IT SOUNDS like the stuff of a gritty crime novel, but before he became a renowned novelist, Gerald Seymour witnessed an all-too-real incident in his one and only visit to North Shropshire so far.

Seymour was sent by ITN to cover the infamous siege at Weston-under-Redcastle, near Wem, which captivated the public in September and October 1968.

"Some chap with psychological problems barricaded himself in a very, very remote farmhouse. He fired on an army Saracen personnel carrier which was bringing the local constabulary up to the farmhouse, so they retreated," he said.

"They ringed this placed for 17, 18 days and a camp of hacks appeared almost overnight in camping wagons, caravans, tents and we stuck it out. I was lucky enough to be there when the whole damn business concluded and the chap was led out in handcuffs and taken away, never to be heard of again."

Seymour was among the press pack who spent 17 days covering events as farmer John James tool a woman hostage with a shotgun.

The stand-off came to a climax when the woman grabbed James' gun while he slept and threw it out of the window, and James was later sent to Broadmoor Hospital indefinitely.

"It had a relatively happy ending in the sense that neither the woman or the children who were inside the farmhouse were harmed, not any of the policemen. Patience and forbearance was the right course of action for the authorities to take," Seymour added.

He went on to have a successful 15 year career with ITN, covering major news across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Big stories included the Great Train Robbery, the Munich Massacre and the Vietnam War.

Seymour grew up in a literary household, with both his father and mother have works published.

But his career path started changed in 1973 when – inspired by Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal – decided to write a novel while on the month's break after returning from an assignment in the Middle Eastern.

His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975 and was made into a hit TV series.

"The Day of the Jackal was one of the big thrillers that really changed things probably more than Ian Fleming had done witht he Bond stories," he said.

"I just think that he gave all of the journalists a terrific boost and a feeling that it might be quite fun to have a go at that, and I was one of those who was swept along in his slipstream I think."

Seymour's years as a journalist proved "integral" to his work as a writer.

"I like to say that I have journalism as a sort of malarial microbe in my bloodstream, and I am still absolutely excited and thrilled when I feel I'm exploring an area perhaps where journalists don't usually go, but we're able to get through doors that are usually closed and meet people who don't normally talk about what they do," he said.

"I find that yearning to know a little bit more than is in the public domain has stayed with me over a huge number of years."

The Guilford-born writer next visit to Shropshire should prove a much more sedate affair, as the author discusses his career and also his latest adventure, Battle Sight Zero, at the Wynnstay Hotel in Oswestry on January 28 - an event organised by Booka Bookshop.

The novel follows undercover police officer Andy knight as he infiltrates an extremist group in a bid to stop the import of an AK-47 into the country.

Seymour told how he was fascinated with the double lives of undercover police operatives, who he described as "extraordinarily brave and resourceful people".

He said: "I've been to a trial where an undercover policeman gave evidence from behind a screen, looked on with complete loathing from the guys in the dock, a narcotics smuggling gang who were going to go down for a very long sentence.

"The fury and anger would have been because the guy tricked his way into their lives and trust – they would've shredded him if they'd known he was not whatever cover he had created around him. "

The genial author told how he enjoyed meeting his readers and receiving feedback from them.

"We all have the great digital age and social media etc, but to to go out and meet people who read the stuff I've written is quite a humbling experience and I don't take that for granted," he said.

"I don't always expect it to be a really comfortable ride, but I'm extremely grateful that after more than four decades that people still notice me."

For more information on the event, visit http://www.bookabookshop.co.uk/events/