A DAD-of-two has taken his love of creative writing to the next level with the release of his first book.

Steven Clarke’s murder mystery Beauty in Decay follows a man troubled by drug and alcohol abuse who enjoys exploring abandoned buildings until he discovers a body.

Due to blackouts that he suffers, he cannot remember if he is responsible for killing the person at the site.

Steven, of Langdale Street, said: “I was watching videos of abandoned buildings on YouTube and I thought to myself that this is an area that does not seem to have been explored in novels before.

“I was unsure about it at first after coming up with the idea about three years ago and was terrified about what people would think about it.

“I am really pleased with the reaction of the book so far- there have been quite a lot of five-star reviews which has reassured me that I made the right decision to write it.”

Steven, 38, who is in the second year of an Open University Creative Writing degree, has also been delighted by the feedback from readers closer to home.

He added: “People I have not seen for years have praised me about the book.

"The best compliment I have had from someone I know is that they forgot it was me that wrote the book when they were reading it.”

Steven, who completed his high school work experience at the Journal 23 years ago, plans to write his second book about San Francisco after going on holiday to the Californian city last year.

To buy Beauty in Decay visit amzn.to/2H53yzi.

For more information about Steven's work go to facebook.com/commachameleon2017/?ref=bookmarks.