A DUNFERMLINE author said she was "grateful for every day" after turning the page on a cancer battle and topping the Amazon bestseller list.

Claire Monaghan was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2020 and, as reported previously by the Press, compiled a charity poetry book as a way of giving back.

In November, she released the fourth story, The Boo Hag, in her Midnight Gunn series and is currently working on her next publications while enjoying success on her existing work.

Having moved to Dunfermline in 2019, Claire has had to go through a lot of heartache after her cancer diagnosis in January 2020 but feels her writing helped her get through such a traumatic period in her life.

"I cannot believe it is nearly four years since we moved to Dunfermline. It has gone so quickly but I think it has been pandemic, cancer, pandemic, cancer and it is nice to come out the other side and think I can live again," she said.

"The writing did help. I think having that focus gave me not something to live for but it gave me a distraction and I think it was kind of like a tangible thing I could hang on to, doing deadlines in the future. It gave me that thing to focus that I have a future."

An appeal for poems for her charity poetry book attracted hundreds of submissions from around the world and the book helped raise money for two cancer charities.

"My publishers, Hudson Indie Ink, were so supportive throughout that time," she said. "They did a dedicated website, did an auction, got celebrities on board to promote the book and it was really nice to raise money for the charities.

"That gave me something to focus on and made what was essentially a really horrible time into something that ended up making a difference, bringing some good and kind of turning what happened into a positive thing.

"From then, Hudson have been fantastic. They have really promoted my books. Last year, The Hollies, which is the first in my Midnight Gunn series, had a four-day free promotion on the ebooks.

"In those four days, there were 22,000 downloads or something. It reached number one on the entire Amazon Kindle store. To get that elusive orange tag on one of my books was the best thing. Having come through all the cancer, it was so emotional.

"Since then, the fan base has really grown. We hit 1,000 reviews on US Amazon and we are about three reviews from 1,000 on UK Amazon.

"The fourth in the series, The Boo Hag, was released in November 2022. The first three books are now on audio and are regularly on bestseller lists. I am really chuffed with that."

Despite her success and being in remission, Claire, who also finds time to home-school her two sons, Daniel and Elliot, said her cancer had slowed down her writing.

"The chemo has affected my concentration, my focus, my eyesight and my hearing. I struggle a lot with reading. I have to have it on huge print," she explained.

"There are a lot of things you don't realise that chemo affects. Tiredness, I still get fatigue. I am on tablets and medication for the next five years. It is never-ending but I am alive and I am grateful for every day.

"I got the all-clear in early 2021 when I was officially in remission. To me, that was the best news ever. I have to continue with preventative medication for the next five years but I have the second chance and I am really going to go with it."

Claire is currently doing research for a new book on the women accused of witchcraft in Fife and also has plans to continue her Midnight Gunn series.

"It is proving very popular," she added. "I have at least 10 books in that and have a couple of spin-offs planned as well. Some characters are proving very popular and fans are saying they would love to hear more about them."