A WEE COUNTY woman is enjoying unexpected literary success with the release of her first book.

For Audrey Biscotti, from Alloa, writing or publishing work was never something that was on her radar.

She only picked up a pen when she was trying to "chum along a friend" who wanted to get back into the discipline.

However, less than three years later, her poetry has been recognised and she has landed a self-publishing deal.

Her collection of works, called Threads, was released in March and is now available on Amazon.

This was made possible after she came second in the Poetry Rivals competition.

To win the prize, she was tasked with reading her poem, Little Box, aloud for an audience.

She did so during a slam event in Peterborough and said she was “absolutely terrified”.

She added: “I was definitely one of the oldest there and shook more than anybody else.

“I sit in an office all day and you don’t do that type of thing very often.

“It was pretty terrifying, I don’t think it gets any easier to do.

“It’s really raw, it’s very personal some of it.

“So, it’s like somebody having a wee peek into your heart or your head.”

Her winning poem was about taking snapshots of pivotal moments in her life. It looked at those important points, from the teenage years to the present, the good and the bad, she has met along the way.

And the 54-year-old, who owns Venetian blind company Bilanco Blinds, finds inspiration randomly.

Her work covers a variety of themes – from relationships, love and divorce, to family and the wider world.

She does not have a specific writing process, instead things come to her organically, quite often in the car while on the way home from work.

She said: “They just bob in and sort of fester and grow and you start writing something down and leave it a bit and go back.”

“Bittersweet” is how she would describe her work, adding: “Which is not like me at all, I’m actually quite a cheery person.”

Audrey is also part of Alloa Writers and has found the community to be incredibly supportive.

They meet every second Wednesday at the Station Bar and writers of all abilities are welcome.

Threads, outlined as an "introspective collection of poetry looking at that what makes us human", will also be available in Waterstones.