You may recognise him as he scans your shopping every week, but local Tesco employee, Michael Tucker, has started a new venture as an author and has recently released his first novel.

The book, called Run Mother To Be, published under his pen name of Michael J. Rayhill, is set in a fictitious village in Somerset and tells the story of a young mother to be who finds herself caught up in a thrilling world of murder and drug cartels, who must go on the run herself before both the police and a psychopathic drug baron catch up with her.

Speaking about the book, Michael said: "Run Mother To Be is a work of pure fantasy, I like to call it a fantasy thriller. It comes entirely from within me and is part of ordinary me, so the book depicts ordinary people in an extraordinary tale of events."

Michael, originally from Bristol, previously worked at the Bristol Evening Post before settling locally and working at the Tesco store, in Paulton. He said: "I love writing, although I have no formal training whatsoever. I have had many articles published in newspapers and indeed have won prizes for my letters. I just love sitting in front of my PC and the words just flow like water from a tap."

Run Mother To Be is Michael's first novel. "The book seems to be selling well locally and I'm getting some very good feedback from those that have read it," he said.