AN AUTHOR who has written a series of historic fantasy novels set in Dumbarton is looking forward to the release of the third book in the saga.

When he’s not busy at his day job reading gas and electric meters, Steven McKay is the author of the Warrior Druid of Britain series.

He was inspired to try his hand at writing after reading about Roman centurions and post-Roman Britain.

His new book in the series, The Northern Throne, is about the continuing quests of protagonist Bellicus, a giant warrior druid, and his two war dogs to restore the village of Dun Buic in Dumbarton.

Describing Bellicus, who is always ready for battle at the drop of a sword, Steven, from Old Kilpatrick, told the Reporter: “For me, that is what I wish I was like.

“He is really interesting to write about as there is so many opportunities for him to take and characteristics for me to write. I enjoy writing about him so much.”

Most authors will tell you that historic fiction needs a huge amount of research, to ensure that references to real life are accurate – but Steven, whose series is set in and around AD431, said it’s actually a lot easier than readers might imagine.

“Writing in that period has a good side,” he continued, “because in post-Roman Britain there were no records of anything around that time.

“With my first novel I had to do massive amounts of research to get it right.”

Steven made his writing debut in 2013 with his Forest Lord series, based around a reimagined Robin Hood.

Lockdown hasn’t been the biggest help to the writer as he prefers writing alone.

He said: “It is great when I can go into my own zone or writing bubble.”

He has recently released a free short story for readers about Dumbarton Castle, called Over The Wall, featuring all the main characters in his current series.

“It is basically a prequel to the series,” he said.

And fans of the Warrior Druid of Britain series can take heart – Steven said he has no plans to stop at book three, as there are plenty of quests for Bellicus still to tackle in the future.

So far Steven has sold more than 185,000 copies of his books, which are available on Amazon.

The Northern Throne is due out next month.