James Mylet began to write when he was 21. Before that he had no interest in reading, or in writing.
“I wasn’t into books. I played football as a teen, but then I read Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, then Train Spotting, and that changed everything.”
James wrote two books that were rejected, before he wrote Lex. “I learned a lot from writing the books that didn’t work out. They were completely different.”
who is James Mylet
Date/Place of Birth: 1975. Burton on Trent. Then moved to Guildford.
Education: George Abbott in Guildford; Brighton University.
Home: Twickenham.
Family: Wife and son Felix, three-and-a-half.
The Day Job: “I work in advertising, and write at weekends.”
Hobbies: “We used to love going to restaurants, then Felix came along.”
Favourite Writers: Michael Marshall Smith; Christopher Brookmyre and Iain Banks.
Second Novel: “I’m working on three. One is a follow up to Lex.”
Top Writing Tip: “Keep going back. Each time you rewrite, the book will get better. And keep reading.”
Web/Twitter: Neither.
THE DEBUT
Lex is published by Quercus at €17.15; Kindle €8.30
Lex, 17, lives in Clifden, Connemara. He runs a radio station from his bedroom whilst he plans his escape to University in London. He’s in love with Michelle, the coolest girl in town, but she’s older than him, and dating a good looking thug.
“We went on holiday to Connemara for a week. We were in Clifden for an hour. I spent 50 minutes of it in a shop waiting for my wife to decide if she would buy a necklace. By the time she she’d made her decision, I had the beginnings of my book.
“Most coming of age stories are about an outsider. I wanted to write about an insider people liked, who wanted to get out. Lex is nice, but he’s a dick. He’s self-centred, but you are, as a teen.”
The Verdict: Fresh, fast paced and funny, with a touch of poignancy. I loved it.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, July 30, 2011
