Extracts – Howard Baker: Fiction Writer

The First Time

Daniel Baker — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:29:53 +0000

Over the years I have written a number of short stories. This is my favourite.

The Growing Season

Daniel Baker — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 11:20:19 +0000

Every year there is an internet event called National Novel Writing Week (NANO) in which aspiring writers are encouraged to write a 50,000 word first draft of a novel during the month of November. This works out at 1,666 words a day for thirty days and is very good discipline.

In 2013 I decided to enter this competition and develop a theme that I had had in my mind for several years, that of a young man at the end of the university days entering into a pact with a fellow student which will completely change his life. I completed the task and since them I have edited and amended the manuscript and increased it to 75,000 words. This is my third novel The Growing Season.

Sinners

Howard — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 04:00:11 +0000

Sinners is a novel with two strands, one set in 1952 and the other in 2002. In 1952 the central character, Philip Hudson becomes involved in a situation which leads to the death of his classmate, Lol Wrightson. Fifty years later he has never spoken about the incident until a journalist appears and persuades him to break his long silence.

In 2002 Philip Hudson is living quietly in Devon, running a papershop and looking forward to his retirement. He was born and brought up in the north east of England but left there in his teens and has never been back. His departure was caused by an incident in which a classmate, Lol Wrightson was shot by a police marksman after waving a toy gun at him. Philip holds himself responsible for Lol’s death and has never spoken about the incident.

In the first chapter of the novel, Leila Ward, a young journalist from the north east comes looking for him. She writes the Fifty Years Ago column for her newspaper, is intrigued by the story of Lol’s death and wants to know more about it. But she has another reason for tracking Philip down. There was a girl, Tina Townsend with Philip at the time of Lol’s death and Leila believes that Tina’s brother, Ron, may be the father whom she has never met. The story traces Leila’s search for her father, and Philip’s search for his abandoned son.

This novel was shortlisted for the Hookline Novel Award in 2009 and is now available on Amazon. It is available for Kindles and other compatible software.

“Thoroughly enjoyable coming of age story. Funny and moving”

5 stars

“A good story and believable characters”

5 stars

“Thoroughly entertaining read. Bits of it reminded me of Kingsley Amis. Well executed.”

4 stars

My Very Best Friend

Howard — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 03:00:24 +0000

I had written a draft of my second novel My Very Best Friend before the course but after discussing it in seminars with one of the Writers-in-Residence I made substantial changes to it.

The novel opens in 1990 with the death of Simon Prentice. Among the mourners at his funeral are his sister Ros, his best friend Andrew (Ros’s ex-husband) and two women, Carla and Becky with whom both Simon and Andrew had relationships. The story moves back in time and covers the years up to Simon’s death, with all four main characters sharing the narration.

Just before his death, Simon reveals the secret, known only to him and Ros, which has hung like a dark shadow over their subsequent lives and the lives of those who became closely involved with them.