A Walthamstow boy who has overcome the loss of his mother is preparing to publish his fourth book at the tender age of 14.

Adam Scopp, of Wellington Road, released his first futuristic fantasy for teenagers in February this year.

The Freeze tells the tale of a government-built machine used to control the weather which malfunctions with disastrous consequences.

Adam, a pupil at Frederick Bremer School, said: “I started writing it for fun. I submitted it to Creative Space online kind of as a joke.

“When it came back that I could publish it I nearly fell off my chair.”

“I didn’t tell anyone until the book arrived. I walked into the living room and gave a copy to my dad.

“He couldn’t believe it. Within a week everybody knew.”

Adam, who has two brothers and two sisters, says he has been inspired by both the people around him, especially his mother, Jane, who died from breast cancer in 2012.

His first three books are all dedicated to her.

For more on this story, see next week's Waltham Forest Guardian - out Thursday.