Old boys' news and feedback

How I Wrote An Espionage Novel

It starts with a chat to a mysterious stranger at a beach bar in Mexico - and leads to a big case of mistaken identity thanks to a fedora with a faded pink feather. Old Boy, Nick Davies (Class of 2009) has just released a new book, a piece of sunset noir, set in the dangerous world of Latin-American espionage. His lead character, Lou Galloway, is a failed actor who ends up having to nail the role of a lifetime - because his life depends on it.

Nick was recently interviewed by STUFF

You bought a ticket to Colombia to research this book. Tell us about that.

I had never been before, but at the time I had a great interest in Colombia, in the mountainous, jungle-clad landscapes, the coffee, the history of resilience, the magical realism. I think that ultimately served as the genesis for the story as I thought it would be the perfect setting for a lost, disillusioned dreamer who is thrown into a world unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

How did that experience serve your writing?

There were many layers to the whole ride. Colombia and Mexico are characters themselves that speak profoundly to the senses, to the emotions. There is so much that uplifts, yet much that breaks your heart. All the incredible things these nations gift to the world - the music, the dances, the food, the storytelling - are found in abundance, while constantly hovering over their lives is corruption, violence, crime, and poverty that the people are forced to weave around, while still making the best out of every day on earth.

It served my writing by allowing me to have a base inspiration for every scene in which [character] Lou Galloway encounters. Every cobblestone street, back-alley coffee shop, jungle-hidden salsa bar, and Mexican-hacienda wedding, was based on something I witnessed first-hand, and it made the writing process an unforgettable journey that will forever have been a privilege.

These places told a greater story to me than I could ever tell to the world. But nonetheless, I made an attempt, and El Flamingo is the result.

What is sunset noir'?

Sunset-noir refers to the sub-genre that El Flamingo falls into. Maybe it’s the first of its kind. It is set against a backdrop that contains elements of noir that form a character-driven mystery thriller, while evoking more escapism, more colour, more humour, more adventure than your standard mystery or thriller.

I guess I’m an emotional person, and it seems the world of fiction is passing through a time of heavy-hitting, dense, dark narratives. These certainly have their place and are often imperative to society, but I personally wanted to write the kind of book that you could read on a plane or on a beach that would bring an immediate escape. That's the reason I pick up a book.

There is definitely humour, in the way that a first-person narration lends itself to. If I tried to write a stone-faced, totallyserious tale that follows a failed actor being mistaken for a rogue assassin named "El Flamingo", I think I would surely get laughed out of town by the entire literary world.

After living with this character in your imagination for so long, how does it feel for it to be (soon) out in the world?

Exciting, surreal, and downright weird. For about five years Lou Galloway was this imaginary dude I sat around yarning with at all hours, like some kind of a madman. It's like having an imaginary friend who is suddenly about to (hopefully) be envisioned by a bunch of other people, and that's a little nerveracking. It’ll be interesting to see how he and his wild universe are received.

Plans for another book?

I have ideas, but they will take some time to make their way onto a page. I personally work slowly, and it takes a good year or two of purely just living, learning, and imagining before a narrative starts to carve itself out.

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