Today feels like quite a milestone.
James and the Saundersfoot Time Tunnel, the first book in my new Saundersfoot Trilogy, is now available on Amazon Kindle.
The story began with something very simple: the old coal trucks and tunnels that still hint at a very different Saundersfoot from the one we know today. Around 150 years ago, this beautiful seaside village was a busy industrial port, with coal being brought down from local collieries and shipped from the harbour.
I began wondering what it might be like for a modern-day child to step through one of those tunnels and find that world still alive.
And that is exactly what happens to eleven-year-old James.
One moment he is exploring present-day Saundersfoot. The next, he finds himself in the village of the 1870s, where the harbour is filled with sailing ships, coal drams rattle along the railway and steam engines work the inclines above the village.
There he meets Tomos, a boy his own age whose life could hardly be more different from his own. Their friendship leads James into an adventure involving stolen coal, a dangerous chase and a journey into a part of Saundersfoot’s history he never imagined he would experience for himself.
Although James and Tomos are fictional, much of the world around them is inspired by the real history of Saundersfoot.
The book is written for readers aged roughly 8–11, but I hope there might also be a few parents and grandparents who enjoy discovering the Saundersfoot of the past alongside them.
And this is only the beginning.
Book Two, James and the Forgotten Mine, will take James and Tomos on another adventure — this time involving an escaped pit pony and the forgotten workings beneath the Pembrokeshire countryside.
For now, though, I’m simply rather pleased to be able to say:
James and the Saundersfoot Time Tunnel is published.
I hope you enjoy the adventure.
David Baxter
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