A WOMAN who started her career writing for a local newspaper has had her first book published.

Diana Appleyard, 37, who was born in Burnley, has based her novel, 'Homing Instinct.' on the role of a Millennium mother. It tells the story of Carrie Adams, who juggles her life between a successful television career, nannies, two young children and her marriage to a successful television executive.

Diana started her journalism career at the Accrington Observer, where she stayed for three years. She moved to the Manchester Metro News, before joining Greater Manchester Radio as a reporter/producer for three years. She then worked at Radio West Midlands in Birmingham, as an education correspondent.

She resigned three years ago and began writing from home.

She said: "It was a complete change. I'd had enough of working full-time and being away from my children. I was very lucky to be approached by a literary agent as I had written a lot about family relationships and children. The novel is about being a mother in the nineties, warts and all, and was drawn from a lot of my own experiences."

"I hope people find it funny and I hope it rings true with their own lives. There's an underlying message that some women are pushing themselves too hard in a direction that's making them unhappy."

Diana was a pupil at Sunnybank School, Burnley and graduated from Bristol University with an English degree. She is already working on her second book, about a class-less society.

Diana is married to Ross, a reporter for Sky News and the couple have two daughters, Beth, 11, and Charlotte, five. They live in Oxford, but Diana is still fond of her Lancashire roots and often visits her mum, Pam Moulds, who lives in Read and her sister who lives in Barrowford.

'Homing Instinct' is published in paperback by Black Swan, and available from all good book shops, at £6.99.

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