A SHERBORNE St John man has penned a book loosely based around his “adventures and misadventures abroad”.

Dean Warner, 36, was inspired to write novel 21 Red after spending several years in South-east Asia before the recession forced him to return home.

Mr Warner, who now works in J Davy Vauxhall, in Basingstoke, was providing financial advice in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Bahrain before returning to Britain.

He describes the 500-page tome as “an exaggerated account of my own adventures and misadventures abroad – a twisted chronicle of what lies behind the paradisiacal scenery of South-east Asia.”

He said that while the story is mainly fictional, it represents his own reasons for leaving England behind.

In the light-hearted book, the hero, a gambler, is forced to leave his home town for a new life in Asia where he lands himself in yet more trouble and debt before trying to find his own path to enlightenment.

Mr Warner has self-published 21 Red – his first novel – and spent around 18 months writing the book.

The author, who is now studying towards a qualification in freelance journalism, has sold several hundred copies so far.

The book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but can also be ordered at any book shop.

It is also available on shelves in some branches of Waterstones, in London.