Steve Kerr was brought up in the pleasant seaside town of Broughty Ferry in North East Scotland. He spent part of his teenage life in Glamis Castle, home to Macbeth and the Queen Mother, reputed to be the most haunted house in Scotland! He later worked and studied in London, he also lived in Spain, Hungary and for a number of years, Greece and worked as a lecturer in Yorkshire.
Steve’s interest in writing came from the early 1970s when his somewhat unconventional English teacher encouraged his creativity. His creativity and imagination went back however to childhood when he would create stories and draw them in a series of pictures. He has always had a strong interest in History and music. As a teenager he composed many songs but never met with success his creative abilities were slowly channeled into writing books.His first Novel ” A Cafe In Arcadia”,about life in an insular Greek town, was published in 2014. He had already published ” The Christmas Tree Of Tales ” in 2013 under the name S R Kerr..In 2021 he published another novel “The Winding Streets Of Kolonaki” set in Athens.
He counts a love of music in his interests as well as travel and reading. He has travelled extensivly to places as diverse as Pakistan and Peru and hopes to visit Japan, Hong Kong and the USA in the near future.
Growing up next to the beach on the River Tay in his home town was a a major influence on him as was living in a castle. He was always interested in anthropology and visiting other countries where he often immersed himself in their culture. Places he visited and lived in inspired much of his writing, as did his interest in psychology, people watching. He worked as a lecturer, tutor, journalist ,civil servant in London where at a point he shared a house with the group The Test Department.
Author Q&A
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I count a love of music in my interests as well as travel and reading. I have travelled extensively to places as diverse as Pakistan and Peru and hope to resume travelling to other fascinating places soon.
I was always interested in anthropology and visiting other countries where I often immersed myself in their culture. Places I visited and lived in inspired much of my writing, as did my interest in psychology, people watching. I worked as a lecturer, tutor, journalist and civil servant in London where at a point I shared a house with the industrial music group The Test Department. I also lived in Spain, Hungary and for several years, Greece. I worked as a lecturer in Yorkshire, where I initially moved to complete postgraduate studies. My first Novel ” A Cafe In Arcadia”, about life in an insular Greek town, was published in 2014. I had already published ” The Christmas Tree of Tales ” in 2013 under the name S R Kerr Under the same name, I also published another book of short stories for Christmas, “It Came Upon One Christmas Eve”. In 2021 I published another novel “The Winding Streets of Kolonaki” set in Athens. It spans the years from the military dictatorship in the 60s to the crisis of the 21st century. The next book to be published was the non-fiction “Eurovision; A Plea for Respect (Continental Songs and British attitudes)” which attempts to give credulity to the contest`s aesthetic worth. It analyses and is a critique of how the contest is perceived in the UK.There is a myth that it is all only camp glitz which is untrue and has featured multiple high quality songs and artistes. “A jigsaw in Exile”, a fiction that revolves around an enigmatic stranger, based in and influenced by my life in London, was published in 2022.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel “The Afternoons of Sanjay Bassinger”, is due for publication this month. It was inspired and influenced by places and people from my final days as a university student in Newham. Like the previous novel, it is also set in London in the early 1990s and started as part of a project for university. While the former centers around London`s more salubrious neighborhoods, this is partly based in London`s East End and follows a group of students who lodge there. They are full of starry-eyed optimism for the future and try to find the path that delves deeper into life`s meaning and what should be pursued above all else. It is written in a diary form that records the protagonists’ days, through February to late September of 1992. Quirky little happenings from post student days run parallel with times of joy and melancholy that co-exist with current affairs , amid an ever evolving cultural transition in the historic East End. Both novels lay in cupboards for years before I dusted them down then started to rewrite and ultimately publish them.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suppose I do .I like to mix literary prose with more contemporary, kitchen sink language to reflect realism, influenced by the literature I studied at university and the neo realism of the cinema I also apply lots of imagery , extended metaphors and often personify places .My writing has also been influenced by the lyrics of Leonard Cohen and David Bowie.Thoughts or imaginings are often juxtaposed with the corporeal and the immediate, because that is how life and humans are, with only the tip of the iceberg ever being articulated.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to write a novel set in my own hometown, perhaps set in the swinging 60s.I also plan to write another novel set in Athens, around the coastal suburb of Glyfada. More Christmas short stories is also definite. They are usually quite different from my novels and are under my initials. Through the years I have written umpteen poems, ,a lot of which were written in London, most of which are in files that have been in cupboards for years, some better than others. I think it’s high time to share them with the public, so a book of poems is on the cards.
