Neil Mackie with his new novel, Edison and the Dinosaur Zoo

AN ANIMATOR has turned his hand to a different type of story-telling – writing a novel.

Neil Mackie with his new novel, Edison and the Dinosaur Zoo

Nick Mackie, aged 45, from Lonsdale Avenue, Weston, was inspired to write his new teen thriller Edison And The Dinosaur Zoo after being kept up by his newborn son Taro.

Mr Mackie said: “Writing a book is something I wanted to do for a long time, but I always got to a certain point and then shelved it.

“When my son was born I was always up early in the morning and late at night.

“It is amazing how fresh your mind can be at 5am. I used the time to get the book started.”

Mr Mackie works as a freelance animator and has previously worked for Aardman Animations, the studio behind Wallace and Gromit and Creature Comforts.

The novel tells the tale of Edison, a 13-year-old boy who lands his dream job in a zoo which has successfully brought dinosaurs back to life.

But one day, a violent robbery at the zoo sets in motion a series of events that put Edison’s life in danger – forcing him to find out how far he might go to protect his family, his job and the zoo itself.

Edison And The Dinosaur Zoo, priced £6.99 in paperback, is out now via www.dinosaurzoo.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk