The final instalment of award winning trilogy about homeless Newcastle Falklands War veteran comes out next week.
It will be marked by a book launch at the city's Lit & Phil, a sold out affair in keeping with the success author Trevor Wood has enjoyed since the arrival of his fictional hero Jimmy Mullen in The Man On The Street on the bookshelves in 2020.
As a debut writer, in many ways his arrival was not timely. The book was published in March 2020 just as the country was going into lockdown because of Covid.
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So, the usual drill of getting a sales bandwagon rolling - book signings in shops, readings and literary events - was not open to him.
"It was wonderful to get published and I just hoped people would read the book," he said. "I didn't get a big book deal and there wasn't a huge marketing budget, so it just went by word of mouth."
Fortunately for Trevor, the word of mouth impetus developed quickly as the charatcer of Jimmy struck a chord.
Jimmy is a Falklands War veteran suffering from PTSD after witnessing the horrific death of a comrade. It shattered his family life leading a split with his wife and the estrangement of his daughter and he is now living on the streets of Newcastle, trying to lie low.
That all changes when against his better judgment he turns detective to help a young woman find out what has happened to her missing dad. Readers quickly dubbed Jimmy 'Sherlock Homeless'.
Readers are given not just a page turning thriller but an insight into the life and plight of the homeless, a massive issue over the last decade leading to a huge growth in food banks and centres like the People's Kitchen in Newcastle.
In Trevor's book a barely fictioonalised versioon of it appears as The Pit
Didin't even dream of that kind of thing. k. I had no inkling of the awards. It was wonderful to get published. Didn't get big deal,, wasn't a huge marketing budgetr, it just went by word of mouth.
Next came One Way Street and on January 21 there is Dead End Street.
For writer Trevor Wood it is the culmination of a
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When Newcastle author Trevor Wood wrote his debut novel the Man On The Street he originally intended it to be a standalone book.
However the central character, a homeless North East vet with PTSD turned investigator struck a chord with readers.
And, it has to be said, the judges on book awards judging panels.
Since it was first published Trevor has won a slew of awards inlcuding....
"It's kind of always been the plan.
It was n't alway going to be a series, originally intended it to be a one off. Wuritten as a standalone. I was quite surprised when the publoisher editors saw a series. He can't keep stumbling on murders.
First pook told his (Jimmy Mullen's) back story how he ended upliving on thre street. Other two charsatcers were GHadge (check) nad Deano. The next two books wwerre i9n part about their back stories.
For me, that was the limit. I kind of felt, rightly or wrongly, that realism is the strength of the them and if you keep ploughing (the same) furrogh that it becomes a little ridiculous.
If the ppolice are involved ther is no point Jimmy getting involved."
Awards
Getting onthe screen
Still obngoing, slopw long process. Line of Duty company, had some problems (Copvid) they've just renewed their option. Also did Shwotrila (pushing back productions Covid etc). ha doption for 3 years renewed ofr another three yearsAlgo not new two boo dea;. First book was the last in trilogy, the fourth is the new book Trevor is writing.. Fast paced action thriller, set in riural Northum,berland. in which a Northumberlabd village is besiege by mercenbaries working tittel is called You Can Run. Starts with
People's kitchen - raising awarness
It's been relly nice. One reader spoke of donating afetr reqading the book.
I've tried very hard tio raise awareness. Don't gt any public fiunding entirely treliant on donatioons. I hope I#ve raised awarenmess number of pepopel feeding at 18 monts up from 100 to 200
