A BORDERS bus driver is taking passengers on the trip of a lifetime to a land of ghosts, time travel and out-of-body experiences.

For the past 25 years Jim Inglis has been transporting fare-payers to Jedburgh, Galashiels and Kelso.

But now the former hypnotist from Hawick is offering a much more dramatic destination with his debut novel, A Magic Triangle.

Jim told the Border Telegraph: "A Magic Triangle is a fantasy adventure story about a schoolboy who discovers a ghost on a trip to a castle.

"Eventually he travels through time to when the ghost was living in the 12th century and there he meets a girl.

"There's no violence or anything like that... it's just a good story that will get you thinking.

"It's a story that appeals to readers of all ages and I'm delighted with the feedback I've had since it was published."

Jim, who is married to Hayley, is probably best known as the bass players from many of the region's top rock 'n' roll bands of yesteryear.

He also spent a year as a stage hypnotist as well as a private therapist and operated his own dog-wash business around the Borders for a while.

Jim's eventful life led to him writing his autobiography in 2009.

He continued: "It was suggested to me a few years ago that I should write my story, so I did. It gave me the bug for writing and I had a few ideas already jotted down which led to A Magic Triangle.

"I spent around three years off and on writing A Magic Triangle. I tried a few publishing companies in Edinburgh to see if they were interested but I kept getting the same answers... it wasn't their type of book or they weren't taking on any more authors just now.

"I self-published the book for Kindle and it went really well. I had a lot of downloads from America and there are readers in places such as India and Germany as well closer to home."

The electronic version of A Magic Circle has attracted almost 20 five- and four-star reader reviews on Amazon.

And the 90-page hard copies, which were printed in Hawick just before Christmas, are now selling well at local outlets.

Jim, who now drives for Peter Hogg, added: "A lot of passengers have mentioned the book when they are getting onto the bus.

"I've had a few people telling me that when they started reading it they couldn't stop.

"It's the perfect size for reading on the bus or the train.

"There are parts of A Magic Triangle which have been left open for another story, so there is the opportunity to write a sequel."

A Magic Triangle is available to download from Amazon with paperback copies available from Nature's Way in Kelso and Deans and Simpson in Hawick.