Dene Lindley has been 'blown away' by the response to Unlucky Alf, as copies wing themselves towards Australia and America and across Europe.

The 47-year-old father-of-two saw the first 400 copies sell out in just five weeks – TEN times faster than was predicted.

Now he hopes the momentum can continue to build, and the non-profit project can further boost charities including North Anston's Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.

"I will never forget my roots, and I've got some great mates in Maltby," said Dene. "Maltby has a strong heart and still has a pit, which is great!"

"I thought I was writing this book just for the people there. Now I know this little thing I was typing in my tiny office at home is now flying across the world."

"I threatened the kids that before I reached the age of 50, I would write a novel. The catalyst was meeting Megan Davies, the teenage daughter of a close friend of mine who was awaiting an organ transplant."

"She said she desperately wanted something to read which had a hint of humour and captured her imagination. This spurred me on."

Unlucky Alf is dedicated to Megan, who told Dene that life was 'all about making memories'. And the semi-autobiographical take on his first 14 years is packed with familiar references to the Maltby of his childhood.

"It's very raw and gritty, as it was in the 60s," said Dene, who now lives in Whiston. "It's about self-discovery and it's sometimes painful, but always tinged with humour."

"I completed the first draft in 16 weeks, then the hard part was getting it from the manuscript stage to being a finished product."

"I had never done anything like this before in my life. And some of the comments have been absolutely wonderful."

"Some blokes have said to me they've never read a book before, but they read mine cover to cover and could relate to it. It was a pleasure to write."

Dene said the novel became a victim of its own success in the early days. Now he is just a few months from covering the costs, and then Bluebell Wood, the Rotherham Hospice and Nottingham University Hospital's Charity Kinder Appeal will benefit even more from the rising profile of Unlucky Alf.

"I'm not interested in making a penny out of this," he said. "And if it's making people laugh while raising money then that's the icing on the cake."

"The ultimate for me would be to fade into the background, not have to worry about it, but still know it was doing well. To be at an airport or on a train and see someone reading it and laughing would be the cherry on the icing on the cake."

Chapter titles including The Skint Years in Maltby, School Days at St Mary's and Roche Abbey set the scene for the many mishaps naive Alf encounters.

"The book ends when he is 14," said Dene.