FATE works in extraordinary ways and none more so than for one Suffolk van driver who now stands on the cusp of an unlikely yet glittering literary career.

FATE works in extraordinary ways and none more so than for one Suffolk van driver who now stands on the cusp of an unlikely yet glittering literary career.

A delivery driver for Somerfield supermarkets by day and international author by night – Roger McCartney, of Bury St Edmunds, found his comedy writing skills through personal heartache.

After he split with his long term girlfriend the 42 year-old decided to work through his problems on the page with a humorous story about their four-year relationship.

He then sent the piece to a Woman magazine with astonishing results and it wasn't long before he was a regular columnist.

Less than a year on from first being published he has appeared on radio, has published his first book and is in discussion with television executives about a move to the small screen.

He even employed his column in the magazine to woo his old flame back into his arms and they are now having a baby in July.

“I wrote the first piece to cheer myself up - it was about what men do when they suffer heartache,” he said.

“I realised I had reached the age of 42 and I thought - what can I do to make my mark on the world?

“I wasn't the best at school at writing but I always had a comic turn and I decided to put it to use.

“At first it was a way of getting over my heartache but I soon realised I could make a career of this.”

Mr McCartney used subtle references in his light hearted column to their relationship of over 20 years earlier to get his old flame's interest. He even left notes on her car telling her to pick up a copy of the magazine.

“It is an example of something brilliant coming out of something bad and it shows how things can turn around,” he said.

“My partner is still my inspiration it is just a bit different now. Only the other day she said to me that she doesn't mind being in the papers and on TV as long as people don't know who she is.

“She said she prefers to be an enigmatic muse – I didn't know what that was so I went to look it up.”

But with a baby on the way Mr McCartney still won't give up the day job and says he has his feet firmly on the ground.

However Metro newspaper in New York is interested in featuring his work, which he hopes he can script for television and he is even considering stand up comedy.

His first book Because I'm a Caveman. That's Why! Is available through lulu.com as a book or download.

It offers a glimpse of the male psyche and explains why men often don't express themselves in the way their women would want them to.

He also reveals why men hate shopping, find it difficult to say “I love you” and hate breast implants from an irreverent sideways perspective.

Mr McCartney keeps his comedy pen sharp by composing new work while delivering groceries in the Bury area with a note pad in the cab to scribble down ideas.