A WHITEFIELD author and children's illustrator has had his first book published on the worldwide web.

Paul West (58) was encouraged to write by his grandchildren after being virtually bed-bound for six years when he fell victim to ME. His book The Library Mice is the first of a trilogy of stories aimed at youngsters.

The book is now available on the internet via www.lulu.com which provides a virtual shop window for aspiring writers like Paul, who lives in Phillips Place.

"Those logging on to the website can download the first chapter for free," he said. "They can also write a review and post it on the net."

Those impressed after reading the first chapter can pay to have the whole book downloaded or sent to them in hard copy format.

"The Library Mice is about a family of mice who live in a library in a stately home. I've also done a couple of dozen illustrations for the book. It is the first of three books and I've already started work on the second. Writing is something that is new to me," explained Paul.

"I became ill a few years ago with ME and was bed-bound for six years. I was sitting there, getting fed up and my grandchildren encouraged me to write. It was a matter of putting together little stories I had written into a book format and following a theme.

"The website was started by an American chap and is described as the world's fastest growing provider of print-on-demand books."

Father-of-four Paul, whose fight against ME is making progress, trained as a graphic artist and initially worked in the publicity department of a Manchester department store. He later became a wallpaper and flooring surfaces designer.