Thunder Road

Getting boys to pick up a book, open it, begin reading (often slowly and grudgingly) and then persevere right through to the finish, can be a real challenge.

Being famous would certainly make it easier to get your manuscript read by publishers but I doubt it would sway audiences in any significant way.

It’s all too easy to focus on your key players and neglect the supporting cast.

Having imagined a character into existence, one of the tricks authors use to keep their creation interesting is to put them under pressure.