The idea behind the books was a very simple one: I wanted to write the kind of books that I would have loved to have read when I was younger.
That meant lots of drama, fast-paced action and, of course lots of football.
The other ingredient was to share and tap into the unique experiences that I was lucky enough to have when I was working in football. Having met the top players and managers in the game, I wanted to use those special ingredients in the books.
The only thing that I needed was a story…A character. That’s where Jamie Johnson came in. Jamie is boy who lives and breathes football. He’s got amazing talent and the desire to make it to the top.
He’s not perfect, but then none of us are. Remember, I said I wanted my books to be realistic not fantasy.
So Jamie is a mixture of all those great footballers that I have met. Players like Ronaldo, Rooney, Gerrard, Giggs and Messi. I've been lucky enough to work with all of these players and you can find a bit of all of them in Jamie Johnson...
We meet Jamie when he’s 13 in The Kick Off and, in each new book, we follow him on every step of his journey as he aims to fulfil his dream of becoming one of the biggest football stars in the world.
The order of the books is:
1) The Kick Off
2) Shoot to Win
3) Golden Goal
4) Man of the Match
5) World Class
However, they are all written to also allow them to be read as standalone stories in their own right.
