A mum from Sittingbourne has launched a book which aims to comfort children with separated parents during the holiday season.

Aysha Reardon, from Gadby Road, published 'Santa's Second Visit', which tells the story of a little boy that celebrates Christmas twice as his mum and dad are split up.

The 31-year-old got inspired by her son's experience, as Aysha and her former partner are separated.

Oscar Slater, aged seven, usually spends Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with his mum, and spends the evening on December 25 and Boxing day with dad.

"He would always come and ask us how does Santa come twice with gifts? That's I actually noticed that there were no children books that would tell a story like his," Aysha said.

She added: "There are so many kids these days that have separated parents but we only have the normal Christmas stories. And I said you know what, I’ll give it a shot!

"I want this book to send out a message to those special children that have two homes and celebrate Christmas twice, letting them know it's perfectly normal and they are not alone."

Aysha was motivated to write after her father Ned Reardon published his own book and pushed her to start a career in writing.

Her experience as a former nursery teacher also helped her identifying what sort of stories tend to grab children's attention.

She finally published her debut book on Amazon on November 5.

So far, Santa's Second Visit has sold 152 copies and if online sales keep rising, Aysha would consider expanding towards physical bookshops.

The Sittingbourne mum said her son was her very first reader, and could not be more proud of her achievement.

She said: "The first time there were no illustrations and I just read it out to him, so he wasn’t as entertained. But when I received the final copy he was just so excited and read it all by himself. He was really proud and told everyone about it!"

Aysha currently works as a self-employed cleaner but could not be more excited for what her new career holds for her.

She said: “It’s been amazing! I’ve been through so many kinds of jobs and now I finally found what I’m good at. It just feels wonderful. I could spend every minute of the day writing books!"

From next week, Aysha will read her book at Kemsley Primary Academy, where her son attends. She will also schedule reads at other local schools and nurseries.

She also has ambitious plans for next year, as she already has 6 new stories ready to go. Her next launch is due to take place this upcoming January.

Click here to purchase her book.