A GRIPPING saga based around Morwellham and first published three years ago has caught the eye of a major publishing firm ? and secured its author a two-book deal.

?Morwellham?s Child? shifted 3,000 copies, selling out twice, when writer Tania Crosse published it through the Garland Stone Press in 2001 and has now been snapped up by London-based publishers Pan Macmillan, along with the sequel ?Tavy?s Daughter?.

?Morwellham?s Child? was officially relaunched at its birthplace on the quay last Friday, with everyone dressing in period costume to mark its historical roots.

Tania told how her love of the West Country had developed from family holidays in the area, and said it was a visit to Morwellham Quay which inspired her to write her first book and discover her talent for the historical saga.

Tania, who was born in London but has spent most of her married life living on the Berkshire/Hampshire border, said she and her husband Nigel had finally achieved their dream of owning a 400-year-old Dartmoor cottage.

Tania said: ?It sounds like an old cliché that the peace and solitude of the moor helps me to write, but it really does.

?The Devon countryside continues to inspire me, and I am looking forward to completing the second book, and hopefully more after that!?

The sequel, ?Tavy?s Daughter? is based on the history of the Tavy Valley throughout the Victorian era and is due for publication in October next year.

The final novel in the series, which Tania also hopes to see published, is provisionally entitled ?Cherrybrook Rose? and unravels the bleak and chequered history of Dartmoor Prison and the gunpowder mills.

?Morwellham?s Child? is currently only available from Morwellham Quay but is released nationwide on September 3.