Fullerian rugby coach signs copies of his debut children's book at Borders (From Watford Observer)

Fullerian rugby coach signs copies of his debut children's book at Borders

4:06pm Friday 13th February 2009 in

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Raised on a council estate in Hertfordshire and the product of a “truly awful secondary school, that has thankfully now been knocked down”, Steve Feasey is a self-confessed late starter, but he’s off to a flying start with his debut novel The Changeling, which is shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2009.

Steve, who teaches rugby to under-eights at the Fullerians Rugby Football Club, has a son Kieran (8) and daughter Hope (11), but he had originally pitched his book for young adults. Then, with the “gore scenes and swearing trimmed out” Steve’s daughter could give input.

“I was worried about how she’d take it,” says Steve. “But she liked the werewolf character.

“I was suprised in a way that she liked it because I wrote it for myself. When I was growing up in the ‘70s I felt there was hardly anyone writing specifically for boys and I was a victim of that.”

When I was growing up in the ‘70s I felt there was hardly anyone writing specifically for boys

Steve Feasey

Steve describes the painful process of getting published, which included 48 rejection letters and a year-long redrafting process to shape his novel into something he’d be “happy to submit to agents”.

From the outset Steve intended his book to be part of a series of five titles and when publishers Pan Macmillan suggested ways to make the early chapters work better, he readily took their advice on board. The result is an easy to read book that identifies with the changes teenagers go through.

Steve says: “Trey has the problems of most teens and on top of this he finds out he’s not even human.”

I enlisted the help of my 14-year-old daughter Eve to give comment on Steve’s book.

She says: “The Changeling is a thrilling and compelling novel, with a touch of classic horror that persuades you to read on.

“The book is about an orphaned boy named Trey living in a care home. His life is far from exciting and the care workers are ignorant and harsh. “He finds out he is a werewolf after a mysterious man claiming to be a close friend of his deceased father takes him away to his luxurious penthouse in central London and explains his family’s dark past.

“As events unfold, Trey has to embrace what he is and use it against his foes and this also means he has to let long-buried emotions rise as he learns more about his mysterious parents.

“This novel is thoroughly enjoyable. It has the right mix of emotion and excitement with gory scenes and violent intentions. Steve Feasey is a truly expert writer with a knack for thriller novels and keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.“

Meet Steve in Borders, Watford on Saturday, February 21 at noon. Details: www.stevefeasey.com