A 67-year-old Malvern author who never went to school has just had her first novel published.

Jennifer Morgan developed tuberculosis at the age of five and was not allowed to go to school in case she passed the disease to others.

Her early education came partly from her grandmother, who taught her to read, and partly from the books that lined the walls of her home.

Now, the self-confessed lifelong bookworm has had her first novel, A Wind from the Sea, published by Welsh company Pont Books.

The novel is set in 1833, when Liverpool's docks community is shocked to hear that the body of a black woman has been found in the Mersey.

Patience Penry, whose own life is in turmoil following the death of her father, hears the news and shortly encounters Xanthe, hiding from those who would enslave her. A challenging tale of friendship and adventure follows.

Mrs Morgan, who helps to run the Amnesty International bookshop in Church Walk, said: "The novel is something that grew over a period of time, until gradually it seemed to have a life of it's own, it felt like the characters were real.

"My family is Welsh and my great grandfather was a ship builder in Liverpool, so the story is a mix of events and feelings that have accumulated throughout my life."

Mrs Morgan has appeared on radio and had poetry published, but had never had the confidence to write a novel before. She will be signing copies of her novel at Beacon Books, Malvern, on Saturday, November 22, at 11am.