Mike Gould, from Paulton, is set to release his first children's book, which has been 35 years in the making.

The book, Magic in Fairy Wood, which is the first book in a series of children's stories written and illustrated by Mike, was first written for his children when they were young and after being locked in a drawer for several years, emerged for the entertainment of his grandchildren.

Mike said: "When my children were young, the stories at the time were exhausted and so they asked me to tell them stories instead. As they got older, the stories just went into a drawer and were forgotten about, until a few years ago when I got them out, modernised them and put a draft together for my grandchildren and friend's granchildren. It was suggested I do some illustrations and from there the excitement grew."

After completing the draft and reading it to his grandchildren, Mike was encouraged to take it further, which led him to being published by Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie, Magic in Fairy Wood was released on 22nd January.

The book, which is aimed at 3–9-year-olds, but is also aimed at being entertaining for parents, follows the adventures of Ben and Sue, who find themselves on a magical quest after searching the woods for their dog.

Mike has the second book in the series ready for publication and the third book written and waiting for Mike's illustrations.

After some successful readings in schools in Trowbridge, Mike is in the process of contacting local schools and libraries offering book readings and signings to pupils.

He said: "Reading to children is a vital part of growing up and developing imagination, hence why my children wanted me to read to them. Now I've written and released this to encourage storytelling and it's suitable for older children to read themselves."

Magic in Fairy Wood was published on 22nd January and is available from libraries and to buy from all large retailers, such as Waterstones and Amazon. Due to demand, Amazon are already in their second set of orders. The book is also available directly from the publishers at http://www.pegasuspublishers.com">www.pegasuspublishers.com