Teenage writer wins praise for finishing his second novel

A schoolboy novelist was praised last night for having the dedication to see his second novel through to the finish.

Elgin Academy pupil Alasdair Keith is seeking a publisher after putting the final touches to his latest work – The Man Who Fooled Scotland – while studying for five highers.

The 16-year-old, who earns his pocket money writing Lossiemouth Football Club match reports and has his heart set firmly on writing for a living, said the downturn in the economy may be holding him back from having his first book published.

He said: “I have sent it off to a few agents but they’re coming back to me and saying they like it but they have to make cutbacks in this economic climate. It’s a shame really.”

His 75,000-word Edinburgh-set contemporary novel examines the life of working-class Scots through the eyes of a middle-class Englishman.

It follows young student Nigel Banchory, who soon discovers life in Edinburgh is different to the pleasant English countryside surroundings that he is used to when he is drawn into deceit after meeting conman Shug Durie.

The young writer says knuckling down to finishing the book did not prove too difficult.

He said he completed his earlier unpublished novel, The Key of Lanto, while still in primary school.

“What I did was usually set aside half an hour per night so I can still go out with my mates. It’s not much. That soon builds up,” he said.

His English teacher, Jennifer Brown, 30, said: “I would say that all of his English teachers have always been really impressed with him. The fact that he has managed to do this on top of five highers is really impressive.”