PROSECUTOR BY DAY, AUTHOR BY NIGHT RELEASES FIRST FICTION

WHAT happens when a lawyer lets their imagination run wild?

If you were expecting a punch line, we are sorry to say that there isn't one.

However, crown prosecutor Michael Lehane has definitely offered his own answer to the question.

For the past ten years Lehane's labour of love outside of the law has been an imaginative journey to say the least, culminating in the recent release of his first novel for young teens and children Conductoid.

Lehane says his own kids were the inspiration to first pick up the pen and begin writing, and they have continued to be his best, and often most lenient, critics over the years.

"I used to read to my eldest three children a lot when they were growing up, and as a result I came across a lot of quality children's literature," says Lehane.

"Eventually I picked up a pen and began writing my own story, reading the kids a chapter each week."

When Lehane's youngest came along roughly 10 years later, he decided to dust off the old manuscripts once more.

This time he had the intention of creating a story that everyone outside the family had the potential to enjoy.

"It went to a complete overhaul and after three years of rewriting, editing and polishing, the novel finally became suitable for viewing outside of the Lehane household," he says.

Conductoid follows Jack, an unassuming schoolboy who leads a double existence.

On the one hand, Jack grapples with bullies and low grades, and on the other he is a Conductoid transforming through his daydreams to use dimensional powers for saving lives and engaging in mortal combat.

Lehane says the characters in Conductoid have been moulded by experience from his own life, and the lives of his kids.

"There have been little bits and pieces of inspiration that I've taken from my children and from other children, also from my own school life," says Lehane.

"Where all the other stuff comes from, I'm not quite sure. You'll just have to ask my imagination."

For Lehane, writing Conductoid has also been a great escape from the regular daily grind.

"I think I always enjoyed the escapism, because work is extremely serious and important all the time," says Lehane.

"It was a great method of excitement and relaxation at the same time, and I had a real sense of enjoyment seeing that my children were also engrossed in the writing.

"They were biased," he adds, "but engrossed nevertheless."

Conductoid is available throughout major book retailers including Amazon, Apple iBooks and Barnes and Noble.