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Author is gruesomely good with words
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Thomas Emson
Once Thomas Emson got his teeth into writing, a succession of fearsome stories emerged.

The Welsh author has published a number of novels and short stories in his mother tongue, but his new book, Maneater, is his first in the English language. Now living in Whitstable, Emson is ready to terrify readers with his tale of a werewolf who attempts to bring a long-running war to an end.

“When I was young I read Stephen King and Clive Barker,” he said. “I enjoyed Doctor Who and I think my writing stems from that. I’ve also written thrillers and mysteries. I think suspense is the umbrella under which all these come. I like page turners.”

Maneater was snapped up by the first publisher Emson approached, but it is not for the faint-hearted. He said: “It’s for grown-ups really. If it was in the cinema, it would probably get a 15 certificate. It’s not for kids.”

Emson, 41, was brought up on Anglesey, an island at the northern tip of Wales. As a boy he would write his own football comics but, despite being a keen reader, he had no real desire to be a fiction writer when he embarked on a career as a journalist.

“I was thinking ‘what shall I do?’ and it sounded like fun when I was 18 or 19,” he recalled. “I didn’t really think I was going to be a writer – I just joined the local paper and it went from there. I spent most of my time on the production side, sub-editing and designing, it’s a really good foundation if you want to be a writer.

“When you’re a journalist you get taught how to write a story and how to present it, keeping it concise. It’s a good grounding.”

His love of Stephen King and other horror writers’ work inspired him to try his hand at writing, which resulted in the publication of four novels and two collections of short stories in Welsh. Three years ago the love of a good woman brought him to Whitstable, his girlfriend’s hometown, and he has been based there ever since.

Although he still works as a part-time sub-editor, his first attempt at a novel in English has been praised by fellow writers and his second career has clearly taken off.

“Unfortunately I’m not JK Rowling yet,” he said. “Most novelists have to do other jobs. I’ve not worked full-time for a couple of years, but I go to London for shifts. It keeps the werewolf from the door.”

• Maneater is published by Snowbooks     and is priced at £7.99. For more details see www.snowbooks.com.

POSTED: 05/07/2008 14:00:00

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