A STOURBRIDGE mum-of-two says the coronavirus stay at home order has inspired her to fulfil her lifelong dream of writing a book.

Kerry Hill has taken the lockdown period to complete her first novel - having started writing as a distraction during a redundancy consultation in November last year.

She said: "I have always loved books – I have always read in my spare time, and whilst I was sat at my computer with nothing to fill my time, I found myself typing my own novel.

"It was a lovely distraction from the negativity I was facing in my professional life."

Once the consultation process was over and she left her job as a sales manager for a large hotel chain - Kerry, who lives in Wollescote with husband Tom and daughters - Isla, aged five, and Margot, aged three, threw herself in to launching a new conference and events business when the new year got underway.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, however, she found herself out of work and without an income for the second time in six months.

She said: "I decided to use this time to try to take my life in another direction.

"Although my previous job was long-standing and comfortable - I was no longer happy, and so I decided to use my time now to publish and launch my novel.

"I wanted to do something to make myself, and my family proud, and show my children that you really can follow your dreams."

After putting the finishing touches to her story, Kerry hired someone to create a cover and self-published the book - Not All Witches Ride on Broomsticks - which is now available to buy as a Kindle or paperback edition on Amazon.

She said: "I’m sure it won’t win any literary awards but I’m really proud of myself for finishing it, and doing something I’d always wanted to do that I never thought I would."

The book follows Gemma Halsey, a village girl who has lived a 'very standard life by all accounts', who discovers a magical new life beyond anything she could have imagined when she heads to university in London.