A “fiercely independent” 12-year-old has self-published her first fantasy novel which is the start of a trilogy.

Rosey Copper, from Stebbing, spent one year planning, writing and editing her book, Free Rein, which is about a girl who is a werewolf but does not know it.

The youngster got a lot of her ideas from being outdoors in the fields and her favourite spot to pen was in her bedroom, looking over the garden.

The Helena Romanes School pupil said: “I am really happy with it. I write lots of stories and this started off as one of them. I did not know what to do next as I had only written three pages. I decided to plan it and now it is a 170-page book.

“I like to read so I got a lot of inspiration from other stories. At points it was easy and the words just fell on to the page, but at other times I did not know what to write next.”

Rosey’s book is now for sale on Amazon after she used a step-by-step guide on Creative Space to publish it. She also illustrated the front and back covers of the book. Her favourite moment of the whole process was receiving the hardcopy of her story.

“The postman had to ask me if I was ok,” she added. “I saw the parcel when he was coming up to the door and I was really excited.”

Fans of her work will not have to wait too long for next instalment as Rosey, who loves animals, is already well on her way to completing the second book in the series. She has just finished planning and will soon be putting it together.

Her mum, Amanda, who proofread the novel once it was finished, said: “We are really proud of her and she has done it all by herself. She is fiercely independent.

“She has always been writing – ever since she could hold a pencil – and she has always been creative. Rosey said she was writing a book but we did not know what to expect, she just locked herself away in her bedroom and this is what came of it.”

Free Rein can be purchased on Amazon for £6.99.