By Peter Townson
Staff Reporter
Peter Nutty, at the launch of his first book The Last Hangman
The Last Hangman, a novel penned by a British expatriate living in Doha, was launched locally last week, at an event where some 100 people gathered to mark the occasion.
Peter Nutty has made his first foray into writing with the tale of three oil company executives whose history of racial abuse and other unsavoury behaviour returns to haunt them during their work in Nigeria.
Since being published in January, The Last Hangman has been well received and Nutty has even been contacted by a Hollywood writer to work on adapting the novel for the big screen.
The Welshman, who works for a multi-national oil and gas company in Qatar, spoke to Gulf Times about the novel and what made him take up the pen to begin a journey which has led to something of a whirlwind this year.
“It’s just been amazing,” he said, adding “the response has been unbelievable and it’s so exciting.” The process has been a long one, and Nutty explained that the idea for the novel first formed in his mind before he came to Qatar more than 10 years ago.
“The book tells the gruesome story of oil executives involved in racism, who get in trouble in Nigeria 30 years later and are involved in a lawsuit back in the US,” he said, adding “the plot twists at the end to bring everything together.”
From the bare bones of a story back then, emerged The Last Hangman with its intricate storyline and plot twists. Nutty made an agreement with authorhouse.co.uk to publish the book, which can also be bought from the site, as well as Amazon and other well known websites.
The book was officially launched in Qatar on Wednesday at an event sponsored by Mannai Travel, and there are also copies available here, which can be purchased by e-mailing [email protected].
“The book has had an amazing response from everyone so far, and everyone who has read it has been gobsmacked that I achieved this,” he said.
One response has been particularly exciting, and when Nutty received a telephone call from the US, he was amazed to hear that a writer based in Hollywood would like to collaborate on writing a screenplay for the book. And so the summer will present another new chapter in this relatively new author’s life as he begins work on his first screenplay.
Nutty has also completed his second book, We Never Even Said Goodbye, which he has written under the guise of a woman and tells the story of a ‘Calamity Jane’ type housewife. Plans for his third book are also being formulated and Nutty is preparing to begin writing again.
He urged anyone else thinking about writing a book to take the plunge and follow their dreams. “I would say that they should just go for it – it is very challenging and time-consuming,” he noted, adding “you need to be fully committed to writing and you need to have a good storyline.” But in his case, the commitment has paid off and Nutty is understandably proud to hold a book with his name on the front cover.
He also expressed his gratitude to his wife, Claire and their three daughters Amy, Kate and Chloe. “I want to thank my family and especially my wife Claire who has been such a strong source of support and provided me with inspiration throughout,” he added.