The above picture was used on the front cover of Snoopervision , a novel for 12-16 year-olds aimed mainly at boys yet with strong female characters. The two main protagonists are teenagers from opposite ends of the social spectrum – one brought up by a single mum in a high-rise council estate, the other the son of the Prime Minister. What neither know till near the end of the book is that they were swapped at birth, a fact which becomes important to the plot but also raises interesting moral questions.

The Snooperscope is a military-grade weapon for potentially controlling violent criminals or enemies, etc, which the boys steal along with other photographic equipment to make reality TV movies. However, the weapon falls into the hands of a gangster who uses it to extort money from political world leaders.

The book was written ten years ago and, after failing to find a publisher, stored away and forgotten. However, re-reading it recently I realised it was still as relevant as ever with themes of street crime and violence, family break-down and social divisions. The young characters were also drawn from my experience teaching school drop-outs (or throw-outs) who I have attempted to give a voice to.

The book was recently published as a paperback and e-book on Amazon Kindle. I’m also trying to get literary agents interested though it’s an uphill struggle. Personally, I believe the book has great potential commercially and could make an exciting movie – but convincing hard-bitten agents and publishers is another matter. Often, what is wanted by the book trade are more of the same – gothic-style fantasy or growing-up novels, largely aimed at girls. It’s not helped by the fact that the majority of agents are also female (and most readers of course). However, I’m also still trying to interest someone in ‘Abe – Amy Dancer and the Alien Big Cat’, which is aimed at girls (9-13 year-olds) and does contain a little magic. Oh well, we keep on trying.