A WRITER inspired by childhood visits to the North Yorkshire coast has made the area the setting for the start of a new series of fantasy novels.

Sachael Dreams is the debut title in The Mine series which has been penned by mum-of-two Melody Winter – who has been snapped up on a four book deal from US publishers Reuts.

Ms Winter’s new fantasy novel features a Sachael – a secret male breed of creature which looks human in and out of water and lives in air locks in the deepest parts of the world’s oceans.

They only venture above the surface to use their seductive powers to persuade human females to mate after which they head back beneath the surface with their new born.

Ms Winter, from York, said: “I decided to start writing when my eldest child came home from school with a creative writing assignment.

“I got so interested in what he was doing that I started thinking about writing something myself.”

However, bringing up two boys got in the way of her ideas until they were old enough to allow her some free time.

Ms Winter said: “I have drawn heavily on my many family outings to Whitby and Scarborough when I was a child. They were the places I spent many of my holidays and the ocean always held a fascination for me.”

Her memories of Robin Hood’s Bay brought about the location for the story, and after re-visiting the area she discovered Ravenscar which captured her imagination for the location of the novels.

Sachael Dreams is the first in the series of four and will be launched on Tuesday (February 24) by Reuts Publications.