Katie Swan’s book, May the Road Rise to Meet You, has been receiving positive reviews online following its release earlier this month.

Having penned most of the story during an intensive four-week period three years ago, she revealed she has since been carefully honing the finer details.

Katie, of Castle Street, said: “It’s taken a while to sort out the formatting and get all that side of things out of the way.

“I’m so pleased it’s now out for everyone to read and hopefully enjoy. It’s really satisfying to have completed the novel.” Set in Ireland during World War Two, the plot centres around Aubrey O’Sullivan on her path from a young child to adulthood.

It is not only turbulent world events affecting the main character — love, loss and heartbreak also affect her on a personal level.

They are themes that Katie feels will resonate with many readers. The former St Peter the Apostle pupil said: “A lot of what happens is all about growing up and being a teenager. It isn’t easy.

“The ideas came from my own real-life experiences and those of my family.

“I was going through a tough time when I wrote the book although I am over that now. Writing everything down helped and I hope that other people will be able to relate to what goes on.

“If one person can gain closure from reading the book, I will be happy.” Penning a novel can be a challenging process for experienced authors, far less someone facing the task for the first time but Katie, who works as an accounts payable assistant, paid tribute to those who helped her get over the line.

She said: “My family, particularly my grandpa, has offered so much support. My English teacher at school, Mr Gardener, also helped during the process which was great.

“I had to do a lot of research to try and stay historically accurate but I am fascinated in looking back anyway, whether it’s movies, music or books.

“My mum says I am an old soul.” Having caught the writing bug, Katie plans to continue developing her literary skills — and has ambitions to turn the hobby into a way of life.

She said: “I’m playing around with some ideas at the moment. A new book would have new characters and head in a different direction.

“It would be a dream to be a full-time writer - I know it’s far from easy but hopefully, at some point, it can come true.” May the Road Rise to Meet You is available on Kindle and e-books by logging on to: www.amazon.co.uk