An Interview With James Lovegrove (1/3) By Steve Rudd

(1/3), (2/3), (3/3).

James Lovegrove is an extraordinary writer of novels in every respect imaginable. His novels are in turns surreal, life-affirming and bizarre. He has written a number of acclaimed novels such as The Hope and The Foreigners, and his latest masterpiece in Provender Greed has recently been published to rave reviews. He is also the author of Wings, a bewitching short story aimed at children. Fortunately, from his home in the south-west of England, James was kind enough to take some time out from work to chat with Steve Rudd about - amongst other things - time spent in the States and his latest work...

Hi James, how are things? Blustery today. Atlantic gales are battering north Devon and it feels like my office - a shed in the garden - is about to get ripped off its foundations and blown away, taking me with it. But apart from that I'm well. For those people who might not be familiar with your type of writing, how would you best describe the type of novels that you write? I'm published by an SF imprint, Gollancz, but my books aren't in the trad - SF mould.

I'm not really into spaceships, aliens, high-tech gadgetry, all that. My books are more at the weird, slipstream edge of the genre, shading into fantasy and mainstream fiction, with even a tinge of horror. In fact they're easier to define by what they're not than what they are, which makes me an awkward proposition for publishers and booksellers. Which section to stock my work in? How to promote it? Basically, I write about ordinary people in extraordinary settings, facing abnormal, incredible crises and resolving them in a normal, credible way.

You have won numerous awards over the years for your work. Does any one award in particular mean the most to you above all others? I haven't really won that much in the way of awards, which I think - hope - has something to do with the unclassifiability mentioned above. You know, you're not going to win Best Strawberry Yoghurt Producer Of The Year if you make yoghurt that looks strawberry-flavoured but turns out to be blackcurrant and lime instead. If that analogy makes any sense. But I was very pleased and proud to be short-listed for the 1997 Arthur C. Clarke Award for my novel Days.

I was told afterwards by one of the judges that I was supposed to win and would have, if the book had been just a little more like SF.

In the event, I was pipped by Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow, a book which is a lot like SF. Looking back at the first book that you had published, The Hope, do you feel that you have consciously experimented with your writing style over the years in order to more effectively aspire to writing the type of books that you have always strived to produce? The Hope was an experiment in so many ways, not least because I was just 22 at the time I wrote it and hadn't attempted a full-length novel before, so writing one in the form of twelve interlinked short stories seemed the logical approach.

It also allowed me to test out a dozen different styles and emulate (and at the same time exorcise the influence of) many of my literary heroes, including Stephen King, Philip Larkin and Ray Bradbury. Since then, with each successive book I've worked towards refining and defining a prose style that is uniquely mine, as any halfway decent author should. Whether or not I've succeeded is for others to decide.

Continued .... Next Page (2/3)

People - An Interview With Local Writer Ian Newton By Jane Foster
	Ian Newton, aka Ahmed Debani, is a local writer known for his exposure of John Prescott in his book Dustbingate, which caused a scandal a few years back. Ian is also the author of two other books with a local theme - Pizza Wars, about corruption in the takeaway industry, and The Night Shift, a comedy written in the form of a sitcom about the antics of a group of local Read more...

People - Meet Michelle - A Tale of Two Halves By Jo Allison
	From tanning salons, to nightclubs and inventions galore, we meet Hull's most fabulously fascinating tranny. Michelle, or Mike, depending how you know her, proves that transvestites are not, as widely believed, like vampires who only come out at night. Sitting in a hotel, cigarette and coffee in hand, Michelle blends into the classy, traditional setting. Dressed like all the other Read more...

People - An Interview With Hey Negrita By Steve Rudd
	Hey Negrita are an awesome Americana-laced indie-rock outfit based in London. Fronted by singer and guitarist Felix, the band has recently released a new single, Can't Walk Away, which is a sublimely catchy song that precedes their forthcoming album, The Buzz Above. Here Felix chats to Steve Rudd about their new material, touring and some of Read more...

People - An Interview With Nick Quantrill By Steve Rudd
	Regular visitors to thisisUll.com should be familiar with the writing talents of Nick Quantrill, as he often contributes short stories to the site. His Complicity novella recently featured on the site, an exciting Crime Short that was unmistakably set in Hull and that featured a number of decidedly shady characters getting up to no good in and around various well-known Read more...

