Interview with Jonathan Lee author of the Radio

I was delighted to have Jonathan Lee stop by the blog to tell us about his debut novel, The Radio. 

1. Please can you give us a short synopsis of what The Radio is about?

The Radio centres around the decline of the lovable, yet hapless George Poppleton, a middle-aged, henpecked father and husband who stumbles across an old transistor radio in his loft. His obsession with listening to the radio drives him on an unexpected journey, fuelled by the painful memories of the suicide of his only son many years before.
It ends with an unimaginable twist and is the first part of a trilogy.


2. What was the inspiration for The Radio?

Without giving too much away and spoiling the story, I wanted to be able to use the radio as a way of escape for somebody who has issues that they have yet to deal with properly. There is a good proportion of The Radio which echo my own real life experiences and the use of the radio fitted perfectly with that.


3. Which character did you most enjoy writing?

Ooh, that’s a difficult one.  I think though it would have to be George. Although I'm some thirty years younger, we do share a few traits.  I am also extremely fond of Mollie. She is a close second to George and will develop in the second and third books in the trilogy.


4. Where is your favourite place to write?

I do all my writing in a garage conversion at home.  It’s quiet in there and the walls are covered with inspirational words, drawings by my kids and various papers covered in lyrics and thoughts.  With my first royalty cheque I finally got a radiator put in so now a least it’s nice and warm when I write!


5. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Treat writing as a job.  Book time in your diary at specific times and ensure you sit down at those times and write.  Don’t make any excuses, even if you don’t feel like it, it’s amazing how quickly the words flow once you start.  Persevere. Never give up. And most of all, enjoy it.


6. What are you currently reading?

I am reading the excellent May We Be Forgiven by A M Homes, a great story.


7. Please describe The Radio in three words.

Funny. Heartbreaking. Unexpected.


8. Do you have any other books planned?

As mentioned above, The Radio is part of a trilogy and I would hope that readers will be desperate to know what happens to George after The Radio.  I’m currently around 60,000 words into The Page, the next instalment which I am hoping to finish by April 2014.


Thank you so much for stopping by Jonathan! Good luck with the next in the trilogy!

If you want to find out more about Jonathan and The Radio, click on the links below:

Jonathan Lee: http://jonathanleeauthor.com/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Radio-ebook/dp/B00CA5JURC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1378451289&sr=1-1