A FIRST-TIME author has been nominated for a prestigious literary award - and is hoping that Hollywood success is just around the corner.

Colin Campbell had his first book, a horror story called Darkwater Towers, published last year and has been nominated for the prestigious national First Authors' Club Award.

Copies of the book, which have been selling out at the selected book stores where available, have been sent to Hollywood giants - including Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery and 'Hannibal Lector' himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins - in a bid to get them interested in doing a film version.

No big Hollywood studio is attached to Darkwater Towers yet, although a couple of smaller British film companies have expressed an interest in the project.

Fleet Street publishers Blackie and Co also have plans to make Mr Campbell an international success and hope to market the book in America.

Mr Campbell, a Bradford policeman who lives in Otley, said he was very pleased with the book's success since it was launched on Hallowe'en last October and was hopeful that the movie version would come off.

"It's good to be linked with such big name stars and I'm pleased that Darkwater Towers has been nominated for an award - it's all very positive.

"Whether the film will come off, I don't know. We've sent off copies of the book to some big stars but haven't heard anything back yet. My publishers tell me a couple of small British companies are interested in it, but we have to make sure that they are big enough as the film will have some pretty expensive special effects.

"It's just a case of waiting. I'm looking to speak to literary agency Curtis and Brown about the film side of things, because they are the specialists and have the contacts.

"At the moment I'm just carrying on writing. My new book Blackwood Falls is due to come out later this year, I am currently about halfway through another book, and I've written a number of short stories. I've also just finished writing a children's book - perhaps that will become the next Harry Potter, who knows?

"I have a number of books I want to write, it's just a matter of finding time, given my job in the police." Bettina Croft, managing editor of Blackie and Co, said: "Our authors are generally doing well and Colin is certainly one of the very best of them. He is very self-effacing himself and does not blow his own trumpet enough for my liking, so we would like to do something for him eventually worldwide and make him famous.

"Presently we are trying to interest people like Anthony Hopkins and Sean Connery etc in the book and will eventually get through to a suitable film company as his work has high quality and a very unusual flavour - it captivated me so much that I stayed up all night reading it.

"And it has an unusual hero called Theo who would be seen by one-fifth of the current British population (the older generation) as a sort of saviour figure.

"Colin could develop the character to carry on to further books as a local caring hero who really does save lives despite the horror of the surroundings and their dire plight.

"Of all the books that I had submitted to us last year I feel Colin's was the best and I am able to put his name forward for a number of awards. One of these must succeed."