Teaching by day, storytelling by night. Liam Porter’s artful young rogues

WHEN Hervey Bay English teacher Liam Porter first began writing to pass the time while settling his baby a decade ago, he never imagined it would one day lead to the release of his debut fantasy novel, Artful Young Rogues.

Ten years later, Liam, who teaches English at St James Lutheran College, has transformed those late-night story ideas into a sprawling 400-page adventure full of monsters, airships and rebellion.

The book, which took shape slowly between lesson planning, family life, and Army Reserve commitments, is both a passion project and a legacy for his family.

“It all started when our first daughter was born and didn’t sleep very well,” Liam recalls.

“I would be up at all hours walking around with her and I started playing ideas in my head. One of them stuck, about a young man being used as live bait behind sea monsters. Eventually I thought, you are an English teacher, you love reading, just start writing.”

Over the following years, Liam honed his craft.

He devoured tutorials, studied authors like John Marsden, and learned the discipline of rewriting, deleting more than 100,000 words along the way. “It became my thing,” he says.

“The more I learned about structure, pacing, character development, the more I realised how much there was to improve. I wanted to do it properly.”

Life didn’t make it easy.

Between work, raising three daughters and serving with the Australian Army Reserve’s 9th Royal Queensland Regiment, writing was often squeezed into the margins of family time.

Then a health scare forced him to think differently.

“I had that moment where I thought, what would my kids remember about me. I embraced a quote from Andy Warhol, that the idea isn’t to live forever, but to create something that will. That was the push I needed to finish it.”

The result is Artful Young Rogues, a sweeping, character-driven adventure described on the cover as ‘One boy used as bait. One girl with a secret past. Together, they’ll sink a Regime.’

The novel follows thirteen-year-old Flynt Cunningham, a boy who escapes life as bait aboard a monster-hunting ship, and Xanthe Bones, a mysterious girl with red eyes and a violent past.

Together they defy a brutal regime in a world where some monsters are made, not born.

It’s a story packed with courage, friendship, and the thrill of rebellion, one Liam calls “an underdog tale at heart.”

“My dad used to tell great underdog stories when I was a kid. I have always loved that theme; ordinary people facing impossible odds.”

Liam credits much of his perseverance to the people closest to him, his wife, Renee, and his daughters.

“They are the reason this book exists. There were plenty of times I wanted to stop. My wife kept me going, the girls were my inspiration, and they all gave me the time and belief to finish.”

Support also came from fellow teachers and friends who read early drafts.

“I’ve had some brutally honest feedback from colleagues, it’s what you need when the self-doubt kicks in.”

That honesty, and persistence, paid off. Artful Young Rogues has been embraced by readers, especially teens and young adults who love fast-paced fantasy with heart.

“I tell my classes all the time, don’t waste your imagination. Stories are what connect us. And if someone from Hervey Bay can publish a novel after ten years of trial and error, then anyone can.”

As for what’s next, Liam is already deep into a sequel, 160 pages and counting.

“I’ve got it mapped out for a trilogy and maybe a few short stories on the side. The world’s still growing in my head.”

For now, though, he’s just enjoying the moment.

“Honestly, I said to my wife Renee, if I sell five copies, I’ll be happy. Anything beyond that is a bonus.”

Artful Young Rogues is available now through Liam Porter’s official website.

Readers can scan the QR code below to order their copy and support a local author whose artful imagination started right here in Hervey Bay.