A NEW darkly funny novel which is a take on the current welfare system is hoping to spark debate and conversation around issues of disability and discrimination.

Novelist and film maker Tanvir Bush is currently working on her new novel Cull. Written from the perspective of the disabled community, the book unfolds the secret life of a nation on disability benefits.

Over the last few years, Dr Bush has developed a degenerative eye condition and has become disabled herself.

She said: “This is my second novel and I wanted it to shake things up a bit so people can understand life from a very different perspective.

“Although I am disabled, I am lucky enough to still be able to write, so I feel like I need to use my craft to represent the disabled community, as my eyes have been opened to a whole new perspective.”

Born in London, Dr Bush moved to live and work in Lusaka, Zambia, where she worked with people affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic to set up the Willie Mwale Film Foundation. Her feature documentary Choka! - Get Lost was nominated for the Pare Lorenz Award for social activism film in 2001.

After returning home to England Dr. Bush wrote her first novel Witch Girl, a crime thriller based in Zambia, which was published in 2015.

Now she is a designer and facilitator of Corsham Creative Writing Laboratory Initiative, as well as an associate lecturer at Bath Spa University in creative writing.

For her new novel, Dr Bush is using a new publishing model, Unbound, an online crowd funding publisher. This means that authors are ensured a wide audience base before going to print by selling pre-orders through pledges whilst the book is still being written.

Along with a short video, synopsis and novel extract, different pledge options on the project page allow anyone interested to show their support through a pledge which best suits them.

Once enough pledges have been made to meet the set funding target, the book is published and sent out to book shops.

Cull has currently made 25 per cent of its funding target through pledges. To find out more or make a pledge, visit www.unbound.co.uk/books/cull