With the kind of year 2020 has been, I think Billy Moran’s Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing might be just the book we all need! I was so sorry I couldn’t squeeze in reading it in time for the blog tour, but I am thrilled that Billy has agreed to stay in with me to tell me all about it instead. My grateful thanks to Howard Davidson at Sauce Materials Books for inviting me to participate in this tour.

Staying in with Billy Moran

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Billy.

Thanks for having me – nice place.

Thanks – bit dusty though as I haven’t bothered much over lockdown! Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

 

I’ve brought along a copy of my debut novel Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing because it’s out today!

Oh! How exciting. Happy publication day. Congratulations.

It’s got a nice, bright retro rave flyer front cover (by an amazing designer called Alex Kirby), with some kind quotes from writers I really look up to on the back, and 349 pages of fun and drama in between!

Sounds great. So, what can we expect from an evening in with Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing?

Expect a bit of a rollercoaster ride – Eleanor Oliphant meets Agatha Christie at a rave!

I love that description!

There’s a quirky, naughty, lovable group of characters to hang out with, a crime mystery to keep you hooked, some family tragedy to pluck on the heart strings, some 90s nostalgia to turn back the clock with, and as I’m a writer on Horrible Histories by day, hopefully I’ll make you laugh once or twice along the way too. It’s a bit of a paean to and parody of self-help books as well and there’s a concept in there – can you find happiness by following a set of rules?

I think Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing sounds absolutely brilliant. I know your Horrible Histories well so I imagine I’m in for a treat with this book. 

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

Well I’m always the one that DJ’s at parties. I’ll usually play anything from Taylor Swift to Chic, and Wham to David Bowie, but today I’ve brought along a party playlist not everyone’s going to like, because it’s all rave music from 1992.

Ah. Let me just nip and get some earplugs…

I’m sorry Linda – but it will usually make someone get up and dance you didn’t expect to. If no-one else is coming round, maybe it will be you?

Well I must admit, I do like a bit of a bop! Maybe you’ll join me?

Plus I’m in the party mood of course – it’s a big day. My book isn’t about rave, and the rave scenes are in fact described as being totally silent for our main character, as if he is already re-living them, even as he experiences them for the first time – but this was my writing playlist, which helped me recapture the extraordinary feeling of 1992.

I do think music can be incredibly evocative Billy.

I’ve also brought along a cocktail called a Rosemary Gimlet. I believe every party should start with a strong cocktail, except perhaps a Christening. This one has gin, lemon and rosemary syrup – you’re going to love it, and then fall over. Have three and you’ll change your mind about the playlist I promise.

I’m a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking but I do like a cocktail and if it helps drown out some of that music, I’m in!

Finally, I have brought along my hangover pre-cure. This is a winner: one Berocca; one Dioralyte sachet; two soluble aspirin; one Nytol; a few drops of Echinacea; all mixed up in a pint of tap water. You’ll thank me on the morning.

I have a feeling I might just need it! Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing Billy. Happy publication day again. Now, if you could just turn that music down a fraction, and mix me a Rosemary Gimlet, I’ll give blog readers all the information they need about Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing:

Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing

Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing…

Chris Pringle: simpleton, casualty or local hero?

Propped up by biscuits, benefits and a baffling faith in his plan, he lives in a world where every day is obsessively the same: wedged in his recliner, watching murder mysteries, taking notes. Until the day a serious and peculiar crime stumps the local police – and Chris announces he can solve it.

Accompanied by a loyal crew of chancers, committed to making amends, and pursued by a depressed Detective Inspector, trying to join the dots, Chris heads back to the raves of his past, where a heartbreaking personal tragedy lies abandoned. But what exactly is Chris Pringle looking for? Has he really worked out the way to find it? And what will happen if he does?

A quirky, nostalgic, heart-warming mystery for fans of Gail Honeyman, Agatha Christie, Jennifer Egan, Ian Rankin, Matt Haig, Irvine Welsh, Ben Aaronovitch, Dave Eggers, Jon Niven, John Kennedy Toole, Belinda Bauer and Harland Miller.

Published by

Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing… is available for purchase from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookbub.

About Billy Moran

Billy Moran is an award-winning television writer for shows including Horrible Histories. He grew up in the West Country, where his teenage years were rudely interrupted by the Second Summer of Love. Since then he has been embracing mysteries, craving solutions and writing lots of lists. He lives in London and has two children, two cats, one football team and several favourite detectives. Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Amazing is his debut novel.

You can find Billy on Goodreads.

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