First Howl: Returning Home

After the misery of my first two years at university, my third year was so much better but I paid the price in order to enjoy myself there. I had become something of an alcoholic, sitting on my bedroom floor with a whiskey bottle, listening to Pink Floyd's Animals. That was, when I wasn't writing. Initially, First Howl was a historical novel with its invocation of medieval brutality, international intrigue and high society no doubt inspired by Brexit and Trump the same year. As the book went on, it developed more of a homespun, folksy vibe that was influenced by the Bob Dylan and Beatles I was listening to at tne time. It doesn't surprise me that one of Dylan's favourite books is The Odyssey. The most important part of First Howl is in the third act where the peotagonist returns home.