Genre change for Bodicote author

All Hollow is the first book from author Simeon Courtie since his 2012 comedy travel memoir The Long and Whining Road about his family’s round the world gap year in a campervan.

This new horror novella gives a whole new meaning to ‘going on holiday to lose yourself’ as it’s set in the maze of tunnels which were built inside the Rock of Gibraltar to create an underground town for soldiers.

Simeon said: "I was working in Gibraltar when a soldier with a huge set of keys offered to show me the secret tunnels inside the rock and it blew my mind. Gibraltar’s only a couple of miles long yet there are 34 miles of tangled tunnels!

"Hidden from the holiday-makers above is a whole military town with roads, barracks, hospitals, even a morgue, damp, dark and rotting away.

"Some tunnels date back to the 1800s, sealed off for generations. As well as being fascinated by the hidden history, I was gripped by the thought that to be trapped down there would be terrifying.”

Comedy is Simeon's usual genre, he is a writer for BBC television series Have I Got News For You, so horror is a complete 180.

“I’ve always loved comedy and have been lucky to turn it into a job. But I also love horror films, especially those that surprise so I deliberately wrote a story that pulls the rug out from under the feet of fans like me.

"It does still have some laughs in it. There are a few jokes in there that I’m pretty proud of,” said Simeon.

Simeon will be signing copies of All Hollow in Banbury Waterstones on November 23. He has also been announced as a guest speaker at the TEDxBanbury event next February.

All Hollow is available as paperback (£6.99) and ebook (£1.99) from both Amazon and Waterstones.