A STOURBRIDGE children's author has released her first book about a terrible time keeper who gets thrust into a place full of strange creatures.

Krista Joy began sketching the characters for Dragons and Dreamsellers before she had finalised the plot and put her degree in illustration to good use to develop the cover artwork.

The 28-year-old, of Rectory Fields, said: "I had wanted to write something light hearted for children for a while, and since I spend much of my time reading and watching fantasy, as well as drawing dragons and fairies, it seemed like the natural way to go."

Dragons and Dreamsellers follows the journey of Letisha as she spends the summer living with a watchmaker, who later turns out to be Father Time.

Miss Joy, who has enjoyed some success with short stories published online, continued: "Things take a turn for the fantastical and Letisha's summer holiday turns into the adventure of a lifetime."

When she isn't writing, Miss Joy works as a waitress and said she is inspired by the variety of people she comes into contact with: "There are endless quirky characters to draw inspiration from, some of which appear in the book.

"I’ve kept a journal since I was 16 that holds endless notes and scribbles for characters, locations and situations - Dragons and Dreamsellers has been occupying those journals now for about the past five years, so it’s incredibly heart-warming to see it spreading its wings at last."

The book is available to buy from Amazon, priced £6.99.