Listen online: TAG - Stephen May
STEPHEN May readily admits his dreams of becoming a writer stayed in the realms of fantasy for too long. For years he found comfort from the fact he could write, without actually finishing the stories he started.
Then, inspired by the Arvon Foundation, he began to commit himself to fulfilling his dream.
The result, TAG, is his debut novel about the talented and gifted teenager Mistyann.
Brainy, bolshie, and with a vocabulary that could make a sailor blush, the 15-year-old is the kind of pupil teachers have nightmares about.
So when teacher Jonathan Diamond, a recovering alcoholic and failed musician, sets out to accompany her on a residential course designed to 'unlock her potential' the only thing that's certain is their lives will never be the same again.
In this OutLoud interview, May, a former teacher, discusses the surprising qualities of Mistyann, why life got in the way of his writing, and fulfilling his dream.
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May was born and spent most of his childhood in Bedfordshire, moving to Essex to study English literature at university and enjoy life. But his youthful pursuit of independence ended when he became a dad before he'd even finished his studies.
With a family to support, May put his writing dreams on the shelf and there followed a raft of uninspired jobs, which at least paid the bills, before he became a teacher.
The turning point came in the late 1990s when May took a school trip to the Arvon Foundation's centre in Devon. During the visit he completed a short story and gained the confidence to resume his writing.
When a job running the foundation's Yorkshire centre came up a few years later, he and his wife Caron jumped at the chance and headed north with their children.
The pair successfully managed Lumb Bank for five years while May also wrote his debut novel, and completed a masters degree in creative writing.
May, who recently left Arvon for a job with Emmerdale, has also written and produced two plays, Back the World, 2004, and Still Waiting for Everything, 2005, as well as the textbook, Teach Yourself Creative Writing, 2008.
He and his family still live in West Yorkshire, where May is busy working on his second novel.
TAG, 8.99, is published by Cinnamon Press, ISBN: 978-1905614370
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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