Interview With Steven Kedie
I recently had the chance to chat with the lovely Steven all about his debut novel Suburb. Here's what we spoke about...
1. Suburb is your debut novel; can you tell us a little bit about it?
Suburb is the story of Tom Fray, a young man on the edge of adulthood, as he moves back to a Manchester suburb to live with his parents following university. He has one goal; save money and go travelling. Through Tom’s interactions with his friends and family, and with Kate, the married neighbour he forms a bond with, the book deals with Tom’s desire for adventure, along with the decisions and mistakes of youth. It looks at how experiences can change the dynamics of relationships.
2. What inspired you to start writing?
I wrote a script about bullying for a drama lesson when I was 13. The teacher gave me brilliant feedback. I’d never felt like that in school before. It made me think I might be good at writing.
3. Where did you get the idea for Suburb from?
For a few years I’d been fascinated with how people cope with the time in their lives when they are not adults yet but not kids anymore either. The time when people return home after being away for a long period for the first time. For most people it‘s after university. For me it was when I came back from travelling. You feel different. Nothing else does. You’ve seen something different, experienced new places and it can feel like the people you left behind are stuck. Our relationships are different; with parents especially. You’ve learned something about the world, used skills you’ve not needed to previously, and then you return home and try desperately not to revert to the old ways. It can be a strange time for everyone involved. From a parent’s perspective it must be difficult not to revert to type as well. I wanted to explore what happens at that point. That was the start of Tom’s story.
4. Do you have any writing rituals; do you always have to write in the same place?
I don’t have to write in the same place but I tend to. I have a young son so it’s not easy to nip out to a café and sit there drinking coffee and typing away for a few hours. I write at the dining room table, normally in a quiet house, after he’s in bed. There’s something I find comforting about the only noise being the tapping of the keyboard. It sounds like work being done.
I run most days and write a lot of dialogue scenes in my head whilst doing this. I find the rhythm of the words can help take my mind off the exercise. It’s also a good time to clear the mind. I’ve had several story breakthroughs out on the roads.
5. What is your favourite book of all time?
The Damned United by David Peace. It’s the fictionalisation of Brian Clough’s 44 day spell in charge of Leeds United. When I bought it I couldn’t put it down. I’d never read a book like it. Peace’s control of his character’s voice and the paranoia that runs through the book really blew me away. I didn’t think it was possible to write about football in that way. I’ve read it twice since and it never gets boring.
6. Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on the first draft of my new novel. It’s a first person account of a long jumper’s life covering three Olympics (2008-2016). It’s about rivalry and what it takes to succeed as a top level athlete. The overriding themes are dedication and sacrifice, and how they impact not only on the character but also his family and relationships. (I’m writing this two days after I completed a full long jumping session with a former pro long jumper as part of the research. The session took three hours, the first hour being the warm up. Today I can barely walk. It’s certainly given me a clear idea of what these people put their body through day in day out.)
Quick-fire:
What is your…
favourite colour? Red
favourite song? Live Forever, Oasis.
favourite book? The Damned United, David Peace
favourite word? United
favourite food? A Thai Salmon curry that my wife makes.
favourite season? Spring
favourite TV show? The Sopranos – although recently Breaking Bad has stated its case for first position. I’m also currently obsessed with the BBC’s Line of Duty.
favourite author? Ian Rankin.
favourite animal? Cats. Although I took some convincing.
favourite day of the week? Sunday
Thank you Steven! It was lovely chatting to you.
You can find Steven on Twitter and visit his website.
1. Suburb is your debut novel; can you tell us a little bit about it?
Suburb is the story of Tom Fray, a young man on the edge of adulthood, as he moves back to a Manchester suburb to live with his parents following university. He has one goal; save money and go travelling. Through Tom’s interactions with his friends and family, and with Kate, the married neighbour he forms a bond with, the book deals with Tom’s desire for adventure, along with the decisions and mistakes of youth. It looks at how experiences can change the dynamics of relationships.
2. What inspired you to start writing?
I wrote a script about bullying for a drama lesson when I was 13. The teacher gave me brilliant feedback. I’d never felt like that in school before. It made me think I might be good at writing.
3. Where did you get the idea for Suburb from?
For a few years I’d been fascinated with how people cope with the time in their lives when they are not adults yet but not kids anymore either. The time when people return home after being away for a long period for the first time. For most people it‘s after university. For me it was when I came back from travelling. You feel different. Nothing else does. You’ve seen something different, experienced new places and it can feel like the people you left behind are stuck. Our relationships are different; with parents especially. You’ve learned something about the world, used skills you’ve not needed to previously, and then you return home and try desperately not to revert to the old ways. It can be a strange time for everyone involved. From a parent’s perspective it must be difficult not to revert to type as well. I wanted to explore what happens at that point. That was the start of Tom’s story.
4. Do you have any writing rituals; do you always have to write in the same place?
I don’t have to write in the same place but I tend to. I have a young son so it’s not easy to nip out to a café and sit there drinking coffee and typing away for a few hours. I write at the dining room table, normally in a quiet house, after he’s in bed. There’s something I find comforting about the only noise being the tapping of the keyboard. It sounds like work being done.
I run most days and write a lot of dialogue scenes in my head whilst doing this. I find the rhythm of the words can help take my mind off the exercise. It’s also a good time to clear the mind. I’ve had several story breakthroughs out on the roads.
5. What is your favourite book of all time?
The Damned United by David Peace. It’s the fictionalisation of Brian Clough’s 44 day spell in charge of Leeds United. When I bought it I couldn’t put it down. I’d never read a book like it. Peace’s control of his character’s voice and the paranoia that runs through the book really blew me away. I didn’t think it was possible to write about football in that way. I’ve read it twice since and it never gets boring.
6. Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on the first draft of my new novel. It’s a first person account of a long jumper’s life covering three Olympics (2008-2016). It’s about rivalry and what it takes to succeed as a top level athlete. The overriding themes are dedication and sacrifice, and how they impact not only on the character but also his family and relationships. (I’m writing this two days after I completed a full long jumping session with a former pro long jumper as part of the research. The session took three hours, the first hour being the warm up. Today I can barely walk. It’s certainly given me a clear idea of what these people put their body through day in day out.)
Quick-fire:
What is your…
favourite colour? Red
favourite song? Live Forever, Oasis.
favourite book? The Damned United, David Peace
favourite word? United
favourite food? A Thai Salmon curry that my wife makes.
favourite season? Spring
favourite TV show? The Sopranos – although recently Breaking Bad has stated its case for first position. I’m also currently obsessed with the BBC’s Line of Duty.
favourite author? Ian Rankin.
favourite animal? Cats. Although I took some convincing.
favourite day of the week? Sunday
Thank you Steven! It was lovely chatting to you.
You can find Steven on Twitter and visit his website.