Thinking about your parents having sex is something most people avoid at all costs.

Lisa Cornwell, however, has not been given much choice in the matter.

Her 71-year-old father Roy's first novel is packed with recollections of a lifetime of erotic experiences.

Mr Cornwell's debut - The Amaldo Inheritance - includes a man-eating bisexual chemist, a mnage trois, a romp in the woods, several spanking sessions and sado-masochistic parties.

He also manages to squeeze in a little ritual murder, blackmail and suicide.

Lisa, 30, has not managed to make it past page 12.

She said: "I've been told the book has a certain Jackie Collins element to it - it's a bit spicy.

"I'm a bit of an old prude. My dad is much more liberated. He's very young at heart.

"I started reading the book because I thought it would give me an insight into my father's psyche. A lot of my friends have read it and said it's really good.

"But I got to page 12 and stopped. If I read it I might see my dad in a different light and I don't know if I want to."

It took Shoreham-based Mr Cornwell more than ten years to complete the book, which chronicles the business and private lives of the Reynolds family.

His writing had to be fitted in around his job as a pub landlord in Suffolk until he moved to Shoreham two years ago.

The father-of-two, who moved to Sussex after falling for a younger woman, says he drew most of his inspiration for the book from his own life experiences.

He said: "I've seen or done most of the things in the book - although I've never killed anyone.

"I've been around the world a couple of times. I went to the Far East while I was in the RAF where women put on shows.

"I also visited places like the Black Cat in Cairo but many of the things I saw there were too hardcore to put in the book."

In an early chapter, a house party which turns into an orgy is apparently based on a personal experience.

It involves a dominatrix dressed in red leather and studs who strides into a party holding a silver chain attached to a man on all fours.

Mr Cornwell said: "When my children read the book they seemed surprised to discover I knew so much about sex."

Lisa, who lives in Essex, said she was proud of her father for completing the book.

She lived with him until her parents split up when she was 12.

She and her brother then saw their father at weekends and on holidays.

She said: "He's a bit of a ladies' man. But getting a book published has been his lifelong dream and we're so proud of him."

Mr Cornwell said: "I have been writing for years. I just enjoy it so it's not a great effort for me. I started off with an idea and it just went from there."

The Amaldi Inheritance is published by Pegasus, priced £8.99.