A NOVELIST who had her first book published at the age of 15 has returned to her former school to inspire the next generation of young writers.

Students at St Michael’s Academy, Billingham, spent the afternoon with author Lauriane Povey in a literacy workshop to help motivate their creative writing and reading skills.

Lauriane, 18, a former student at St Michael’s Academy, wrote her first book, Living A Nightmare, when she was just 13-years-old.

Her second book, Veil of Anonymity, which went to print earlier this year, was also written while still a pupil at the school.

“I started putting together stories when I was about seven-years-old and knew then that one day I wanted to write a book,” said Lauriane, of Billingham.

“The inspiration for Living A Nightmare came to me in a series of dreams when I was 12.

“I dreamt that my granddad had died in a car crash then I dreamt that I had knowledge of the future which could prevent people from dying. All these formed the basis for the book and the characters and plot started to develop from there.”

Despite being a published author in Year 11 Lauriane, a straight A student, kept her writing a secret from teachers and friends at the school and said she "wasn't really keen" on English lessons at school.

Lauriane, who is set to go to Durham University later this year to study international relations, is currently working on her third novel, Moonlight Possession, and is also set to follow up Living A Nightmare with a sequel later in the year.