A Congleton woman's holiday disasters have been immortalised in her new book.

Michelle Dickens can't wait to get her hands on a copy of her debut novel, Sun-Kissed and Sidetracked.

Described as 'part guidebook, part cautionary tale', this light-hearted memoir reflects on Michelle's travels with her husbands Ray, from meeting Father Christmas in Lapland to being stung by a Portuguese man o' war jellyfish on their honeymoon.

Michelle said: "I can't wait to hold a published copy!

"I'm actually quite a shy person but have been blowing my own trumpet!

"I'm now a minor celebrity at Congleton Leisure Centre but I'm soon put in my place on the pickleball court!"

Michelle Dickens has lived in Congleton for over 50 years (Credit: Michelle Dickens)

Michelle says she was inspired to write the book by the late Sylvia Kemp, who ran the local U3A's creative writing group.

With Sylvia's encouragement, Michelle entered and won both the Congleton Mayoral writing competition and the U3A's 'Roaring Twenties' 20^th anniversary writing competition.

"Sylvia said l should write a book, and l honestly didn't think l had one in me," Michelle said.

"But as we chatted about the holiday disasters, she said, 'that's your book, write about what you know'.

"Fast forward about five years and l sent her the first and last chapter which she called 'spellbinding and amazing' – high praise from a published author! I've even put the quote on the back of the book."

Front cover of Sun-Kissed and Sidetracked (Credit: Michelle Dickens)

Sun-Kissed and Sidetracked takes readers on a globetrotting adventure as Michelle and Ray tick off their bucket list.

The blurb reads: "These are the true-life tales of two non-intrepid holidaymakers on a relentless quest for a relaxing luxury break.

"Every journey begins with high hopes and a meticulously planned itinerary, only to be derailed by misfortunes, from finding ourselves stranded in the vast Sahara to near-death encounters with a whale shark, with adventures so bizarre that friends bet on their chances of survival.

"Delve into the chaos that seems to be magnetically drawn to them and laugh-out-loud misadventures, from potentially fatal jellyfish stings on honeymoon to flights over war zones on duct-taped aeroplanes.

"But amidst the calamities, there's no shortage of breath-taking moments: meeting orangutans in the wilds of Borneo, husky racing across frozen landscapes in Lapland, and walking with a pride of lions in Mauritius."

Sun-Kissed and Sidetracked is released on August 3 with the Kindle edition available to pre-order now.