A WIRRAL author, who debuted his talents with a sci-fi novel, has fulfilled his lifelong ambition to open his own book store.

John Hoyland, from Wallasey, released 'The Initiation of Lantos' last month following three years in the making and is now gearing up to launch his second-hand book store.

The grandfather-of-three wants to encourage younger generations to pick up a book and remind people of the benefits of reading.

And he believes 'Passionate About Books' in Seaview Road, Wallasey will fill a gap in the area.

John, 58, said: "I've had this idea since I was a student as I spent a lot of time looking round second-hand book shops and even worked in a couple at one point.

"I think Wallasey needs something like this as it's going that way where we could end up with very few libraries. They're always under threat of closure so it wouldn’t take much to push it over the edge.

"Technology is a great thing but a lot of people who have a Kindle will end up going back to the hard copies because they prefer to hold the book and turn the pages."

The store, which will be officially opened on Tuesday, August 27 by writer Ramsey Campbell, features more than 5,000 books across such genres as history, philosophy, sci-fi, fantasy and children’s books.

And John is hoping to share his love of all things sci-fi with the local community as he signs up for a special talk.

He added: "I've been asked to take part in the Wirral Book Fest where I will do a talk about sci-fi and what it actually is because many people don’t really understand it.

"For me, this store is about fulfilling my passion and I hope others can share in it too."