A new book is looking to dispel the chick flick myths about men.

Carshalton author Steven Scaffardi is due to release his debut novel The Drought, next month.

A tale of a group of young single men doing what they do, one of the group has recently broken up with his long-term girlfriend, only to find he has forgotten how to talk to the opposite sex.

Inspired by Channel 4 hit sitcom The Inbetweeners, there are as many cringe-worthy moments as there are laugh out loud ones, the blurb reads.

The author and stand-up comedian said he was also inspired by the misrepresentation of men in so-called rom coms and women’s magazines.

He said: “I have to watch chick flicks because of my girlfriend, and sometimes I might read the women’s magazines that are lying around.

“When I see the depiction of men in films, I just think to myself ‘a man wouldn’t say that’.”

In an attempt to bring back the real man, the author turned to his own experiences after a few false starts with other novels.

He said: “I have tried to write about cool things of which I know nothing about and got to chapter four. Then I run out of material. “With this book, I tried to talk about things which I know about – young men being mischievous and trying to pull girls.

“It’s about a relationship from a guy’s point of view.”