AN author who wrote for eight years without daring to approach a publisher is finally making an impact on the literary world - thanks to one of East Lancashire's best-loved writers.

And Blackburn-born Beryl Rushton's first book will contain a thank-you to the late Benita Moore - the woman who encouraged her to let other people see her work - when it is published on July 28, her 55th birthday.

Benita, from Haslingden, who recently died of cancer, gave Beryl the confidence she needed to show her work.

Beryl, who writes under her pen name of A. Lancslas, plucked up courage to send a manuscript to Burnley-based Harlequin Press, who agreed to publish and asked if she was working on anything else.

"I said 'I've four children's books, two adult books and another novel on the go."

The first book is a collection of short stories about all kinds of people and Beryl was determined to see for herself how other folk lived before putting them into print.

"I think you have to experience something in order to write about it," said Beryl, who now lives in the Queen's Road area of Accrington and cares for her 87-year-old father. "For one story, 'Cold Sell', I took myself to Moss Side trying to sell double glazing door-to-door and I got an experience alright. I ended up being threatened by a man with a breadknife.

"I just stood there shaking and thought 'what a fool you are' and ran!"

And a friend arranged for her to visit a building site to try her strength at hoisting buckets before writing about a brickie's labourer.

Her first book, Life's Experiences will be followed by two novels, "Boy Soldier", about a young cadet, and "To Hell and Back", the story of a Lancashire woman. She's also writing on a romantic novel about the perfect love.

"I've not experienced that yet but I'm working on it," she joked.

Former professional illustrator the Rev Andrew Scutts, of Cambridge Street Methodist Church, Accrington, is producing the pictures for her four educational children's books.

And Carlton Television and Scottish Television are already showing an interest in the question-and-answer story books about domestic objects.

"I had no confidence at all but it's all just happened in the last three months," she said. "I can't believe it."

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