A BRIDPORT mum has found the courage to give up the day job and become a full-time author after the astounding success of her first novel.

Laura Matthews, 39, of East Street said the idea for her first novel for children, Fish, came to her in a dream and once she had worked out the plot and twists in her head, took two weeks to write it.

After writing it she stumbled across something on the internet about the Fidler award for first-time novelists. She entered and won!

That was last year and now the book, an adventure story about a family of aid-workers, refugees and a fish, fleeing a war-torn, drought afflicted country, is just published by Hodder Children's Books and is gathering accolades and acclaim. It has also just been sold to America for thousands of dollars - the largest advance on a children's novel in Hodder's history. America also wants the audio rights and a German deal is being worked out.

Fish seems a long time ago to Laura who has just spent the last four weeks writing her second book, based around Bridport and using the net and rope-making industry as a background and metaphor for the story.

This book is aimed at slightly older children and Laura says it is hard to define the story without giving away the twists.

"This time I was not so demented, I made sure I went out in the morning," she said.

As with Fish, Laura first worked out in her head the plot, details and characters of her new book, whose working title is Net Fixing.

"Every 10 minutes spare I am working on the plot," she said. "All of it is in my head, I don't write many notes. I spent a year on the second one which is quite complicated."

The four weeks were physically writing it - dodgy computer willing - and refining it.

Her own children, aged 10 and 14, are her harshest critics and she runs the books past them, chapter by chapter. She pays attention if they say they don't get something, both having reading ages well above their years and is correspondingly reassured by them about bits she is unsure of.

Currently Laura works in an in-school unit for children with emotional and behavioural problems in Crewkerne but will be forcing herself to say goodbye to her charges now that her writing is doing so well.