A THREE Towns author has released his debut novel after six-years of hard work.

Sean Clarke, 37, who was born in Ardrossan and now resides in Saltcoats has published ‘Crestmore: The Lost Elmkey’ – the first of a trilogy.

The book is a coming-of-age story that blends fantasy adventure with science fiction elements in a modern world and follows the tale of two friends as they search for an artefact that holds the key to magic but there are other less savoury characters who are also on the hunt.

Sean told the Herald: “I have always enjoyed writing even when I was younger. I have always written short stories but around six years ago I decided to do a proper novel.

“It took a long time because of work and family commitments and the fact it was a fantasy novel I had to create a living breathing world to do it in.

“It was extremely daunting when I released it as there is always a bit of scepticism from some people but the response I have had from family, friends and people on social media has been great.

“I do feel proud about publishing my first book.

“It is probably my biggest achievement just because of the difficulty involved and proving a lot of people wrong.

“It was a great experience but because I had the idea of a trilogy, I cannot take six years between books so I am hoping the next one is a lot quicker because I have learned a lot on this journey.”

He added: “I would like to thank my partner Samantha for all her support and my best friend Mark. Without them I would never have got it done.”

You can buy Sean’s book on Amazon and there is also an audiobook available.