All the edits are done, and we're putting the finishing touches to the cover.

Ingrid Pitt is hard at work getting the book shelves sorted. The moon is rising.

I'm finishing the copy editing this weekend. This is when grammar, copyright, and full stops all get looked at.

I was particulary pleased with this note on the copy editor's report: "Eurgh. This may be the greatest simile I’ve ever come across." You'll find out soon just exactly it relates to once the book is out.

It certainly put a spring in my step.

We're looking good for a June launch.…

I've got a pile of notes back from the editor and will be working on the final edit of the book over the weekend.

I've also met with the cover designer. I took a pile of New English Library in to the Unbound office and we looked at fonts, images, and blurb.

All looking good for June. Quite a bit of work to do, but I'm drafting and grafting.

The book is now 100% funded and Unbound have put a July date for it to be with you.

Big thanks to everyone who's supported.

I'm planning to be doing some more readings through 2019 and to lower the tone at some literary festivals in the summer.

The book is now 100% fully funded. Big thanks to everyone who supported. Big love, as ever, to the mighty Clare Pollard who was the first person to put in an order.

The book is written, but does need a final edit. Both Unbound and I are metting later this week to look at a release date. More details once we have them.

Once again a massive thank you to everyone.

Moonstomp is the first fiction I've successfully written. I normally write poetry and have been gigging as a poet with my writing for about 35 years. I've recently been writing a series of poems about girlfriends I had in my youth. many were skinhead girls. Here is one of the poems, and don't worry; there are none in the novel.

All the Skinhead Girls I Ever Went Out With

Were tougher

than…

Moonstomp has been bringing the werewolf out in plenty of you...

Salena Godden menaced by Sophie Cameron

Stewart Home

Peyvand

Niall O'Sullivan and Maricel

Unbound's John Mitchinson

 

“Being a suedehead with its loose links appealed to the new Joe Hawkins. He began to study those other young men on the Underground, trying to separate the wolves from the ewes.”

An evening of Richard Allen, 'Skinhead' and the New English Library in the West End:



Stewart Home (Pure Mania, Defiant Pose)

Tim Wells (reading from his skinhead werewolf novel 'Moonstomp')

Paul Hallam (Old Dog Books…

Roger Mills was born in Hackney Hospital, 1954. "I have always lived in Hackney, in flats until I was five and then a house ever since. I went to secondary school in Clapton, a comprehensive. It was a huge modern school with thirty or more kids in a class. I worked for about five years in various advertising studios when I left. I was a 'paste up' man, he's the one who colates all the different ingredients…

Here're a couple of drafts for the book cover. It still needs some work on fonts, wording etc. but I'm liking the orange and the cover picture is top drawer. Photographer Chris Low has caught the New English Library vibe and the orange type has a suitably suedehead's socks garishness to it.

Hard As Nails was the daddy of the sussed skinhead zines that came out in the 80s. It was known for its decent taste in music and shmatta. There was even a decent NME write up.

The distinctve cartoons in the zine were drawn by co-editor Ian Hayes-Fry and the lad has got his pencil set from the back of the desk and drawn a special Moonstomp cartoon.

I was an avid reader of Hard As Nails and we…

'Sociologists write reams about the alienation of capitalism. We know, we read it. We see ourselves described in those blue Pelican sociology books but never understood. We know all about alienation and capital, we don’t need it explained by soft handed wankers that can’t see what we value. We produce style, dance steps, grace. The strange beauty of the murmuration of starlings across the sky, the…

I'll be doing a turn at Bloodletting, a night for new writing at the Poetry Cafe on Wednesday, August 15th. I'll be reading from the book. There'll also be some other literary types doing the do.

The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London.

Kick off is at 7.30pm. No door pressure.

There is a bar. I'm still off the sauce.

Clothes, and more importantly style, are at the heart of skinhead. The fashions change but the basic style remains - more or less. Moonstomp is set in 1979, much closer to original skinheads of the late 60s than we are now to the skinheads and punks of 1979. The look in 79 was much more Harrington, toniks, decent shirt, and looking smart than the scruffs that were thrown up in the early 80s.

The…

The book is set in 1979 and badges were an integral part of 'the look', be that punk, skinhead, reggae, metal, or whatever. The were pinned to the collars of Harringtons, the lapels of leathers, and even on braces.

There's a bit in chapter 7 about how badges played their part in meeting people and sussing them out...

As Joyce came back from the toilet and was strutting it to show off her new…

The second half of the soundtrack to the book.

Danger Signs – Penetration

Wolves and Leopards – Dennis Brown

I Thirst – Dillinger

Mash You Down – Cornell Campbell

Cool Out Son – Junior Murvin

Werewolves of London – Flamin’ Groovies

Groovy Times – the Clash

Barnabas Collins – Lone Ranger

Pressure Rock – Captain Sinbad

Want Fi Goh Rave – Linton Kwesi Johnson

Red…

There's a lot of music in the book, mostly punk and reggae tunes from 1979 and a bit earlier. There are quite a few favourites of mine mentioned.

Here's the first part of the soundtrack to the book.

Mucky Pup – Puncture

Bird Song – Lene Lovich

Jilted John – Jilted John

Salvation – Misty In Roots

Lucky Number – Lene Lovich

Babylon’s Burning – the Ruts

Champagne Charlie …

There's a poem from me and a bit about the novel on the cool Cold Lips site.

The skinhead website Creases Like Knives has me talking about the book and you can read the opening chapter.

I'm well pleased that the book met 25% of its funding in a fortnight. Thanks everyone who's pledged. The very first person to was the mighty Clare Pollard. Books are going to all the decent London boroughs, oop north, and as far away as Canada, the USA, and Hong Kong.

A big thank you to everyone. Now... onwards!

The novel is set in 1979 and it was an amazing year for music. Punk still had some teeth, reggae was stepping into dancehall and both punk and reggae were in conversation. Dub was showing the possibilities of what was around us could be, 2 Tone was moving, as well as what became known as post-punk throwing up the weird and wonderful; Cabaret Voltaire's 'Nag Nag Nag' was a fave of my sister and me…

During my teenage years I read a lot of New English Library pulp novels. I was a young suedehead giving it the big 'un in button down, Harrington, and brogues. Many of the books were based around youth cults.

The books were pulpand wrong in so many ways but did get teenagers turning pages and they were passed around school playgrounds avidly.

In 2017 I was on a panel discussion with Unbound…