A ghostly new novel inspired by Dorchester's people, locations and buildings has hit the shelves.

Andrew Trim's Acting Strangely has been officially launched at Waterstones in Dorchester, where it is available to buy.

Andrew said the idea for the book began back in 2014.

He said: "You wake up with the tail end of a dream and it fades away, this one didn't, the story kept coming back into my head and as the weeks went by, a little bit more came in and it wouldn't go away. So, eventually, while on holiday in Cornwall, I wrote it down and I ended up with a A4 piece of paper with a list of ideas and the bones of the story.

"I began a first draft and the characters soon developed and the plot lines unfolded, with much of my experience of growing up in Dorchester during the 70s being slipped in to the story. Locations, buildings, historical characters were twisted and reimagined into a crazy, alternative world."

Andrew past the story onto Honeybee Books for proofing reading, followed by a final edit, and he had a manuscript ready to go - although the coronavirus pandemic brought delays.

However, he still needed some artwork for his front cover. He came across illustrations by That's Rich Art.

Andrew added: "It looked good and I thought, 'that really suits the sort of thing that I want on my cover of the book."

He enlisted the help of illustrator Sam Zambelli.

"She rose to the challenge, not only did she come up trumps with the illustrations, but she also became an integral part of Acting Strangely."

The story of Acting Strangely is set in 1975.

"It begins with a school girl, Molly Goodall, the link between the worlds of the mortal and spiritual existence. Her teacher, Carolyn, fancies herself as a psychic, utilising a crystal ball she found in her attic to raise money at the school fete as gypsy Carolyn fortune teller. However, she realised she has a natural gift.

"Molly's mother works at a supermarket in the town centre where, according to the local paper, there had been unexplained activity recently. This seemed like an ideal opportunity for Carolyn to test her ability.

"With the assistance of the resident ghost, she is able to realise her potential.

"The spirits of actors Wilf, George and Alice reside in the main basement of the once grand opera house, destroyed by a fire in 1955. The site is now occupied by national chain Price Low. The owner of the store, a rather forthright Finbarr Lowe, has plans for big expansion and wants to redevelop the site.

"Now they have to find a way to save the building and, more importantly, the ghosts' home, from demolition. Thus begins their adventures."

Guests at the book launch were treated to readings from the book by Chris Gallarus, who leads the Dorchester Ghost Walks with Alistair Chisholm.

The book is available to buy from Dorchester Waterstones, as well as The Book Shop in Bridport.

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