Llandudno Junction author making it big in China

Sep 2 2010 by Mari Jones, North Wales Weekly News

MILLIONS of Chinese people could soon be reading the debut novel of a local author.

Although most first time authors have to wade through piles of rejection letters from publishing houses, Fred Hurr’s novel ‘Light of the Wicked’ was almost immediately picked up.

This week the health and safety consultant, from Llandudno Junction, is in Beijing – China’s capital city after being invited to attend the city’s book fair by his publishing house- Strategic Publishing.

Fred, who is in his 50s, has been chosen to be ‘author in booth’ for the day, meaning his book will be given extra publicity.

His wife Linda said: “His book is the first of The Light Trilogy. He has already started writing his second novel.

“The book is set in a quiet seaside town called ‘Penrhos Bay’ where nothing significant ever happened, until the demons came.

“Despite the clean appearance of whitewashed villas and neat Victorian hotels on the esplanade, the quaintness of Saturday deckchair concerts and the traditional Punch and Judy shows on the old wooden pier, pure wickedness abounds.

“Unseen by the town’s people, a dire struggle is being fought between the forces of good and evil.

“A struggle which will soon impact every one of the inhabitants, including the angels and demons!”

She continues: “The book is set in Llandudno, local readers will be able to recognise all the areas written about in the book.”

Fred was inspired to write his novel after a service at his local church in Conwy.

“Fred has always wanted to write a book, so this is a dream come true for him.

“He wrote it in just six months, with me nagging him in the background!

“It was all sparked after we’d been to a service at the Holy Trinity Church.

“Fred has been a Christian for the last 30 years, the book is spiritual but can be enjoyed by anyone as it has a lot of the supernatural in it, good versus evil and so on.”

“I think it will really go down well in China, where it has already been translated into Mandarin.

“At present there is a unprecedented growth of Christianity in China, as the religion has become more accepted.”

Fred, who is inspired by such authors as F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Orwell, and more recently Stephen King and James Herbert, will be doing a book signing at Waterstones'’s in Llandudno sometime at the end of the month.

His book will shortly be available for sale in the UK and the USA and also on the internet.