Magnetic Island tale aims for big screen

MAGNETIC Island could be the centre of attention in a novel- inspired film penned by a former resident.

English author Paul Barrell’s first book Magnetic North is being developed into a screenplay by British script writer Mark Warren.

Drawn from experiences living on the island almost four decades ago, Mr Barrell said his commercial fiction is based on a compelling true story.

“Magnetic North is 99 per cent true and stems from my time spent living on the island in the mid 1980s,” he said.

“The novel is full of suspense and mystery and also draws on the region’s mysterious Aboriginal past.”

Mr Barrell travelled to Australia from England in 1985 with his then girlfriend after inheriting money.

Connections in Townsville led him to eventually end up on Magnetic Island.

“I found paradise – I have read about the island’s past and maybe it does have a magnetic pull that draws people in,” Mr Barrell said.

With the tropical destination etched in his memory, Magnetic North finally began life in 2010 as a meandering travelogue – which was rejected by agents and publishers.

“During the last seven years I have found my voice and Magnetic North found its dark beating heart,” Mr Barrell said. “The script writer who told me to keep writing is now interested in a screenplay for a film.”

Magnetic North is about a young couple, a priest and an escaped prisoner.

“When two strangers sailed into one of the bays, ( the couple’s) idyllic life began to shatter,” Mr Barrell said.