A Gullane author has been delighted by the response to his recently published sixth book, which is set in North Berwick.

Charlie Laidlaw, 70, confessed he was excited by the feedback he had already received for his latest novel, The Days Of Our Birth, since it was released on June 27.

He said: “It was always a dream to write a book, because writing is the one thing I was good at, so there wasn’t ever a ‘eureka’ moment.

“I spent years trying to write and failing.”

The Days Of Our Birth, published by Rampart Books, a new London traditional publisher, follows friends Peter and Sarah through 20 years of their lives, beginning on their shared sixth birthday, as they grow up next door to each other in North Berwick.

The coming-of-age story unfolds against the backdrop of Sarah’s placement on the autism spectrum and the characters’ complex emotions for each other.

Charlie grew up in the west of Scotland but has used East Lothian as the setting for several of his novels, having lived in Gullane for the past 30 years.

A journalist for many years, Charlie’s life has always revolved around words. He said: “In that respect, I’ve been lucky because creative writing, particularly novel writing, is not something you can magically start to do.

“You have to learn how to write, and I had years of practice before starting on my first book.”

He added: “With six books to my name, I have learned to plan in detail. My first book was a nightmare in that regard.

"I wrote it without much planning and went down numerous blind alleys!

“I now find the writing process quite easy because, before I put fingers to keyboard, I have thought through the story and know the characters.” The Days Of Our Birth can be bought online from Amazon."