A BUDDING author who started writing a novel when she was still in secondary school has finally had her work published ..25 years later.

Ness Streete, 42, has been working on the book since the Nineties when she went to the Mayflower school in Billericay.

She completed the final chapter in March last year.

Ness lived in north London when she was younger, but now lives with husband Paul, 42, and eight-year-old son Noah in Kirby-le-Soken.

The book – Like China – has been published by Olympia and is described as contemporary fiction and romance.

The storyline follows characters Elizabeth and brother James who are living the high life, but the sudden death of their parents means they are only left with each other.

Ness describes her books as romance with a dash of violence, but says there is always a positive ending.

She said: “I’m working on three more books at the moment, but I started working on this one back in the Nineties.

“Books have always been my thing ever since I was at school.

“Like China started , when I was doing English GCSE and we got told to write a chapter of a story.

“My teacher said to me ‘When you’re older, you should re-write that’, so I did.”

Like China is available from Amazon and in book stores from today.

“It’s on my bookshelf,” said Ness. “It’s one of those dreams I’ve always had.

“I’ve had so much support from friends and colleagues, its been overwhelming. I’m incredibly grateful to them, especially my husband as I’ve been battling with three new manuscripts and fitting them in between work and a busy home life.”