Over on Mastodon there is a sizeable, friendly and supportive writers community, and many post daily under the #writerscoffeeclub banner. These are a series of daily prompts suggested by the science fiction writer (I think) John Howe. Some are more relevant to me than others, and can give me quite a bit of food for thought. This is true both of my own contributions and those of others.
The first prompt of this month was to introduce yourself in the third person, as if you were a world-famous author. Here was my contribution…
“Of course, John Hartley needs no introduction, but contractual obligations and the need to fill time while we get the previous award winner well and truly off stage mean we have to give him one anyway.
Perhaps best-known for ‘The Broken Bottle’ trilogy, John grew up in the small town of Westhoughton, Lancashire; a town built on weaving, coal and farming. There is a local legend about a cow getting its head stick in a gate. John didn’t write that, but he could have.
Attending the independent Bolton School on a financially-assisted place, John began to see the differences and social injustices between the wealthy and those less so. This coloured his politics, his writing, and his life choices.
Before establishing himself as the author we now know, love and respect, John performed in a number of bands. Some might say ‘unsuccessful’ bands - they had no hits, no significant fan base, no recording contract. However, that is only one definition of success, and John rightly recalls their fortune in providing and delivering entertainment, love, a creative outlet, a voice for the underdog and most importantly friendship.
It is these themes that John has endeavoured to portray in his writing. Whether that is in his autobiographical memoirs ‘Capturing the Wry’ and ‘Welcome to the Underachievers’, his biography of British band BOB, or in his fiction, including the forthcoming novel ‘The Old Couple’, John is determined that the honest lives of ordinary people are celebrated.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have have managed to get the winner of the ‘Celebrity Book Deal Of The Year’ category reunited with their ego in the Green Room.
Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I ask you to stand and show your appreciation for…”
Well, we can all dream…
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