A WRITER has had his first novel published in paperback.
Rupert Wallis from Feock has just had his debut novel The Dark Inside published in paperback after a successful launch in hardback earlier this year.
The novel, which is aimed at the young adult audience, follows a teenager who finds himself forming an unlikely partnership with a homeless man and going on a road trip.
Rupert, who also writes screenplays for television and film, said he wrote the novel shortly after the death of his father.
He said: "My Dad died five years ago and it has been quite cathartic. The book has themes of grief and overcoming a death so it has inspired by that really."
For Rupert, writing a novel was a new experience and different from his normal writing.
He said: "It is quite a weird experience – you are with your book for such a long time when you are writing it and trying to get it published and then suddenly it is out there and anybody can read it."
Rupert, 43, has a vivid writing style in the book and uses short passages to keep up a pace and keep the reader interested. Having previously written poetry that has clearly had an influence on the style in which the novel has been written.
He said: "It is a young adult novel, but I didn't start out to purposefully write a young adult book.
"It is an area that is growing though and with books like The Hunger Games, there is an expanding audience for these books.
"I have found that adults also like it as much as young people so it does have quite wide appeal."
Rupert says he writes at his home in Feock and says that the peace and quiet of his garden has helped him.
The book has already been shortlisted for an Italian book award and Rupert said there has been interest in turning it into a TV series or film.
With his background in screenplays is that something he would want to do? "People often say that you shouldn't adapt your own work and I think that is because you can be too attached to it," he said. "But it would be really nice to see that happen – whether I get to adapt it or not.
"My family have been really supportive about the book and I think they are more excited about it than I am. I just wish my dad could have been here to see it."
* The Dark Inside is out now, published by Simon And Schuster. The paperback and e-book cost £6.99 and are available from bookshops and online retailers.
