Cwmbran is the setting for a brand-new novel and its iconic boating lake plays a pivotal role in the story.
Called The Time-Travelling Estate Agent, the book chronicles the journey its unlikely hero makes when attempting to correct a mistake in his past.
Written by local author Dale Bradford, whose day job is editing a B2B magazine, the story offers gentle nods towards Groundhog Day and 50 First Dates while blending elements of sci-fi with a mismatched romance and a murder mystery.
He said: “I have vivid recollections of Cwmbran in the ‘70s and writing about it was a nostalgic experience. We often romanticise the past, particularly the long hot summer of ’76 when much of the story takes place, but if we could revisit that time we’d probably be shocked by some of the attitudes that were prevalent then, and I’ve tried to reflect that in the story.”
Bradford expects the book to appeal to ‘70s nostalgists, enthusiasts of the time travel genre… and those with a professional interest in selling houses.
He explains: “The book was published a few days ago and I contacted a property trade publication called The Negotiator as I thought it might make a light-hearted news snippet.
“I was astonished to see the story appear on The Negotiator’s front page, with the headline ‘Finally, a novel with an estate agent as its hero!’, and from this came an invite to be the guest on a leading property podcast, which is going out in early December.
“I very much hope the hosts are expecting me to talk about the book rather than offer any unique insights into the business of selling houses.”
What is the book about?
The Time-Travelling Estate Agent is set in December 2019 in Cwmbran, when 60-year-old estate agent Eric Meek is invited by an elderly lady to value her property. But contrary to what the vendor believes, the garage conversion does not contain her husband’s photographic ‘dark room’ but a hole in space-time that has been developed into a traversable portal.
A by-product of her husband’s attempts to emulate the work of pioneering electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, the portal allows movement between 2019 and the day it was first powered up, 3rd July 1976: the best – and worst – day of 16-year-old Eric’s life.
Presented with a chance to right the wrongs of the past, Eric revisits the moment he believes defined his future and tries to use this unique opportunity to improve the life chances of people he cares about, including his now long-dead father.
Will Eric change history? Or will history change Eric?
How to get a copy of Time-Travelling Estate Agent
The Time-Travelling Estate Agent is available now in ebook (£1.99), paperback (£11.99), and hardback (£16.99) and is free to read on Kindle Unlimited. The first four chapters can also be read online instantly via Amazon’s Read Sample facility.