Local Author Drew Bale Publishes Debut Novel

“I had some interest in primary school but then, later, I had no inkling at all… I even hated writing,” said Drew Bale, now a local public school teacher who has just published his debut novel Follow the Leader.

“It was at university I just started writing because I had so much time off. And since then, whenever I have free time, I find myself thinking about plots and book, so I write.”

Follow the Leader is a young adult novel set in a primary school. Its story is focused on leadership, fitting in, bullying, making good choices and more.

“It tells the story of kids who are trying to find out the best way to make a difference and discover other stuff along the way… it is based on some true events and inspired by actual people,” said Drew, who believes adults will relate to the schoolyard tale just as well as current students.

“It is something that everyone person has been around in their life, so they can relate to any of the roles in the book. It is written for everyone.”

Follow the Leader is the first book Drew has published, but the seventh he has written so far.

“It’s a bit of a range, I write about whatever takes my fancy, so the first one I wrote was a fantasy book and I’ve written one on rugby, because I used to play a lot of rugby. And I'm currently writing another fantasy for a future series,” said Drew, who has no shortage of ideas for future books.

“At home I have a page full of ideas which I think would be good books. If it was a full-time gig and I didn't have to rely on a job for money, I'd be smashing out all those ideas, but I've got enough to go on with at the moment.”

You can find Follow the Leader on Amazon, and Drew will have copies available for sale locally. Follow “Drew Bale - author” on Facebook for more details.