A SWINDON-BORN writer has self-published her 12th book.

Joy Wodhams has had a lifelong love of writing and has been on a roll since releasing her first novel in her late 60s.

Her newest effort, a whimsical tale called Cabbage Boy, follows on from four books for youngsters, four books for adults, two short story collections, and one non-fiction collection of writing advice.

Joy said: “I love writing, it’s like a compulsion, it’s great fun.

“It’s fulfilling and rewarding, but it can also be very hard work.

“I don’t do it for money, I just want people to enjoy my stories.

“My brain is always buzzing with so many story ideas, the difficult bit is finding time to write them all.

“The inspiration for Cabbage Boy came from a rather unusual moment.

“I live near 80 acres of farmland in Chiseldon and last year, the farmer used a new manure which was apparently processed from human waste.

“The smell was foul and everyone in the village complained.

“It made me think about human DNA getting into the soil and made up this tale about a mutant cabbage boy that a teenager befriends.

“He’s petrified of the mutant at first but becomes protective when people try to destroy it.

“It’s quite a funny, feelgood story, but it has a tragic element.

“I really enjoyed writing it, it’s one of my personal favourites.”

Joy’s whole life has revolved around writing.

She used to teach creative writing, has had short stories published in magazines, worked at her son’s publishing company, and now runs the Swindon Fiction Writers writing group.

Her first self-published novel came out in 2013, when she was in her late 60’s.

One of her books, The Mystery of Craven Manor, has sold over 10,000 copies and received five-star reviews since its publication in 2014.

Joy added: “I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t writing.

“When I was a child, I used to produce a magazine full of my own stories.

“I also used to paint a lot, even had exhibitions of my work, but that’s gone on the back-burner since I decided to focus fully on writing books.

“I used to be editor of the Swindon Industry and Commerce Magazine.

“A few of my books are set in Swindon, because I’m quite fond of it but I also like to make fun of it.”

The first book she published earlier this year, The Boy Who Could Fly, was inspired by a Victorian ancestor who was a trapeze artist that died mid-performance.

She’s now finishing up a near-future sci-fi story involving robots - and Swindon Borough Council facing bankruptcy.