Beginner’s Pluck

By Sue Leonard

Kevin Smith

After university, Kevin went into journalism. “I sub-edited in Belfast, and freelanced in Edinburgh, before working for the Belfast Telegraph. Then, I went off to Bucharest, which was absolutely fascinating. I loved wire journalism. It was adrenaline-burning, but fiction writing is where the real fun is.” He had failed to finish several novels, before his debut. “I wanted to write about that time when you leave university with an arts degree and no clear career path ... When I realised funny was the way to go, I wrote to make my wife laugh. If she laughed, it stayed in; if she didn’t, I took it out. That was my editing process.”

Who is Kevin Smith?

Date/place of birth: Jan 1963/London.

Education: Sullivan Upper School, Holywood, Northern Ireland; and Queen’s Belfast, English and philosophy.

Home: Dublin.

Family: Wife, Eve, two children, and a Springer Spaniel.

The Day Job: Writing novels; journalism.

Hobbies: Playing boogie-woogie on the piano, and cooking Asian food.

Favourite Writers: Martin Amis; Olivia Manning; Don DeLillo; Jonathan Coe: Raymond Chandler; poetry.

Second Novel: Another comedy, involving a cat in a pink, knitted waistcoat.

Top Writing Tip: Set yourself deadlines, and meet them.

Web: I contribute to www.thefoodiebugle.com/author/145.

Twitter: @jammyauthor.

THE DEBUT

Jammy Dodger. Sandstone Press, €12.85; Kindle, €8.01.

It’s 1988, Belfast. Fresh from university, Artie Conville co-edits a poetry magazine. He keeps the real world, and the Troubles, at bay. When his cushy job is threatened, he devises a cunning scheme. But it soon gets out of hand. Can he avert disaster? Will the beautiful Rosie stick around?

“I’m exploring the world seen through poetic eyes. I wanted to capture something of the often misunderstood city I’d left behind.”

The Verdict: Ironic and funny. Like JP Donleavy with a twist of Kingsley Amis.