Dave Young Interview: Part 1

We were fortunate indeed to have secured an interview with author and poet Dave Young.

Dave is busier than ever in the literary world and is involved in numerous exciting projects. For the first part of our interview, we focused on his first novel and his cross-genre writing...  

It's unusual for a writer to enter the worlds of both fiction and poetry. Have you always been interested in both genres and why do you think the crossover is a comparative rarity?

I am interested in all forms of writing. Hopefully, like not reading the best book I've ever read I haven't written my best poem. I suppose it is unusual for a writer to be published in both fiction and poetry; some noted exceptions of course such as Maya Angelou, Ted Hughes and of course Shakespeare. My passion though is poetry and has been for over 20 years. I love its form and its rhythm, it can be as structured or as unstructured as you wish.

Photo © Dave Young

Waiting for Jericho to Fall (Book Guild, 1996) was your first published novel. How long did it take, from the first idea to publication?

'Jericho' took about three years to write from the first germ of an idea to completion and another year to find a publisher.

Is there a new novel in the pipeline?

There is no new novel in the pipeline although I am currently throwing ideas at a draft page on my website. I did some travelling around Europe last year and kept a diary of sorts as I journeyed. It is a mix of prose, poetry, anecdotes and even the odd recipe thrown in for good measure. I am trying to avoid the Notes From a Small Island genre so I've re-imagined a number of the situations I found myself in.

Part 2 will follow tomorrow...