It's the season for amateur writers in Britain these days. A couple of weeks ago it was a single mother who got a -- 100,000 advance for her first novel -- then came an advertising executive expected to earn -- 200,000 from a publishing deal. But this week it was a travel agency clerk from Norwich who sold the rights to three horror novels for a whopping -- 750,000.Keri Beevis, aged 25, was a normal worker by day, but went home to write till 5 a.m. Her publishers, Buckley-Bennion, who publish the Professional Golf Association Yearbook, were impressed enough by her writing to pay a record amount to a young unknown. Says Emrys Bowen, managing director of the publishers: ``She is very strong on dialogue, which would make the sale of film rights easier.''The unprecedented sum does not seem to excite Beevis though. She says: ``I'm trying not to focus on the money side,'' but goes on to add: ``I want my book to come out. I want people to like it. I want Hollywood to be interested.'' Well, at least for now, her wishes seem to be coming true.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.