A BOLTON author’s career is going from strength to strength.

Not only is Ravi Thornton having two new novels published, she is also getting her work published in America, creating a musical play and has been nominated for a top award.

“Writing does not pay a lot until you get the big break,” she said. “I work really hard and am delighted with these new deals, but it’s a long game and things come in dribs and drabs.

“People like Amir Khan get sponsors, but writers use social media and other things to promote themselves. They don’t consider sponsorship.

“But if you’re serious about making a living in writing, you’ve got to find funding.”

Publishing firm Jonathan Cape has recently published her graphic novel, The Tale of Brin and Bent and Minno Marylebone, in the UK and it will also be published in the United States.

A soundtrack and modern ballet project have also been developed from it. The book has just been nominated for Best Debut Book by the comicbook website, Broken Frontier.

Ms Thornton, aged 40, also writes children’s books under the name of Nesta Philips and has been signed by Oxford University Press for a series of titles including Take Hold of My Hand, which will be published next year. It looks set to be translated into several languages for European markets.

Another project is a musical play and graphic novel, Hoax.

The play is being developed with workshops held at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre while the book is also being worked on.

Hoax is a love story between a young woman and man, who later has undiagnosed schizophrenia. It explores mental illness and the breakdown of their relationship.

Ms Thornton’s brother suffered from schizophrenia and took his own life.

She said: “It was a tragedy. We used to write together and it’s taken me years to be in the right place emotionally to write this. This is not a crusade, but it will open discussions about mental health.”

Ms Thornton will also speak at a new comic arts festival in Kendal in October, which includes comicbook illustrator Bryan Talbot, who has worked on numerous top comic picture book titles, including 2000 AD.