Miembrochrisrose14

I’m Chris.

I was born and bred in the city of steel – sunny Sheffield.

I spent – or misspent, whichever your viewpoint – the majority of my ‘young’ years on the Northern Soul circuit. I say circuit, although that mainly consisted of trips to Wigan’s ‘Casino Club’ just about every weekend, with the odd trip to other venues interspersed. One reason I mention this is because it’s around this time and place that my first novel is set – Wood, talc and Mr.J – for which a synopsis can be found on my website in 'current and recent projects', as well as chapter 2 in extracts.

I hope you’ll take time to read them.

My academic education came much later, from scratch, in a sense.

In time, I fell in love with the idea of languages, French in particular, and went on to get a BA Hons in French Language and Literature with subsidiary Spanish at The University of Sheffield.

After that, I moved down south – mid 90s and eventually further down to the South of France for a few years, where I taught English. I then moved up to northern France to do much the same thing.

But it was here where I also began to write, or experiment with writing.

I came back to England in the mid-00s and lived in North London for five years, teaching and writing again.

And for the last three years, I’ve lived in Norwich, where I’ve completed a Masters in Literary Translation, at the UEA.

I’m now working my way toward making a living by writing, with a little translation on the side.

We’ll see…

To ask me what I like to read and write about is a tough one. Fiction, mainly, though I don’t necessarily go for detective fiction, or anything formulaic – I still recognise there’s real skill involved in any composition of the genre, something I don’t think I’d ever master.

I tend to be picky and take my time reading a book; I expect each word to count. I like something I can come back to, read again – and again. Things witty, satirical, poetic… Things that move me.

Favourite writers of late? Maybe Markas Zusak. Read his The Book Thief last year. Susanna Ross, I recently read her Trust In Me. Anna Funder, her All That I Am. Actually, I’ve only just discovered Kurt Vonnegut, and read The Slaughterhouse Five – must read more of his! Writers who manage to pull me into the water with the least effort.

Soulful writers, and their soulful things. And maybe I try to emulate them…

Same goes for my taste in films, music… and, I guess, people.