The Big City Reads campaign continues until 12 August to provide free books to young people across the city. With a mix of very different stories covering this year’s theme of identity, we asked four young writers to interview some of the selected authors about their work...
interview: Rachel Bond
John Allison is a cartoonist from Yorkshire who started off studying journalism at university but then pivoted to graphic design. His first comic strip was published online in September 1998, and he has now published more than forty graphic novels. We talk to John about his novel Charlotte Grote: Solver, which was selected to be part of Nottingham City of Literature’s Big City Reads Campaign.
Solver is about a teen mystery solver who has aged out of the business. What inspired this story?
I had been working on something, and had it scripted and roughed out, all ready to draw, when I realised it was over-complicated and underbaked, and I couldn’t use it. So I had to come up with something quickly. Solver used a character from one of my old series and some notes I scribbled down, so felt easy and fun to script in a way that what I’d been working on hadn’t. That’s the first 22 pages of the book.
Although you began by studying journalism, you later became a cartoonist. What first drew you to graphic novels (pun intended)?
Working in comics is like running your own little media empire. You can be in charge of everything if you want to. Every genre is available, sitcoms, drama, horror, or all of them at once. The barrier to entry is extremely low. I taught myself to draw. You can publish yourself if you want to. No one can tell you what to do.
This year’s Big City Reads campaign is focused on identity. How does Solver connect to that theme?
Solver is about who you are when you separate yourself from your ‘thing’. Lottie is like a very fast train that has come off the rails long before it reaches its final station, and will never get there, and she doesn’t know what to do. And she spends the book helping others work through similar situations. None of us are going to be one thing for life, and things can change very quickly. It’s a shock to find that out for the first time.
Solver is drawn in a very unique and recognisable style. How did your artistic style develop?
Slowly! I studied the artists I liked, and slowly they all got absorbed into how I wanted things to look. I can’t really picture things in my head, so I have to work it all out on the page. As I’ve got older, it’s less about style, and more about technique, adding little tricks into your process, getting more sophisticated. Sometimes I miss the simpler way I drew in the past, but you can’t go backwards, only forwards. Change and challenge are what keep a long career interesting.
When do you find is the best time of day for you to write and draw?
I am a morning person so I do most of my work then if I can. If I give myself all day to draw a page, I’m never happy with it. A tight deadline forces me to make do and roll on to the next one. Writing is the same when it comes to scripting, but I am always thinking about stories, even subconsciously, and if I have spare time, often I’ll start scribbling down notes that can be useful weeks or even years later.
interview: Alice Calcraft
Searching for the Remarkable in Things, the debut young adult novel by Natalie Lucy, explores themes of grief, friendship, and community. The novel is set in contemporary Britain and 19th century USA and is woven with research from Natalie’s PhD focusing on Caribbean and British literature and folklore.
This year, Big City Reads has the theme ‘identity’, which your book explores very well! What do you think is important about identity?
Identity can change and progress, and it’s important not to become too fixed in who you are. There's lots of different paths you can explore, which I have done in my life. As a teenager and beyond, it can be hard, but I’ve tried to emphasise in my book that it’s important to discover and embrace lots of different things.
Why do you think that this book is relevant to readers in Nottingham and beyond?
My book is very much about young people and trying to discover your path, and I hope it is resonant to young people in Nottingham and throughout Britain. Through my own experiences in Nottingham - doing my masters there and with family in the Midlands - I have seen how multicultural a city it is, and I felt strongly about shining a light on the multicultural aspect of Britain that is present now and in the past.
I hope young people facing similar difficulties learn that when you are put into a box, you do not have to stay there
What was your favourite part of the research process for the book?
Some of the background was part of my PhD, particularly the folklore aspects. I looked at Anansi, who was a trickster character in the Caribbean, and Br’er Rabbit. I also looked at other plantation stories, as I think oral storytelling was very important to the sense of identity on the plantations. For Mary, I wanted her story to be plausible. I didn’t base her life on a specific person, but I read lots of different biographies of people who were enslaved, to try and weave in aspects of their stories. That’s a difficult balance: how historically accurate it is, combined with the storytelling.
Your exploration of grief is so moving. Could you touch on how your experience informed the novel?
I used a lot of personal experiences in the book. Although I didn’t experience grief as a really young person, I tried to explore how that would feel to a younger person. I think it's important to try to celebrate the person that has died. People deal with grief in different ways, but celebrating a person in whatever way you can keeps a part of that person alive.
Finally, do you have any tips for any young people wanting to get into creative writing?
If it’s your goal to reach a point of publication, it’s a long and hard journey for lots of people. But I think the process of writing can be really satisfying, both to explore your voice and to have a creative outlet. I used to be a solicitor, which was fascinating, but it didn't feel like it tapped into any creativity. For me, that creative side is really important. So I would recommend just writing - whether that’s prose, poetry, or song lyrics - and seeing where it takes you.
interview: Robin Stefanescu
29 Locks is a novel which tells the story of Donny, a young boy who is groomed into gang violence and exploitation. Its author, Nicola Garrard, works with young people who have gone through experiences similar to Donny’s, and wrote this book for all of them.
