This is an interview with Stephen Clarke, the writer. As he says himself, not Stephen Clarke the Olympic swimmer, Stephen Clarke the classical pianist, Stephen Clarke the pop singer or Stephen Clarke “fastest pumpkin sculptor in the world”, but Stephen Clarke, the writer. The author of the great series of Merde books, a man still looking to play bass in any bad rock bands out there that will have him.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
No, first I wanted to score the winning goal for England in a World Cup final, then i wanted to be the bass player in a rock band, followed soon after by a brief fantasy that I’d become a surfer. But all the while I was writing down my fantasies, and the texts got longer and longer and soon I was writing novels.
What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write?
