Stuart Turton tells Caroline Lindsay why becoming a novelist is like climbing Everest

Stuart Turton’s debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, won the 2018 Costa First Novel Award, and a tranche of other accolades – a fine result for someone who has wanted to be an author ever since he was eight.

“Which is like knowing you want to climb Everest, but not knowing where the hell it is,” says Stuart.

“Even when you do find it, it turns out to be basically impossible to scale.

“I decided my best path to being published was to become the best writer I could, so I took up journalism.

“It was great, because I was writing professionally every day for an audience – and, more importantly, being edited. I started in tech and ended up in travel.

“All the while, I was beavering away on an idea that would ultimately become my first novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle,” he explains.

Stuart’s latest novel, The Devil and the Dark Water, is a supernatural Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery set on a boat.

“In 1634, a merchant galleon leaves the East Indies bound for Amsterdam. But as soon as they put to sea, a demon starts haunting the ship,” Stuart reveals.

“Lots of scary things happen, culminating in an impossible murder. Thankfully, the world’s greatest detective is onboard. Unfortunately, he’s a prisoner and it’s left to his sidekick to sort things out in his stead.

“It’s pretty fun.”

So what inspires Stuart’s writing?

“A crippling fear of poverty and a clear understanding that I’m awful at everything else,” he says modestly.

Already working on his third novel, he says: “Hopefully it won’t break me the way my first two did (I’m being daft, it definitely will).

“I’ve also got a few other interesting things coming up that I’m not allowed to talk about. The future’s looking pretty fun,” he smiles.

He has some robust advice for anyone who thinks they have a book in them.

“Don’t worry about whether you’re writing a good book,” he states.

“Doesn’t matter how hard you try, somebody’s going to think it’s rubbish. Probably more than a few somebodys.

“It’s your story, write it however you damn well please. Being an author’s already hard enough without trying to second-guess your readers.”

Stuart loves meeting readers at book events, explaining: “Love it! Being an author’s a lonely job most days.

“The only way to get a book written is to sit quietly at a computer for long periods of the day.

“That doesn’t really suit my personality, as I like being outdoors and active. I quite like laughing and meeting people.

“And if there’s a beer in my hand while it’s happening, all the better.

“I find that book events tend to fulfil these wants marvellously.”

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton is published by Raven Books, £16.99.

Stuart Turton: ‘write it as you damn well please’.