STOURBRIDGE teen fiction author David Massey could shoot to literary stardom in the United States following the release of his debut novel in American bookstores.

The author from Withymoor, who was signed up by the man who discovered Harry Potter author JK Rowling, has enjoyed a whirlwind 12 months since his book Torn was first published in the UK and he is now hoping for further success across the Pond.

Published in the US by publishing giant Scholastic on July 30 - the supernatural thriller about love and war looks likely to prove a big hit with American readers, having already received promising feedback from critics and bloggers across the Atlantic.

David, who runs an internet based emergency supplies business with wife Debi, said: “They’re really excited about how it will go down out there. It’s been getting really good reviews.”

And he added: “The idea of it being in Barnes & Noble is really cool.”

Set in Afghanistan, Torn tells of the gritty realities of war from the perspective of a 19-year-old female British Army medic Elinor Nielson who embarks on a quest for truth after a young Afghan girl mysteriously vanishes in a hail of bullets.

Since its release in the UK in August 2012, David has been busy with book signings and touring schools across the country to talk to students about the novel which won this year’s Lancashire Book Awards.

Torn has also been nominated for a host of other literary accolades including BASH (Book Awards St Helens) and Falkirk’s RED Book Award - and it has also been translated for release in Holland.

Meanwhile - father-of-three David is now working on the final edits for his second book, Taken, about a group of disabled teens hit by disaster on a globe-trotting yachting trip, which is set for release in the UK next March.

Like Torn, the thriller will be published through Chicken House Publishing run by Barry Cunningham - who gave JK Rowling her big break while working at Bloomsbury.