Author Robert plays it by the book

Photos: Robert Graham

New novel hits all the right notes

By BETH LINDOP

It was third time lucky for a Liverpool John Moores University lecturer whose latest novel is published tomorrow.

Dr Robert Graham, who lectures on Creative Writing at LJMU, will see his book, ‘The Former Boy Wonder’, released by Lendal Press on Thursday February 24.

The fictional tale follows the trials and tribulations of Manchester-based music journalist, Peter Duffy, who finds his life descending into crisis as he approaches 50. With his career flatlining and his marriage verging on the precarious, the prospect of a reunion with beguiling first love, Sanchia Page, could see Peter sacrifice everything that he holds dear.

Speaking to MNL about the inspiration behind his book, Robert said: “It came out of two earlier novels. I had my first novel, Holy Joe, published in the mid noughties and then I set off and wrote a novel about a Belfast comedian, who went to London to make his fortune in the 1970s and joined another comedian to become a comedy double act. So, my agent tried to sell that but couldn’t.

“I then I wrote another novel about a painter in Belfast, coming up to 50 and having problems. Again, my agent tried to sell it and couldn’t so, by 2010, I’d had two novels knocked back and then I had an idea of a way of taking elements of both of them and writing a new novel and this began in 2012.

“I really tried to dig my heels in with this one and I thought ‘Keep working until somebody takes it, no matter how long it takes’, so that’s what it came out of.”

Whilst the novel is not autobiographical, there are some occupational parallels between Robert and his protagonist, with the 66-yearold having moved from his native Belfast to work as a music writer for now-defunct Manchester magazine City Life during the 1980s.

‘The Former Boy Wonder’ chronicles the lecturer’s love affair with the music-mad city he now calls home. The story revisits some of Manchester’s most iconic musical haunts such as The Boardwalk, The Gallery and The Hardrock, which played host to stars like Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie.

“The setting is quite important,” Robert said.

“I had the experience of coming to Manchester in my late twenties, and it was just more exciting than anywhere I’d lived before. I’d been brought up in Belfast, I’d lived in Lancaster, Norwich and Blackpool, and I kind of had a gut feeling that Manchester was where I wanted to be when I moved there.”

He added: “I was involved in the music scene in Manchester in the mid-80s which quite an exciting era. Manchester, like Liverpool, is a big city for music.”

‘The Former Boy Wonder’, underpinned by the profound themes of midlife, first love and fatherhood, has been something of a labour of love for Robert, who is delighted that his brainchild is finally being released.

He told MNL: “The novelist Stephen King said that, as a writer, you have to stick with it way, way after it makes sense to do so.

“So, I did that, through nearly 40 editors and 30 agents knocking it back. It’s been a real saga of perseverance, so I’m really excited.”

And that excitement is certainly justified if early reviews are anything to go by.

Caroline Smailes, author of ‘The Drowning of Arthur Braxton’, calls the book “warm, funny and affecting… a page-turning delight”, while Horatio Clare, author of ‘Heavy Light’, says ‘The Former Boy Wonder’ is “a funny, sad and tender

story”. Meanwhile, the Costa Award-shortlisted author of ‘Ghost Town’ Jeff Young, says: “I kept picturing lipstick traces on a cigarette and hearing late-night records, the kind you play to conjure up a golden age. This wonder boy’s song brings a romantic’s past to life on the page and reveals the secret fears behind it.” When asked for his advice for aspiring novelists, Robert said: “I would say the greatest piece of advice is just to read everything you can. “You can’t write unless you read. You have to read comprehensively ‘ I thought, ‘Keep working until somebody takes it, no matter how long it and exhaustively, with a huge hunger. So, if you want to be a writer, step one is reading. Everything comes out of reading.” Robert is set to launch his book at Didsbury’s Home Community Café on Friday March 4. The cafe is located in Emmanuel Church, 6 Barlow Moor Rd, Didstakes’ ’ bury, Manchester, M20 6TR.