An Ipswich teacher has penned her first young adult novel, a gripping new book about a missing school girl.
45-year-old Vicky Ball, an English teacher at Holbrook Academy, has juggled both teaching and writing to produce her first book, a new thriller entitled Powerless.
The book takes a story that would usually focus on the parents' perspective and offers it to younger audiences by centring around two sisters, Beth and Amy.
15-year-old Beth disappears after an older man takes an interest, but returns seven years later shrouded in mystery.
The book then delves into younger sister, Amy’s viewpoint as she tries to piece together the information surrounding Beth’s disappearance.
A book five years in the making, Vicky explained that she is "incredibly chuffed" to see the finished product.
She said: “It feels absolutely amazing just seeing it. I suppose it’s felt like a dream for a while, but then finally seeing it in physical form is just totally unreal.”
Vicky went on to say that she has always had an interest in writing, but the time during lockdown helped see her dream come true.
“I’ve always really loved writing since I was a little girl. But it’s only been recently that I’ve become more serious about it.
“I started off writing short stories but then I started writing something and it just kept going. It was only during lockdown that I finished it, so lockdown really helped give me extra time.”
Looking to the future, Vicky hopes to one day be a best-selling writer, but has no plans to quit her job as a teacher.
She said: “I would like to get more novels published and it would be nice to be a best-selling author.
“I have no plans at the moment to give up teaching. I enjoy the interaction of adults and children because I think if you’re a full-time writer you’ll be at home all the time and I don’t think I would enjoy that. I like that I can do part time teaching and part-time writing.”
The book is available for pre-order on Amazon now and will be released on November 12.
Order your copy of Powerless here.
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