A former Western Mail journalist who had her first novel published after an 11-year bid to get a publishing deal, is about to publish her second book - with a third already written.

Jane Bidder began her writing career in Cardiff with the Thomson Graduate Trainee Scheme.

And last year she saw her novel The School Run hit the book shelves under her pen name Sophie King. It has since sold more than 50,000 copies.

It followed unsuccessful attempts to get 11 previous works of fiction into print, and was her first book as part of a deal with publisher Hodder & Stoughton.

She is now hoping new novel Mums@Home will achieve similar sales success to The School Run, and says she feels vindicated for not giving up.

She said: "I was beginning to panic that I might have obsessional compulsive behaviour because I couldn't stop writing, despite the rejections.

"But to be fair, I had about four serious near-misses so I felt there was hope somewhere out there. I couldn't have stopped writing anyway because it's like breathing to me.

"Even when I've gone through traumas I still had to write."

Mums@Home tells the story of a group of parents who meet online through a parenting web group to help solve their own individual problems, and, as with her first novel, it is inspired by Jane's real-life situations.

She said: "Computers are so much a part of our life nowadays.

"I have constant arguments with my 15-year old son because he is always on MSN when he should be doing his homework. But I'm just as bad, always checking e-mails etc.

"I also know lots of women who 'live' online through parenting groups and other sites; some say their real friends are people they've never met. This is what gave me the idea."

Not keen to let the grass grow, Jane has also finished a third novel and says she still has plenty of ideas for more.

She said: "I'm not sure I can say what it's about but my editor seems to like it. I've now got the next one in my head and lots of notes everywhere. I tend to use the back of my cheque book because I'm less likely to lose it!"