A driving instructor turned horror writer from Kent is set to release his first book this month.

Mark Cassell, of The Street in Plaxtol, has been a driving instructor in west Kent for 10 years but is now ready to launch his first horror novel, 'The Shadow Fabric'.

The fictional piece focuses on 'sinister darkness' and the history of witchcraft and introduces the reader to the protagonist 'Leo' - named after an old pet of the newly published author.

The 340 page, 100,000 word piece has taken Mr Cassell a total of three years to complete, with the past three months spent removing content and adding the finishing touches.

He said: "I've previously had small pieces published in anthologies and other collections, but I've never tackled a full book.

"Once I started getting validation that some of my work was good from sources - other than my family - I thought, wow, I could actually do this.

"It took a lot of time and early mornings. I have been pumping myself with coffee, creeping round the house at the crack of dawn trying not to wake the wife up. It hasn't been easy that's for sure.

"I hope one day to move completely into writing and do it for a living - that's the big dream" - Mark Cassell...

"I think the past few months have been the hardest, at one point I had to cut 20,000 words from my draft. It's been one hell of a journey but it's what I love doing."

Mr Cassell, who grew up in Tonbridge, is still currently working part-time as a driving instructor under the name 'Markus', but hopes to become a full-time novelist.

"I hope one day to move completely into writing and do it for a living - that's the big dream.

"I've been stuck in a 9-5 my entire life and I've always wanted to write a horror story. The plan from now on is to focus it as much as possible.

"I feel writing a story like this is a good way to perhaps focus anger and any negative feelings in to the plot.

"Not that I get angry with any of my students, they are all brilliant of course," he added.

He will be signing copies of 'The Shadow Fabric' at Mr Books in the High Street, Tonbridge on Saturday, October 18 between 2pm and 4pm.

For more info visit: http://www.theshadowfabric.co.uk/ or http://www.mrbooks.co.uk/