The Writings of Stephen Pavey
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It Started With...
I worked at a school where the kids loved to skateboard, despite restrictions about skateboarding on school property. While trying to write a book on a topic that I thought might excite my students, I gazed out of my classroom window and knew immediately that I had to write a skateboarding novel. Student input made a significant difference, given that students could tell me which skateboarding tricks would be suitable for my thirteen-year-old main character, and which would be too difficult.
Free Rollin
Free Rollin
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Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Martin Cooper feels pegged for failure. Following the death of his father, he lives with his mother and his quirky uncle on the poor side of Twin Hills. His only pleasure in life is skateboarding. Martin agrees to attend school in a wealthy neighbourhood because the town's only skate park is nearby. At school, Martin struggles to hide his poor social status and gain popularity. However, he clashes with a skateboard rival named Brent Stocker, who also competes with Martin for the affection of Martin's dream girl, Sarah. Martin's popularity predicament changes when he finds a duffle bag with a rewarding secret. While using its contents to even the score on his sad life, Martin is pursued by a mysterious man, the police, and is haunted by his need to protect his secret at all costs. He finds that possessing his new treasure comes with a severe price.
Cover
The publisher created a great cover. I asked them for a picture of a skateboarder going off a high ramp, with others watching, and the sun setting. It turned out exactly as I had envisioned it.
I once saw Tony Hawk on the Late Show with David Letterman. He performed tricks on a ramp set up in the street outside the studio. At one point, Letterman asked him if he could do a summersault while flying in the air, coming off a very tall ramp. Hawk said that he had never tried one before, but he would attempt it. I was amazed at how Hawk would be willing to risk wiping out before an audience of millions on TV. As a result, I incorporated the idea of my main character facing a similar challenge (not as difficult of a trick), coming off a high ramp with his peers all watching. Would he have the same bravery? A Tony Hawk type of character appears in Free Rollin' and is an important part of this skateboard book.
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