Author sets tale of gamers in streets where he grew up
Literary gamers can enjoy some homegrown talent on their bookshelf or kindle.
Ian Copsey moved to Maidstone when he was five, and lived in a cottage near the North Downs.
Though he now lives in Japan, his first children’s book, The Game Master, is based on his life in the County Town.
The 59-year-old fondly remembers his years at North Borough Junior School, and used many of his experiences there as inspiration.
“I miss the area around the cottage. The Downs were my playground. That’s why I used the area for the book, because it was so easy to describe.
“I even used some of my teachers as characters,” he said.
The former resident of New Barns Road, Penenden Heath, released his book for children aged 10-13, and it soared to the top of the Amazon free books chart for humorous action and adventure children’s fiction for three days.
Enjoying an average rating of four and a half stars out of five, the book tells of two boys who constantly argue about which of them is the better gamer.
When walking down Pudding Lane one afternoon, they come across a new video game shop, run by a mysterious Japanese shopkeeper. The boys go in to play a new virtual reality game, which will change their lives forever.
Mr Copsey always wanted to write a novel, but once he started work in banking for Barclays he put it off. In 2010 he decided to give writing a chance.
Formulated by his interests in how children learn to perceive the world around them, he chose to write a book to show humans aren’t actually as different as they might think.
Despite his success with this debut novel, Mr Copsey has been tight-lipped as to whether Maidstone will be immortalised in future books: “I can’t give away the sequels, but I am taking an alternative route, away from the trilogies etc.
“I am planning to use more alternative concepts to write books that I hope will intrigue and encourage a positive way of thinking, and also to outline how communities can be more positive.”