LOOKING for love? A new novelist who used to work as a teacher in Harpenden has delved into the world of dot.com dating with his first book. Terry Carter, an ex-St George s School languages teacher, has launched a new career as a novelist with Ticking All

LOOKING for love? A new novelist who used to work as a teacher in Harpenden has delved into the world of dot.com dating with his first book.

Terry Carter, an ex-St George's School languages teacher, has launched a new career as a novelist with Ticking All The Boxes, a tale about the dilemmas of searching for love online.

Terry, aged 65, who lives in Edlesborough near Dunstable, was inspired to write the Rom-Com after listening to his younger sister Kathryn Kelly's wild tales about her internet-dating experiences.

Encounters

Said Terry, who has been married to his wife Susan for more than 40 years: "Kathryn used to tell us the funniest stories and it was actually my wife who first suggested that we put them down on paper. I've always been interested in words and thought it sounded like a really fun project, so I jumped at the chance!"

Terry and Kathryn, who lives in Shropshire and has been divorced for 25 years, began an email partnership that saw them writing alternate chapters and it took them two-and-a-half years to finish the novel of nearly 400 pages.

It was released as a paperback last November and is printed under the pen-name of Kelly Carter, an amalgamation of the writers' names.

Ticking All The Boxes follows the fate of Bridget Jones-esque Sally Johnson, a 39-year-old woman desperate to find Mr Right. Undeterred by warnings of axe murderers, she signs up to an internet dating site and soon embarks on a series of bitter-sweet encounters with her potential suitors.

Terry, who worked in the IT industry after he left St George's in the late 1990s, said that it was surprisingly easy to co-write a book: "It sounds like a tough challenge to write a book over email but because we have the same writing style and outlook on life, it was actually easy to keep it flowing. We did have a few tantrums along the way but we always made up quickly over a bottle of Pinot Grigio."

He added: "It was such an enjoyable project and we did it for sheer fun, not to make any money. Ticking All The Boxes is a light and frothy book and it was very entertaining to research and write it."

The sibling duo are currently working on adapting the novel for a six-part TV series for the BBC and Terry said that his dream was to see it made into a film.

Ticking All The Boxes is available at �9.99 from Buzzard Books or online from Amazon, Waterstone's or direct from the publishers at www.authorhouse .co.uk