Hundreds of people in Shropshire harbour a hidden talent. Many manuscripts lie in bedrooms or cupboards written, checked, checked again, and as far as the author is concerned, ready to go.

But not everyone can be the next J K Rowling and hardly any amateur writers get to see their work in print.

I count myself very lucky because I get to review books by local authors and have never been disappointed with what the creative people in the county come up with when they put pen to paper.

Nikki Williams, of Shifnal, is one such creative writer. Her novel Remembrance was inspired by her love of romance but her imagination created a unique tale, encroaching on a new fantasy genre.

I loved the story so much I read it in two nights. The book is a love story which takes a path away from the traditional tale of romance but still keeps you as enthralled as any Mills and Boon.

The story tells of Tom and Maria, a couple very much in love but separated by not only the circumstances that surround them but by time itself.

The book takes the reader through a journey of true devotion as the people around them strive to beat the odds of time to prevent a tragedy that has already been laid out.

It kept me in suspense as the main character lived two lives without understanding the consequences of her actions in either and I was glued as the final climax came to pass.

It really was a real page turner for me.

But the problem with Remembrance is that it hasn’t been published – it’s not on the shelves for everyone to enjoy as I have. And Nikki’s is no doubt not the only manuscript yet to receive its just desserts.

So the big question for all writers who have created something special but cannot share it with the world is – what do publishers want?

Those experienced in the business know publishers want a book they can sell in sufficient quantities to make it financially viable, material of the right length – usually not less than 60,000 words for a novel – and an original approach with a strong plot based on characters who are seen in depth.

Although it is notoriously difficult for writers to break into print, publishers are always on the lookout for new authors with talent and writers need something which makes their work different – publishers are not usually interested in clones of already established authors.

And of course the simple things – publishers want authors who use words well, who understand such basics as spelling, punctuation and grammar, and whose prose is easy to read.

Nikki, a 40-year-old mother of three, meets the criteria of pretty much all the above and is hoping her novel will be snapped up sooner rather than later.

The deputy senior dental nurse, currently working at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, used to write as a teenager and only began to pen a novel after “Father Christmas very kindly” bought her a laptop at the end of last year.

“I am a big romance reader and that inspired Remembrance. It took five months to write but I have still got a long way to go,” she added.

“I would describe it as a love story, not as a romance, because it is different.

“I looked in the artists and writers yearbook and picked out the people that I thought would be suitable and then sent it off to one. I heard back within a week with an apology.”

Nikki also put the novel on www.writeon.com, which is a free site where writers review somebody else’s work before they are able to put their work on.

She has had a lot of feedback which is helping her to shape the novel into one that will appeal to publishers across the UK.

“I would like to get it published and put into shops but if I can’t I will get a copy published for myself,” she said.

And the mum is already showing a good trait of steering away from a one-book wonder as she has begun two other novels which fall into the same genre – The Forsaken Island and The Awakening.

She is also undertaking a creative writing course at the Telford College of Arts and Technology to boost her technique and with a talent in poetry already under her belt, is set to go from strength to strength.

So the message to unpublished writers from me is to keep trying and never to stop putting pen to paper.

I will just sit back and wait for the undiscovered talent of the county to be recognised so I can enjoy novels like Remembrance every day.