A RENFREW children’s author is hoping her words will give youngsters a voice after she was inspired to write following her own personal struggle.

Former occupational therapist Catherine James’ first book Indigo Warriors - The Adventure Begins tells the tale of six schoolkids who don’t fit into society. 

Each of the protagonists is fighting for their own cause until they come together to make the world a better place.

Catherine hopes the book can encourage children to speak up for kindness and compassion.

And the wordsmith said her own life experience acted as inspiration for the novel. 

Born in 1950s Scotland, Catherine is one of the thousands of women who now face up to a six year delay to get their pension following changes by the UK Government. 

It has forced Catherine to take up evening work as a cleaner but equally gave her a push to put pen to paper. 

Catherine told The Gazette: “I was 60 and working as an occupational therapist and I loved it.

“Then I, like many women born in the 1950s, were told our pension would be delayed and we would have to work for another six years. This was in 2015 but I just decided to suck it up and work until I was 66.

“But, in 2017 the work became less regular and eventually my job went with it. But, through it all, I kept writing.”

Catherine, now 64, took a creative writing class in 2016 and it was there she found the confidence to turn her thoughts into a story. 

With plenty of future adventures lined up for her characters, she hopes children who read her book will get hooked on its tale. 

She said: “I don’t see myself as doing anything too profound and just want to give children a voice.