A WRITER has drawn on her youth in Whitby to pen a novel about an assassin.

Laura J Harris’s debut novel Splintered delves into the world of an unknown assassin.

Laura, 29, attended Ellesmere Port Catholic High School before studying drama and writing at Edge Hill University.

She returned to her hometown, where she lectured as a performing arts tutor at West Cheshire College while working on her debut novel, set on a luxury cruise ship.

An avid reader of the genre, she wanted to develop her own crime thriller and create an isolated setting for her narrative that would mimic the sensation of being trapped in a lift, but provide enough scope for action and adventure.

She braved a serious heart condition diagnosed while at university that resulted in her being fitted with a pacemaker aged just 20.

Laura went on to stage her theatrical debut in a sold-out two night run in Ellesmere Port Civic Hall in 2006, a psychological thriller called Forget Me Not.

She is also an actor and the theatrical practitioner and artistic director of the Boaty Youth Theatre, based at the National Waterways Museum.

The Boaty Youth Theatre is currently working on a Steampunk revival of The Tempest and will soon be working with the RSC.

On Friday Laura will be talking to the reading group at Ellesmere Port Library from 1.30pm and will be there until 3pm signing copies of Splintered.