New author headlining book event
ASTOCKPORTBORN author is launching his debut novel this week.
Wyl Menmuir, 36, will be headlining the Bad Language evening at The Castle in Manchester city centre tonight (Wednesday, July 27), where he will discuss his first book ‘The Many.’
Wyl was born in Stockport and grew up in Romiley. He studied at Marple Hall High School and the former Ridge Danyers college, before going on to read English at the University of Newcastle and also completing an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
He now lives with his wife and two young children in Cornwall.
Described as ‘beautiful and frightening,’ The Many tells the story of Timothy Buchannan, who moves to a remote fishing village.
The novel is surreal and unsettling, and deals with themes including grief, loss and isolation.
Wyl wrote the book while studying for his Masters at Manchester Met, and is set to graduate from his course – on which he gained a distinction - this week.
He said: “I’ve been writing for years, ever since I was a young boy, and it was always my dream to one day write a novel. After writing several short stories and some poetry, I began writing what became The Many three years ago.
“I managed to write the novel by setting myself a target of 500 words a day, which wasn’t always easy after a long day at work and with young children to look after.
“But I made sure I did those 500 words, whether it took me 15 minutes or two hours.
“My advice to other budding novelists would just be to write, to have the discipline to sit down and do it. Also, make time to seek out interesting people, interesting books, interesting and out of the way places. That way, you have so much more depth of experience to then write the sort of book that you yourself would love to read”.
Loosely based on some real-life events, The Many focuses upon the experiences of Timothy Buchannan, who buys an abandoned house in Cornwall.
The longer Timothy stays, the more deeply he becomes entangled in the unsettling experience of life in the village
Wyl will be discussing The Many and taking questions at Bad Language, which starts at 7.30pm this evening. Admission is free.
The Many is available to buy from all good bookshops and online.