When Philip Barker broke his ankle in Katoomba last year what at first seemed like a setback turned out to be the jolt he needed to embark on a long-held ambition: publish a novel for young adults.
The Blaxland resident found himself with "nothing but time" after a bike accident at Narrow Neck left him with a fractured ankle and saw him spend two weeks in hospital.
"So every day I wrote more and more," he said. "I talked to the wonderful nurses and some very interesting fellow patients. I loved hearing their stories and seeing how I could adapt their experiences to fit into the novel. It was incredibly helpful... It gave me a kind of 'brain space' where the rest of life disappeared and I could focus a lot better."
The "surprisingly useful" injury wasn't the only impetus for Barker's self-published novel, Climb, which was released in December.
He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) last year - "which had resulted in erratic anxiety whenever I tried to write" - but getting help and medication allowed him to manage the condition.
A special needs teacher at Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School, the 29-year-old also found himself taking advice that he often gave to his students.
"I realised that I spent all day, every day teaching students to understand that they are actually very capable and they need to stop putting everyone else on a pedestal. Then I heard someone say 'you need to treat yourself like someone you are trying to help' and I really took it to heart," he said.
"I started telling myself the same things that I was telling my students, and it really helped."
Climb centres on a teenage girl who turns to competitive rock climbing to find answers to a family secret.
"The main character, Ashley, is based on so many students that I have met over the years but that normally go unnoticed because they aren't the loudest and most boisterous," said Barker.
"I love teaching students like Ashley and I worry that people think that just because they aren't dramatic, they don't get noticed. I want teenagers to read this book and potentially connect with one of the characters, and realise that they do get seen and they are relevant. I want people to get that lovely, warm feeling when you find yourself in a book and then start cheering for yourself, even if it is subconsciously."
The rock climbing setting mirrors Barker's own passion for the sport, which he was introduced to as a nine-year-old at Blacktown Climbing Gym. While he found that early introduction "terrifying", he took up the sport again at 25 and has never looked back.
He counts Sublime Point and Glenbrook Gorge as two of his favourite rockclimbing locations in the Blue Mountains.
"My wife and I visited the tiny crags 'Birdwood Gully and Backyard Basic' a lot during lockdown as well due to area restrictions," he said. "They were great for my wife as an introduction to outdoor climbing. She is very new to the sport but already falling head over heels for it."
His wife Eliza was also "unbelievably supportive" during his journey to publish Climb, along with his mother-in-law.
"My family has supported me throughout the process, especially my mother-in-law who helped with character, plot and theme development, reading my drafts and helping me see the potential in each new idea," he said.
Climb is available from Blue Mountains bookstores from Springwood to Blackheath, as well as at Penrith climbing gyms. More details are available from the website: https://www.abbeydalecollective.com/paperback
