Hijackers who robbed a busload of tourists in Guatemala triggered W. Ward Neuman’s first venture into writing a novel based on a true incident.

His sister was among the traumatized travelers.

“I wrote the book (“Seeking Justice”) to purge myself of the inner demons that were gnawing at me because of this unjust thing,” he says.

His “Seeking Justice” storyline involves three millionaire vigilantes who use their resources and energy to solve problems and injustices that “the system” cannot.

When Neuman finished the novel, he remembers feeling better: “I felt that I had been to a psychiatrist for 20 sessions.”

He and his wife Pam split living between Fountain Hills and Batavia, Ill., about 35 miles west of Chicago.

The retired real estate property investor said he never anticipated readers’ reactions to his story-telling.

“People liked the book and wanted to know when they could read the sequel,” he adds.

Although he had not planned to write a second novel, he found himself back at his desk writing “Finding Justice.” New characters joined the earlier heroes in more dangerous challenges.

He recently delivered an edited manuscript for the third novel, “Delivering Justice,” to his publisher, Inkwell Productions. He expects publication before summer.

The novels can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Inkwell Productions websites. Amazon provides a Kindle E-version. The price is $18.

“The books are about taking care of people that the system could not help,” he says.

“You and I both know there are many instances where bad people get away because the prosecuting attorney was inept or evidence was gathered illegally by the police or evidence was destroyed, so there are many people who do bad things and get away with it.

“That’s not nice. Somebody needs to go and punish them, especially when the system has failed.”

Neumann describes his novels as “action, mystery, drama adventures.”

“The books, although fiction, are not far from the truth. They could happen and have happened to people,” he adds.

Each novel contains about seven fantasy adventures, says Neuman. Some story lines overlap, but he introduces new characters whose adventures could spin off more books.

“I have written each book to stand on its own and, where necessary, I have preferred to describe previous adventures so the reader isn’t lost.

“But naturally, I also have tried to write in the vein of trying to encourage readers to want to go back and read the others,” says Neuman.

Should readers expect still another novel? “If I’m of a mind to write the fourth one, I will,” he adds.

He encourages readers to set aside a week to read his books: “It’s not a novel that you can begin and set aside for several weeks before you return.”

Each book takes about three and a half months to write, usually devoting four hours daily, six days a week.

“That doesn’t mean that it’s done,” Neuman says. “Then comes the editing, adding another two months or so until I get it right.” He self-edits his writing and his publisher also provides an editor.

Writing has become more than a pastime for the retiree.

“My long-term goal is that I become a New York Times best-selling author. I’m not stupid; I realize that that’s a long-shot, but every famous author started out somewhere, so why not me?” he concludes.

His hope is that some literary influential individual with publishing connections will find his writing amazing.

As a change of pace between writing the first and second novels, he completed a humor book, “A Collection of Gems,” and is shopping for a publisher. Compiled over 10 years, the humorous and thoughtful stories initially began as emails that he received, found amusing and forwarded to friends.