Dorset lovers and locals may be able to spot familiar places in a new comedy novel by Sturminster Newton author Paul Cosway.

Set in an imaginary and isolated village in Dorset, Bishop Farthing is a laugh-out-loud love story and tale of triumph and disaster. Inspired by the pandemic and our ability to find humour in times of adversity, Paul penned his third novel to bring some much-needed comic relief. With humour and passion, Paul brings to life the characters who live in this isolated community and how they survived the virus.

Amid domestic discord, bungled DIY projects, increased alcohol consumption and nightmarish home-schooling debacles there is a touching love story of two people in their 50s, who find romance despite their journey full of pitfalls.

Paul, who was an English specialist and education consultant, was a prize winning playwright at university and moved close to Sturminster Newton 12 years ago.

Paul said: “I was Senior County Inspector for English for Essex before I retired and moved to Dorset, where I live now with my wife, Maureen, and our dog Toby. We had two holidays on Brownsea Island in a National Trust cottage and fell in love with the area. The village of Bishop Farthing is imaginary but based on many of the small villages where I live, near to Sturminster Newton. As people read the book, they may be able to spot places they recognise!”

“The lockdown has affected people in many different ways. For some, home schooling has been a nightmare. Some have drunk a little more alcohol than before; churches have been closed; local societies have been unable to meet. We have had to queue outside shops and wear masks. Lockdown has meant that those living on their own could become very lonely. This is a unique time in our history and I wanted to preserve some of it in print so that when it is all over, we can look back on it and remember.”

“One feature of the UK that we can be proud of is our ability to find humour in times of adversity. The pandemic has brought great sadness to many, but I am hoping to counter this by bringing some comic relief. During the war years, people remained cheerful by singing irreverent songs about Hitler and enjoying singsongs in the shelters. I have tried to bring cheer by finding humour in the lockdowns we have gone through. A teenage girl forced to help her mother send an order to the local supermarket is in too much of a hurry to check the spelling and so leaves the predictive text facility to complete the order, with disastrous results! A vicar – his church closed – broadcasts his service on the internet. He forgets to turn the equipment off at the end and the outcome is very embarrassing indeed.”

“The book also reminds us of the beauty of the Dorset countryside and the charms of its pretty, scattered villages. Readers from outside our county will be full of envy, wishing that they could live in a village like Bishop Farthing and number the characters in this story amongst their friends!
I sincerely hope that it will bring cheer to many readers.”

This is Paul’s first comic novel and he is already working on a sequel. Paul has previously written two thrillers about the battle against terrorism.

Bishop Farthing is available in paperback at £6.99, postage free, from Amazon and as an eBook

Bishop Farthing

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