A Lanarkshire man has spoken of his pride after publishing his first novel.
Avid reader Scott Carlin decided to write his own story after reading several crime novels.
The result is gripping thriller A Falling of Snow which tells the tale of a British agent who travels to Amsterdam to gather information from two Dutch drug dealers.
Quickly realising that forces are against him when one of the men are abducted, he soon finds himself in a race across Europe to discover the truth.
Scott, who was born in Newmains but now lives in Law, said: “I was never a big reader at school, it was only when I got into my early 20s that I really started to enjoy it.
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“Crime thrillers are the genre that I enjoy reading.
“I was reading one book that I wasn’t particularly impressed with and was thinking to myself ‘I could do that’.
“Over the next 18 months it was a case of bringing it all together - and then it sat saved on my computer for a couple of years.
“I showed a draft of it to my brother Barry and my wife Nicola and they told me to go for it.
“I knew there was a few things I had to work on such as grammar but decided to send it off to publishers.”
Scott, who works as a warehouse manager, was delighted to receive several offers from publishers.
He opted for Blossom Spring Publishing and after a few months the book is now available to buy.
“It’s a real sense of achievement,” said Scott.
“I was lucky enough to have a few offers but decided to go for Blossom Spring, they’ve been a great support to me.
“It’s an exciting time and I’m delighted that they have decided to invest in me.”
After a break, Scott is now working on a second novel which is the follow-up to his first effort.
He added: “It’s amazing, I’ve really enjoyed writing this one.
“Having the first book published has given me a bit more confidence and I’m now two or three weeks of finishing a first draft.
“I was getting to grips a bit more at the end of the first book but I now feel like I’ve got to know the main characters.”
A Falling of Snow by Scott Carlin is now available to buy on Amazon or from the Blossom Spring Publishing website. You can find out more about Scott's upcoming work by visiting his Instagram @scottcarlinauthor.
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