South Yorks dance champ’s delight over debut novel
Added: (Wed Mar 02 2022)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A former British ballroom dance champion from South Yorkshire has finally found the steps to finish his debut novel.
Michael Belk has spent the past six years writing his epic first book, Hlattomia.
And the 77-year-old admits many of the exotic adventures which feature in his page-turner are based on his own worldly experiences.
Michael, who has worked as a manufacturing exporter, restauranteur, holiday company owner and a publican, has used his own colourful career and travels to help shape Hlattomia.
He said: “Many of the things that happen in the book are based on my own personal experiences.
“Hlattomia starts with wild pigs rampaging around the family farm.
“This was a real event for me - we had an allotment in Slovakia which was raided several times by a family of wild pigs.
“They caused havoc for us and other allotment owners.
“The disaster chapter was also based on a real-life event.
“Driving through a village in Slovakia I saw a small farm building which had just caught fire - ten minutes later, as the fire engine arrived the wooden building was totally destroyed.
“The main location of the story is the fictitious large Mediterranean island kingdom of Halqi, but the action also moves around to several other countries that I have visited.”
Hlattomia is a gripping rags-to-riches story that follows the fortunes of twins, Alex and Karl, after they leave home to seek work and their fortune.
After stumbling across a wrecked sailing boat, the brothers come to the rescue of an exotic princess and her servants.
And this is where the adventures begin as they attempt to help the girl get home to her island kingdom and throne.
Hlattomia is a fantastical, edge-of-the-seat adventure story aimed at young adults.
Michael, who appeared several times on BBC’s Come Dancing following his ballroom title wins, admits that before embarking on Hlattomia he struggled to write a few sentences.
He explained: “My book took six years to write, as I had a job which often involved me working up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week.
“But I found that once I got going, the story just flowed and developed naturally.
“Eventually I realised that I had changed from someone who had trouble writing a shopping list to someone who, at times, couldn’t stop.
“There were many times when I simply couldn't type fast enough.
“All the time I was writing I felt as though I was right there in the middle of the action with the three heroes.”
For more information visit Amazon and search for Michael Belk, where the Kindle and paperback versions of Hlattomia are available.
Notes to the Editor
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