Read it and then get the T-shirt
By Martin Dawes
NOW that JK Rowling has written the last Harry Potter and left the fantasy scene there is a vacancy. Could that be filled by new author MFW Curran and his debut novel out this week?
"If The Secret War did I'd jump for joy," says Sheffield writer Matt.
It's got demons, angels, vampires and knights fighting it out for thousands of years in a battle between the forces of good and evil, Heaven and Hell.
Instead of a schoolboy hero the central characters are Captain William Saxon and his pal Lieutenant Kieran Harte who have just survived the horrors of the Battle of Waterloo.
Could the initials be a hint to readers that he is offering up the same as JK Rowling or JR R Tolkein?
"I think the reason the publishers went with the initials is because the book is set in the 19th Century. They wanted an olde worlde feel and to give a sense of mystery about the author," says Matt.
Tomorrow evening he's launching the book with readings and "copious amounts of alcohol" at Waterstone's in Orchard Square but it may not be quite as riotous as his launch party last week.
He and a group of friends went to his local restaurant, Cipolla in Broomhill, to eat and drink to the book's success - and he got quite a surprise when they took off their jackets to reveal T-shirts promoting the book.
His wife Sarah had gone to considerable trouble and expense to get them printed. His says: "I'm a local writer."
Matt, aged 32, from Broomhill, explains: "I'd gone with some of them to a local bookshop to promote The Secret War and introduced myself as a local writer. They all fell about laughing."
Lest anyone accuse him of jumping on the Harry Potter bandwagon, Matt (or should that be M F W Curran?) started long before she had put down her first words.
"I have been writing it on and off for 15 years. It was one of those projects which refused to go away," says Matt, who finished his first novel at 18 and only just missed having it accepted by a major publisher.
By day he's a civil servant at the Department of Work and Pensions but he taps out 1,000 words in his 40 minute lunchbreak. "I can just switch off from the day job," he says.
Publishers Macmillan have put it out only in hardback at 12.99 to begin with and that's a hard market to crack. They'll be keeping an eye on its success before deciding on a paperback although there is already one for Ireland and the German rights have been snapped up.
His pals are helping. They're sending him photos of where the book has been spotted on bookshelves across Britain and Matt is doing his bit with his own blog (www.mfwcurran.com) which, for the last year, has kept readers posted on the novel's progress.
The Secret War is a different category to Harry Potter - historical fantasy - but he's hoping it will attract teenagers as well as adults.
He reckons he has a series of at least three and probably 12 to come and is already on the second draft of the follow-up.
That could mean an awful lot of celebration dinners at Cipolla.A dab hand at fingerprints
VISITORS to chief executive Angela Galvin's office at Sheffield Theatres are being asked to give their fingerprints.
It's not that she suspects them of nicking any of the Crucible's valuables.
It's all in the name of art.
"When the theatre closes for refurbishment, so does the Cues gift shop. It will be replaced with an exhibition about the theatre, devised by Encounters," Angela says.
"They've given us all a project, and mine is to take the fingerprints of people who come to see me."
She's surprised at how willing people are, and demonstrated with lawyer David Urpeth of Irwin Mitchell, who had called in to talk about sponsoring a play.
"People seem to have been watching an awful lot of police drama and roll their fingertips across.
"I find a light dab makes the better print," adds Angela.
New clue to missing murals
COULD we have found the missing murals of German sculptor Fritz Steller?
On Monday we reported that the famous sculptor recalled designing some with bathers and fish for a city millionaire's swimming pool in the Seventies but couldn't remember who or where.
Christopher Marsden of Huddersfield is writing a paper on his work in Britain and needs to know whether it is still there.
Reader Anne Merrill e-mails to say she worked during that period for Malcolm Beagrie of Charles Beagrie and Son, which made gas control equipment. He had a pool built on his home in Millhouses Lane and it had murals.
We'll keep you posted
Counted out
HOW he has fallen. At the ELR auction last week one of the lots was a framed collage depicting the various stages of Prince Naseem's career - except the last, presumably.
Despite his best endeavours - and to some hilarity - the auctioneer couldn't raise a single bid.
Time to help
GOT a broken watch you were going to throw away? Non-Animal Medical Research in Skegness wants them to repair to raise funds or use as spare parts. Send them to 81 Beresford Avenue, Skegness PE25 3JQ.
Sudoko fanatic?
HOW To Be On TV - the Diary's feature. Are you a big fan of Sudoko?
BBC 1 is looking for contestants for Sudo-Q, a new quiz presented by Eamonn Holmes. You must be over 18 and make up a team of two with a pal. Call 09011 110 849 or e-mail your name and phone number to sudoku@bbc.co.uk
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
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