With his gritty new novel unleashed tomorrow, 21 November, on his own Northern Republic Press, Dan Howarth walks us through the genesis of his “very nearly book”, Lionhearts.
Name: Dan Howarth (he/him)
Based in: On the beautiful leisure peninsula of Wirral.
What genres/subgenres are you drawn to?
Horror mainly, with a splash of crime. Anything dark.
Is writing your full-time focus, or do you have a day job as well? What do you do?
Unfortunately writing is not my full-time job. I work in information law 9-5 and write horrible books after hours.
The Book: From Pen to Print
What was the genesis of this book? Where did you get the idea from?
Lionhearts is a bit of a departure for me. It isn’t supernatural or even strictly horror, although it is horrible. A number of years back a shopping street in New Ferry was blown up in a fraudulent gas explosion. It destroyed homes and businesses. The place was left to rot for a long time with no government help, people displaced, lives ruined. This really angered me (and a lot of local people). The explosion is the basis of this book; I wrote about a man who loses everything in the blast and what lengths he will go to in order to get it all back.
How many drafts did you go through before you felt it was ready to query? How long did that take you?
I wrote this book during the pandemic in one anxiety and rage-fuelled fever dream. I was reading a lot of scary news and David Peace novels at the time, so this poured out of me. I wrote the first draft very very quickly but only recently pieced this book together. So it’s taken five years to get to this point, but that’s been on and off work in concentrated bursts.
Pictured: David Peace‘s (very Northern) book, The Damned Utd
Did you work with beta and/or sensitivity readers? How did you find them? How did you incorporate their feedback?
I’ve had numerous readers and opinions on this one. The book deals with immigration and hatred and the far-right. It’s made me check and double-check with readers and ensure the portrayal of the main character is accurate and believable. I did a lot of research into online radicalisation (which I don’t recommend) and worked it into the story.
There is one significant plot change to this book which I made fairly recently. All beta readers agreed and I finally caved… I am stubborn to the point of idiocy sometimes.
What was your querying process like? How long did it take?
This is my very nearly book. It had a number of full manuscript requests but no offers. It placed me as runner up in two prestigious writing competitions (New Writing North and Writing on the Wall). It was accepted for publication by an indie press who then folded.
In the end, I decided it was too good to rot on my hard drive so I decided to release it myself through Northern Republic.
Once it was in the hands of your publisher, what was the process to get it ready for release?
Thankfully, due to all the work done by the failed indie press and various querying processes, the edits were mostly done. I tightened it up a lot ready for release and made one significant change, but it was mostly there. I did ensure I worked with the magnificent Paul Stephenson of Hollow Stone Press to get an excellent cover. That’s a must for every book of mine.
And now your book is about to be unleashed on the world! How are you feeling?
Nervous but proud. I think this book is a departure in terms of what I usually write, but I feel it’s an ambitious novel and one which shows I’ve developed as a writer.
What would you like us to know about this book?
As I’ve said, this is a departure for me. It’s not strictly horror, it’s not really strictly any genre. But it came from a place of anxiety and anger. It reads like a book from a wounded soul. I think the way this country is at the moment, it probably reflects where we are right now.
Who’s the ideal reader for this one? What sort of things do they like to read about?
I’d say anyone who likes gritty fiction. Anyone who can stand holding a mirror up and having a long, hard look at where we are going as a species and as a community. It’s not a happy book, so if readers are looking for cosy then they will be disappointed. That said, I hope this is a book which will make people think.
Your writing process
Are you a plotter or pantser or somewhere in between? How do you do your first draft?
I’d say I fall into the cracks between the two. I like to know the opening, a midpoint, and the ending for a book before I start. I’ve started novels with zero planning at all, and I’ve started them with fairly thorough knowledge of where things will end up. The one constant is knowing the ending. That’s usually all I need, but it isn’t most efficient way of doing things.
How do you approach writing? Are you the type of writer who needs to treat it like a job? Is there a particular time of day you find best for you to write?
I’ve recently started getting up an hour earlier to write. I am much more productive in the mornings, it seems. My general go-to is lunchtime on a work day though. That’s the best time and leaves me with family time after work.
I take writing seriously. It’s as important as work to me. I don’t mean that in a pretentious way, but if you go into it lightly there will be poor results. There is no substitute for bum in chair time, showing up every day, keeping yourself accountable.
The best writers aren’t necessarily those with natural gift, but the ones who put the work in to improve.
Geek out about stationery: do you use a notebook? A specific type of pen? Or are you computer all the way?
Laptop only for me. My handwriting would make most doctors embarrassed. It is truly appalling.
Is any of that different for editing?
I use Scrivener a lot which makes editing and structural stuff much easier. I make a few notes here and there by hand maybe, but overall, it’s the laptop.
Where do you work? Do you have a comfy, creative space at home or are you someone who has to grab the moment wherever it comes?
I have a nice office and a nice desk. I’m lucky enough to have my own space but that’s mainly because I work from home full time. That said, I have taught myself to write anywhere, anytime. My previous jobs were all office based and that meant scooting to a library or spare meeting room to write at lunchtime.
Nowadays, I write in the car while my daughter goes to a class or I’ll find a table in a coffee shop etc and just write. I don’t need anything other than a little bit of time and the laptop.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
Absolute silence. I can’t handle any music on at all…
Do you have a writing ritual?
I usually aim for 1000 words a day. Beyond that, I just settle for the standard blood sacrifice I imagine all writers make to the Book Gods.
Where can we follow you / find out more about your work?
I am @danhowarth20 on almost every social media platform you can think of. My website is danhowarthwriter.com
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