A DUNFERMLINE author has published a crime novel just three years after learning English for the first time.

Liliiana Saint Clair moved to West Fife from Russia when she married her husband Callum and decided the best way to learn the language was by writing a book.

She’s recently published her first novel ‘Trap for a Goose’ but reckons she has another 10 to 15 books up her sleeve as part of the crime series!

The book has been influenced by her surroundings here with the murder taking place on the Fife Coastal Path.

It follows Kristin Smith – a wise, self-sufficient woman from France who has recently moved to Scotland with her family.

But the discovery of a dead body takes her on a journey where she tries to unravel the most confusing knot.

Liliiana told the Press: “I’ve published 55 academic papers as a professor of social science in the city of Rostov-on-Don in south-west Russia.

“When I moved here I thought maybe trying to write a book would help me learn English."

She continued: “I’ve always loved detective stories.

“I had a busy life in Russia so I didn’t really know what to do. I had a lot of time on my hands!”

Liliiana, aged 47, is originally from Armenia but lived and worked in Russia for many years before coming to Scotland.

Her move to Dunfermline has been a culture shock, adjusting to life going from a large city to a small town.

She added: “Rostov-on-Don is four times the size of Edinburgh. It’s a student city so that’s why I worked there as a professor.

“I like Dunfermline – every morning I walk in the park and speak to the dog walkers!

“People are very kind and friendly so I’ve been absorbing all the people and the culture.

“Rostov is just manic but here is small and it’s such a change.

“I’ve even started to think differently!

“I think writing has become a full-time vocation for me now.

“I find it relaxing, fun, it was like therapy and it gave some work for my brain to do!

“In the future, I will look to go back into academia but I will still like to write part-time. I’ve almost finished my second book!”

You can buy Trap for a Goose from Olympia Publishers for £7.99.