This is a link to the Lancaster Guardian feature on my book and Lancaster a night lancasterguardian.co.uk/what-s-on/book-club/booze-fuelled-late-night-lancaster-is-subject-of-new-book-1-6513536 And here is the Interview in full. Thanks to everyone who has shared and got this issue in the open. What inspired you to write The Silent Tomb of Mr Castletown? Love, I suppose - a deep-seated, long established, irrepressible love of Lancaster. That, and an all-consuming frustration that it has never reached its potential. I wanted to explore some of the darker realities of the city in an imaginative way that stimulates the reader into asking questions and that encourages wider debate – something of a balance to the chocolate box version of Lancaster we often see depicted in contemporary prints and post cards. That childish, poster colour version that we all know doesn’t exist. How long did it take you to write? About four months. It came together quickly once I realised that a satirical, gothic novella was going to be the right form for the story. It was published on Amazon a few days before Christmas. Do you feel this is a true depiction of Lancaster? I think I know Lancaster in pretty much all its guises. I have watched it and experienced it for many years, some of which (leading up to the book) were spent living right in the city centre. The book is fictional, it concerns itself with one particular aspect of the city’s culture but anyone who lives or works in the city centre at night – the police, restaurants, bars, taxi drivers, A&E will know that none of the events in the book are exaggerated. It is true to say that much worse things happen in reality, things that your paper reports regularly and things that I consider too serious to satirise. Are you against students/locals using the city centre as a late night playground? Every city centre needs to live at night as well as the day and this book is not anti-youth or anti-student. In fact my heroine (Verity) is a student. Do I think it should ‘only’ be a late night playground for students and locals? No. I think it should also be a place where non-students, families even, can live, work and enjoy themselves. Where people of all ages can walk around comfortably in their own city after dark. It’s been a few years since the licensing laws were changed to allow 24 hour drinking. You have to ask yourself, has it created the ‘continental cafe society’ that we were promised. Go into town at 2.00 am or 3.00 am on certain nights and see for yourself. I think the town sometimes lets itself down. Its offering to students and local youth alike is poor and cynical. The happy hour to late night drinking culture precludes the development of anything else and there is a reason why no city councillors or university lecturers would dream of living within the one-way system. Do you think the University should take more responsibility over its students? I’m sure both the universities are very responsible organisations. I know that they rely on the town looking after massive numbers of students. I suspect that they have plans to expand those numbers if they can. My book is about how the city has reacted to 50 years as a university town. This year is a time to celebrate those 50 years but also to debate how the city is shaping up and, more widely, how universities across the country have changed during that time into massive commercial enterprises. What is your message to the University and other players in Lancaster? My book acknowledges the benefits that ‘Dr. Betterment’ has brought but questions whether the city has become complacent as a result. Successive councils have known that even if they sit back and do absolutely nothing, the town will never actually die a death while the university is here. There have been countless (expensive) consultancies into what should be done to improve the tourism and cultural offerings that Lancaster should be presenting to the world - meeting after meeting about ‘vision’ and little if nothing really gets achieved. Meanwhile, Lancaster plods on. A ‘vital part of Great British maritime history’ – with no boats. The ‘home of one of the world’s greatest cabinet makers’ – with no Gillow museum or even a statue. The cultural capital of Lancashire – with the local arts organisations being cut, cut, cut all the time until they pack it in completely or are scarcely able to operate or plan for the future. A castle with, as yet, no clear direction or even a suit of armour. ‘The Bath of the North’ – really? Come into Lancaster on Slyne Road, Bulk Road or by the Pointer roundabout and ask yourself, is this the entrance to ‘The Bath of the North’? How do you think the City could improve the situation? I think this town needs more civic pride. Which means we need to see some things happening that we can be proud of. Someone needs to present a plan for Lancaster that we understand, buy into and all work towards. You only achieve pride through effort, involvement and achievement. What in your view is holding things back? A lack of energy and dynamism in the town hall. Contradictory policies. Lack of leadership and joined-up thinking. Lack of investment. A reliance on the mono-culture of students and the few precious pounds they spend in the city. Do you think the City needs a mayor that actually gets things done and galvanises the community, rather than just being a ceremonial post? If you’re saying that’s the only way to get things done and galvanise the community – then, yes. Is there anything that residents, businesses etc. could do to help the situation? Many residents and businesses do loads already. Most people are probably like me, I think, they love Lancaster and want to see it flourish. Independent shops work really hard to survive and give this City its unique character. Everyone seems to clean their shop fronts, pick up the broken glass, wash down the vomit etc. from the night before, ring up the insurance company about another broken window and carry on. In return, they need to know where we are all going and when it will get better. Do you feel the city has a positive future? Why? Any ‘buts’? Lancaster has an amazing opportunity to develop over the next ten years. The new canal corridor plans (Centros, as was) balanced by the opening of the Castle at the other side of town and a Business Improvement District in between presents massive potential. Will it make us Bath, York or Harrogate? I hope not, I want us to be LANCASTER in all our glory. But, I suppose the book asks, can you superimpose any of those places on top of Dodge City? Is there anything you want to add? Your readers shouldn’t listen to me ranting – they should read the book. It’s funny.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:27:39 +0000
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