*“Ian Bartholomew is a British actor who recently spent two years in the Coronation Street cast, as abuser Geoff Metcalfe.”