People - The Genius of Eric Bogosian By Steve Rudd
	Eric who? Eric Bogosian! What do you mean you've never heard of him? Ah, well that's your loss, ain't it? Still, there is a chance that you might have seen him and not even realised it, as he's appeared in numerous US movies such as Under Siege 2 and Dolores Claiborne for starters. Having said that, over in the US he's probably far better Read more...

People - Interview with Afterglow By Michelle Dee Photographs By Ashleigh
	Bathing in the Afterglow at Quintessential Sessions Quayside The latest band to catch my ear Afterglow, take their name from the nineteen sixty-eight, Mod anthem Afterglow (of your love) by East end boys The Small Faces. I met up with the fresh faced group in new music venue Quayside, where they were playing live later Read more...

People - An Interview With Peter Moore By Steve Rudd
	Peter Moore has been described as the Jim Carrey of travel-writing, and whoever boldly coined such a cunning comment actually isn't half wrong. Anybody who has read any of Peter's genuinely madcap travel books, such as The Wrong Way Home or The Full Montezuma, will surely agree, as he manages to negotiate all manner of Read more...

People - An Interview With Woody Woodmansey By Steve Rudd
	Brace yourselves, one and all. Michael Collins, who is actually related to the famous Irish Nationalist of the same name, is the author of acclaimed novels The Keepers of Truth, The Resurrectionists and Lost Souls. He has just finished tying up all the loose ends of his latest story in The Secret Life Of E. Robert Pendleton, which is due to hit bookstores very soon indeed. Read more...

People - An Interview With William Landay By Steve Rudd
	William (or Bill, for short) Landay is a hot new American crime writer who has recently published his debut novel - Mission Flats - to widespread critical acclaim. William is currently hard at work on his second novel, which is due to be published next year. Still, amidst his busy writing schedule, William kindly managed to take a little time out to chat exclusively to Steve Rudd Read more...

People - An Interview With Peter May By Steve Rudd
	I'd like to introduce you to Peter May, a writer of thriller novels that are genuinely exhilarating affairs from start to finish. Peter is famous for writing his series of China Thrillers - a series that includes his Firemaker novel, along with the racy Snakehead story that is set in Texas. Peter always carries out intensive research into the places in which he sets his stories; he also Read more...

People - An Interview With Peter Gadol By Steve Rudd
	Peter Gadol is the exciting author of a number of uniquely exhilarating novels including the deliciously dark, drama-driven thriller The Long Rain. His latest novel is Light at Dusk, and here he spares some time to chat to Steve Rudd exclusively about his life and times, and trials and tribulations as a highly respected and hugely talented writer of the type of stories that Read more...

People - An Interview With Meg Gardiner By Steve Rudd
	Meg Gardiner is an incredible Thriller writer, brought up in the US but currently residing in the UK. Her debut novel called China Lake provided the perfect showcase for her amazing talents, and since its publication there has been no stopping her when it comes to writing novels, with Mission Canyon, Jericho Point and Crosscut being other well-known books of hers that been Read more...

People - DJ Chris Plant Heads for the States
	DJ Chris Plant is heading to America in an effort to make his dream come true. Chris, 23, a former resident DJ at Fuel and various other nightclubs, has a quite breathtaking CV. He worked for Sunshine Radio in Ibiza, has commentated on live football matches in Chicago and was Agent X on Foxy & Tom's Viking FM breakfast show. However, after trying to crack Read more...

People - An Interview With Edwina Hayes By Steve Rudd
	Edwina Hayes is an acoustic singer-songwriter currently enjoying success opening Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues band tour. Dublin born and raised in Lancashire, Edwina now resides in Yorkshire. Here she talks to Steve Rudd about her music. Hi Edwina, how are things? Hi Steve, really well thank you! What have you been up to lately, and how has 2005 been in general? Read more...

People - Interview with Bob Sinclar by Toni Tambourine
	Bob Sinclar is the French DJ currently making his mark with the Defected label. Toni Tambourine took some time out to interview the man known as 'music's premier playboy superstar..' What were your initial ambitions and dreams for Yellow Production? Do they remain the same, or if not, how and why have they changed? It's amazing having people asking me to do promotion! Read more...