FORMER St Anne’s School teacher Stuart Yates (pictured) is now a published author.

Stuart, who lived in Alderney for five years in the late 1990s, now lives in Spain and his debut novel, The Well of Constant Despair, a horror story aimed at young adults, will soon be on bookshop shelves.

The father-of-three, 52, said: ‘I began to write the book while my family and I lived in Alderney, up on Rue Genet. There was a little well at the back of the house and very soon my imagination began to conjure up a creepy tale, hence the book. But it wasn’t until a few years later that I really began to put it all together.’

Stuart, who was head of juniors at St Anne’s, said Alderney inspired him to write.

‘I set the book in Alderney as it has such a special place in my heart and my memories. And there was always the well. I used to go and sit there for hours, just sitting and thinking. It was like a portal into the past; very strange, very wonderful. I often spoke about it to people but no one seemed to know much about it. Perhaps that was part of its charm,’ he said.

‘I wrote the story while I was still living in the island but I didn’t go back to it until I came to Spain. I lived in Suffolk after leaving the island. Teaching on the mainland is very intensive nowadays and by the time I got home of an evening, all I wanted to do was flop down in front of the TV.

‘Spain is very different. I have time to teach and time to have a life, which means, for the most part, writing.

‘Alderney has a special kind of magic. It’s an interesting place – one that gets under your skin. It was only after I left that I began to realise just how special it is and now, of course, I deeply regret moving away.’

Stuart, who lives on the Costa del Sol with wife Alysia and daughters Emily, Rosalind and Libby, has always wanted to write for a living.

‘Although I was quite busy with work and other things, writing was always something I wanted to do full-time. Being a full-time writer is still my ambition in life and I think that perhaps now I have taken the first, tentative steps to achieving my dream.

‘I was determined to make a success of what I do and last April The Well of Constant Despair was accepted and is now published. The response has been very, very good. People seem to like it, especially the young people who have read it. My second book, which is not based in Alderney, is receiving high praise as well.’

Stuart has written a sequel and prequel to The Well of Constant Despair.

‘The publishers seemed to think I should do a sequel to The Well but I was mindful that I had to set the whole story in context, so I wrote a prequel first. This is a very harrowing tale, full of supernatural terror, which I’m sure young adults will enjoy. It has been accepted and will be out around March.’

The sequel is now complete and Stuart is working through the first draft, getting it ready to submit.

‘It’s all very exciting. Once finished, I think the series will make an excellent set of stories and, I believe, a good film. Many people have said so. Funnily enough, I was approached by another publisher to write a short novella about animals and the paranormal so I’ve written another book, which will be out soon as en e-book. It is again based on Alderney and involves some pretty terrifying things happening with blonde hedgehogs.’

• For more information on Stuart and his novels, visit www.horroronthecosta.com.
• To buy the novels, visit www.blackleafpublishing.com.