When I eventually got my act together and started writing fiction, one of the things that I was drawn to was the interconnecting worlds of artists as diverse as Damon Runyon, Quentin Tarantino, and Tom Waits. Which is why I created Seatown, an over-ripe version of Hartlepool, my hometown. Indeed, Hartlepool itself simply oozed odd anecdotes and quirky characters. I’ve known the real-life Peter Ord for almost half a century – gulp - and have even been in a couple of bands with him. He is simply the wittiest person that I’ve ever met, and I thought it would be quite entertaining to put him through the wringer in a few shaggy dog stories. And that is what I have done- more than somewhat. I’ve rewritten and reimagined the yarns so many times over the years that I’ve pretty much lost track of w
