An author has finally had her novels published, after a 40 year wait.

Lyn Dyson, 73, originally from Worcester, wrote three novels on an electric typewriter over 40 years ago and until now, only a single hard copy existed.

Thanks to 15 years experience as a self-published author and with the help of her daughter, fellow author Keira Michelle Telford, all three novels are finally on sale to the public.

She said: “I felt I wanted to leave a more permanent record of my work.

“When I am dead, I suspect that the paperwork I leave behind will be thrown away, and I will have wasted my time. But by having the novels published there will at least be some record somewhere of what I have done.

“I enjoyed writing them forty years ago and have enjoyed resurrecting them. It has been an interesting experience reading something I wrote so long ago!

“I am pleased with the way they have turned out. I am tempted to try to write more fiction, but I’m not sure whether I could do it so well now.”

Lyn has self-published over 50 books on the history of her local village, West Lavington in Wiltshire, and has used this experience to delve back into fiction.

She added: “40 years ago it was very difficult to be taken up by a publisher.

“There was some vanity publishing but it cost a lot of money and you had to buy several hundred copies and then try to sell it. I have never been much of a salesperson, and this was not an option I considered for more than five minutes!

“I have had a few years recently with health issues, and this does focus the mind on one's mortality! Whilst I hope to live to a good old age, we never know how much time we have left, so I knew that if I was going to do anything with the novels I shouldn't delay. So, this year I have given them priority.”

Two of the novels were released earlier this year and the third earlier this month, on September 16.

‘The Crowning Mercy’ and ‘One Short Sleep Past’ are both set during the civil war in Worcester whilst ‘The Weaver’s Allotment’ is set against a background of the chartist land plan in Ledbury, where Lyn went to school.

The books are available on Amazon or at the Malvern Book Co-operative in Great Malvern and Courtyard Books in Ledbury.