It is the eve of World War II, and a group of teenage pirates are about to steal a ship and set sail for France. So begins Seaweed, a novel for young adults written by Amberley author Robert Degama, which is attracting five-star reviews on Amazon.
“I didn’t set out to write a book about pirates,” said Degama, who moved to the area two years ago. “I was just sketching out a character, a child exploring a beach, and she turned out to be Emma, AKA Seaweed Johnson, the protagonist of this story. She also insisted on growing up to be a pirate.”
The first-time novelist has been writing poems and short stories all his life but decided to take the leap into longer-form fiction at the ripe old age of 56.
“I’d always intended to write novels, but life got the better of me. The secret, it turns out, is to begin and then keep going until it’s finished.”
And why a novel for young people? “It’s beginning to sound as if I had no plan at all but that wasn’t a consideration either. It seems patronising to sit down and think, now, what would a fourteen-year-old like to read? Instead, I’ve written something that I’d like to read. It just happens to be about an adventurous mixed-race teenage pirate living in the 1930s. Seaweed is, like a lot of people her age, struggling with questions about identity and family, but she also cuts a dash and carries a cutlass. I’ve had great feedback from teenagers, but adults seem to be enjoying it too, so I may have got something right.”
Rob has been asked to run writing workshops in a school in Swindon after staff read his book and hopes that Seaweed will soon be available in local shops. For now, though, Seaweed ‘The First of the Far Hope Chronicles.’ is available in paperback and eBook exclusively on Amazon.
You can find out more about the author at www.robertdegama.com
