A Biddulph actor has been using his time away from the set to try his hand at fantasy writing - a process which has recently resulted in the publication of his first novel!

Christopher Ashman, who grew up in Biddulph and has also spent time living in London in LA, is no stranger to appearing in front of the cameras and has even had roles in the long-running BBC soap Eastenders and the popular Fox and Netflix series Lucifer.

But when lockdown began, Christopher decided to take the time to accomplish a long-standing goal of writing his first fantasy novel - which has now been published as The Wastelands Saga: Book One - The Battle of Gildora.

The novel tells a story of a society that has been split between genders and their battles for supremacy over one another.

We spoke to Christopher more about the novel - read our interview below.

Is this your first novel or have you written anything else in the past? What was the writing process like for this novel and how long have you been working on it? "Yes! It started life as a TV pilot script that I developed a few years ago. I started writing it during 2019 and managed to occupy myself in lockdown with the second and third drafts. "In terms of process - I started simple; I sat down in front of my laptop (playing the Lord of the Rings soundtrack on repeat) and gave myself a goal; write 2000 words a day. I was very fortunate as I was in between acting jobs so could dedicate a couple of weeks to this. I already knew the story, the chapters sort of wrote themselves in many ways. "The first draft took about four months, then the second took two and the third took about 6 weeks. I sent it to friends and writers who I respect for notes and integrated them into the story, too. But I'd say from inception to production it's been about three years! With breaks in between, but that's the span of time!"

I also noticed you are an actor with roles in some really well known shows like Eastenders and Lucifer! What made you decide to try your hand at writing and did your acting experience help in any way, such as when it came to writing dialogue?

"Yes, that's my day job, so to speak! I've been very fortunate to be able to call it that. When I moved from Biddulph to London, I enrolled at Drama Centre London, with contemporaries such as Emilia Clarke, Alexander Dreymon, David Mumeni and Gwendoline Christie to name a few.

"I started to really enjoy writing on top, as a huge part of our training was developing our own characters to perform. I actually had my first written short film premiere in Los Angeles and London in 2014; I really enjoyed the process of developing a story and building characters, so wanted to see if I could do it in as long a form as a novel; I was really proud when I finally finished and am really happy with the story and the characters within."

How long have you lived in Biddulph, and what do you think of the local area? "Biddulph is my home. I moved there when I was two years old, went to Knypersley First School, Park Middle (James Bateman) and the High School. Many of my close friends and all my family are still there, so I come back quite a lot. Being away from Biddulph for so long, including five years in LA, has really made me appreciate what a lovely town it is. "There's a Welsh phrase (my Dad is Welsh) called Hiraeth which is a longing for home that I think really sums up my feelings for Biddulph. It'll always be my home in many ways; even if I'm not there."

What attracted you to the fantasy genre in particular and were you inspired by any popular fantasy titles such as Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings?

"Lord of the Rings was a seminal story for me; so huge and epic, but with real heart. I love fantasy; a chance to explore concepts that are so relevant to us but with a removal from our natural circumstances. I love George RR Martin's work; I admit I only finally watched Game of thrones this last year, but it is simply magnificent.

"I've loved fantasy novels since I was little, I'd read Redwall by Brian Jacques and Chronicles of Narnia. These days I still read lots of fantasy, Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss being particular favourites at the moment."

What would you say to encourage people to read the book? "I would say on a personal level if you wanted to support someone from Biddulph that's a great reason. I think that, at this moment in history, gender politics has become a big talking point and my story addresses this issue head on. It takes the notion of separating society by gender to an absolute extreme and shows that, hopefully, society is fraught with issues if we do so. "I also think it's lots of fun, though I would say that! It's a big story, full of swordfights, skirmishes, drama, swashbuckling and a study of characters from both sides."

Have you got any plans to write any more novels in the future, or any current or upcoming acting roles you would also like to give a shoutout to?

"I am developing part two of the Wastelands series as we speak! I'm also developing a non-fiction book about nostalgia which I'm hoping will be finished next year, but it's still early days.

"As for acting work, I'm about to be in Havoc - a feature film with Tom Hardy for Netflix, as well as an indie movie called Where Are You alongside Anthony Hopkins. I wish I could tell you about a project I finished a few weeks ago that will be released next year, but sadly, I'm sworn to secrecy."

Is there anything else you would like to add? "I do jokes on Twitter and Instagram, if anyone wanted to keep up - I'm @CAshmanActor on twitter and @christopherashmanactor on Insta. If anyone would like to buy the book they can do so by clicking here.

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below to get the top 10 Biddulph stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday! No click-bait. No intrusive ads. Just news about Biddulph.