A WIRRAL author used lockdown as the perfect opportunity to complete work on a debut novel following one man's fight against adversity.
By a thread, written by Lee Boden, is the gripping story of Jonno, a 23-year-old in early 1990s Birkenhead who is in "an incessant battle with badness" in which "drugs, crime, and violence snatch at his dream of escaping his grey, deprived imprisonment."
His unbreakable loyalty means that poor decisions are unavoidable, but when faced with losing the only two people he’s ever loved, he must break the hapless trend that has contaminated his whole life.
Lee told the Globe: "There is a lot of reference to Wirral but the book could be about any urban setting in the UK.
"The concrete friendship he has with 'the lads' is the only thing that stops him falling to the bottom of a black river.
"Because the book is so character-based, it takes time to get a feel for it. A slow-burner that nibbles away. I've been using the tagline: 'If Jimmy McGovern had written Trainspotting.'"
Lee, continued: "I am 51 and this is my first attempt at writing a novel.
"Although the idea had been floating around in my head for many years, it was lockdown that allowed the time to complete it, like so many other budding writers.
"The writing improves as the book develops and that is a clear indication that I was a tad clueless to begin with.
"The book is also quite 'laddish' and may not appeal to a female population.
"This is something I have learnt from and my next novel, which I am a quarter of the way through, contains strong female leads - a supernatural story of random people drawn to a Cumbrian hotel.
"I pretty much bumbled my way through the whole process.
"I even did the book cover myself - those are my hands on the wall!
"I have a great day job as a safety professional, and I am not interested in making any money from the book.
"I'd just like to get it out there and for the odd person to say, ‘yeah, I can relate to that.’
"I think we all have a bit of Jonno in us, or at least, we know someone like him."
By a thread is available to buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09JR3CX13/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_3X0HZKAGT36R9MTTF8F9
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