Former Stamford Schools and Oundle School teacher Marc Livingstone from Uffington writes thriller, Bond of Trust

A former teacher at two of the area’s schools has written his first thriller.

Marc Livingstone based the action in ‘Bond of Trust’ on several life experiences, including taking Lady Diana Spencer and disgraced politician John Profumo out on fishing boats, getting rescued from a peat bog by dogs, and being cursed by Christian fundamentalists.

“I was thinking of writing some short stories about the things that have happened to me but then I decided they could work as a novel,” he said.

“One of Marc’s more bizarre incidents was being branded a ‘son of Satan’ for watching Jesus Christ Superstar at the Stornoway Playhouse in the Outer Hebrides.

“I was in sixth form at the time and went along to see the film version with three friends,” he said.

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“We were met at the door by people with leaflets who told us we would be damned forever if we went in.

“One of my friends ran out within five minutes to ‘repent’. That left me and two ministers’ sons.

“As we left after the film, we were spat at and told we were damned, and when I returned to school I was told I had three options: no more religious education, double religious education, or exorcism.

“I chose no more RE.”

Ironically, the ‘cursed’ Playhouse soon closed down - although this had more to do with a failure to meet building regulations than the wishes of the Free Presbyterian Church.

After school in the Outer Hebrides, and university in London, Marc, who lives in Uffington, embarked on a career teaching design and technology, which included time at Oundle School and Stamford Schools.

He has written a textbook published by HarperCollins but hadn’t really considered writing fiction until now.

“The short stories idea morphed and I added other experiences,” he said.

“While I studied at London University, I went back to the Highlands and Hebrides in the summer.

“To make some money I would be a ghillie, looking after people on fishing expeditions, and among those I met were Lady Diana Spencer as Princess Diana was then, and John Profumo.

“I also worked with special forces on nature conservation - in the fisheries there was poaching on an industrial scale and I’ve been shot at several times as a result.”

Aspects of these experiences have been included in Bonds of Trust, as well as a frightening incident in which Marc ended up waist-deep in a peat bog at dusk.

He had been out looking for a lost dog, and had taken another with him. When he started to sink into the peat moorland, he hung onto the collar of the German pointer that was with him, to avoid disappearing altogether.

Spotting the wayward English setter, he managed to make it come close by fussing the other dog, and with both under his control used them to pull himself free of the peat.

These bizarre brushes with fame, religion and peat bog death gave Marc material for a plot that involves two naval contractors finding themselves cursed, having been called out to clear a sea mine from a fishing estate only to encounter the island’s religious fundamentalists.

Soon one of the contractors is battling to stay alive and prevent a war breaking out, while putting loyalty - the bond of trust - to the test.

Bond of Trust is available from Walker’s in Stamford High Street, and online from Amazon priced £8.49.