What was your main reason for writing 29 Locks?
I wanted the novel to be a mirror for young people who recognise their own experiences and a window for readers, including adults, unfamiliar with child exploitation. It’s now taught in schools, helping young people understand grooming and encouraging reluctant readers who want books that are about real lives and issues. Writing it also helped me reflect on my own mistakes as a young teacher. The pregnant teacher in the novel is - I'm ashamed to say - actually based on me. Above all, I wanted readers to recognise the talent, humour, resilience and humanity of young people in cities.
I love how the prose is written in the London dialect, as it feels like Donny is telling his story to a friend. Why was this decision made?
Thank you! I wanted to honour Multicultural London English (MLE), a dialect shaped by Cockney, Caribbean patois, Bengali, West African languages and many more influences. I love its rhythm, wordplay and constant evolution. Too often it’s dismissed as ‘slang’ or incorrect English, but I wanted to celebrate its beauty and let Donny tell his story in an authentic voice.
Mama Folu embodies unconditional love and brings Donny comfort when he needs it most. Was anyone in particular an inspiration for her?
Yes. She was inspired by a foster carer I knew who transformed children's lives with unconditional love while helping them maintain relationships with their families. I also drew on many hardworking single parents I’ve met through teaching, who juggle enormous responsibilities and fiercely believe in and love their children, even if they might make mistakes, as we all do when we are teenagers!
I took very seriously editing the novel with the help of teenagers and young men who had been criminally exploited and knew what it was like from the inside of organised drug gangs
Donny reacts to events in a way that feels incredibly real. What research helped shape his character?
Teaching in London since 2002 has meant working with young people facing homelessness, exploitation, exclusion and caring responsibilities. Many have overcome extraordinary barriers to build successful lives. I took very seriously editing the novel with the help of teenagers and young men who had been criminally exploited and knew what it was like from the inside of organised drug gangs. Donny is a composite of a number of children I’ve known, and the events he experiences reflect the reality that many young people still face today.
Were there any experiences from teaching that influenced 29 Locks?
I still teach, both in a Shepherd’s Bush school and for Minority Matters, supporting young people at risk of criminal exploitation. The greatest influence was Mahad Ali, a lovely student of mine who was murdered in 2017 as part of an ongoing wave of youth violence. He was kind, funny and loved boxing. The novel is dedicated to his memory.
interview: Ellie Ebbs
Becki Jayne Crossley’s debut YA novel Tart is about a teenager named Libby, whose life is upended by a viral ‘cheating’ video, as she deals with the guilt of her boyfriend’s accident, but finds unexpected love from the new girl at school, Neha. We spoke to Becki about identity, the impact of social media isolation, and how real-world connections can help young people overcome their struggles.
Tart deals with identity through location. How do physical settings impact how young people form their identity?
Growing up in the early noughties, I moved around a lot and went to church. I wasn't particularly religious, but that community shaped my perception of LGBTQ+ identities. It didn’t invite exploration. I didn't even know being bisexual was an option and I didn't come out until my early twenties. I hope young people facing similar difficulties learn that when you are put into a box, you do not have to stay there. People will accept you. It was vital to show that while rigid structures exist, you are not trapped. My main hope is that this book makes people feel seen, or provides catharsis for their inner child.
The characters experience the grief of childhood friendships, as these friends start to feel like strangers as they get older. How do you handle a character being haunted by a ghost who is still standing in front of them?
I haven't lost anyone in that way, but I have had relationships change. When close relationships shift, you're dealing with the ghost of that person, but also of your past self. You can be happy for what those connections were, but deeply sad that they are simply not the same anymore. Exploring that bittersweet feeling was an interesting dynamic.
The character Libby becomes very isolated, did you always know social media would play a central role in this?
When I started writing in 2014, it focused on word-of-mouth. Reworking it in 2022, it became obvious the video had to be central. Even Libby buys into the drama, thinking because it's online, it must be true. Social media is a massive, sadly relevant part of teenage life that had to be included, showing Libby doubting her own morals based on online talk.
I hope young people facing similar difficulties learn that when you are put into a box, you do not have to stay there
You capture the teenage feeling of ‘being trapped on the other side of the glass’ online. What is the first step in breaking that barrier?
Making a conscious effort to form real life connections. It’s easier in a vibrant city like Nottingham, which has plenty of events and safe environments - more so than in a small, isolated village like Chipping Hollow. Meeting people who truly see you is that crucial first step, Libby finds that with Neha. Libby realises Neha’s friends knew about the video, but they saw her, not the gossip. It’s about not putting stock into what strangers think, which is difficult in my thirties, let alone as a teenager, but it is worth it because those connections let you be yourself.
Libby’s bright red hair acts as a personal neon sign. If your friends picked one item that served as yours, what would it be? Something rainbow or bright; my friends always send me strawberry related things. A friend once put a rainbow pinafore on her daughter, who said, ‘I look like Becki’. She nailed that part of my identity! However, I am looking forward to the aesthetic shift with my new book, Love and Other Survival Skills, out in January 2027. We may see more yellow, possibly map themed items soon.
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