A FORMER Colchester man who spent years as a self-confessed flunky has turned his misery into material for his first novel.

When Stephen May joined Essex University as an English undergraduate in the 1980s, he had his mind set on a career as a journalist.

But when he became a father to daughter Hannah at the age of 20, he realised paying the bills was more important than his dream job.

“Having a small child wasn’t exactly conductive to becoming a reporter,” said Stephen, now 42.

“I ended up drifting for some time, working as a general flunky around Colchester. It all seemed to involve stacking, filing, photocopying and answering the telephone!”

Stephen did work on the Gazette’s sister paper, the Essex County Standard, where he spent several years as a music reviewer.

But real life beckoned, and Stephen became a teacher before moving to Yorkshire to work for a writing charity.

It was then that his creative talents really came to the fore.

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