Clapham writer raises awareness for under-represented groups in his adventure books for children

By Alice Neil

Reality meets fantasy for one Clapham man who dreamed of writing books as a child – and is now a best-selling author.

When he was young, Desmond Palmer would often spend his lunch times at school drawing out comics with his friends.

Now his children’s book is third in the Amazon Best Sellers charts.

During his time at Archbishop Tenison’s School, Kennington Oval, Mr Palmer excelled in English and art.

He said: “I have always been creative and had a vivid imagination. When I was younger, I would dream of writing. I just kept at it.

“My first book took about three years to write, and now I’ve published four books, with the next two on their way to being released very soon.”

Mr Palmer, who lives on Coldharbour Lane, Clapham, said that lots of the places in the book are inspired by his life in London, and he wanted to “show off as much of London as possible”.

Mr Palmer said: “It is important to write what you know.”

He often takes much of his inspiration from his own surroundings.

Working at the Elephant and Castle tube station, he was inspired by the disused railway tracks, which feature in one of his books as a passage to a magical dimension.

His first Trilogy, The Chronicles of David Welsh, is an epic sci-fi fantasy that follows the journey of an Albino with a photographic memory.

Mr Palmer aims to explore diverse characters through his writing, bringing awareness to different people in society, shattering stereotypes, and showing them in a new light.

His newest book, the Eye of Nineveh, is an archaeological thriller.

The main character, Lucas Redmond, is a Black, SAS soldier, who is thrown into turmoil when a gemstone mysteriously disappears from the British Museum.

He said: “I try to raise awareness of under-represented groups in my books.

“I wanted the main character, Lucas, to show that Black characters can be suave, cool protagonists, like the Duke in Bridgeton.

“I hope this will give young Black people a new vision, so they can aspire to be different.”

Mr Palmer publishes all his own books and in the future is hoping to create his own publishing house, taking on new, up-and-coming authors.