Jacky Fenton

Jacky is married with three sons and lives in rural Fife.

She studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Moray House College of Education, and her subsequent career has been spent in a flight from teaching which has taken her from greetings card production to call-centres.

Although she has a life-time of writings stashed away in drawers, Feral Dogs is her first novel for teenagers.

Well anyway, I'm going to start the story now so listen up.

It was Saturday, and I was coming back from footie practice. It was one of these good-smelling, good-feeling afternoons late in August when the season's about to change but hasn't got round to it yet, and I was swinging my kit in my rucksack, and dribbling a little stone along the bridle path that leads to our house, making the wind in the trees into the roar of the crowds, when suddenly there was a rustling up ahead, and a figure came crashing down the banking and stood there, with feet planted firmly apart, blocking my way.

And it was Davey Slane.
And I was scared.
He stood there grinning at me, his reddish face as hard as a crab - long, sinewy muscles rippling in his folded arms, and he said, "Lewis Jackson ? You want to do the tests ?"

My jaw dropped. He saw it and his smile widened. He was only fifteen but his face creased like a man's. He was seriously hard, was Davey, and it wasn't just style. It never is with kids.

He was also a scout for the Feral Dogs.