Author's book delivers the goods

MY WORD: Author Phillip Percy with his children and his latest book, Mr Phelps' Fish Truck.PHOTO/SUE McCLEARY

Weaving the day to day lives of people in South Wairarapa into a children's story is becoming a bit of a theme for Martinborough author Phillip Percy.

In his latest book, Mr Phelps' Fish Truck, illustrated by his father Dale Percy, he tells the story of Lance Phelps, who in real life picks up freshly caught fish from Ngawi in a big white truck with his dog Ned and delivers it around the region.

Riding on the success of The Old White Truck, about the also real but now retired bread delivery man Roger Mills, Mr Percy again found inspiration in the valuable role delivery men play in the community.

"It's a similar sort of inspiration to the first story."

Mr Phelps lives just up the road. "We would drive home and see his truck parked up and crates stacked up there," Mr Percy said.

"The book highlights the important but often unseen role that so many members of our communities have in bringing food to our tables."

While not nearly as glamorous as lawyers and doctors, they were just as important, he said.

Mr Percy believes Mr Phelps has been delivering fish for at least 10 years.

He wrote the story first and got in touch with Mr Phelps' wife Tracy to see if she thought he would be up for a story written about himself.

"She said yeah but you've got to have Ned the dog in there."

Ned has since died and was Mr Phelps' trusty sidekick, travelling with him in a special seat in the truck every day.

Mr Percy plans to write another similar book and already has some people in mind.

"I'd love to do another one, I'll have to pick the next unsuspecting local.

"The awesome thing about Martinborough is there's a whole lot of cool people to write about."

He has always enjoyed writing little poems and squeezed in the story writing while running a small business in Martinborough.

"Doing the first book was a little accidental."

A draft of the first book was read out at Mrs Mills' 70th birthday and people wanted copies.

"It kind of snowballed."

Mr Percy said they tried to keep production local, with Martinborough's Dustys and Lulu graphic design laying out the books and his father illustrating, but the printing was done overseas.

Mr Phelps' Fish Truck is available at Wairarapa shops or online at martinboroughstories.co.nz or fishpond.co.nz. It is also available from Martinborough School as a fundraiser.