Andrew Hinkinson-Hodnett has writtenWOOF! It is best to let him tell you about it, because the translation will not do his work justice. “I guess you could call WOOF! Modern humour (or humor if you're outside the UK). Gay meets goth meets junkie meets stoner meets theatre obsessive. Chaos ensues. Much hilarity. Dog sex. Crazy nuns. Intimate eyelash injury. Old age swingers. Coulrophobia. Blackpool. Margaret Thatcher with vampire fangs {Interviewer’s note: Ouch, the mental image...}.
“Without giving away too much, the book's main characters are coming of age - they've pretty much left home and are starting to live as independent people, studying for their futures without really knowing what they want those futures to be.
“My own personality and experiences inform the characters, certainly, not least of all because I'm familiar with the student, goth, and gay cultures and because I'm known to be quite insanely funny after a few drinks (so I'm told - I never remember). I think the motivations of the characters are to discover who they are and what they want. These are common to all of us, or should be.
“WOOF! isn't just my first novel, it's my first attempt at getting my humour down in writing. I started the book when I was feeling quite depressed and bleak, to cheer myself up, basically. And it worked. Whether people love it or hate it - and some will definitely hate - I had a fantastic time writing it and those who like it will definitely see that come across in the way the story bounces along at a breakneck speed, with every page filled with puns and, I hope, memorable one-liners."
Hinkinson-Hodnett finds as a challenge in writing, "It's not the writing. It's the self-belief, I think, that is the big issue for me. I know I can write - by which I mean, string a sentence together. It's in the writing, though, that I find myself wondering if anyone will be interested, if my work is compelling enough, if it's funny or dull... There's a battle goes on inside my head every day, just to park in front of the computer and write. I'd like to say it gets easier but it never does. It hasn't so far, anyway."
“I also write poetry and children's stories."
Hinkinson-Hodnett is from “A town called Chorley in Lancashire, England notable for suffering a talent drain since at least 1763.”
A little more about Hinkinson-Hodnett. "I write books and articles. It's all I'm good for. That, and keeping chickens."
He has been writing professionally for 17 years, with 16 of those for business clients.
When asked about favorite authors, Hinkinson-Hodnett says, “I love the early work of Jeanette Winterson. She went a bit too highbrow later on, disappearing up her own reputation - but books like Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, that's a definite influence on me, and Sexing the Cherry. Accessible, somewhat controversial and occasionally weird - which is pretty much a description of me, as it so happens.”
Hinkinson-Hodnett would like his fans to know, “I used to be able to bring my right leg up around the right side of my body and over the back of my neck. I can't do it anymore but I'm still surprisingly supple. Or so I've been told.” He would like to tell aspiring writers, “Tell your nasty side it's a damn liar. It will tell you your writing is crap, that you can't produce a story, that you're better off watching the telly, you're nowhere near as good as the writers whose books you enjoy... It's all lies, lies, lies. Ignore the inner crItic and get on with it.”
How could you not want to read WOOF! if this is any indication of the contents?
WOOF! is an Amazon Kindle exclusive:
Check out Hinkinson-Hodnett’s Amazon Author Profile for his biography and a listing of his other books (non-fiction and poetry).
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