CHRISTOPHER Miles was captivated by reading as a child and has never lost his love of books.

Now, the 46-year-old has gone one step further and published his debut novel, Dog Soldier.

The book is a tale of love and loyalty set against the Napoleonic wars.

Mr Miles, a new business administrator at Critchleys accountants in Oxford, said: “I had written a lot of poetry and short stories and the novel developed from that.”

He admits juggling work and writing was challenging, but he is delighted to finally have that first book under his belt.

“I was having to write during evenings and weekends and sometimes there were periods of of up to four months where I had not written a word.”

But he says he has learned from the experience and is now working on the second part of his trilogy, which he aims to complete by next May.

“The second book is being written a lot more quickly and I am being far more disciplined.”

Mr Miles lists his favourite book as RF Delderfield’s Diana, while he is also a fan of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings which he re-reads every 18 months.

He feels youngsters who do not read for pleasure are missing out in many ways, adding: “Reading fired my imagination.

“As a child my family did not travel much, but I could journey to other lands through reading.

“And at work it is invaluable to have an understanding of the English language as I am constantly writing to clients.”

Mr Miles has a three-book deal with publisher Feeder Read, a joint venture between the Arts Council, Orion and Random House.

  • Dog Soldier is available at online stores including amazon.co.uk