Most students spend the summer months relaxing and recharging their batteries but Spencer Davieson is a little different – he spent his summer break publishing his first book.
Spencer, who is studying Sports Massage at Gower College Swansea, had dreamed of writing and publishing a book since he was ten years old and, after three years of research and hard work, he self-published the first instalment of his The Embers of Enchantment series in August 2016.
“I started writing stories when I was in primary school and have also written pieces of drama and screenplays,” says Spencer. “The Embers of Enchantment is my first book series and it’s been one of the most enjoyable, challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. As crazy as it sounds, writing the story was the easy part. When that final chapter comes to a close and you give a sigh of a relief and accomplishment, it’s actually from that moment on that the real hard work begins. The countless read throughs, changes and constructive criticism which leads to more changes and read throughs…”
Inspired by authors such as Enid Blyton (The Magic Faraway Tree collection is his all-time favourite), J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Roald Dahl and R.L Stine, Spencer is now turning his attention to book two – with plans for five more in the future.
“Working with illustrator David Platt was amazing – to see a character drawn exactly how it had been created in your own imagination was such a fantastic feeling,” adds Spencer. “Now that one dream has been fulfilled, strangely it has only led to new dreams. This whole experience has just made me crave writing even more - I suppose writing is like Pringles, once you start one, you really can’t stop!”