Much thanks due to the dauntingly interesting, multi-talented Kerry Drewery who kindly tagged me on the Very Inspiring Blogger Award tag. Kerry's YA novel A Brighter Fear was shortlisted for the Leeds Book Award in the same category as, but a year before Poison Boy. Look out for A Dream of Lights too - Carnegie nominated no less!
Her brilliant Seven Things You Don't Know About Me can be found here. And here's mine...
1. Fletcher Moss is a pseudonym. Yeah, you'd never have guessed, right? I named myself after a park.
The park was named after a dude of some considerable local import. He wrote books too, though his titles don't inspire fevered excitement; not in me at least. Still, if you're interested, you could check out 'Pilgrimages to Old Homes'.
2. I support Huddersfield Town. Oh well. The thing is - you don't chose your team - your team chooses you. I grew up there and when I was young I supported anyone but Town. But then I faced up to my responsibilities and embraced the mediocrity.
3. My brother writes for The Guardian. My cousin has a killer menswear blog. They're both better writers than me by a mile.
4. What's the best bourbon money can buy, I hear you ask? That'd be Maker's Mark. You're welcome.
5. Every year since 1992 me and my brothers have dutifully listed our top five albums of the year. We're pretty damn geeky when it comes to lists. Looking back, I made some tragic decisions. Here's me drawing up my shortlist for 2004:
Beastie Boys? Good call. 'Egypt' by Youssou N'Dour? Well... it hasn't lingered long in the memory, put it that way.
6. Apparently I graduated from Manchester University in the same year as crime writer extraordinaire Sophie Hannah. I've been the green-eyed monster ever since. An embarrassing admission but there you are; I'm not above a bit of envy.
7. I played in a five-a-side footy team for ten years. We were called the AFC Chieftains and we were terrible. Once, we got this great striker to play for us - he was whippet thin, lithe and strong and he was thumping in goals week after week. We got promoted. Then he got arrested and couldn't play while he was on remand. Our heaviest loss without him was 12-0. That was a tough night to get through. The following week, the ref suggested we try the veterans league. That's when I knew quittin' time was imminent.
Aaand that's your lot, folks. But don't despair; good times are just around the corner - I'm passing this one on to the amazing Sarah Naughton.
Sarah is a Costa-shortlisted YA author who's first two novels have been critical smashes. Check out The Hanged Man Rises and The Blood List - both brilliant.
Her blog is here. And you can follow her on twitter too!
