Good for the Soul follows a former prime minister forced out of seclusion and back into the spotlight and a troubled priest facing off against a criminal overlord. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My first novel – Paths Not Yet Taken – was written as a standalone story, but the overwhelmingly positive response from my readers invariably included requests (and occasionally demands!) to learn more about the future of the main characters. Having decided to turn one book into a series, it made sense to develop the established plot and themes and to pick up on world events that has occurred in the intervening period.

No matter how much madness dominates our news channels and affects our daily lives, I am always hopeful that humanity’s ability to respond and to overcome trials and tribulations will eventually prevail. Good For The Soul gave me the opportunity to visualise how that might look, whilst having a laugh at the expense of politicians and the oligarchy at the same time.

Did you plan the tone and direction of the novel before writing, or did it come out organically as you were writing?

I had a very good idea of the tone of the novel. Life is a mix of the heart-rending, the heartwarming, tragedy, and humour and I hope I’ve reflected that throughout the book. In terms of direction? Well, I knew the departure point and where I wanted to arrive. Let’s just say the journey was as much an adventure for me as it is for the reader – and I loved every second of it!

What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?

Community and family are very important to many people. I remember vividly how the townsfolk of Warrington came together after the bombing in March 1993, which killed two young boys and injured 56 others who were just out shopping. People in other parts of the UK and Ireland no doubt had similar experiences and felt the same kind of togetherness in that period of violence. I wanted to show how divisive acts can bring people closer together. I also wanted to explore how far people would go in order to protect those they love; what they would sacrifice and what lines they would cross in order to achieve their goal.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next book should be published towards the end of this year. It covers the growth and development of the Path Finder movement, which starts to find its feet in Good For The Soul, and the threat it poses to the current world order. As with the first two books, there will be a significant amount of satirical humour, but this time it will be accompanied by illegal border crossings, half-crazy presidents, and the occasional tornado.

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