A young man from Oldham who was adopted as a child has written a book which has been nominated for two awards.

Connor Irving is a new independent author having released his debut novel in September this year.

The 20-year-old currently splits his time between Hollinwood and the Woodhouses area of Failsworth and has lived in Oldham ever since he was adopted at the age of three.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

He studied at St John's infant and primary school in Failsworth then completed his GCSEs at The Blue Coat School before studying for his A Levels at Clarendon Sixth Form College in Ashton.

The author said he fell in love with reading and writing while he was a student, his favourite books being the Harry Potter series, the works of Cassandra Clare and the Percy Jackson series.

Now his book Pillars of Cloud, has been published by the independent publisher, Tea With Coffee Media, and comes as the first of five books in a series titled 'The Salt of Angels'.

The story follows the protagonist, Lilith, the Queen of Hell, and her four children, Astaroth, Estrie, Loukas and Mania as they seek to raise an army of supernatural beings in order to prevent a government of gods and angels passing oppressive laws.

Mr Irving described the book as blending the ancient world of myths and monsters with the modern day.

He added: "I have always loved mythology, especially Greek myths, ever since I was young.

"This inspired the book massively as did my interest in theology and spiritualism.

"Myths and legends from all around the world are rooted deeply within the book and the rest of the series."

The novel also includes LGBTQ+ characters, which Mr Irving said is important as their sole storyline is not primarily about their sexuality, as well as a character with mental health issues who is "not defined by it" and other main characters who are people of colour.

On the first day of its release, it sold out on Amazon and Waterstones, and has amassed several five-star reviews and ratings on Goodreads .

It is now also up for two awards, the Eric Hoffer award in the sci-fi and fantasy category as well as The Foreword Indies Award in adult fiction, fantasy and LGBTQ+.

Reflecting on his journey from being adopted to an author, he added: "I couldn't count and I could barely hold a pen at that age, so going from that to having a book published is quite the feat, in my opinion."

Now, the author is off to stage a meet-event with fellow writer, Kathryn Malcolm, at Perry's Art Supplies in Southampton on November 4. 

Pillars of Cloud can be purchased on Amazon and Waterstones.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.