A COVENTRY University student who had to learn to walk and talk again after a major car accident has published his first novel.
Andy Watson has marked the end of the first year of his English and Creative Writing degree at the city university by taking things into his own hands and self-publishing his debut fantasy novel – ‘Chops, Dharma and the Gadsby Hill of Karma’.
Having previously worked in a bank for ten years, following a serious car accident twelve years ago, 39-year-old Andy decided to follow his dreams and return to full-time education.
In 2003 Andy was involved in a serious collision with an HGV lorry which saw his car thrown from the A5 in Nuneaton.
Describing how he was placed in an induced coma at George Elliot Hospital for five days, Andy said his long road to recovery put ‘a different spin’ on his life.
He added: “I am over the moon with the book.
“I initially wrote it as a 2,000 word story for an English assignment at Hinckley and North Warwickshire College and friends and family loved it so I decided to expand it into a novel.”
‘Chops, Dharma and the Gadsby Hill of Karma’ tells the story of a young girl called Dharma who is bullied at school and finds solace and friendship in her talking dog, Chops, as they walk up Gadby Hill.
Andy was supported by the university’s SPEED Plus project which gives students, graduates and alumni the opportunity to develop a business idea alongside their studies or after graduation.
The project provided Andy with funding to buy a laptop and also saw him work with a business mentor to better understand the literary business.
‘Chops, Dharma and the Gadsby Hill of Karma’ is available, priced at £4.99, from www.feedaread.com and selected book shops in the Midlands.
