A Helston teacher has self-published her first work of fiction so that children can read it during the lockdown.

Elspeth Stevenson, who teaches at Helston Community College, had the manuscript for her Cornwall-based children’s novel for 8-12 year-olds ready to send to a shortlist of publishers just as the lockdown began.

She has previously worked with traditional publishers, co-authoring several A Level text books and GCSE resources.

Elspeth, who teaches film, media and creative writing, said: "I wanted to get my story out there for kids to read during lockdown, even though that meant sporting a lockdown haircut for the book jacket!"

'Seal/Girl' was launched on Amazon on April 30.

It's an ecological fantasy set in West Cornwall that tells the story of Gorran, 12, who has an accident and meets a mysterious girl called Sylvie who saves his life.

When their paths cross again, Gorran and his two friends Tick and Grace become involved in a much bigger story that reflects current concerns about plastic waste and marine pollution.

The book is set against a backdrop of the writer’s local coastline around Porthleven and the Lizard, before the adventure leads the friends to the Isles of Scilly.

Elspeth said: "I loved seals as a kid, and the idea of selkies who could transform into humans really captured my imagination.

"All mermaid and selkie stories have at their heart that idea of the human/animal barrier being crossed, and that feeling we all have that the grass could be greener on another side. That’s the story of the Little Mermaid.

"'Seal/Girl' has at its heart a relationship between a boy on land and a girl from the sea, but it’s not a romance. They’re friends, they have a deep connection, but it’s more about where our ethical responsibilities lie and the sacrifices we might need to make to make our environment a better pace.

"It’s a little bit of fantasy and modern myth, a bit of fun with science, and some exploration of kids’ worries about the planet. But it’s influenced by magical realism too – these characters live in the real world, it’s just that an extraordinary thing happens to them. They play computer games, have fall-outs with their parents, schoolwork, part-time jobs to go to and dreams to keep afloat."

The launch has not been without teething problems. The slow-down in the way books are physically printed has affected the availability of self-published as well as traditional books in paperback, meaning the book is listed on Amazon as temporarily unavailable. Seal/Girl is however listed to order, and available as a Kindle edition. Its author hopes that printing services will pick up pace as the lockdown begins to lift.

Early reception for the book has been very positive.

Elspeth said: "I had some fantastic feedback from my test readers. They all liked different characters, which was really good – boys tended to relate to Tick and Gorran, and girls liked Sylvie and Grace.

"One of them said they wanted to read more about the characters and their worlds, another that they wished they were still in the world of the book after they’d finished it.

"There’s no higher compliment for a fiction writer than that."