Ipswich dad James Jenkins is living the dream after his first novel has been published.

He was undeterred by his 20-plus rejections over the last 11 months before Parochial Pigs was signed to Alien Buddha Press, an American indie publisher.

The Castle Hill plumber and father-of-two, who has always written as a hobby, was stunned when he finally received a letter of acceptance for his first work.

Mr Jenkins said getting the work published had been a "labour of love".

He added: "I won't be giving up my day job any time soon.

"It still seems like impostor syndrome and a dream come true."

Ipswich Star: James Jenkins and family.James Jenkins and family. (Image: James Jenkins)

In his first novel, Mr Jenkins tells the story of Paul Hargreaves, a detective who wins favour with the Bristol crime lord Bobby Cavendish, climbing his way up the ladder of the illicit empire.

Mr Jenkins said: "Parochial Pigs is a gritty gangland noir crime novel with dark humour and a ritualistic undertone."

Outside of writing, the father-of-two is a musician, who has been involved in raising money for local charities.

This included Age Concern at Felixstowe Band Box, Cancer Research at the Margaret Catchpole, Citizens Advice Bureau at Felixstowe fire station, Cancer Research at RaysFest, and St Elizabeth Hospice and East Anglian Air Ambulance at Wyverstone Beer and Music Festival 2021.

"I would especially like to contribute to Suffolk Mind in the future as I believe that writing is my best defence against my own anxiety," he said. "It helps me channel my feelings in a much more productive way and has provided me with a great way to cope with everything over the last two years.

"I've been inspired by James Garden's Mind Doodles and how he reached out via his own artwork. I hope I can build a bigger platform for myself to be able to contribute better to this fantastic charity."

The release date for Parochial Pigs is set for January 16 and will be available on Amazon and at Ipswich's Dial Lane Books.

Mr Jenkins has also contributed to a Noir anthology, which is called the Colour Out of Deathlehem: An Anthology of Holiday Horrors for Charity and is already available on Amazon.