A Burnley man says he is “ecstatic” after having his debut novel published.

Ben Kilgallon, 24, has been working on ‘Fulminia’ since he was 16, and began developing the lore for the fantasy world it’s set in a year earlier.

‘Fulminia’ follows the life of a young prince as he develops from a boy to a man. Ben describes it as medieval fantasy as well as a coming-of-age novel.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, he said: “I’m ecstatic. When I found out it had been published I was running up and down my stairs.

Lancashire Telegraph: Ben has been working on 'Fulminia' since he was 16Ben has been working on 'Fulminia' since he was 16 (Image: Ben Kilgallon)

“I’ve always been quite fascinated by the middle ages. Since I was seven I’ve also been playing a game called World of Warcraft.

"I also really love Roman military history and some of the battles in my book, I very visually describe the tactics.

“I originally started making lore for the world when I was 15, now I’m 24. It’s been a very steep learning curve. I’ve got brutally honest but also very supportive parents.

"I’ve had to re-write the book several times until it’s got to this point, where it’s actually good enough to be published.”

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‘Fulminia’ is Ben’s very first work to be published and the hard work of getting to this point has paid off for him.

He has had to work many other jobs to achieve this, including on construction sites and in factories, but the main dream has always been to be an author.

Lancashire Telegraph: Ben has already started work on a follow-upBen has already started work on a follow-up (Image: Ben Kilgallon)

He said: “I have so many other things I want to do in the future that I need a lot more money to actually do, such as helping the people around me who are struggling quite a lot financially. I don’t really see any other way I can get to help them.

“I also really enjoy showing people the world that’s been in my head since I was so young, so it’s a combination of wanting to help everyone and also wanting to be an author.”

Ben’s mother, Nikki Needham, added: “He’s got a whole life’s work of lore and stories. He’s got a lot of books worth ahead of him.”

Ben has already started work on a follow-up to ‘Fulminia’.

Anyone interested in purchasing the book can find it on Amazon.