Through a subtle fusion of realistic and reflexive storytelling, the debut novel from multi-genre short story writer, journalist, academic and musician steven harris tells a tale of regret, reunion, rock and roll, and a flame-haired man in a coma. When Dharma J, lead singer of late 80s chart-toppers Ghost Wasps, ends up in a vegetative state after a car crash, former Ghost Wasps guitarist and founding member Alan ‘Skip’ Skipton is drawn back into the company of people he hasn’t spoken to for a quarter of a century: the comatose singer, and his first love Suzy Bartlett – aka Anna Phylactic, the band’s bass player. Alternating between the present day and the band’s formative years, From the Top opens up long-unacknowledged moments in the lives of Skip and Suzy, while the shadowy unconscious presence of the red-headed singer looms from his hospital bed.
Who is steven harris?
I write. It’s how the world makes sense to me. Stories and reflections are my superpower. I don’t wear a cape or tights with underpants over the top of them. I’ll write anything: reviews, previews, academic pieces on literature and cultural history, poetry, prose, songs, shopping lists. Like I said, I write.
In the past I have published two anthologies of short stories – Fiction Burns
and New Visions
– but, like most writers, have always felt I have a novel in me. From The Top is fiction yet draws on personal experiences from my teens and twenties when I was a semi-professional and professional musician.
Why are you crowd funding the novel?
It is my intention to publish a short print run which works out more expensive per unit than a large run. So crowd funding makes the most sense as those who pledge are guaranteed a copy of the novel. Kickstarter is the site preferred by most of those I know who have set up creative projects requiring crowd funding so, having checked out a few alternatives and found them slightly less straightforward in terms of initial setting up, I went with Kickstarter too.
Will there be a bigger print run of the novel in the future?
Not via crowd funding, no. There is always the possibility that a publisher might want to take the novel on and widen the potential market but right now I’m quite happy producing a fairly rare artefact in this more intimate way.
Will there be an electronic version of the novel in the future?
Quite probably but not until the end of 2015 at the earliest. EBooks are great but I know there are many out there who are similarly enthralled by 3D books that can be held in the hand. EBooks simply cannot compete with ‘new book’ smell. Or, indeed, ‘old book’ smell. I love the smell of paper and print in the morning. Afternoon. Evening. Night time.
What next for steven harris?
Music. I’ve been working on an album for about two years. It’s some way off in terms of completion but I’m in no hurry. When it’s finished I may consider crowd funding a limited CD run but that’s a decision to be made at the time. In the meantime I shall continue writing articles for sites such as Vent Spleen, occasionally writing football related stuff for This Is Anfield, writing poems and chronicling the wonderful and the mundane of everyday life in my blog which can be found at www.theplanetharris.wordpress.com
To find out more about From The Top or to pledge funding for the project please visit
Image courtesy of steve harris.
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