A Kensal Green author has joined forces with a West Hampstead bookseller for a “wine o’clock” taster of his third supermarket and wine industry satire.

Ham & High: Firing Blancs by Peter Stafford-Bow is endorsed by Kensal Rise author and broadcaster Tim Lott. Picture: Peter Stafford-BowFiring Blancs by Peter Stafford-Bow is endorsed by Kensal Rise author and broadcaster Tim Lott. Picture: Peter Stafford-Bow (Image: Archant)

Peter Stafford-Bow is launching Firing Blancs, the third book chronicling the adventures of the badly behaved Felix Hart on June 1.

West End Lane Books is tweeting a “little wine o’clock teaser” of Peter reading a humorous excerpt from Firing Blancs at @WELBooks .

Readers who re-tweet the post will automatically enter the draw to win a personally-dedicated, signed copy of the book.

Peter, who lives with his beer executive partner Julie in Ravensworth Road, abandoned his own career as a supermarket wine buyer following the success of his debut novel, Corkscrew, which was shortlisted as a People’s Book Prize finalist in 2018.

Brut Force followed and now Firing Blancs charts Felix’s adventures as Head of Wine at Gatesave Supermarkets, where he is ordered to South Africa to suppress an ethical scandal which threatens his employer.

Peter said: “My publisher wanted to delay the release of Firing Blancs until September, or possibly even 2021, because the whole of the book publishing industry appears to have ground to a halt, but I insisted on going ahead because I think people need a bit of a giggle – plus there’s not much else to do in the evenings except Netflix and...”

Danny Van Endem, of West End Lane Books, said: “Peter’s previous novels have been very popular with our customers at West End Lane Books, and when he approached us we really wanted to be involved, even though, with things as they are at the moment, an old school launch in the shop was a non-starter.

“I thought: ‘What will people be doing after a long day working from home during June, when the book is published?’

“I hit on the idea of ‘wine o’clock’ as, I hope, a fun way to promote the book as people unwind after work.

“So, each day Peter will give a short reading via You Tube which we will promote via our large social media following, during which we hope our followers will chill out and enjoy over a glass of their favourite tipple.”

Firing Blancs, published by Acorn by Peter Stafford-Bow is available to order now at all good bookshops (ISBN 978-1-913036-23-2).