BRIDPORT author and performance poet Ged Duncan has just published his fourth children's book - Don’t Eat the Hoomans!

Ged began writing in 2005 when he was struck down with ME and found himself unable to carry on his job as a consultant to councils and community and social enterprise groups.

He turned stories written for his nieces into his Sydney the Smuggler trilogy, which was well received.

He said: "I had enjoyed story telling as a hobby.When I couldn't do story telling anymore I started writing the stories down. I pretty much didn't have the energy to do anything else. It did pretty well and I went round a lot of schools.

"What started as just giving me something to do but it took over a bit.

"I just carried on writing but now do performance poetry mainly at gigs around the area and I have got into making puppets too.

"I also write flash fiction."

He does it well too, having just come second in the Bridport Story Slam and he's been shortlisted in the Bridport Prize.

Ged, who lives in Bridport, is also the co-founder of the Apothecary spoken word event held monthly at The Galley, formerly Beach and Barnicott, in South Street.

His books are aimed at eight year olds and he says he just loves that age group.

He added: I always think the sign of a good children's book is there is plenty in it for adults as well. There tends to a satirical edge to the things I write.

"There certainly is in Don’t Eat the Hoomans which is about two dinosaurs who come down to earth looking for intelligent life but they are not entirely sure if they've found it or not.

"One of them is more convinced that it is the ants who are intelligent.

"The children who have read it so far have loved it very much."

The books are illustrated by Ollie Hayes who originates from Lyme. The pair met when Ollie invited Ged to the Lyme Regis folk festival.

Ged said: "I found out he'd produced a comic about Lyme Regis I took one look at it and I thought 'this is my man'.

"He was a pleasure to work with I felt he really captured the characters I had in mind.

"We sat in a cafe in Lyme and I was describing the personalities of the characters. I hadn't really noticed but as a I was speaking he was drawing. After an hour he had got the essence of all the major characters in the book and I am absolutely delighted with the work he's done."

The book costs £6.99 and is available in Waterstones, from Ged's website gedduncan.info or on Amazon.

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