IT must be slightly odd to wake up in the calm that is Worcestershire each morning when you have spent almost 40 years living in war zones.

But Bob Shepherd has clearly adapted remarkably well and is enjoying a new, quieter life with his wife and co-author of his best selling books – the latest of which was released last week.

The Good Jihadist draws from his experience as a private security contractor to tell the story of Matt – a contractor who finds himself in the middle of a war he did not even know existed.

But the emphasis here is draws on as Mr Shepherd goes to great lengths to emphasise the plot is not based on actual events.

“A lot of it is based on true facts – what actually happened on the ground – although the story itself is fiction,” he said.

“Some people have asked if the main character is me but Matt is a new character who has got a lot to learn.

“He spent only six years in the SAS; his experience is lacking.”

Which is something you could not say for 57-year-old Mr Shepherd.

His first book The Circuit, a Sunday Times top 10 best seller released in 2009, details Mr Shepherd’s time working in the private security business and the changes he saw over 17 years – from a niche industry filled with experts to an unregulated industry worth billions of pounds.

But while he is happy to use his books to examine that, and the events of the last 10 years, he stops short at talking about his 23-year stint in the millitary.

“I won’t write about my time in the regiment,” said Mr Shepherd.

“But people understand where I am coming from.

“It’s mainly about characters who are in the commercial security circuit.”

During his time in that circuit he spent time looking after diplomats and journalists – the experience of which has clearly influenced his stories.

One of the most shocking incidents in the book is inspired by his work with diplomats as a young woman demands to travel across Kabul in a short dress putting the entire team in danger.

Incidents like these are more common than you would think.

“The thing is there are a lot of people trying to get up the ladder very quickly,” Mr Shepherd said.

“They choose Afghanistan for a couple of years – but they want the same life in Kabul as they had in London.”

However, while he was clearly exasperated working with some diplomats, working with journalists was an entirely different experience.

“It was fun working with journalists,” said Mr Shepherd.

“My aim was to keep them safe but it also opened my eyes.”

It was travelling with journalists which allowed him to see, for the first time, the other side of the story. Away from the Army, he got to meet people he perhaps would have been busy fighting.

The inspiration for The Good Jihadist, in fact, comes from one such trip taken in 2007 to Quetta – a town on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was there he learned that the Taliban was not just one force, as the western media like to portray, but two quite separate forces with very different agendas. All of this is explored in The Good Jihadist – a must-read for anyone wanting to get a better picture and understanding of the situation in Pakistan.

Mr Shepherd said: “I’ve been there talking and listening to people. I’m just a guy who’s been on the ground.”