(Looking For) The Heart of Shouting The Odds
I was an enthusiastic participant as well as a casual observer in the world I write about in my first novel, Shouting The Odds. During the mid-1990s, the period in which the book is set, my favourite artist was Tom Waits. His music and lyrics were a good fit for my working environment - the ‘last chance saloon’ ambience prevalent in many betting shops mirrored the low-brow world that inspired so many of his finest songs. The array of chancers, Desperate Dans and desperados who inspired them, shared much in common with the punters I took bets from each day at work.
One can find references to racing and betting throughout his lyrics, though the song ’Jockey Full of Bourbon,’ despite its intriguing title, isn’t one of them - unlike the protagonist at the centre of the song ’Drunk on the Moon’; a ’cigar chewing charlie in a newspaper nest, grifting hot-horse tips on whose running the best.’ Then there's the love- smitten character from the song ’One From The Heart’, who ’goes down to the corner to buy a Racing Form, though I should probably wait in by the phone.’ The music of Tom Waits not only provided the soundtrack to my life during my betting shop past, his songs provided comfort during the tougher days, of which there were many.
Inspiration for an novel can come from the most unexpected of places. As writers, we are not always conscious of where they come from ourselves. A couple of years after writing Shouting The Odds, I re-read it. I thought about the story arc, the plot and the themes at the heart of the book. Andy my young protagonist Andy falls in with a gang of outsiders at his local betting shop. A bond is formed, enabling him distraction from the feelings of loss, betrayal and heartbreak that have been threatening to engulf him. Ultimately, his plan to escape his broken family ties in search of a fresh start elsewhere are shelved upon the discovery of new friendship, love and a renewed feeling of hope for the future that such things bring.
Much of my inspiration for writing Shouting The Odds comes from British independent film such as Brassed Off and The Full Monty, as well as Nick Hornby's first book, Fever Pitch. But it wasn't until after I had re-read Shouting The Odds that I realised another significant influence - old Tom. Had I not been tuned-in to his skill for writing about life’s outsiders, underdogs and chancers, I may never have set my book in the ultimate 'last chance saloon', the high street betting shop.
Belated thanks then, Tom - for pointing me in the right direction, like Andy, out of a rainstorm and in through the betting shop doorway, where my novel begins.
#instagrammers
#booklover
#bookstagram
#instawriters
#tomwaits
One can find references to racing and betting throughout his lyrics, though the song ’Jockey Full of Bourbon,’ despite its intriguing title, isn’t one of them - unlike the protagonist at the centre of the song ’Drunk on the Moon’; a ’cigar chewing charlie in a newspaper nest, grifting hot-horse tips on whose running the best.’ Then there's the love- smitten character from the song ’One From The Heart’, who ’goes down to the corner to buy a Racing Form, though I should probably wait in by the phone.’ The music of Tom Waits not only provided the soundtrack to my life during my betting shop past, his songs provided comfort during the tougher days, of which there were many.
Inspiration for an novel can come from the most unexpected of places. As writers, we are not always conscious of where they come from ourselves. A couple of years after writing Shouting The Odds, I re-read it. I thought about the story arc, the plot and the themes at the heart of the book. Andy my young protagonist Andy falls in with a gang of outsiders at his local betting shop. A bond is formed, enabling him distraction from the feelings of loss, betrayal and heartbreak that have been threatening to engulf him. Ultimately, his plan to escape his broken family ties in search of a fresh start elsewhere are shelved upon the discovery of new friendship, love and a renewed feeling of hope for the future that such things bring.
Much of my inspiration for writing Shouting The Odds comes from British independent film such as Brassed Off and The Full Monty, as well as Nick Hornby's first book, Fever Pitch. But it wasn't until after I had re-read Shouting The Odds that I realised another significant influence - old Tom. Had I not been tuned-in to his skill for writing about life’s outsiders, underdogs and chancers, I may never have set my book in the ultimate 'last chance saloon', the high street betting shop.
Belated thanks then, Tom - for pointing me in the right direction, like Andy, out of a rainstorm and in through the betting shop doorway, where my novel begins.
#instagrammers
#booklover
#bookstagram
#instawriters
#tomwaits
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