Our Luke’s done so well

Former Kent schoolboy Luke Hollands has had his first novel published. Luke spent more than two years writing Peregrine Harker and the Black Death, a tale about a journalist caught up in a world of adventure. It’s appropriate for 29-year-old Luke, who was a reporter on the KM Group’s Medway Messenger newspaper before taking up his current job as a researcher for BBC wildlife documentaries. The former Rochester Math pupil said: “When I was growing up I was obsessed with writing and storytelling.” The book, aimed at 10 to 13-year-olds, tells the tale of a journalist who stumbles across a murder which drags him on a journey through a world of secrets and villains. It’s set in Edwardian Kent and London. Finding a publisher was not easy but despite receiving dozens of rejection letters, Luke pressed on. He said: “My publisher receives dozens of manuscripts a week, and the industry isn’t keen on taking chances on new, unknown authors, but it was a lifelong dream, so I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.” Luke now lives in Bristol, but he still has a soft spot for the Medway Towns. He said: “I come back when I can. It’s still one of the biggest inspirations to my writing. I’m working on a follow-up book and Medway is certain to feature in the plot again.” Peregrine Harker and the Black Death is priced £7.99

luke hollands and his debut novel Peregrine harker and the Black death