A TEENAGE boy with Asperger syndrome has had his second novel published and is already working on a third.

Jack Cornish, of Chilton near Ferryhill, has published Queen at Hells Rift which is a sequel to his debut fantasy novel, Princess at Hells Rift.

The teenager is currently studying Level three media at Darlington College and hopes to become an author full time.

"The second book follows Princess Madelyn who has now become queen and is about to face her biggest war yet.

"It's the second book of three, and I have already started working on the final book in the trilogy.

"I feel relieved when I've finished writing a book but start writing the next one almost immediately.

"I spend a lot of time researching and making sure that my work is accurate."

Jack found his passion for reading and writing as a child after his then teacher introduced him to the Harry Potter series.

Carol Cornish, Jack's mother, said: "Jack seemed to learn to read overnight, he progressed onto what the teacher's called chapter books very quickly and once he'd read the Harry Potter series that was it.

"I would quiz him on them to check if he understood it and he did, he was only seven.

"We are extremely proud of Jack's achievements. He was only 14 when he wrote his first book.

"We were proud after seeing the first one but to see the second as well was amazing.

"Jack is so well supported in the community and by his family and friends, especially his older brother, Andrew. He is very proud of Jack's achievements too."

Alongside writing fantasy fiction, Jack enjoys writing poetry and is also a member of Enter CIC, a performing arts group based in Ferryhill, where he has performed in shows in the UK and Europe.

Last year he toured Belgium performing with the group and has just recently performed with Britain's Got Talent 2014 winners Collabro.

Jack added: "I feel very proud of what I have done so far and I hope to achieve more great things.

"Queen at Hells Rift is available to buy now, it's an easy read to get into and is different from other books in this genre."

Queen at Hells Rift is available for kindle download and in book form, for stockists and more information search J.M. Cornish on Facebook