How Jay's love of books led to new career as author

BOYBAND AND STAGE STAR BACK IN NOTTS TO LAUNCH SECOND FANTASY NOVEL

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE-BORN boyband star Jay McGuiness, who hit the big time with The Wanted, will be back on home turf later this week.

But he won't be singing, nor will he be acting after forging a career treading the boards (his most recent stint on stage in Nottingham was in 2:22 - A Ghost Story at the Theatre Royal last year).

This time around, Jay will be meeting fans as an author, after finding success writing fantasy fiction for young adults. He'll be celebrating the release of his new book Poison Tides at Waterstones in the city centre - a sequel to debut novel Blood Flowers, published in February 2024.

The dystopian fantasy series plunges readers into a world of love, betrayal, murder and witchcraft. Inspired by Jay's teenage years growing up in Newark, the main character, 17-year-old Bear, lives in the walled town of Calleston, a place of stark divide between the rich and poor.