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now? Do you have any pets?
I was born on a stormy, cold night in November 1958 at Mary field hospital in Dundee and brought up next to the beach in the pleasant seaside town of Broughty Ferry in East Scotland. I spent part of my teenage life in Glamis Castle, home to Macbeth and the Queen Mother, reputed to be the most haunted house in Scotland! Growing up next to the beach on the River Tay estuary in my hometown was a major influence, as was living in a castle that echoed to the rhythm of so many tales of the supernatural. I attended the Little Grove, Fort Hill and Eastern Primary schools and then progressed onto Grove Academy. I studied languages at Dundee College then worked for Opus Dei in Spain as a teacher. I spent some time in Italy and studied on an Italian course at Perugia University before relocating to London where I lived for some years. During my time in London, I completed a BA (hons) in History and Cultural Studies. I them moved to Greece where I was first employed as a teacher in Arcadia, where I also read the news on local radio. I then moved to Athens where I was employed as a teacher and editorial assistant , working on books that were used in schools throughout Greece. I returned to the UK where I returned to university in Yorkshire and then spent some time as an assistant lecturer at university in Budapest. Shortly after that I went on to be a lecturer in English language at college in Yorkshire where I have remained for nearly thirty years, in the shadow of the Brontes and not so far from the setting of Wuthering Heights. My sojourns in all of those posts have impacted much on my imagination. I am now retired but still work teaching Esol/Drama part time. I try to prove to myself that life does not cumulate in retirement and that there is a life to be pursued and challenged after that. A massive adventure to some far off shore must be tackled. I like animals but do not have pets ,that was always something reserved for relatives such as my aunt or grandmother, whose cats and dogs often felt like my own.
What inspired you to write your first book?
The special mystery around Christmas that touches my heart at the festive season. The dark short days of the northeast of Scotland also come into this, giving Christmas an otherworldly feeling, that makes me want to write about the festival. My first novel was inspired by my experiences and observations of a Greek town, and its rich culture, which was all very fascinating to me back then. A totally new experience.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
In my formative years I enjoyed the mysteries penned by Enid Blyton, which I read avidly. My interest in writing came from the early 1970s when my somewhat unconventional English teacher-in a world of the arch conservative three “R” s – encouraged my creativity. Shakespeare`s Macbeth was presented, through the then advanced technology of an LP. Cutting edge in those days. My creativity and imagination went back, however, to childhood when I would create stories and draw them in a series of pictures. I have always had a strong interest in History and music, and regret never having done an MA or Phd in Medieval history; a fascinating area. As a teenager I composed many songs but never met with success my creative abilities were slowly channeled into writing poems and later books.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
In answer to that I would have to say constructing conversations that flow off the page. Narratives have always been my forte but dialogues have always required more effort. To improve this I often read quirky ,light novels that featured lots of everyday conversation and interaction in the dialogues.
What is your favorite positive saying?
You are a long time dead.
What is your favorite movie and why?
I have always had a great love of Christmas and this is reflected in the books of seasonal short stories I have written ,due to this I would have to say A Christmas Carol 1938 production. Although of course Alistair Sim`s 1951 effort is a great movie. There is something about the 1938 version that truly brings out the essence of the season. I Am also a fan of the 2009 version, animated with such stunning effects. Hot on the tale of those must surely be It`s A Wonderful life. This festive film illustrates humans at their best and how good triumphs in the end over adversity. My love of Christmas is a longing for the festive days of my childhood and not the festival of mega gluttony and razzamatazz that it has become in recent years .Other films that pull at my heartstrings are the old black and white classics from the golden era of Hollywood (or Pinewood) that were frequently shown at weekend TV ,back in the 1960s.Many alas seem extremely dated now, but they harbor an ambience which today`s great technological productions lack.
Follow Steve online at Authors Den.
Eurovision: A Plea For Respect: Continental Songs And British Attitudes is available for purchase on Amazon.