Kilmarnock author Stephen Paget has overcome more hurdles than most as his debut novel goes to print.

The 37-year-old has not only suffered from years of writer’s block, but his autism and self-confessed inability for humour and storytelling have also got in the way.

Despite his difficulties, the part-time supermarket worker has finally released his debut novel, Amy the Elf Sorceress and Her Friends.

The adults-only page-turner has already caused a stir with Stephen’s online followers.

He admits that writing stories for web forums not only gave him valuable practice but also the confidence to complete the book.

Stephen said: “My dream job was to be an author or a cartoonist, ever since I was a child - but my jokes weren’t funny, and my stories were terrible.

“I’ve had the characters for my book in my head since secondary school, but I’ve suffered from writer’s block for so many years.

“Before writing Amy the Elf Sorceress and Her Friends I wrote fan fiction – in fact I have written 125 fan fiction stories since 2008, and the positive reviews I received inspired me to write the actual book.”

Amy the Elf Sorceress and Her Friends follows the fortunes of Stephen’s protagonist as she fights for good against evil.

Despite his self-deprecating stance, the novel is perfectly paced, vivid in its imagery and believable – in places.

Packed with adult humour, the fantasy novel, set on the planet of Clastonia, is a giant step away from normal action stories.

Stephen admits much of his inspiration came from TV shows such as Red Dwarf, Family Guy and South Park.

He also picked up a few tips from his avid reading of webcomics.

Stephen, who has Asperger’s syndrome, added: “I read 400 different webcomics when I was unemployed.

“Isn’t it a bummer that only a third of autistic people have jobs? I’m a low statistic.

“Do you want to know what the worst webcomic ever made is? Don’t ever read Kit and Kay Boodle.”

Stephen is hoping to produce both a Scots language and an illustrated version of Amy the Elf Sorceress and Her Friends.

As his writer’s block has now returned, he has no plans at the moment for a sequel.

For more details, click here to visit the book's dedicated page on Amazon.com, where the paperback and Kindle formats of Amy the Elf Sorceress and Her Friends are both available.