I grew up in the South Wales valleys and have been writing ever since I can remember. I’m 37-years-old and currently live in Cardiff, working as a copywriter. In 2019, my first novel ‘Sadness Is A Night Shift’ was shortlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Award. I would describe the novel as variously ‘semi-autobiographical spec-fi’, ‘working-class magic realism’ or ‘kitchen sink science fiction’. It has been compared to THE POWER by Naomi Alderman, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST by Ken Kesey and Channel 4 science-fiction thriller UTOPIA.
‘Sadness Is A Night Shift’ is based on my experiences as a support worker in supported living and mental health facilities. The main character ZN is based on a real girl I supported for 2 years. I remember observing her after a particularly violent incident and thinking: “Imagine she had superpowers… what would she be capable of?” I started jabbing the first paragraph into my phone there and then. A lot of the scenes in the book are real events blended with sci-fi/magical flights of fancy. But under all the decorative surrealism, it’s a story about trust, friendship, abuse and distorting the arbitrary line between ability and disability.
I have also been a comedian for 10 years, writing and performing as one half of the Welsh comedy duo The Death Hilarious. I have written and performed for The Daily Mash, BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4.
