November 04, 2026 - 178 views
A Rhos-on-Sea musician has drawn on the experiences and imagination behind 25 original songs to tell a new story set during the First World War.
Stuart Todd, who writes under the name A P Gilmoore, has published C'mon Walter, a novel which developed from songs and music videos created by The Rusty Wood Band.
Readers can also watch the complete 55-minute film, which shares the book's title, by scanning a QR code printed at the back of the novel. It allows the story to continue from the page to the screen.
Set initially in Oxfordshire in 1916, the novel follows the wealthy Baxter family of Stow View House as their son Michael leaves for the Western Front. His father is preparing to hang a portrait of his son as a war hero, but Michael has a secret companion – an imaginary friend called Walter, whom he has never been without.
As the story moves from the Cotswolds to the battlefields of the Somme and the Old Bailey, secrets begin to emerge. The novel explores themes of ambition, loyalty and illusion, combining the realities of war with humour, heartbreak and music.
Stuart said the songs had provided the starting point for the project, but the story eventually grew beyond what could be told in a film.
"The songs came first. I kept writing about this boy and the friend only he could see, and by the end there were too many to fit in a film," he said.
"The book let me tell the whole story, and the film is there as a thank-you for reading it."
The publication comes as communities across North Wales prepare to mark Remembrance Sunday on 8 November and Armistice Day on 11 November.
The songs, including Lost in France, are available on Spotify and other music streaming services.
C'mon Walter is available in paperback, hardback and Kindle editions through Amazon.
