A FORMER Tenbury schoolboy is returning to his roots to celebrate the "fantastic" reaction to his debut novel that has created a storm of interest in literary circles and generated lots of local interest.

Dean Vincent Carter, who attended both Tenbury High and Primary schools, is delighted at the reception to his first book The Hand of the Devil and is coming back to the town where it all began.

Dean, aged 29, who was at Tenbury High between 1987-92, first attempted writing while at the school.

He is due back there on March 2 for World Book Day. He is also due to give a talk to Tenbury Writers Group on the same day at the library in Teme Street.

"I was an average student and not the best person at paying attention," he admitted this week. "I used to be a bit of a daydreamer but I started writing when I was 13 or 14.

"I finished after 50 or 60 pages but had the idea of doing it as a career."

Dean revealed that although his favourite subject at school was English, his literary leanings went even further back.

"There was a lot of creative writing when I was at Tenbury Primary," he said.

"Another good thing was that the teacher would sit down and read stories two or three times a week and I suppose this planted the seed."

Deals have now been made to sell Dean's book - a thriller - to seven countries, while major film studios have expressed interest in buying movie rights.

"I've been waiting two years for the book to come out and the reaction has been fantastic," he said.

"It's been really encouraging to get good reviews in the national papers and it sounds like a lot of local people have been supportive and interested."

Dean's parents, who live in Tenbury, said they were delighted with the progress of their son's career.

His father Vic said: "It's fantastic and we are really excited about it and the book has been bought by lots of his relatives and friends in Tenbury."