A former regional editor turned author has been shortlisted in a national award for romance writing after penning her first novel while on maternity leave.

Jane Wolstenholme left the helm of the Liverpool Daily Post in 2007 to set up her own PR firm.

Her debut novel, Bridesmaids, follows the lives of four twenty-something women in Liverpool and Lancashire and has been nominated alongside five other titles for the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance.

The award will be judged by comedienne Jo Brand, TV presenter Liza Tarbuck and authoresses Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella with the winner pocketing a £5,000 first prize.

Jane, 35, who writes as Jane Costello, told the LDP: "I'm absolutely thrilled to reach the shortlist for the Melissa Nathan Award.

"When I wrote Bridesmaids, I never imagined it was the sort of book to win prizes.

"I simply aimed to write something funny and romantic – and which celebrated the lighter side of life.

"I've been amazed by the success of the novel which readers really seem to have connected with."

The award was set up by Andrew Saffron, widower of authoress Melissa Nathan who died of cancer three years ago aged 37.

Jane, whose second book The Nearly Weds has just been published, spent ten years with the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo and worked her way up from trainee to LDP editor in six years.

She was the title's first female editor in its 147-year history and succeeded Alastair Machray, now editor-in-chief of the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo.