A RETIRED plumber from Dulverton is the author of a new children’s book that will be published later this month.

Andy Burton has penned “Maximus the Catsumus, the Pantomime Cat and the Cat Burglar”, which sees the titular Maximus be wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown into jail with a group of convict cats.

To be published by Austin Macauley Publishers, the 38 page juvenile fiction book will be released on Friday, July 18.

Within Mr Burton’s book, courage, cleverness, and determination allow Maximus to escape in order to bring justice to the real culprit: the sneaky Cat Burglar who stole from his kind landlady.

All the characters are based on real animals owned by Mr Burton, both past and present. Alongside his wife Sue, Mr Burton currently has five dogs and two cats.

Maximus’s story aims to be perfect for young readers and parents to enjoy together. This comes through the lively narrative and eye-catching, colourful illustrations bring each character to life in vivid detail, regardless of if it is read aloud or quietly to one’s self.

Austin Macauley Publishers is an independent publishing house that has been in business since 2006, in which time they have published stories from authors in over 40 countries, with titles ranging from fiction, non-fiction and children's books.

They have a partnership publishing model that is designed to provide underrepresented writers in the writing community with a bridge into the publishing world, intending to combining the professionalism and reach of traditional publishing with the ease of access and flexibility of self-publishing.

The publishing company say they are committed to the accessibility of titles, having worked in a wide range of publishing formats, from print to digital and to audio, while they say that their international distribution networks establish a connection to readers worldwide.