INSPIRED by his own challenges and troubled past, Brian Montgomery has written his first book.
Degsy Hay, A Juvenile Redeemed is the first in a series of three and tells of a young man’s transition from a life of poverty, crime and prison to realising his dreams of starting a social housing project for young people to break free from their own troubled starts.
“Sixteen-year-old Degsy is roughing it on the snowy streets of London with no one for company but Sadface, the three-legged dog he saved from the bins,” the synopsis reads.
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READ NOW“He’s spent his whole life in and out of jail.
“But he has a vision.
“He wants to turn an abandoned school and hospital into a housing project for young people.
“It will cost millions of pounds and he can’t even afford a bag of crisps but it’s a dream that keeps him warm at night.”
Montgomery said he had been struggling to find employment the past 18 months so, while out of work, he decided to write.
“I have always wanted to write but it has not been easy,” the Currambine father said.
“I have been inspired by some of my personal troubled life as a teen gang member, roughing the streets and getting into drugs and things.
“It brought back some unhappy memories of my teens during my spell on the streets of London and how I had to fend off prowlers and all sorts and taking drugs and solvents to keep warm.
“I wanted to share my upbringing with other young people who can also sort themselves out.
“I also wanted to help parents and advise them how they can get their kids, who may be getting into trouble with the law, back on track.”
He said he was also inspired by some of the community and crime prevention projects he had developed and implemented in the various areas he had lived.
“My own life has been enriched by the community projects I’ve been involved in and I’ve seen how positive influence can save any young person from the shackles of their deprived childhood,” he said.
“Fiction is a wonderful vehicle for affecting change and I hope this book can save thousands of lives and empower readers to seek a better future.”
Montgomery said a lot of the money from the book would be donated to a not-for-profit crime prevention program he plans to start in January or February.
The second book The Hay Patrollers has also been completed and will be released next month.
Degsy Hay – A Juvenile Redeemed is available at amzn.to/2FjvAXF.