A SCRAPBOOK full of witty and hilarious quotes from her husband was the perfect fodder for Sue Hepworth when it came to writing her latest book.

The notes, which she has compiled over the last few years, served as a fuel for one of the two main characters in But I Told You Last Year That I Loved You.

The novel, Sue's third, centres on Frances and Sol, a couple in their 50s who are trying to navigate a crossroads in both their marriage and their lives.

Some elements of the novel are autobiographical – particularly Sol's eccentricity, which Sue says was inspired by some of the humorous quotes her own husband, Dave, came out with.

"I kept a notebook and started filling it with some of the funny things he said at breakfast," she explains. "I collected these for some time and thought I would really like to use them in a book.

"Then when the idea for this book came to me and I started plotting it out, I found that some of the quotes from Dave just dropped in perfectly, which was very useful."

But I Told You Last Year That I Loved You offers the reader a window through which they can watch the couple as they try their hardest to overcome a huge milestone in their marriage.

Sue says: "Sol is retired and Frances has just started to volunteer at an advice centre. Frances has supported the family all through her life and every time she has tried to get a career, events have transpired against her.

"So she is volunteering and hopes to get a paid job in it. Then they come back from a holiday in Northumberland and Sol declares that he wants to uproot and move there. That obviously causes big difficulties for them and it is an issue a lot of retired people face – one person wants to do one thing and one wants to do another."

It is not just the dispute over Sol's relocation dreams that the couple strive to work out – the story is a more rounded portrait of all the challenges and heartbreak mature couples can sometimes face, detailing closely every argument and separation Frances and Sol experience.

Sue adds: "What the couple go through is very complicated and intense but it is something universal that lots of people will be able to identify with. It's all the little things combined with the bigger things they have to face that makes it a very human story."

The author, who lives in Great Longstone in the Peak District, chose to set her latest book in Bakewell – a decision she found easy to reach after the reception her previous novel, also set in the town, received there.

"I think people like to read about the places they live in or somewhere they are familiar with as it allows them to connect with the story," she says.

"A lot of books are set in London as there is an assumption that people would connect with that but I think a story like this can be set anywhere and it will still speak to people."

Getting the book onto the shelves was a challenging journey in itself for Sue. Plotting for Beginners and Zuzu's Petals – were published by an independent company but Sue decided to try a different firm for her third book.

She sent manuscripts to several literary agents, all of whom said they enjoyed the story but weren't able to take it on in the tough economic climate.

Sue says: "I didn't lose confidence in my writing or my book but it's really demoralising when you've got something you know is good and you're sending it off and waiting for ever, then they say 'no'."

It was that experience that led Sue down the route of self-publishing – something that cost her an initial outlay but was a way of getting But I Told You Last Year That I Loved You onto the shelf.

And she says she had no reservations about self-publishing, despite there being something of a stigma attached to it in the past.

She says: "Five years ago, self-publishing was really frowned upon and people sneered at it because they thought it was a mark of a lower quality of writing, which is not the case.

"There are so many previously published authors out there who are now being let go for one reason or another and have decided to go down the self-publishing route. It's no longer a disrespected way of getting your stories read."

But I Told You Last Year That I Loved You has been carefully crafted by Sue with help from her family, all of whom have chipped in to help shepherd the story from conception to the book store shelf.

When the pre-release copies arrived in a heavy box, Sue took one out and says the sensation of being able to hold the finished product after months of tireless work was fantastic.

She says: "When I unwrapped the copy I absolutely loved it – I carried it round with me like a totem and took it to bed with me! Hopefully the readers will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it."

Sue will be launching the novel at Scarthin Books, Cromford, on Thursday, June 9, 6pm-7.30pm. She will also be signing copies at Waterstones, in Derby, on June 25, 11am-3pm.

TITLE: But I Told You Last Year That I Loved You

BY: Sue Hepworth

PUBLISHER: Delicately Nuanced (paperback)

PRICE: £7.99