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A Story Based on True Events
“1993 was the year that Stephen Lawrence got murdered by racists, and I became an angry Black lad with a ‘chip on his shoulder’.”
Aeon is a mixed-race teenager from an English suburb. He is desperate to be understand the Black identity foisted on him by racist police, teachers, and ‘friends’. For want of Black role models, Aeon has immersed himself in gangsta rap, he’s trying to grow dreadlocks, and he’s bought himself some big red boots.
And now he’s in Jamaica.
Within days of being in Jamaica, Aeon has been mugged and stabbed, arrested and banged up.
Aeon has to fight for survival, fight for respect, and fight for his big red boots. And he has to fight for his identity because, here, Aeon is the White boy.
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Q&A
– When and where do you prefer to write?
When and wherever I can. While writing LOCKS, this was in my tiny office in the back garden after finishing work and putting the kids to bed.
– Do you have a certain ritual?
Not really. My ritual is simple: Crack on!
– Is there a drink of some food that keeps you company while you write?
Coffee. Lots of coffee.
– What is your favourite book?
The Boudica tetralogy by Manda Scott.
– Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
Yes. LOCKS is a literary memoir. I intend to write a historical fiction set when the Spanish first imported African slaves to the Caribbean.
– Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
Yes. Most of the characters in LOCKS are amalgamations of numerous people I know. I observe interesting traits in the people around me and they inspire my characters.
– Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
In my twenties I used to have to find old bus tickets and receipts to write on before the ideas passed me by. So, yes, I now carry a notebook and pen in my man-bag, which goes everywhere with me.
– Which genre do you not like at all?
Crime fiction.
– If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
It would be great to have Joseph Campbell on hand to advise on mythical themes.
– If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you chose and why?
I intend to travel to the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula, and the west coast of Africa to research for my aforementioned forthcoming book. I need to get to know the three cultures involved as much as possible in order to authentically represent them.
Thank you, Ashleigh Nugent and Rachel’s Random Resources
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About the author
Ashleigh Nugent has been published in academic journals, poetry anthologies, and magazines. His latest work, LOCKS, is based on a true story: the time he spent his 17th birthday in a Jamaican detention centre. LOCKS won the 2013 Commonword Memoir Competition and has had excerpts published by Writing on the Wall and in bido lito magazine. Ashleigh’s one-man-show, based on LOCKS, has won support from SLATE / Eclipse Theatre, and won a bursary from Live Theatre, Newcastle. The show has received rave audience reviews following showings in theatres and prisons throughout the UK. Ashleigh is also a director at RiseUp CiC, where he uses his own life experience, writing, and performance to support prisoners and inspire change.
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Author Links
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LocksBook
Twitter – @LocksBook
Instagram – @locksbook
Youtube Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TVrX7J2j4
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Book Links
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/LOCKS-Story-Based-True-Events-ebook/dp/B08JCZ9D71/
Orders also available from: www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk
B for Bookreview 