It’s the fulfilment of a life-long ambition for Delia Callister, whose ghostly tale of Vikings set in the Isle of Man has hit the shelves of a number of bookshops.

The Land of a Thousand Gods is the result of extensive research to make the setting as authentic as possible.

The book, which has been supported by Culture Vannin, was the result of work Delia carried out on and off over three years.

Delia, who lives in Onchan with husband Peter, explained: ’I’ve always written but on an island you’re limited where you can go. A few years ago I phoned up publishers and they made comments like "phone back in a year".’

Delia carried on writing and remained determined to pursue her dream of being a published author.

’I got an idea about this one and just kept on with it in dribs and drabs,’ she said.

’I really didn’t expect it to go anywhere in view of the others. But I carried on and persevered and sent it off to Culture Vannin who ended up giving me a grant towards it.’

The Land of a Thousand Gods is set in Santon in 798 AD. It sees Vikings land at Port Grenaugh and raze the village to the ground.

The front cover, designed by Paul Parker, depicts the story’s Celtic heroine, Agneish, whose father Engus was the village’s chieftain and spiritual advisor.

It’s described as a ’ghostly tale of Vikings, retribution and an epic journey across a world of strange beauty, mystery and terrifying secrets to be unlocked. An unknown world inhabited with gods who existed before the time of memory’.

Delia enjoyed immersing herself in the research into Manx places and folklore.

’I love the island,’ she said. ’I’m Manx through and through.’

She said it would appeal to anyone interested in the Isle of Man and mythology and was aimed at readers aged from late teens upwards.

Delia said she was on cloud nine when she received the books from the printers.

’I’ve loved reading from the get go,’ she said. ’I’ve been in and out of libraries all my life so to go and see my book in there is a really great feeling.’

The Land of a Thousand Gods has a RRP of £8.99. It is available in the Lexicon Book Shop and the Book Company in Douglas.

And it is expected to be in public libraries soon.