Author shows a light touch; CITY-BORN WRITER FOLLOWS UP DEBUT SUCCESS.

Byline: LUCY WILSON

A CHOICE between family life and endless adolescence faces the hero of Coventry-born Mark Barrowcliffe's newly published novel.

Infidelity for First Time Fathers, a story of men in their 30s choosing between fatherhood and eternal laddishness, follows the success of Mark's debut novel, Girlfriend 44.

The new book opens with Stewart Dagman, known as Dag, lying in bed with a girlfriend when he gets a phone call from his fiancee telling him she is pregnant.

Mark, aged 36, said: "My first book had quite a few serious issues in it, such as urban regeneration, but this is much lighter. I'm a big fan of PG Wodehouse and I've tried to make it in that kind of style.

"I hope both men and women will like it - I think it will have a lot of appeal across the sectors. Most of my friends who have read it are women and I think they were interested in what goes on in a man's mind."

The author grew up in Whoberley, Coventry, and went to Woodlands School before studying English at the University of Sussex. He became a freelance writer before publishing Girlfriend 44.

Hollywood's Universal Studios has bought the rights and a script is being prepared for the novel to be turned into a film.

Mark now lives in Paris where he is working on his third novel, a semi- autobiographical work featuring characters from Coventry.

"My schoolmates from Woodlands should watch out because they might be appearing in it."

Infidelity for First Time Fathers is published in paperback today by Headline Book Publishing Ltd, priced pounds 9.99.

CAPTION(S):

WIDE APPEAL: Author Mark Barrowcliffe