Michael Kenyon has yearned to be an author since childhood. He is bemused by a world where aspiring pop stars are lauded for pursuing their dream regardless of talent, but self-published writers are dismissed as deluded wannabees. I am an author. Nothing could have prepared him for the ensuing deluge of scorn when he uttered those four words at sister Debbie’s party. Suddenly I couldn’t think of a single word with the "self" prefix that had positive connotations. There’s self-abuse, self-indulgent, self-important, self-absorbed, and even self-immolation. None carry the shame of self-published.

Yet, two years on, Michael’s first novel has been snapped up by movie producer Alex Cartwright and his new girlfriend is Savannah Hills, a captivating, feisty and very successful author of romantic fiction. It’s fair reward for three years of hard graft–in his tiny flat in Clapham and on the streets of Bangkok, where he travelled to research his novel: the tale of a man driven to the edge of ruin, pursuing his own aspirations. The Michael Kenyon Story is about to be published in twenty-three languages and the film is scheduled to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. There is only one issue to cloud his success, he’s about to find out whether they’re going to let him live to see it.

I Am an Author is a tale of the extraordinary lengths to which one might go in pursuit of a dream. Laced with black humour, it will resonate with anyone who has sought recognition as a writer but also those who enjoy a fast-moving thriller with lots of twists and a killer punch line.