Hebden Bridge plays starring role in a new novel

Tipped for success by The Bookseller

Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Local author Linda Green’s second novel, 10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love, published in paperback by Headline Review on March 5 is set in Hebden Bridge and features lots of familiar landmarks and references such as our town being the "alternative capital of the north and 2nd funkiest town in Europe".

Ms Green, will be signing copies of her novel at The Book Case in Market Street, Hebden Bridge on Saturday March 7th from 11am.

It has already been tipped to sell more than 100,000 copies by The Bookseller, the influential book trade magazine which included it in its ‘bestseller’ category for March and praised the novel’s humour and compelling characters.

10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love tells the story of Jo Gilroy, a single mum living in Hebden Bridge, who vows never to fall in love again after the father of her son walks out on them on his first birthday. But a year on, Jo, a local TV news reporter, meets Dan Brady, an enigmatic balloon modeller who lives on a canal boat and has a dark secret – and some reasons not to fall in love of his own.

Ms Green, who lives at Clough Mill, Walsden, with her husband and four-year-old son, said: ‘‘I spend a lot of time in Hebden Bridge and it seemed the obvious choice of setting for the novel.

Many Hebden Bridge people will have a good smile when the grandmother buys the two year old a "radio-controlled combat battle tank", or the older brother, computer programmer who goes paint-balling at weekends, and who "married a real life Barbie doll and was a hands-off father to his two children".

‘‘I actually came up with the idea when I took my son to a Christmas party at Eureka! the National Children’s Museum in Halifax. We were entertained by a balloon modeller who captivated children and adults alike with his routine. And it set me thinking about what sort of person would become a balloon modeller.’

‘I came up with the character of Dan Brady and decided that he would live on a canal boat at Mayroyd Moorings in Hebden Bridge. Several local boat-dwellers were kind enough to let me have a snoop around their homes as part of my research.

“I decided to use real place names so Jo lives near the canal in Eton Street and plenty of local shops and cafes feature in the novel.

‘‘I’m looking forward to getting feedback from local people. I’m hoping they’ll enjoy reading a novel with such a familiar backdrop - and at least I’m doing my bit to redress the balance of all the London-based fiction out there.’’

The novel also features a series of flashback chapters to Dan’s childhood in the late seventies-early eighties which are set in Manchester.

Ms Green, aged 39, a former journalist and creative writing tutor for the WEA in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, said: “I spent a lot of time working on the flashback sections and thoroughly enjoyed writing from a child’s point of view. It’s a tricky thing to pull off but I hope I’ve done it.”

Ms Green’s first novel, I Did a Bad Thing, sold more than 75,000 paperback copies and spent 11 weeks in the fiction bestseller charts and Ms Green is hoping her latest novel will build on that success.

“I’ve had good advance orders from all the big bookstores who are featuring it in their front of store promotions nationwide and some good reviews in national magazines so I’m hoping this novel does even better than the first.”

10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love

1) I’d have to shave my legs – even in winter
2) Couldn’t get away with wearing big knickers
3) Or having spaghetti hoops for tea
4) He’d have to meet my mother
5) My boss is my ex and no man could accept that
6) Single mums are about as attractive to men as syphilis
7) ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ is my theme tune
8) Last time I was dumped for a weathergirl
9) I no longer trust men
And most importantly…
10) Can’t risk Alfie getting hurt again

10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love is published by Headline Review (£6.99). If you can't get to the Book Case for your copy, click here to buy now from Amazon

Linda Green's website