Former Chew Valley resident, Phil Hickes, has published his first book, The Haunting of Aveline Jones – a ghost story aimed at children aged nine and upwards.

Phil, who now lives in Portland, Oregon, in the United States said: “I lived in Winford for many years and attended Chew Valley school from the ages of eleven to eighteen. My Dad, Roy, was formerly vicar of Winford, Felton and Ridgehill/Regil.”

Phil was born in Rochdale, but moved to Winford aged 10. He attended Chew Valley a year later through to the Upper Sixth. After that he went to Middlesex University, where he studied for a degree in English Literature.

He says: “After various false starts professionally, I became an advertising copywriter.

“I’ve worked in Cardiff, Dublin, New Zealand and now in the US. The Haunting of Aveline Jones is my first book.”

The book is about Aveline, a ghost-loving girl who goes to stay with her aunt in the fictional Cornish seaside town of Malmouth.

There she discovers a second-hand bookshop and buys a book of ghost stories. Inside is the name of the previous owner, a girl called Primrose Penberthy.

Aveline discovers that thirty years ago, Primrose went missing and was never found.

Thereafter, together with her new friend, Harold, she sets out to solve the mystery of Primrose’s disappearance and is drawn into some seriously spooky events.

“There are scarecrows and storms and lots of supernatural goings-on. It’s aimed at children 9+ and was published by Usborne to coincide with Halloween, which is when the story takes place.

“There are two more to come in the series. The next is entitled The Bewitching of Aveline Jones and is set in the village of Norton Wick, which is thinly disguised as Stanton Drew,” explains Phil.