Books

Biography of Jasper Cooper

Jasper was born in Bournemouth on 20th January 1953 and grew up there.

“My sister was far more of a potential author and artist than I was. She was always writing and illustrating little story books when she was supposed to be doing homework, whereas all I wanted to do was play tennis.”

Above - Jasper as a baby with his sister.

Right - Jasper as a boy with his family.

Jasper’s father, Maurice, started his own business because he wanted to be his own boss. His business, called Noss Farm, sold eggs, cheese, honey and chocolate bars. He was considered to be eccentric by most and was well known for painting his vans with bright coloured house paint. He was a tennis enthusiast who ran a small club in Bournemouth. He was so keen that he was the committee chairman, the treasurer, match secretary and groundsman all in his spare time! When he was 52 he wrote and self-published the first of three editions of Cooper’s Annual of Lawn Tennis.

Jasper’s mother, Patience, was also a very keen tennis player playing county tennis for Hampshire. She loved painting as a hobby and encouraged her son Jasper with his art, although he did not begin painting until he was in his thirties. She loved poetry too and used to read poems to Jasper when he was a little boy.

His grandfather, Cedric Scott, was another eccentric who made wooden tennis rackets in his garage making all the machinery himself. He played at Wimbledon, was a professional tennis coach and a superb golfer (scratch handicap)!

Jasper inherited the family love of tennis. His parents said that he would not go to sleep until he had a tennis ball in his pram! From an early age he threw his energy into playing tennis whenever possible because he enjoyed it so much. He was Hampshire junior tennis champion 3 times and senior champion 4 times. At 18 he played professional tennis for several years winning many British tournaments and was ranked 20 th in GB in 1976. He won the British Under 21 Mixed Doubles title.

He also played 1st team county squash for Dorset.

“Tennis is a terrific game which is a great education for life. So much happens on the tennis court. You have to learn to concentrate at a high level, practice hard and try your best whilst accepting the ups and downs of successes and defeats.”

Jasper represented England as a young man in 1974 and again as a veteran in 2000 after becoming the National Veteran’s Champion in singles and doubles in 1999, a tournament played on the lawns of Wimbledon.

In his mid-twenties he became a professional coach in both tennis and squash.

At 33, he began a degree in art and religious studies as a mature student at Canterbury Christ Church University.

“I really enjoyed being able to develop my art skills. I was unusual in my enjoyment of miniature painting. I remember working in a studio with the other students all working on large scale canvases. On my easel I was working on a picture the size of a postage stamp!”

Jasper on his graduation day in 1989, with his mother, Patience, Rebecca, his wife Sarah, and Joseph.

He became a teacher and during this time he began to write.

“Becoming an author was a surprise to me. I never intended it… it just happened. Writing stories was the natural extension of making up bedtime stories for my children. First I told them the original Kingdom of Gems story in 10 minutes. They kept asking for it and so one evening I decided to write it down and expected to complete in one go. I started writing and then read the first page to them before they went to sleep. The next night I did the same. As the days went by I found that the story was growing longer and longer. This carried on for 92 days when it was finished. I found I had written a book of 92 chapters and 50,000 words long.

Rebecca and Joseph Cooper with a New Forest pony, aged 10 and 9.

Next I painted the kingdom in oils and then drew two maps of the kingdoms in the story. I lent it to some friends with children and they told me that they loved it. At this stage the idea of publishing it as a book appeared as a vague dream in my mind.

It was then left on a shelf for 10 years. One day one of the parents of the children who had read and enjoyed it asked what had happened to it. I got it down off the shelf and read it through. I decided to try to publish it but knew it would need a lot of work. Over the next three years I worked very hard on it… developing the story, improving the writing, introducing new characters, creating another map and illustrations, etc.”

The Kingdom of Gems became a trilogy of which Candara’s Gift is the first book. Jasper has illustrated the book himself with his own unique style. It reached No. 1 on the Amazon Bestseller on its release in June 2006. Since then it has been stocked by Waterstones throughout the UK and is selling well. There has been significant film interest in the trilogy which is being handled by Creative Artists Agency, the biggest and most powerful agency in the world. A major New York Literary agent is now representing Jasper.

Jasper is married to Sarah with two children, Rebecca 24 and Joseph 23.

“My family have all helped in many ways with my new career as an author. They help me immensely with their continuous support and enthusiasm. They all act as editors reading through early editions and making notes. Joseph’s design skills helped create the cover of Candara’s Gift. Rebecca is usually the first to hear new bits of writing and her comments are invaluable. Sarah has brought inspiration in many ways and patiently accepted holes in the carpets and overdrafts so that I could spend time writing!”

Jasper in 1990 with his children, Rebecca and Joseph, and his two nephews Arthur and Max.