MORE than 30 years after she first picked up her pen, a Malvern woman is celebrating the publication of her debut novel.

Loretta Proctor first started writing The Long Shadow in 1973, but found she was too busy and the book was subsequently banished to the cupboard.

However, she returned to finish it in 2002 and it has just been issued by PublishAmerica.

Mrs Proctor, who lives in Pickersleigh Road, said it had definitely been worth the wait.

"After 30 years, it's such a thrill that it's finally out there," she said. "Writing's been a life-long love of mine and this is an ambition fulfilled."

The book tells of a young man's efforts to trace his father's roots after his death in battle in Greece during the First World War.

The story is fictional but Mrs Proctor drew on many personal experiences when writing.

"My mother is Greek and although the book is fiction, a lot of it is based on memories and information she's passed down to me," she said.

"She checked all my Greek references for me and she's thrilled that it's finished."

Mrs Proctor cannot wait to have more books published now that she has tasted the experience.

"The creative juices are really flowing now and I'm already halfway through my next book," she said.

Mrs Proctor will officially launch the book at Goldsboro Books in London next month. It is already available from online retailer amazon.co.uk and will shortly be available in Beacon Books in Belle Vue Terrace.