Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up as part of a large family in council housing and a broken home, in North-West London. Both my parents were unemployed, which left clothing and food at a minimum, and holidays of any form non-existent.
Primarily, this has influenced my writing in many ways. The main aspect however, is it has unintentionally made me realise how a persons wealth - while important in terms of financial stability, is less important in relation to their kindness, decency, and empathy towards fellow human beings. It has also made me appreciate the simple beauty of life, and perhaps allowed me to be a more original writer, as there was zero influence or interest in my attempts to become one.
When did you first start writing?
As a guitar player, I started writing songs for myself as a teenager. This slowly progressed over the years to sitcom scripts, feature length screenplays, short films, periodicals, and of course my book, Our Human Labyrinth. I am a firm believer in the progress which comes from hard work, so each different form of writing has helped me in many various ways.
Read more of this interview.