Taxi Driver Online

A Co Antrim taxi driver’s novel idea to fill time between fares has become a real page turner.

Alan Kerr from Glengormley has written a novel and had it published by a leading publishing house.

Alan, 48, came up with the idea for the thriller after a three-month stint working in London's finance district as a currency trader.

The book, Eastern Trade, is set in London where lead character Mickey has just escaped the fiasco of Lehman Brothers.

And just like the author, he passes his days driving taxis but he also works as a private investigator.

UBER driver Alan said: "It took me about 18 months to write the book and after a few changes it got snapped up and published. I'd heard so many stories about authors struggling to get their drafts even looked so I was thrilled when someone got back to me to say they liked it.

"After a few minor tweaks Pegasus Ellitot McKenzie published Eastern Trader and now it's on sale. They even gave me some say over the book cover and I'm thrilled to see my name and my work in print.

"I've always tried to keep my brain really active and I found while I was taxi-ing that there were times where I would just be hanging about waiting for the next fare.

"So I decided to take a small laptop with me and start tinkering away and one paragraph led to an other and an other and the book sort of took shape itself."

Alan, who was born in Auckland, New Zealand, plans to move to Cyprus to write full time if his writing career works out.

He said: "I think it would be great to write in the sun."

His debut novel is dedicated to Lucy, the one-time love of his life who he says rescued him.

Alan said: "Lucy did in fact rescue me. But it was after I rescued her. She was a little white terrier who I just fell for and when her owner could no longer look after her I took her in.

Little Lucy has had the thriller dedicated to her with love
"But she got old and sick we had the inevitable final trip to the vet and I miss her every day. My dedication of my first novel to her is really an apology to say I'm sorry I couldn't do any more for her. As I said in the dedication, our time together was brief but I think of her every day."

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