A VISIT to heaven and the chance to see a day in the life of God is the treat in store for the main character in Felixstowe writer Greg Weston's new novel for children.

A VISIT to heaven and the chance to see a day in the life of God is the treat in store for the main character in Felixstowe writer Greg Weston's new novel for children.

Mr Weston, an accountant by day and a writer by night, published his first book Ocean View Terrace two years ago and it was an immediate success, prompting him to pen a second.

His new novel - aimed at older children and young people - is called The Man Upstairs and is very different to his first adventure, which was set in Felixstowe.

It tells the story of eleven-year-old Monty who, through a very strange quirk of events, gets an opportunity to visit heaven and see a day in the life of God after receiving a surprise Christmas present beneath the tree.

Along his journey he meets an odd looking alien with a fetish for flying, a rather nervous angel, and has dealings with more than one American President.

He finds himself in the middle of a bank raid, piloting a fighter jet and even fighting off a tribe of Zulu warriors. But, far beyond all of this, are his adventures in the strange and bizarre world beyond the one we know, beyond time and space - heaven.

“It's a subject which people tend not to talk about much,” said Mr Weston, who lives with his wife Julie and daughter Emily, 11, and son Jack, seven, in Berners Road, Felixstowe.

“We think about school and hobbies and friends and family and work.

“But what sits waiting for us beyond all that, beyond this world? It is a fascinating thought.

“If there was a heaven out there, what would it look like? Or if you were to pass God tomorrow as you walked down the street, what do you think he would be like?”

Mr Weston doesn't claim to give any answers to these questions in his book.

“The Man Upstairs is just a story, but writing any story based beyond this world raises a lot of questions to ponder,” he said.

“What exactly is out there? What do people in heaven do all day long? Oh and what is God's favourite flavour of ice cream?

“I've tried to paint a picture of a heaven which is humongously big and so much more interesting than you ever considered. And a picture of God which is perhaps more outrageous than you would consider. It is a book which explores possibilities.”

The Man Upstairs is published this month, price £6.99. There will be a book signing session tomorrow at 10.30am at Magpie Books, Hamilton Road, Felixstowe. It is also available on Amazon, or direct from Lulu.com/gregweston, and bookshops.