Three of the original characters from Going out in the Midday Sun have now combined their talents to open the Mad Dog Café on the Southern French coast.

Joined by new staff, friends, lovers and family they pit their wits against bureaucracy, increasingly bizarre weather and life-changing surprises to make their venture a success.

Several months after the opening of their restaurant, the team learns that the Mad Dog Café is built on sacred ground, and will become a place of pilgrimage when the time of The End of the World takes place – 21.12.2013.

The heralded date of The End arrives with a world press onslaught, and passes with nothing but a few hangovers. But it seems as if the date may have been wrong . . .

Set in France, with forays into London, Scotland and Las Vegas, the Mad Dog Café is the third part of a trilogy spanning twenty years in which the heroes are challenged with the everyday: the joys and dramas of their new venture as well as stalkers, near death experiences, and quite possibly, the end of the world.

I’d just read a rather dreary saga – I can’t now remember what – and at the end thought ‘Mm, I wonder what it would be like to write an actual novel’. I’d written a lot of childern’s stories, including ‘Alfi Beasti, Don’t Eat That!’ (published in 2004) but hadn’t thought about writing for adults. A few days later, during a swim – often a good idea-sparking activity – the idea of ‘Going Out’ occurred to me. I got out, started writing and continued for three years until the trilogy was complete. When I glance at the writing now, I know I would do it very differently but I am happy for the books to be out there and know from much feedback that they are appreciated. Perhaps if I (when!) I succeed in getting traditionally published, I might consider a re-write for the trilogy. Might.