Northside House For decades, working-class literature was at the forefront of British storytelling. From the Angry Young Men of the 1950s to the raw realism of kitchen-sink dramas, books once painted a vivid picture of working-class struggles, dreams, and daily life. Yet, as mainstream publishing turned toward more polished and elite narratives, these voices began…
The musician and addiction specialist answers questions about Dark Sun What was your worst subject at school? All of them! I was unteachable, but I could learn… What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? George Aubrey Lyward OBE once told me: “Resist the strong pull of the herd.” It’s been a…
Some books grab you from the very first sentence, setting the tone for the entire novel in just a few words. A great first line can build tension, evoke curiosity, or introduce a world so vividly that you can’t help but keep reading. Tim Robinson’s Hatham Hall does exactly that, pulling readers in with a…
Barley Sugar is so assured. How many novels did you try to write before you were in a position to write this one? I’d mainly written short stories. This is my first serious attempt at a novel. When it comes to writing are you a nine to fiver at your desk every day or is…
Anyone reading Straw Man will think its author must be a former spy. But I don’t think you are – not that you’d tell me if you had been? No, because then, sadly, I’d have to shoot you. How did you go about doing your research for the book? I delved into the explosion…
Was it always literature? What was it that led you into writing? I think it would be stretching it a bit to call it Literature. As soon as I could read I just consumed anything and everything, starting with the contents of the bookcase in the dining room read end to end; mostly Readers Digest…