Spin follows an underachieving marketing employee who sees the opportunity to change his life around if only he can let go of his morals. What was the inspiration for the original idea at the center of the book?

The original idea probably came to me a decade ago, circa 2012. I was working in marketing at a big multinational and for a long time really loved it. Then headquarters announced a ‘roadmap’ to get to an earnings per share target. All well and good if revenue was growing, but it wasn’t. The end result was diabolical and thousands of people were made redundant. I think the situation is completely relatable to anyone that’s worked in a corporate environment. And for me, the small team of exceptional people that I managed – each were made redundant, one per quarter, until I no longer had a team. And then a month later, I was tapped on the shoulder – my work was done, it was my turn. I’d been there for almost twenty years, so the way it ended was soul-destroying. I guess the book was cheaper than therapy.  

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

Short answer is a lot of it. The characters aren’t based on any one person in particular, but an amalgam of various people I’ve met, worked with or been managed by. I’d like to point out that 99.9% of my colleagues at work both past and present are fantastic. And I’ve had some truly exceptional managers (a big shout out to Steve and Connie particularly). But the 0.1% provided great material for the book so I thank them also.       

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

The best thing about satirical comedy is that you can make points without being preachy. Or if you miss the theme, that’s fine too as long as the book makes you smile. The key theme revolved around corporate ethics and at what point you’d sell your soul to get to the top. The protagonist in the book sells his soul for an annual salary of half a million dollars. I reckon I’d price mine at a million but I’m prepared to negotiate.  

What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?

The next book is percolating as we speak. I’ll stick with comedy because I write what I love, and I love a good laugh more than anything. So picture ‘Ruthless People’, the 1986 movie starring Danny DeVito, mixed with ‘Reservoir Dogs’, the 1992 debut of Quentin Tarantino. I guess you get a ‘Ruthless Dogs’. The title needs work, me thinks.

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Geoff Stradling likes to think he’s one of the good guys. And it’s important to stay stoic in the face of a few challenges. So what if the company he’s working for shows dubious business ethics? Or that his boss is a back-stabbing narcissist? Or that his girlfriend is happily rid of him? Let’s not mention getting overlooked for that promotion. The less said about that, the better.

But his dream job is just around the corner. Maybe a couple of tweaks to his CV are required, but who cares? Money. Power. It might just go to his head.

He can have it all… for the price of his soul.