For SWH! podcast 101 Ali speaks to the writer Chris McQueer about his latest collection of short stories, HWFG. If you haven’t heard of or read Chris’ work, where have you been? His previous book Hings took the world of Scottish writing by storm announcing a fresh and exciting new voice. HWFG, (Here We Fucking Go, if you haven’t worked it out yet,), sees him build on the success of Hings introducing readers to new characters as well as bringing back firm fan favourites.
It was fascinating to hear what inspired Chris to write, his influences, the difficulty in
following a hit, the highs and lows of being reviewed, the importance of writing not only what but who you know, the crucial relationship between writer and editor, how vital a great cover is (see right), and his plans to branch out from writing fiction. He also kindly reads ‘Brexit’, one of his new stories, which gives the uninitiated a great introduction to Chris McQueer and his work.
For those of a sensitive nature, I should say, the podcast contains the sort of language you might expect when discussing a collection with the full name Here We Fucking Go, for once fully earning the ‘Explicit’ tag iTunes often gives us, seemingly randomly.
HWFG has already received glowing reviews, and here is just a short exert of what SWH! thinks, with a full review to follow soon:
“With HWFG Chris McQueer proves that Hings was no one-off, but only the beginning for a writer who found his voice immediately. For his growing army of followers there are further tales of the darker side of life – divine comedy so black that it’s often difficult to see, but it’s always there. HWFG also shows a writer growing more confident in their craft, often addressing the reader directly, making for a more immersive read. Have no fear, Chris McQueer is the real deal”. Ali Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae!
If you are new round these parts there is quite a substantial back catalogue of podcasts for you to discover (100, to be exact). If you aren’t yet a subscriber you can do so, (or simply listen) at iTunes, on Podbean, or by RSS (but you’ll need to have an RSS reader to do so). You can also download the podcast by clicking on the relevant link to the right of this post, or, if you want it right here, right now, you can listen on SoundCloud…
..or on YouTube:
We will be back with you very soon with the next podcast which we have already recorded. It sees Ali in conversation with the man behind the fabulous Viva La Rose, otherwise known as David Luximon-Herbert, and it includes two tracks from his album For She Who Hangs The Moon. See you back here soon for that one…
HWFG has two Glasgow launches this week, one on Thursday 8th at Waterstones on Argyle Street, & Saturday 10th when Stereo will become Alan’s Shed for one night only.