By day he was an ordinary electrician, but at night James McCauley tucked his two young children up in bed and worked on a secret project.

Like millions of others stuck in the nine-to-five routine, James believed he had a novel in him. Unlike those content just to dream, he set out to prove himself.

After five years, the book is finished, published and could turn James into something of a celebrity in Ireland.

On Thursday the 30-year-old, of Carden Crescent, Patcham, Brighton, attended the official London launch of his novel The Lethal Link, a fictional story set against the background of the Ulster conflict.

James, electrical foreman at the Brighton Dome Theatre, said: "I had to keep it a secret because if you tell someone you're writing a book, they will start asking how it's going all the time and that adds pressure.

"A lot of the time I would be sitting up writing to 4am and at 6am had to get up to go to work.

"People at work were shocked when they found out what I'd been up to but they are really made up for me and have been very supportive."

James set out on his labour of love with no experience of writing.

He said: "I used to read a lot of James Bond and cult cartoon characters stuff and I think I have a good understanding of Irish politics and how it works, so I decided to sort of blend both together.

"My book is set in the lead-up to the peace process in Ireland but it concentrates on characters and how they get into strange situations.

"My parents live in Tipperary and when I visited them the scenery came back with me and I wrote it down.

"One of the first people to read the book was the leader of the Arts Council in Ireland who said she loved it. We plan to promote it in Ireland later this year.

"A lot of English people say it is one of the first books they've read not to take one side or the other."

Wife Linda is relieved at the completion of The Lethal Link but will have to get used to more of the same as James has already started on his second book.

The air stewardess said: "He started writing because he used to read things and think he had a better imagination than they did.

"It's not a big money thing - he just loves to do it."

The Lethal Link, price £8.00, is published by Red Lion Press and can be ordered from Woodpark, Great Oak, Callan, County Kilkenny or from 46 Carden Crescent, Brighton.