TO DESCRIBE Neil Topping’s writing as a labour of love is something of an understatement.

Not only has he completed an epic set of romantic novels – four books totalling about 300,000 words following a love story across continents over 50 years – but it is dedicated to his late first wife, who encouraged him to write it, and his second wife who persuaded him to publish it.

And now he’s spreading the love, donating all the money made from his self-published books to three charities.

As well as paperback copies of his Seasons of Love quartet – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – they are available on Kindle and in June the Winter instalment was a top three downloaded book on Amazon.

The sales boost has seen Neil donate £150 each to Chalgrove Primary School, the Oxfordshire Advocacy Service and construction industry charity the Lighthouse Club.

The books were started nearly 20 years ago.

“It all started when Tina was watching a Danielle Steele drama on TV and I said ‘I don’t know how an intelligent woman like you can watch this stuff night after night’,” recalls Neil, 68, about his late wife, who died of lung cancer aged 55 in 2006.

“She threw down the gauntlet and said ‘if you think you can write something better then why don’t you,’ so I did.

“I have always been interested in German prisoners of war so I started to write a story about an English girl meeting a German prisoner of war and their lives together over the next 50 years.”

The project was put on hold when Tina became ill and died, but Neil was encouraged by his second wife Heather, who he married last year, to get his story published.

As a result, the writer’s wartime tale is completed with a dedication to both his wives.

The former construction director, of Chalgrove, wrote in the foreword: “To Tina, for encouraging me to write this book and to Heather, for supporting me in getting it published.”

Neil has no plans at present for any more books – he’s too busy with voluntary work with a number of organisations – but he has made time to give a series of talks to organisations in Oxfordshire describing the challenge of writing a first novel.

* If any groups are interested in having Neil to talk, free of charge, he can be contacted on 01865 890650 or neil.topping@btinternet