Former De Aston student flying high for first fantasy novel feedback

Tom Elliott left De Aston School in 2004 and now works as a commercial pilot.

With opportunities for flight restricted due to Covid 19, Tom finally got time to complete his long awaited fantasy novel.

He said: “I wrote the first draft of this book when I was in Year 8 at De Aston.

“I have been furloughed for the majority of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has given me the opportunity to turn a short story I wrote when I was 12 into a full-fledged novel.”

‘Key Quest’ is about a 14 year old boy, named William Winters, who is unknowingly transported to Leraan, a world of elves, trolls and magic.

He sets off on a seemingly simple journey to a castle, but quickly finds himself on an action packed adventure; crossing waterfalls, fighting goblins and being drawn into a battle that could destroy all worlds.

Tom, now 34, added: “To sum it up in a nutshell, it is a modern day Narnia.”

To get feedback from his target audience, before submitting the book to literary agents, Tom had 100 copies printed, which he has given to six schools, including De Aston, free of charge.

Other locals schools receiving copies have been Welton St Mary’s Academy and William Farr Secondary.

Tom said: “As I learned to read and write in some of these schools, I wanted to give something back to the next generation of English students.

Tom said: I have always loved reading, and if my book can make lockdown even slightly more enjoyable for one child, then it will have been a worthwhile project.

“Not only this, but I am going to be receiving first hand feedback from my target audience, which will help me shape the final version of the book before it is published later this year.”