A former journalist who left the industry after failing his shorthand exam 17 times has published his first children’s book, 20 years after leaving the newsroom.

Euan McCall, pictured, spent several years working for the Banbury Guardian in the early 2000s before becoming a careers adviser with local schools and colleges.

His first book The Swan Island Boy is aimed at nine to 12-year-olds and draws on inspiration from his old patch, even featuring a fictional newspaper – the Grandbury Guardian.

The ‘page-turning’ adventure tells the story of Raymond, who witnesses an environmental catastrophe that wreaks havoc on his town, its people and the local wildlife, forcing him to hide out on an island in the middle of a lake for five years.

Euan told the Guardian: “It is based in a town like Banbury and features the ‘Grandbury Guardian’ with a few other features that have links with the area.

“It really helped working for the newspaper all those years ago, where I got to meet all sorts of interesting characters, reporters and became familiar with the town.

“I liked the idea of a caper – a cat-and-mouse story where a teenager has to be resourceful and survive against all odds.

“Raymond is a real underdog in the story. I also thought that environmental themes might appeal to young people at the moment. And I’ve tried to add some pace and humour to the book.”

Euan’s training at the Guardian took place when he was in his early 20s.

He recalled: “Stories I did included anything from judging the largest marrow competition to dressing up as Santa for seven hours for a Christmas feature.”

However after failing 100wpm shorthand 17 times, he changed direction and has since worked as a careers adviser in schools, colleges and universities.

The Swan Island Boy is available via Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles, Blackwells, Hatchards and publishers Austin Macaulay.