​In Paths Not Yet Taken, a middle-aged warehouse worker hiding a secret life of his own discovers someone unexpected in his garage. What inspired the setup of your story?

Paths Not Yet Taken was a slow burner. Covid caused many things including – way down the list – yours truly deciding to write a novel. The question was, what to write?

It was during the first lockdown and my fourth weekly tidy-up of the garage (anything to get out of the house). I opened the side door and stepped into the already immaculate space and thought: What if I’d opened the door and somebody was already in here? A few moments into sweeping the already pristine floor: What if it was the prime minister? Then, seconds later: What if it was the prime minister having a nervous breakdown? I grabbed my laptop and started writing.

A couple of years, two or three vaccinations, and just eighteen thousand words later, I gave up.

There was no point. The poor decision-making, the corruption, the sheer stupidity, and the arrogance of those in power superseded any crazy satirical notion I had planned for the novel. The UK government was beating me at my own game, without even realising it.

I wanted to write a book that exposed the weakness at the heart of power, but there had to be something positive at the end at least and I couldn’t find anything to be positive about. Instead, I played golf, read books, and walked the dogs. I gave myself time, and that gave me hope.

Generally speaking and despite their tiresome frequent examples of stupidity, arrogance, and greed, politicians don’t set off with a dream of destroying the economy, tearing apart the fabric of the nation, or jeopardising lives and futures.

At all levels of society, life gets in the way of what we hope to do and where we plan to be. Circumstances and opportunity can be way beyond our control. Seemingly innocuous decisions we make can result in significant unforeseen consequences (good and bad).

Some may well be content with the hand dealt to them. Others less so. Whatever the case, we each have a choice – to accept our norm or to change it; to stay on the current path, or to choose another.

That became the focus of the novel. I fired up the laptop once more. The plot changed dramatically; the characters not so much – although more were introduced. The result, I hope, is something dramatic, humorous in places, and ultimately uplifting.

My book is meant to entertain, amuse, and to give people something to think about. Hopefully, their own reflections will give them a better sense of the meaning and purpose in their own lives. Whether they choose a different path; decide to change nothing, but are more content with their lot in life; or simply finish the novel with a smile on their face – then the book’s job is done.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Paths Not Yet Taken is a breezy satire about life and the individual’s place within it.

We live in an age where it is very easy to become enraged, to overreact, to abdicate responsibility, and to be apathetic. Much of that is down to the media and our exposure to the internet. While the latter has a great deal of value, it makes it easy to have a lazy opinion about something on the basis of very little evidence or fact. It also dilutes our responses to events by turning raging anger and a desire to take action into the sharing of a meme or pressing a Like button.

We need to make time to take a step back, to communicate better with each other, and to consider each others’ perspectives rather than rushing to superficial, ill-informed judgments.

Sounds great, but if we are to change the status quo, we need to look at ourselves first. I wanted to explore our ability to do that through the action of one man who, the reader may think, would be the last person on earth to require such a change in direction – and the implications of that action on individuals and on society as a whole.

I also wanted to touch on the perception of power and to show how fragile that concept is, how dependent we all are on events and decisions outside the control of ourselves or those we rely on to make huge decisions on our behalf.

At all levels of society, life gets in the way of what we hope to do and where we plan to be. Circumstances can be way beyond our control. Seemingly innocuous decisions we make can result in big unforeseen consequences further down the line – good and bad.

Some may well be content with the hand dealt to them. Others less so. Whatever the case, we each have a choice – to accept our norm or to change it; to stay on the current path, or to choose another.

I found this novel to be a cutting piece of satire. What is one thing that you hope readers take away from your novel?

It certainly has some points to make! By the end of the story, I’d like readers to recognise there can be two or more sides to every story and to realise that your life is not set in stone. You have the power to change or not to change it and to influence the lives of those around you and even further afield by doing so. Maybe the change needed is simply to better appreciate what you already have. Whatever it is, it starts with you.

What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it?

I’m currently writing a second novel, which is a sequel to this one and involves some of the same characters on a short trip to a small town in Ireland. I’m having fun with the plot as I go along and have no idea how it will end – much the same as when writing Paths Not Yet Taken! This should be published by the first quarter of 2025.

I’m also working on outlines and ideas for a third and a possible fourth book, where other characters from Paths Not Yet Taken will reappear and play prominent roles.

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