GUY MANKOWSKI

Was recently asked to contribute to a textbook which has a chapter on author's notebooks and how they use them. It was a request which threw up some interesting stuff once I went into my box of notebooks... Notebooks for How I Left The National Grid (Roundfire, 2015)- Notebook for Letters from Yelena (2012)-

I’m currently teaching creative writing for  Penguin Random House  (Writing for Beginner's and currently Constructing A Novel), the   Open College of the Arts  (Writing Skills and Scriptwriting) and elsewhere. I often have students asking questions along similar lines and having written some blogs on the various aspects of creative writing I thought I should create a go-to place where these resources can be easily found. So without further ado here is the main link-  https://weareoca.com/author/guy-mankowski/ And here are links on various subjects (links in bold). There are also on the above link many other pieces on various subjects to do with being a writer, such as on getting your work published, touring to promote your work, but below are the links that are perhaps most educational.  Reflective essays Tips for writing dialogue Writing short fiction- Part 1    Part 2    Weaving research into your writi...

'An Honest Deceit is an absolutely breathtaking, outstanding and powerful book that hooks you very quickly, so you could easily read it in one day. It evoked such strong emotions that I had to wait a while before writing my review'-  http://thebookmagnet.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/an-honest-deceit-guy-mankowski.html?m=1

On the night I heard that the brilliant Mark Fisher (author of Capitalist Realism and the wonderful Ghosts Of My Life), had suddenly died I stayed up late and wrote this piece on his legacy. 3:am magazine published it the very next day here . It's a piece that takes in the effects of Donald Trump, Jeremy Hunt's destruction of the NHS, and the Iraq war using the lens of Capitalist Realism that Fisher offered us. It also looks at what we can do about the current situation that neo-liberalism put us in. There may be plenty to resist, but the next generation that will be in power gives me lots to be positive about. 'We are living in an era in which the unacceptable is expected to be accepted 'just because' certain people say so.' 

Thought I'd mention two articles that radical Parisian literature magazine 3:am published of mine on subjects dear to my heart. As any fule no I'm a long term Richey Edwards fan, so was honoured to discuss the man's literary legacy with Daniel Lukes, co-author of Repeater Books' forthcoming collection about Manic Street Preachers' masterpiece The Holy Bible, entitled  ' Tryptych ' . The connection came about as a result of Lukes mentioning in 'Tryptych' that my novel, ' How I Left The National Grid ' was influenced by Edwards. What followed is a chat about Kurt Cobain, Nine Inch Nails, JG Ballard, Franz Kafka and other artists who impacted upon the mysterious lyricist- http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/archives-pain-holy-bible/ I also wrote a review of Repeaters excellent volume 'Post Punk: Then And Now'- commenting 'regarding the nebulous concept of post-punk, there are still many questions left unan...

I've been blown away by the number of reviews 'An Honest Deceit' has been getting- from news outlets like The Huffington Post, magazines like Narc and Living North to much-loved book blogs. As it's a reaction none of my previous novels have had I hope you'll forgive me for sharing some of the quotes the novel's had so far- ‘A book of outstanding quality. The beauty of this book resides in his actuality, and in the way the author eases the reader into it by choosing to tell the story directly from Ben’s perspective. I was increasingly intrigued by the sharp descriptions of the characters that after a few pages take up a life of their own. With this book I can genuinely say that Guy made me laugh, he made me cry some tears, he made me feel outraged for the injustice that his protagonist is subject to. Once I started reading, I could not stop. I wanted to know more. If I have a criticism to make is that I wish the book were longer. I would have loved to be ab...

‘This novel is brilliantly written. This is not just good it is brilliant. The story starts to burn away at the reader.   Guy Mankowski has a real talent for telling a story and keeping the reader guessing right to the very last moments. I am highly recommending  An Honest Deceit  as one book that you must read before this year is out. It really is that good.'   The Last Word ‘A story of suspense, and the tension that builds throughout simply took my breath away. An Honest Deceit is a nail biting and gripping reed. It is one man’s fight for justice that has the reader by his side routing for him throughout. Fantastic book and I can’t recommend it highly enough.’   By The Letter ‘This book is a gem. Pitted as a thriller, it is that but it is also so much more. It sits in its own niche and is quite simply brilliant. Literary and bold, it had me turning each page faster than the last.  This book is spectacular. It burns away with a quiet fury, that does...