Ramsgate author David Lee Stone expects to set a publishing world record after signing a deal with Hodder to publish a series of 12 books.

And another milestone will be when six of the set will be released to the public on one day in June next year.

He writes his latest fiction and fastasy tales under the pen-name David Grimstone, and they feature the adventues through time and history of Gladiator Boy engaged in a range of conflicts, in what will be known as The Battle Books.

David, 29, said: “It knocked my socks off when Hodder told me about the deal. It is the biggest in history and I understand and it is being checked for entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.”

Just five years ago his mum Barbara turned his life around when she fished his novel out of the waste bin and sent it to a literary agent without his knowledge.

He'd thrown it away in frustration at receiving another rejection letter.

Just weeks later, he was offered a deal by publishers Hodder for his comic fantasy world, and the first stories in the popular Illmoor Chronicles series were published.

“Thanks to mum’s perseverance, my life changed dramatically," David added.

David’s books were picked up by Disney in America and Sony in Japan, and further rights have been snapped up in France, Russia, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Greece, Brazil and Thailand.

Described by SF Revu as “the natural heir to Terry Pratchett,” he was appointed as an ambassador for the British Council when he travelled to Sofia in Bulgaria to help with the country’s teenage literacy programme.

He has also been appointed as governor with responsibility for literacy at Upton junior school in Broadstairs. He said: “For someone who skived off a lot from school, it is a great honour and I am looking forward to it enormously.”

He is also about to celebrate another business venture with the soon-to-be-opened Portobello Restaurant on Ramsgate seafront. Specialising in cuisine from southern Italy, it will be run by his father-in-law Angelo Tripodi who trained as a restaurant manager in London, and Salvatori Bovino, former manager of Posillipo restaurant in Canterbury.

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