Lancashire author Joseph Delaney paid a visit to Ely College this week to speak to pupils about his series of books.

Ely Standard: Author Joseph Delaney visits Ely College to give talks the students. Picture: Steve Williams.Author Joseph Delaney visits Ely College to give talks the students. Picture: Steve Williams. (Image: Archant)

Mr Delaney, a retired English teacher, penned The Spooks Stories series of novels for young adults and was in Ely on Monday to talk to aspiring writers among Year 8.

There are more than a dozen books in the Spooks series and pupils were given the chance to question 68-year-old Mr Delaney on his writing and the inspiration behind his science fiction works.

The author also spoke to the students about stepping down as a teacher to pursue a career as an author and the benefits of perseverance – something he was particularly familiar with having seen his books rejected dozens of times before he was finally published in 2004.

Mr Delaney has now seen his works translated into 24 languages and has recently toured America and France.